March 13, 2016 11:13 am
Published by Kirsty Sharman
This blog post was originally written by Ruan Fourie.
You work hard at building a following. Right? The biggest thrill is watching how people engage with it. How people tune in daily to read, like, share, watch and comment on the content you created. But wouldn’t it be great if you could turn this passion into a business?
Once you know how to market to your audience (your readers and followers) and understand the value of your influence, it’s only a matter of time before brands start to notice. But the tricky thing as an influencer is finding the balance between running sponsored content and keeping your fan base happy. That’s why working with the right brands is essential, that’s why at Webfluential we give our influencers the opportunity to accept or reject jobs based on the brief. But what if you don’t want to wait for the job offers to come to your Webfluential inbox? What if you want to be pro-active and pitch your influence to brands?
If you’re that kind of Blogger, YouTuber, Instagrammer, Tweeter or Facebooker then you’re in the right place! The Webfluential team have put together a foolproof guide to landing more gigs as an influencer.
Remember this: nobody is better suited at marketing your online influence than you. This is your personal brand, your followers and your community. You know what makes them tick and you know what brands they are most likely to care about.
This guide is about helping you get in front of those brands, the ones you and your audience want to work with. If you follow the process below, and genuinely believe in your content – there is no doubt that turning your passion into a business could become a reality for you.
There are four steps below. All are equally important. Good luck!
STEP 1: Find the right person to pitch to (not just anyone who works in marketing)
![Picture1](http://blog.webfluential.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Picture1.png)
Blindly sending an email to the first address you find on your favourite brand’s Contact Us page, isn’t going to land you any jobs. It’s going to make sure your email goes directly to the trash folder, along with all the other unknown emails the brand receives daily. You need to reach the people who have the power to sign-off on your campaign idea, or at least get it in front of the right people.
But how do I find the contact details I need?
Use tools like Viola Norbert and social networks like LinkedIn to not only find any email addresses, but the email addresses of the right members of the marketing team for the brand you have in mind. Check their Twitter profiles to see if they share any content related to the brands you’re trying to pitch to – marketers often share content from their own campaigns. If you get lucky, they might even have a personal website or a blog that has a contact page.
Once you have two names and two email addresses of members of the marketing team, move on to the PR department. This will give you four points of contact that you must use over the next few weeks.
But wait! Don’t fire off your emails to every address you’ve found right away. Hang onto them, because here’s where your strategy kicks in.
STEP 2: Use Twitter as an ice-breaker
![Twitter Webfluential](http://blog.webfluential.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Twitter-Webfluential.png)
People are more likely to respond to an email from someone they have an association to, someone they ‘know’. The beauty of the internet is that it gives us the opportunity to ‘get to know’ the right people without really meeting them. Twitter is the perfect medium to have a casual conversation with the marketer you want to pitch your idea to.
Follow them on Twitter, and engage with one of their tweets. A couple of days after that, you’re going to email them your campaign idea. No need to be overly aggressive, a few tweets where you add genuine value to a conversation will do. No one likes a stalker. Two responses that add value in one week will make you stick in the recipient’s mind for all the right reasons. By overdoing the tweets or if you don’t add something to the conversation with your reply, you’re going to be remembered for all the wrong reasons.
The Twitter interaction simply introduces you to the marketer, so that the real introduction has already been made before you propose your campaign idea via email – it’s like making eye contact before you buy her a drink. Don’t be despondent if this process takes a week or two. Good things come to those who wait!
STEP 3: Polish your pitch, and make sure you have a CREDIBLE media kit
![Picture3](http://blog.webfluential.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Picture3.png)
If you have a great idea and campaign strategy, it’s just a matter of landing it in the right inbox. Sometimes it takes a few tries but if you have the right balance of creative and persistence you might just strike it lucky!
Getting the email right is important though. Here’s what your email shouldn’t look like:
![Picture4](http://blog.webfluential.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Picture4.png)
That doesn’t sound like the beginning of a mutually beneficial working relationship, does it? That sounds like an influencer pitching to a marketer that isn’t 100% credible. It makes it easy for the marketer to just hit ‘delete’.
What your introductory email should do is show what you, as a credible influencer, are capable of producing for the brand you’re pitching to. Whether you’re pitching an idea across your Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube or even Snapchat – it’s important that you get the BIG idea across in the initial mail. Marketers like to see, and feel what you’re pitching.
![Picture5](http://blog.webfluential.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Picture5.png)
It’s short, it speaks about the creative idea, and it ensures the marketer knows you’re a credible source.
