How to create successful influencer outreach email templates?

Drive 20-40% of your revenue with Avada

Get Started

Influencer marketing builds customer trust and, therefore, drives sales. To jack up your marketing efforts, it is a good idea to partner with influencers who can present your brand in the best light. The challenge is, the right influencers may be so busy that it can be difficult to grab their attention.

It is widely believed that influencers would always take every offer, as long as there is payment. But it is not always the case since fans are quick to lose faith in a public figure when the brand they associate with disappoints. Creativity helps you catch the attention of the perfect influencer. But the right strategy guarantees that you build a connection for a longer relationship.

This article explains how you can create a successful influencer outreach email template to get the attention you need.

1. Know your goals for the collaboration

The first question you should ask when you need to partner with an influencer is ‘what do I expect from the collaboration? Three main goals why you want influencer outreach emails are to:

• Increase your brand exposure
• Get more sales
• Increase reach and engagement

Before deciding to collaborate with the influencer, you need to confirm that he/she is perfect for your brand. Know how you want the partnership to go and what exactly you wish for them to do. For example, you could need the influencer to post a photo or a video of your product or do a detailed review or a giveaway.

As a brand with social media presence, your goal could be attracting more followers. You could also be looking to recover from a PR mistake. And these mistakes can be devastating when not handled carefully. The wrong steps can change the public perception of your brand within minutes. Even if you only intend to create a buzz and drive potential customers, make it clear to the influencer.

Remember the ill-fated Fyre Festival of 2017 that got Billy McFarland a 6 years jail sentence. A host of influencers, including supermodels that promoted the event seemingly, had little knowledge about the venture. According to a CNBC news article, McFarland falsified documents, including bank statements, to make the venture enticing to everyone. Know that even if your goals seem less glamorous, your campaign will not implode.

2. Write a smart subject line

Just like the celebrities that they are, influencers are bombarded with lots of emails every single day. And you do not expect them to read all the emails that they receive. Many a time, one only has to glance at the subject of an email and decide whether to open it or not.

So, try to express the email’s intent in one short phrase or sentence, and you will grab their attention. It should reflect what you are going to offer in the email and should be specially tailored to the particular influencer. Below are a few instances of smart subject lines applicable to different scenarios/campaigns.

• Asking for advice: “Hi Amy, I would love to hear your opinion on dog food trends.”
• Inviting an influencer to collaborate: “Amy, you are the only fitness trainer who can appreciate the superiority of these diet programs.”
• Asking an influencer to promote a giveaway: “Hey Matt, your 200 thousand followers will be excited to get these beauty products for free.”

3. Personalize your message

Try to take every opportunity to personalize your message. As a key to standing out, you should start with a personalized subject line and greeting. Use the name of the influencer to your advantage. But more than that, also show that you like the content created by the influencer.

If you have ever come in contact with the influencer, participated in an event hosted by him/her, or have a mutual connection, mention it in your email. Do not forget to explain the relationship between your product and the influencer’s specific audience. Let him/her know why you think they will make the best fit. Be sincere about any praises you are giving, and you will make it easy for them to say yes.

4. What’s in it for the influencer?

Like most human beings, influencers are not overly interested in what you will get from the partnership. They care about what they will get from the collaboration with your brand.

Rather than make demands, explain what exactly the influencer and his/her audience will benefit from the collaboration. For instance, you could create an offer like this: “Know that you will get four free samples of our summer make-up kit to review and giveaway. And you will receive a referral code that will allow you to earn a commission for every customer you bring to us.”

And avoid sentences or words such as:

• Partnering with us will help increase sales by 25%
• Urgent
• Need

Consider giving influencers the freedom to sell your brand their way. You do not want to end up in a similar controversy surrounding the Adidas-sponsored Instagram post by Naomi Campbell in 2016. She ended up posting photos of the Adidas 350 SPZL along with a private message from the brand.

Most people saw the initial post as an error after she quickly edited it. An article on Mashable suggests that it could be intentional and not accidental. A stunt that is known to draw more attention and is often used by new brands. So, remember why you are looking to partner with them. And let them see that you trust them to execute the ad their unique way.

5. Speak the influencer’s language

You should be quite familiar with the influencer’s content. So, emulate it and use words they are familiar with. Create an instant connection with the individual by showing him/her that you share the same values and ideologies. Let him/her know that you are a fan, but do so without sounding desperate or needy. Be professional, but use informal words that will resonate with their persona.

Speaking their language also goes to their actual language. If the influencer is from France and uses French often, write a few parts of your email in French. It will grab the influencer’s attention quickly and act as a way to personalize the message. You could get help if you do not know how to speak the language. Online writing service reviews like best writers online or WritingJudge could guide you on the best freelance writers and translators to use.

6. Go straight to the point

Top influencers are very busy people that may not have much time to spend on every message they get. So, to make a great impression, keep your email short, sweet, and concise by explaining everything in simple words. Then ask when the individual will be free for a meeting or further discussion.

Do not also forget to proofread your emails to ensure the message has no grammatical or typographical errors. Make sure the words mean exactly what you want so there is no misunderstanding between you and the influencer.

Knowing What Works Best

As much as you expect a positive response on the first try, be ready to try different ideas. In time, you will find what works best for the kind of influencer that you need.

The Subject line

Think about the subject line first. Aweber email marketing statistics show that experts use an average of 43.85 characters. Since most email clients display about 60 characters, you would want to make the best of it.

It is possible to use more characters, but it gets cut off at some point in the preview. Imagine having to go through all the emails in your inbox in this digital era. A short, straight-to-the-point sentence or phrase can be captivating.

Personalized Subject lines also work, according to a recent survey by Invesp. The open rate stays valid as long as it does not feature words like “free” or “fw” (signifying that you forwarded the mail) in it.

Here is an example: “ I would love to hear your opinion on dog food trends, Amy. ”

You can see that I have Just 57 characters, including spaces. The desktop email client can display the entire subject. Amy, who is an influencer and dog lover, would be eager to engage. Seeing her name creates an impression that I have performed due diligence before reaching out. That is the power of personalized subject lines.

The Body

What the influencer sees after opening your email determines whether he/she continues to read - the tone of your introduction matters. Besides a friendly greeting, you need to show them that they were not an afterthought. You can specify the platform where you found them. I think just one social media platform would do, so you do not seem creepy.

A minor detail will make you appear genuine and keep the influencer reading. You can consider the following:

“Hi Amy, I have been following your Paws Magnifico on Instagram for a while now. I love the way you’ve trained Cindy to sniff out hidden treats.”

Amy can now see that you know the name of her dog and understand what she does. You can talk about yourself or your brand next. Be brief! Only basic information that proves your identity is all you require. Your name, organization, and job title would do.

The product or service that you offer, what your brand stands for, and why you chose the influencer comes next.

“I’m John Doe, the Ad Campaign manager at ABC Brand. The ABC Brand is an animal nutrition company that promotes a healthy life for pets. We loved your recent posts about dog nutrition and knowing the nutrient content of every diet. Everyone at the company believes that you are the perfect fit since our values align.”

Now that you have the full attention of the influencer, you can make your offer. Be specific to avoid misunderstandings that can lead to a failed ad campaign. You can finally ask for feedback, which is possible via email. You can also drop a contact phone number or office address if necessary.

Let’s take a look at a sample template.

Conclusion

The best way to craft an effective influencer outreach email template is to come up with an eye-catching subject line, personalize your message and keep it short. Be sure to write follow up emails after a while to improve the reply rate. If duly followed, these will win you the attention of the right digital celebrity in your niche and be the beginning of a partnership that will see your brand grow to greater heights.