Hi friends!

Over the last few issues, I’ve broken down how marketers are running influencer gifting campaigns. 

We started with the reasons marketers are still using gifting, the difference between no-strings and barter deals (and when to use them), and what to gift influencers. 

In today’s issue, the final on gifting, I want to talk about some of the most common problems you might face with gifting and how to avoid them.

Disclaimer upfront: These are most relevant for barter deals; no-strings gifting will be slightly different because you can’t place any demands on influencers. 

In this issue:

• How to tackle the most common gifting problems

• What’s everyone else doing + poll

• Iconic #sponcon

Without further ado 👇

PROBLEM #1

You don’t get enough responses from your outreach

Oh, me, oh my. One of the most common challenges influencer marketers face with gifting is usually around outreach. If it feels like you’re sending emails into the void and don’t have anything to show for it, here are a few things you can try. 

• Spend more time on influencer selection

  
  I’m willing to die on this hill. If you start with the right influencers, every part of your process will become easier. So, if your response rate to influencer gifting is very low, I’d start there. 

  Are you approaching people who actually want and would enjoy your product? Or are you emailing influencers willy-nilly? While the willy-nilly approach might feel good at the moment (I sent 300 emails, I’m so productive, it’s an art), it won’t feel great when you don’t get enough responses. 
  
  

• Is your offer appealing? 

  
  Another reason you’re not getting enough responses is because…how can I say this gently…your offer sucks. 

  
  Revisit your offer and evaluate if it’s worth an influencer’s while. 

  
  You're asking them to do work. If it's a barter deal, they'll have to pay taxes and deal with admin because of this. Is your brief overly rigid? Does it feel exploitative? (You expect them to create a ton of content for very little reward? 

  
  The best test is to ask yourself: Would I have replied to this offer?

  If the answer is no, rethink your offer. 

• Is your email personalized?

  
  If you have a chance to peek into the inbox of any given influencer, you’ll understand how low the bar. You don’t need to do that much to stand out. You can use a partial template to speed up, but at least make it clear that you wrote that email for that person. Be specific about one thing you’ve discovered from their profile. 

  
  They might not agree to a gifted collaboration, but the chances they notice your brand and reply to you go way up. 

PROBLEM #2

Influencers ghost you after you ship the product

The influencer agrees to receive your product, maybe even agrees to post content, but once the product is at their doorstep…crickets.

If this is happening to you way too often, here’s what you can change: 

• Set expectations before you ship the product
  
  If the deal value isn’t high and there are no unusual conditions, you don’t need to spend time creating a full-fledged contract. Use a written agreement via email instead and enforce a timeline of when you can expect to receive some content. This is especially relevant for barter deals. 

• Follow-up after they get the product

  
  Make sure the person received your product okay. Ask for their honest opinion. If they love the product, and you can, offer to send more (e.g., other flavors, styles, etc.). Andreea Moise begs us to take a human approach.

PROBLEM #3

The content you’re getting from gifting campaigns is boring

• Spend more time on influencer selection
  Yes, this again. I told you I’d die on this hill. If there isn't a truly authentic fit, the content is more likely to be uninspiring. But if you find people who really love your product, the content is way less likely to be uninteresting.
  
  Stay tuned: In the next issue of ROI, I’ll share what other influencer marketers are doing to find these perfect-fit partners.
  
  

• Delight & surprise
  
  Is there a way to go above and beyond what the person is expecting? Lauren Roth recently shared a great example from a candle brand. Whichever scent the influencer picked, she threw in extra similar scents they might like as a surprise.

  
  People will be more inclined to put effort in and show genuine enthusiasm when you put in more effort and show enthusiasm. 

🤓 Didn’t see your problem here? Check out another 3 (and their solutions) from pro influencer marketers.

WHAT’S EVERYONE ELSE DOING

We asked influencer marketers for advice on running Black Friday campaigns, almost everybody laughed and said "start early".

But how early is early?

Based on a small sample size (around 25 brands, B2C ecommerce only), beginning your outreach in August puts you ahead of most brands.

And if you're just starting now, don't stress. You're not too far behind.

ICONIC #SPONCON

Obsessed with this partnership between Benton McClintock and Vaseline.

The stats: 7.2 million views, 62k likes, and thousands of saves and shares.

If you’ve seen or sponsored an iconic piece of content recently, send it to [email protected] to be featured.

See you in the next issue of ROI!
Eleni Zoe xx
Marketing @ Modash. Say hi on LinkedIn or visit Modash.

📌A NOTE ABOUT WHAT YOU JUST READ

The tips in this newsletter might not be right for you. Use good judgment when taking advice from the internet—even mine. We survey & interview influencer marketers whose advice comes from their direct experience. I want you to connect dots, be inspired, or challenged to think about your influencer marketing in a new way.