Tip: when you attach the outline of your campaign to the email, remember that you only have five slides to get your idea across. Five slides, that’s it. Make sure they are five slides to remember!
STEP 4: Make closing the deal as easy as possible for you, and the brand
![money](http://blog.webfluential.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/money.png)
Filling out supplier forms, getting POs and following up on invoices are all necessary steps – but they also make closing deals harder. You want to give the marketer the impression that working with you is not only going to be successful, but also simple.
One way to make it easier for brands to work with you is to use the Booked By Webfluential tool. It gives influencers complete control to take bookings anywhere, anytime, from any brand. No paperwork, no invoices, no hassles.
You control your prices, which you can change at any time, and all payments are processed via PayPal – guaranteed by Webfluential. There is a one-on-one chat function and even automated reporting after your campaign is complete.
![Picture7](http://blog.webfluential.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Picture7.png)
So there you have it, four steps to land you more gigs as an influencer – we told you it was foolproof! Liked what you read? Sign up to be an influencer with Webfluential today, and get your media kit and booking form – then get pitching!
![btn 4](http://blog.webfluential.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/btn-4.png)
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March 9, 2016 8:58 am
Published by Kirsty Sharman
![3 tips from influencers for marketers](http://blog.webfluential.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/3-tips-from-influencers-for-marketers.png)
In an industry that is constantly changing and evolving, brands have no choice but to keep their marketing strategies flexible. Part of being flexible involves learning, listening to our consumers online, and adapting to the tips and tricks we learn along the way.
In the Influencer Marketing trade, who better to learn from than the influencers themselves? We get feedback and tips weekly from thousands of influencers and we’re making it our mission to share them with you – because a community who learns together, grows together.
Here are three tips from influencers that all marketers should hear.
1. Creative Freedom is a must!
![Give influencers more creative control](http://blog.webfluential.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Influencer-Tweet-Stacey-Vee.png)
Brands need to learn to let go, as scary as it sounds. Influencers have spent years building up a large engaged audience, they know best how to engage with them. By giving influencers a bit more freedom to create branded content they know will resonate with their audience, brands will achieve much higher engagement rates and end up running campaigns that consumers actually remember.
2. Set clear campaign objectives
![Set Realistic Expectations](http://blog.webfluential.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Influencer-Tweet-Workshopshed1.png)
If you work with an influencer platform that has experience in its field, it’ll be easier for you to set realistic goals. Be clear about your expectations and objectives upfront and communicate them with the influencers you’re working with. As with any successful project or campaign, planning is critical and sufficient time should be given to setting clear campaign objectives, having realistic expectations and providing enough time for your influencers to create the best content for your brand.
![Present your terms and conditions upfront](http://blog.webfluential.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Influencer-Tweet-Miss-West-End-Girl.png)
3. Brand presence should reflect business values, not merely product.
![Collaborate with engaging influencers](http://blog.webfluential.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Influencer-Tweet-Prisca.png)
One of the most important factors for a successful Influencer Marketing campaign is ensuring that your brand, not just the product being mentioned, is associated with the right influencers. An example of a brand that did this incredibly well was Omega Watches with their association to James Bond. It doesn’t matter what model of Omega watch is being promoted – the association with James Bond will hold the Omega brand in a highly exclusive light for years to come.
Webfluential is building the smartest technology for brands and social influencers to connect, tell stories and positively influence consumers.
We have built relationships with thousands influencers across the globe, on multiple channels. If you’re a marketer and you’d like to explore working with influencers, register by clicking on the below button.
![Register as a marketer](http://blog.webfluential.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Register-Now-CTA-1.png)
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December 2, 2015 2:21 pm
Published by Kirsty Sharman
Monetising your blog or social profiles and marketing yourself to brands are challenges many Influencers face. From novice to professionals, discovering new ways to make money or build brand partnerships, can be stumbling blocks that many struggle to resolve.
Webfluential launches new tools to help monetize your blog and market yourself to brands
Webfluential has always offered a quick and easy solution to gain exposure to big brands looking for Influencers. Our platform has created the perfect space for Influencers to market their blog, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube to brands, by simply completing your Webfluential profile.
Now we are taking things a step further. We are launching some new tools today that will help all Webfluential Influencers monetise their online influence, be it via their blog, their Twitter profile, their Facebook page, YouTube account and beyond. Putting you one step closer to turning your blog into a business.
