How to Start Working with an Influencer? Step-by-Step Guide

Influencer marketing is one of the most effective channels for reaching customers. But how do you start if you've never worked with content creators before? This guide will walk you through the entire process.

1. Define Your Campaign Goal

Before searching for an influencer, answer these questions:

• What do you expect? Sales, reach, brand awareness, gaining followers?
• What's your budget? This determines what size of influencer you can afford.
• What's the timeline? Seasonal campaigns require advance planning (2-3 months).
• What KPIs? Views, clicks, conversions, new followers?

Example: "We want to generate 50,000 views and 500 landing page clicks within 2 weeks, with a budget of $1,500."

2. Find the Right Influencer

Where to Look

• InfluAudit database - ready-made profiles with metrics, filterable by platform, category, country, and reach
• Platform search - browse hashtags related to your industry
• Recommendations - ask industry contacts who performed well
• Competition - see who your competitors work with

What to Look For

• Engagement Rate - more important than follower count. ER above 3% is a good sign.
• Authenticity - are followers real people? Check VTR and comment quality.
• Fit - does the influencer's style and values match your brand?
• Experience - have they done commercial collaborations before?

3. First Contact

How to Write a Message

Influencers receive dozens of inquiries daily. Your message needs to stand out:

• Personalize it - reference specific content you liked
• Be clear about what you're offering
• Don't jump straight to price negotiations
• Keep it concise and professional

4. Negotiations and Brief

Before negotiating, check market rates. Use InfluAudit to:

• Calculate CPM and compare with category benchmarks
• See the recommendation (expensive/fair/good deal)
• Generate a PDF report with analysis

What Should a Brief Include?

1. Campaign objective
2. Product description and USP
3. Target audience
4. Content format (post, reels, story, video)
5. Key messages and hashtags
6. Deadlines for drafts and publication
7. Content rights and usage terms

5. Contract

Even for small collaborations, sign a contract covering:

• Scope of work
• Compensation and payment terms
• Timeline and approval process
• Content rights and licensing
• Termination conditions

6. Execution and Monitoring

After publication, track results:

• Add the post to your campaign in InfluAudit and track views, likes, comments
• Compare with your KPIs
• Collect audience feedback

7. Post-Collaboration

• Thank the influencer
• Analyze results - what worked, what didn't?
• Plan the next one - if it went well, propose long-term partnership

Common Mistakes

1. Choosing influencers only by follower count
2. No measurable KPIs
3. Too detailed briefs - give creative freedom
4. No contract - even for barter collaborations
5. One-time collaborations - series work better than single posts

Summary

Starting an influencer collaboration requires preparation but isn't difficult. Key steps: define goals, find the right match (check metrics!), write a professional message, prepare a brief, sign a contract, and monitor results.