Creators on platforms like YouTube are using a strategy known as “title negging” to spark curiosity amongst viewers. While the titles come off as shocking, the content often ends up empowering viewers, challenging conventional beauty standards and fostering self-acceptance.

The Head of Influencer Marketing at Wix outlines 5 steps the brand uses to source influencers organically. First, search directly on social media platforms using niche keywords. Next, look for videos with a minimum of 10K views, look at the creator's bio for a match, and watch 2-3 most recent videos to ensure the quality of sound and visuals are decent. Lastly, check whether the creator's email address is shared or if DMs are open. This process can be time-consuming, but it helps the brand vet quality influencers that have long-term potential better than any other tool.

Before beginning outreach, have a clear strategy that considers the type of influencers you want, what you can offer, and your communication process. Write a good outreach email that includes a personalized compliment, a brief introduction about your brand, and a simple yes/no question. Following up is crucial - keep follow-ups short, personalized, and spaced out over time to maintain engagement without being pushy.

In this interview, Alice Chen, Director of Social and Community at Away, discusses their strategy of creating bespoke briefs for influencers and moving swiftly to capture cultural moments. Examples include their successful campaign with Jake Shane, which used a viral video format, and their Pride collaboration with Willie Norris, which deeply resonated with the community. Chen also stresses the value of treating influencers as true partners and allowing the social team to innovate and react quickly.

Providing every influencer with a free high-cost product is impractical. Inviting influencers to events or asking them to return products after use can be effective. Building customer trust requires long-form content and long-term influencer relationships, which takes time. Targeting influencers with followers who can afford the product is important for authenticity. Influencers using competitor products can be addressed by offering trials and ensuring they believe in the product's value. Calculating ROI is harder for expensive products, so focus on goals beyond direct conversions and evaluate success over a longer period.

A “vertical” in the influencer world refers to a niche or category that a creator specializes in, with brands traditionally sticking to these lanes. To maintain engagement, brands should blur the lines between their products and creators. Understand your audience, including their preferred content, creators, and communities. Take calculated risks by choosing influencers outside your niche, but avoid those who don't align with your brand values or genuinely like your product. Consider adjacent conversations relevant to your audience, even if they don't directly tie to your product, as seen with Fidelity Investments partnering with a cooking creator.

A micro-influencer typically has somewhere between 5,000 and 30,000 followers and tends to focus on a specific niche. Partnering with these creators generally results in lower campaign costs, more quality engagement with followers, and more relatable and authentic content compared to mega influencers. Find micro-influencers by using an influencer directory, using filtered search on social media platforms, searching through your brand's followers, or asking your community.

Instead of just paying an influencer to endorse your product, assign them a 'Chief' title that suggests they co-created it. Announce this title on your brand's social media and create a dedicated landing page on your website for the influencer to direct their followers. While the influencer doesn't receive ownership or a real role, the title enhances the campaign's impact through the Parasocial Interaction Effect and the Halo Effect.

The influencer marketing industry is set to grow to $24 billion by the end of the year. 75% of respondents have ramped up their content production recently, with 26% intending to allocate over 40% of their marketing budgets to influencer campaigns. Small influencers are preferred, with 44% opting for nano-influencers and 26% for micro-influencers. TikTok, used by 69% of brands, leads as the top channel. Payment methods have also shifted, with 41% of brands paying influencers directly rather than offering free products.

The 7-Week Influencer Marketing Strategy Template from Sprout Social is designed to help marketing teams effectively navigate influencer collaborations, hashtag campaigns, and content creation. It emphasizes the importance of having a clear strategy to avoid wasting time and resources. The template outlines a flexible seven-week plan that includes milestones for defining goals, identifying target audiences, and measuring campaign success. The first week focuses on establishing a solid foundation by identifying high-level goals and specific, measurable objectives. This step is crucial for tracking progress and ensuring that marketing efforts align with broader business objectives. The template encourages brands to analyze customer feedback to identify areas for improvement and tailor their goals accordingly. In the second week, the strategy development phase begins, where teams determine their budget and select influencers based on campaign fit. The budget should reflect where the target audience spends their time, and the selection of influencers should prioritize authenticity and alignment with brand values. Weeks three and four are dedicated to planning and content development. This includes creating a campaign brief to align expectations and facilitate collaboration with influencers. Initial outreach to influencers is essential for building relationships, and the template suggests engaging with their content to establish rapport. Coordinating content creation allows influencers to leverage their understanding of their audience while ensuring brand messaging is effectively communicated. The fifth week is focused on launching the campaign, which involves final checks, approvals, and ensuring all technical details are in place. Engaging with influencer content during the launch helps amplify reach and build connections with the audience. Finally, weeks six and seven are dedicated to reporting and analyzing the campaign's performance. Monitoring key metrics such as reach, engagement rates, and conversions is vital for understanding the campaign's impact. Sharing insights with the team helps refine future strategies and improve overall effectiveness. The template concludes by highlighting the importance of flexibility in influencer marketing, encouraging brands to adapt based on performance and emerging trends. It also promotes Sprout's influencer marketing toolkit, which includes expert insights and templates to streamline campaigns.

