Contact types comparison

Before you reach out to anyone to try and sell your pitch, it’s always good to connect on social media channels or relevant outlets. This way, when they receive your email, they can see that you’re already following their updates and can put a face to the outreach. The majority of people do not respond to cold emails. In fact, Backlinko has found that only 8.5% of outreach emails receive a response. You already have your list of influencers, so now you can easily go through that list, find the influencers on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat, and start connecting with them in a real way. Connecting with influencers before you reach out shows that you are really interested in forming a relationship rather than just cold emailing people.

Once you’re connected and following the influencers of your choice, look for ways to engage with them further. What kind of content are they posting? Can you add any insights or did it spark some follow up questions? Simply using the reaction emojis is a good way to start, but if you can leave a comment or share the content to your own followers, that will create a more lasting impression. By commenting, you’re opening up a two-way conversation and by sharing their content, you show the influencer that you find value in what they’re sharing.

By using one or more of these techniques, you allow the influencer to become familiar with you in an informal way, so they’ll be more receptive to pitch when you start the actual influencer outreach process. Now that you know how to connect and interact with your prospects before reaching out to them, it’s time to send your personalized email and start initiating some conversations

Instagram

If you intend to use Instagram, the best way how to reach out to influencers is using Instagram DMs. These are easy to use, and let the influencer see your Instagram profile quickly. Also, feel free to link to the brand account if you aren’t using it to reach out.

Other social media networks

Many other social networks have the ability to directly message someone. In a few cases, like LinkedIn, you might have to pay for it. However, all of these are relatively high visibility ways to try and get your message read.

Outside of social media

With bloggers, or when in-network messaging is restricted, you can always send them an email. Of course, your first step is to find that email address. Sometimes, they’ll list it in social media profiles. If the influencer has a media kit, then they will list their preferred contact on that document. A link is often available on their profile. Another option is to use Google. Depending on their off-network internet presence, you might be able to find some form of contact information. Just be aware that if you’re a B2C brand you probably don’t want to use their workplace to send collaboration pitches. This could get them in trouble at the day job.