Market yourself to brands
Build your media kit easily
Most online Influencers realise the value of a media kit, as it is often the first thing a brand will ask for when they consider working with Influencers. A media kit displays important data like your website traffic, the size of your audience on various social media profiles and audience demographics.
![Webfluential Media Kit](http://blog.webfluential.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Webfluential-Media-Kit.png)
Although we understand the importance of a media kit – we also know it takes a long time to create and update. We have solved this by launching a customisable media kit tool that is so easy to use. If you can attach a file to an e-mail – you will be able to build your media kit with the Webfluential platform.
The Webfluential media kit tool will give you one consolidated location where you can showcase your social channel data, blog traffic data, audience location and other demographics and is also a space to showcase past work you have completed with brands.
Become Webfluential accredited
We manually approve each of our Influencer applications. Being part of #TeamWebfluential shows that you take creating content and your audience seriously. You are a professional that works with brands and it’s important that you can show your credibility as a Webfluential Influencer.
![Webfluential Assets](http://blog.webfluential.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Webfluential-Assets.png)
We’ve created a collection of assets (badges) that you can use on your blog to identify yourself as a Webfluential Influencer to potential brands visiting your blog. To get these assets simply login to your Webfluential account and download them from your “Influencer Toolkit”.
We are also working on a customizable widget that you will be able to embed on your site to show that you are a Webfluential Influencer, that we will be releasing in the near future.
Invite and earn
We know that nobody understands Influencers as well as other Influencers (it’s why we have a team of Influencers working for us). It is also how we know that Influencers connect with each other and establish their own Influencer networks to learn and help each other.
Our “Invite and Earn” program is built for current Webfluential Influencers to invite other Influencers to sign up to Webfluential. Best part is that you will earn a referral fee for each new Influencer you introduce to Webfluential that successfully signs up.
![Invite and Earn Tier scale](http://blog.webfluential.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Invite-and-Earn-Tier-scale.png)
The referral fee ranges between $10 and $50 for each new Influencer that signs up to Webfluential successfully, depending on their tier. Login to your Webfluential account and head to the “Invite and Earn” page to get your unique URL, and start earning money for introducing your Influencer friends to Webfluential.
The best of all, Webfluential is an international platform, so your friends can sign up no matter where in the world they are.
Add new channels to earn
Most of you have been privy to our beta launch of our new Influencer Earning Channels already. We know the work that is involved in building and maintaining an online audience, and as such we want to offer you as many ways to earn money from your work as possible.
![Audience Channels](http://blog.webfluential.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Audience-Channels.png)
Let’s take a look at the four new channels we have added in more detail:
Event Appearance
Taking time out of your day isn’t always the only price you pay to attend an event. That is why we have now added the ability to charge for event attendance from your Webfluential account.
You can contract for a half-day event or a full day event. Simply login to your Webfluential account and set your event attendance prices from your Profile Dashboard.
Copywriting
Writing is a skill that many Influencers have developed, so we have provided the platform for you to leverage this skill and make money.
You can set a price per word, price per revert and also set a minimum amount of days that it would take your to write a piece of content. Simply login to your Webfluential account and set your copywriting price from you Profile Dashboard.
Banner Advertising
Having banner advertising space on your site is one thing, managing the advertising space on your blog is another thing altogether. That is why you can now manage your banner advertising space from your Webfluential account.
Simply add the banner space that you have available on your blog and Webfluential will do the rest.
Audience Remarketing
With Audience Remarketing brands can use your blog to display certain banners to clients that are being targeted with ads.
All you have to do to enable Audience Remarketing on your blog is login to your Webfluential Account and apply via the Profile Dashboard.
We need your help
We are really happy that we can help Influencers turn their blogs and online influence into a business. We are constantly working to create innovative ways for Influencers to do just that, as easily as possible.
With any project, there is always things that can be done better. Our team of Influencers are important to us and we value your feedback. Share any feedback with us via [email protected] or by simply sending us a message from the dashboard messaging system.
We love the conversations that have been going on online around #TeamWebfluential and we have all learned a lot from each other. Thank you for being the best online Influencers in the world.
Want to be a Webfluential Influencer? Are a marketer or brand that wants to work with Webfluential Influencers? Simply click the button below.
![Global Influencer Marketing Platform](http://blog.webfluential.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Global-Influencer-Marketing-Platform.png)
![signup_as_a_marketer(1)](http://blog.webfluential.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/signup_as_a_marketer1.png)
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