A recent report highlights the significant role Snapchat plays in influencing consumer purchasing decisions, particularly through influencer marketing. According to a survey conducted by eMarketer, a remarkable 85.6% of Snapchat users reported making a purchase after seeing a product showcased by an influencer within the app. This statistic positions Snapchat as the leading platform for driving shopping activity compared to other major social media platforms like TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram, with YouTube surprisingly trailing behind despite its well-known creators. The report emphasizes that Snapchat's unique environment fosters a sense of intimacy and trust, which likely contributes to its effectiveness in connecting influencers with consumers. Notably, the survey found that Gen Z shoppers, aged 15 to 26, are particularly responsive to influencer content, with 82% indicating they have made purchases based on such recommendations. In contrast, only 18.8% of baby boomers reported similar behavior, although a noteworthy 40.8% of Gen X shoppers also engaged in creator-driven purchases. Facebook, on the other hand, showed the lowest rate of influencer-driven shopping, which aligns with the platform's challenges in facilitating creator connections and promoting relevant trends. The findings underscore Snapchat's importance as a purchase driver and suggest that brands looking to enhance their marketing strategies should consider collaborating with relevant influencers on the platform, especially to reach younger audiences who are increasingly open to online shopping. Overall, the data reinforces the idea that Snapchat is a powerful tool for brands aiming to leverage influencer marketing to boost sales and engage with consumers effectively.

A recent report from SponsorUnited highlights a significant trend in social media follower growth, revealing that influencers are outpacing traditional celebrities by a ratio of 2.5 to 1. The analysis focused on the top 100 most-followed individuals across social media platforms, showing that this group collectively gained over 825 million followers in the past year. Notably, influencers accounted for more than 70% of this growth, indicating a shift in audience engagement and marketing dynamics. Leading the influencer pack is Jimmy Donaldson, widely known as MrBeast, who gained an impressive 182 million followers. Other notable influencers include the Stokes Twins, who added 62 million followers, and iShowSpeed, who gained 26 million. In contrast, traditional celebrities saw more modest growth, with soccer commentator Fabrizio Romano leading with 22 million new followers, followed by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson with nearly 10 million, and Bollywood stars Shraddha Kapoor and Ryan Reynolds with 9.6 million and 8.3 million, respectively. The report also emphasizes a generational shift in marketing strategies, particularly in brand partnerships. Individuals aged 25 to 44 are securing the majority of brand deals, accounting for 58% of total agreements among the top 100. However, influencers under 34 years old dominate the influencer category, representing nearly 80% of brand deals. Gender distribution in these deals is relatively balanced, with 48% secured by females and 52% by males. Interestingly, female endorsers tend to achieve higher engagement rates on social media, suggesting that brands may benefit from diversifying their partnerships to include more female influencers. YouTube has emerged as a crucial platform for influencers, allowing them to rival traditional celebrities in reach. Influencers on YouTube boast 13 times more subscribers than their celebrity counterparts. The report also delves into brand activity in endorsements, identifying L’Oréal and Walmart as leaders with six deals each, followed by Amazon Prime and Airbnb with five. A notable trend is the influx of new brands entering the endorsement space, with 29% of active brands being newcomers in the past year. In terms of individual endorsements, TikTok star Charli D’Amelio leads with 31 brand deals, collaborating with major companies like 7-Eleven and Walmart. Celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay follows closely with 28 deals across various sectors. The report also notes that male influencers experience a significant drop in engagement after six partnerships, while female influencers maintain consistent engagement regardless of the number of deals. This comprehensive analysis, covering data from September 2, 2023, to September 2, 2024, provides valuable insights into the evolving landscape of influencer marketing and the growing impact of social media on brand partnerships and audience engagement.