My toxic trait is that I’ve got a 769-day streak on Duolingo, but I still can’t speak a lick of German.

Sure, I can tell the difference between Eingang and Ausgang at the Zurich airport but don’t ask me to give you directions or order an eiskafe for you.

Mass outreach is a lot like Duolingo. It’s super tempting because it’s much easier to do, and you think you’ll reach your goals.

But we all know, deep down, that if my goal is to speak German, I’ll have to do something much harder. I have to practice speaking.

The harder way is always more effective in reaching your goals.

That’s why most of you should avoid using mass outreach to recruit influencers. It might be easier, but it’s not as effective as the “harder” option.

If we were to take two lists of 1,000 ideal influencers each, one using mass outreach and the other using personalized outreach, the personalized outreach would convert a higher percentage into live collaborations.

Mass outreach is easier but it’s not as effective.

What exactly is going on? What happens when you use mass outreach?

Consequence #1: You set your list on fire

Your pool of potential influencers isn’t infinite.

In reality, most brands have a limited number of really great people they can partner with. And the way you approach them can make a huge difference.

Imagine if you’re in a market and niche with a large number of potential influencers—say, 1M+! That’s still not infinite.

Not every one of those 1M+ potential influencers is equal. Only a small subsection will be a true fit. Only a small subsection will be your best potential partners. When you use mass outreach, you burn through your list quickly and only get a small handful of random partners.

If your pool of potential influencers is small to begin with (because of your market or niche), you’ll go through your list even quicker and get stuck on how to scale.

The opposite of mass outreach is vetted, targeted, personal outreach. This type of outreach maximizes the chances of working with people who are a true fit.

Consequence #2: You get low quality

The ease of mass outreach usually means poor vetting.

You don’t have time to find quality partners with a strong community and aren’t involved in fraudulent activities.

If you haven’t done your due diligence, the influencers you contact will be a poor fit.

The best of the best partnerships, the ones that put you on the map, aren’t going to come from mass outreach. They’re going to come from carefully selecting & vetting creators with personal outreach and a uniquely negotiated partnership.

With decades of experience, Nycole Hampton, Senior Director of Marketing at GoodRx, has observed that the vetting process used before mass outreach is usually poor (or non-existent).

An influencer analysis tool can do a decent degree of vetting. You can check audience demographics or engagement rates. But, the qualitative aspects of influencers are much harder to assess en masse. You need at least 5 minutes to check a profile. How long would it take you to check 1000 profiles?

About 83 hours.

You’re far better off starting with a smaller but vetted list of influencers and taking a more personalized approach to outreach.

Consequence #3: You reduce the scope of negotiation

Influencer partnerships, especially the ones that cut through the noise, require some degree of negotiation.

They require a discussion about what works for both sides.

Generally, with mass outreach, you remove the ability to have those discussions. Logistically, it’s just not possible. You’re emailing too many people, and there’s too much volume. (Unless, of course, you have a big enough team).

When dealing with volume, you develop a standard offer. For example, you might offer the influencer $X (or X product value) in exchange for certain deliverables.

Unless you’re well-known and everyone wants to be associated with your brand, you'll get ignored. If your offer isn’t in line with what the influencer expects, you’ll get ignored.

No opportunity to discuss and negotiate.

You might say, “But Eleni, I’m not sending a standard offer in my mass outreach.”

You’re still worse off.

Influencers and creators are less likely to engage in a conversation when they suspect the email is a templated mass email. They often assume it’s a scam and simply delete.

A generic, mass email signals to experienced influencers that you haven’t done the groundwork to understand them or their following. This tells them you’re not a serious brand to consider.

Whenever an influencer ignores you, you miss out on having conversations—conversations that might lead to some of your top-performing partnerships.

Some conversations will even help you refine your strategy. The more influencers you talk to and negotiate with, the more you’ll understand what’s happening in the market. You can adjust accordingly.

With mass outreach, you’re always going to be a step behind.

What’s everyone else doing?

41% of influencer marketers are already doing personalized outreach. While 34% prefer mass outreach.

Iconic #Sponcon

Modash CEO sent me this excellent partnership between YouTuber Kitboga and the cryptocurrency exchange Kraken.

Kitboga’s videos are essentially an UNO reverse card. He scams scammers. And the audience has a helluva time watching.

In this partnership with Kraken, he attempted to scam (and catch!) someone who was pretending to be U.S. President Joe Biden.

Kraken built a fake account for Kitboga to use with Fake Joe to do this. Fake Joe had to verify his real details to get his hands on half a million dollars in crypto. Kraken sponsored the original YouTube video and created a landing page with a series of Q&A videos between Kitboga and Kraken's Chief Security Officer.

The lesson here is to think more creatively. What kind of collab can only your brand do? What interesting creators are out there that could fit with your products in an unexpected way? How can you get the most out of the partnership?

P.S. This is not the type of partnership that came from mass outreach.

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 your specific case. Use good judgment when deciding whether to take advice from the internet—even mine. My team and I survey & interview influencer marketers whose advice and observations come from their direct experience. ROI is meant for you to connect the dots and be inspired or challenged to think about your influencer marketing in a way you haven’t before.