How to Get Earned Media from Influencers

Social media influencers are modern celebrities; they control trends and what’s popular. From nano-influencers to macro-influencers, people follow influencers to gain new experiences and form a connection. Influencers hold knowledge about what is trending and what people should be incorporating in their day-to-day life. Influencer sponsored posts are some of the most popular forms of paid advertising, reaching a target audience with little to no effort.

Influencers make such a good living because brands and companies are willing to pay good money for sponsored posts, stories, and videos. The trickiest part is understanding the wants and needs of influencers to get them to talk about a brand’s products/services without having to pay for the promotion. Here are some of the best ways to get earned media from influencers without having to pay a dime.

Know your target audience

Before a brand sends out a PR product to influencers, they have to know who is in the market for the products. As influencers, they have the budget to buy products that they want, but if you can get to them first and read their mind, they will share that information with their followers.

No matter what a brand sells, the social media/marketing/influencer outreach reach should be on top of and follow influencers in the market for those products. When sending PR packages to influencers, it has to be more than a general hunch if the influencer will like/want the product.

It’s all about the unboxing experience

One of the most significant sources of dopamine from following influencers is watching their unboxing their PR packages and packages they ordered. If you are not familiar, influencers get thousands of views on unboxing things they received from brands and items they purchased from a store they are excited to share with their followers.

Followers love to watch unboxing videos because they can understand what is trending and what new products they can purchase to better their lives and create a connection with that influencer. Whether it’s a collab with a brand like Misguided, or they are sent PR from Rare Beauty, chances are influencers will share their favorite items.

If an influencer is particularly passionate about a product, they will share what they love with their followers to better their lives and make a connection. This is where the free media comes in from brands. Do the research and find the perfect influencers that would be willing to share your product for free because they love it. When an influencer shares a product that is not sponsored, they specify that to their followers. Followers are much more likely to purchase an item that is not sponsored because of honesty and credibility. 

Overall, influencer business partnerships are a new concept, and there is much to learn on both sides of the partnership. We hope these tips help your company grow and utilize new forms of advertising.