The honeymoon outreach should improve your influencer marketing.
In a best-case scenario, you’ve a pre-existing relationship with the influencer you’re pitching. However, we all know that this often isn’t the case.
Typically, you have to reach out to an influencer who has no idea who you are and what you’re selling. In a way, this is the marketing equivalent of cold-calling.
Personally, I hate cold sales — as I’m sure most of us do.
So, how do you avoid pitching cold?
How To Do a Honeymoon Outreach
The fundamental principle is straightforward:
Never sell or promote anything in your first contact with an influencer!
But how should you get in touch with influencers, then? 2-8 weeks before your planned outreach, drop your pre-selected list of influencers an email and introduce yourself. Don’t try to act as if you’re about to become best friends or anything — just state the following clearly:
Non-Interested Influencers
Interested Influencers
And this, ladies and gentlemen, is how you do a honeymoon outreach.
In my experience, honeymoon outreach increases influencer marketing results significantly. After all — you’re only contacting influencers who have given you their permission to pitch them. 1See also Permission Marketing by Seth Godin.
Still, it’s not only about avoiding the ‘not interested;’ you will most likely write better outreach emails if you’ve been in contact with the people you’re reaching out to.
Update: Since this post was written in 2012, the influencer marketing industry has grown considerably. Today, there are many specialist outreach agencies whose primary strategy is establishing many influencer relationships before connecting them with brands.
ANNOTATIONS
| 1 | See also Permission Marketing by Seth Godin. |
|---|
Grymt! Kvällslektyr :) Keep’em coming master Obi One ;)
Yes, I hate cold calls too! I guess that can be a good thing, because it apparently leads to development. :) Love your transparent and people-centric approach in a niche that receives bad rep. Also, great tips and hands-on advice.
Keep up the good work! You are now rolling on my blog roll.
Really great article – I love the approach and really think it breaks down the impersonal “cold-calling” emails we get and I’m fed up with quite frankly. A bit like you say in your blogger outreach piece, you can tell when its a copy and paste job! Thanks!