I’ve worked in PR and Influencer Marketing for a few years now and I’ve learned so much about how to build and market my own platform. Now that I’m working more with brands to find influencers to partner with, I’ve seen first hand what makes or breaks an influencer’s chance to work on a brand campaign.
Below, I’m sharing 7 reasons that you may be passed up for an influencer campaign.
Missing contact info in your bio
There have been countless times when I find an influencer that would be perfect for a campaign but when I look at their Instagram bio, there isn’t an email address to reach them. Most of the time, campaign managers are searching for influencers on Instagram.com instead of the app, so even if you have the email button, that doesn’t show up on your profile on the desktop version.
Some campaign managers will take a minute to pull up your profile on the app to find your email address but I wouldn’t count on it.
Tip: Make it easy for brands to reach you by having your email written out in your social media bios.
Unresponsive via email
Even if your contact info is clearly displayed, that won’t matter if you don’t respond to your emails. Sometimes campaigns move quickly and the campaign manager needs a response within 1-2 days. You should be checking your business email at least once a day to make sure you’re not missing out on any opportunities.
Tip: Schedule in email correspondence in your daily to dos.
Location (aka Market) is missing from social media
Nothing is more frustrating to a campaign manager than when they can’t figure out where an influencer is located. This information should be one of the first lines in your bio. Sometimes brands are looking to reach specific markets and need influencers whose audience is based there. Most likely if you’re based in, say, NYC, then most of your audience lives there too. Having this clearly stated on your social media increases your chances in receiving the opportunity to work with that brand.
Tip: Another great way to be found is to use a location-specific hashtag i.e. #nycblogger. You should also use the location tag feature to tag cool places you’re visiting in your city.
Low engagement
Your high follower count may get a brand’s attention but it’s the engagement or amount of interaction with your audience that keeps it. Your engagement rate lets the brand know that your audience is authentic and tuned in to what you’re sharing. If you have a large number of followers but unusually low likes, comments, and views, the brand won’t trust you to sell its products and they may think you bought your followers.
Tip: Engage with your followers often and build a loyal audience.
Use of profanity or general negativity
Nothing kills your chances of working with a brand quicker than using a bunch of profanity or bad talking a brand, person (or group of people), or any organization. Having an opinion is one thing but it’s all in how you express it. For instance, if you’re a beauty blogger and you were unhappy with a product, you can share your honest opinion of the product without being nasty about it. Brands have to protect themselves and can’t risk associating with negativity.
Tip: If you want to work with bigger brands, keep it cute online (aka at least NC-17).
Low-quality content
With the amazing quality you can get using an iPhone, there’s no reason anyone should be posting blurry, grainy pictures. When a brand looks at your Instagram, blog, or YouTube, they should be able to easily visualize their product fitting in with your content.
Tip: Make sure your photos are clear and taken in natural lighting at the minimum.
Inconsistent posting
You should be updating your blog & YouTube at least once a week. Your social media should be updated daily or at least a few times a week to show brands that you are active. You have to treat your blog/YouTube/social media like a business if you want to monetize them. Make sure you’re mixing up the types of content you’re posting. Use stories, in-feed videos, and IGTV, in addition to static photos on Instagram to showcase the different types of content you’re able to create.
Tip: I talk about things you can do to make keeping these updated easy in this post.
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