How to Recruit Top Influencers for your Affiliate Program

Online marketing is in a perpetual state of evolution. What works this week, may not work next week. However, influencer marketing has grown consistently over the past decade and its projected growth is just as impressive.

Consumers look to the internet for guidance in virtually all of their buying decisions throughout the customer journey, but they’ve grown immune to traditional advertising. They seek out advice they can trust, and they want to feel both engaged and valued by brands. They look to individuals for suggestions, advice, and inspiration, be it friends or their favorite bloggers.

In a survey by Awin and Digiday, Influencers and Creators topped the list of affiliate partnership types marketers engaged in (40 per cent). Bloggers, who can also be influencers, were the target of 35 per cent of marketers.

Working with influencers has proven to be the most effective and economical way to target consumers in a specific niche or demographic, outperforming even celebrity endorsements. A Linqia Study found 86 per cent of businesses and brands of all sizes and budgets have enjoyed unprecedented success with influencer marketing. Influencer campaigns generate results across the board, with increased engagement, organic reach, sales conversions, and brand awareness.

Following are marketers’ top 5 reasons for utilizing influencers in their digital marketing campaigns, according to the Linqia study:

1. Relevance to my audience (73%)
2. Authenticity / trusted voice (72%)
3. Drive engagement (60%)
4. Organic reach (55%)
5. Spark word-of-mouth (45%)

All things considered, it isn’t surprising that influencer marketing has become an indispensable tool for many marketers and brands. A more recent trend is combining affiliate marketing with influencer marketing, resulting in a powerful sales and marketing strategy that could more than double your return-on-investment (ROI).

I have been on both sides of affiliate marketing in 25 years of working online. As both an affiliate marketer and an affiliate program manager, I have gained a unique perspective on the relationship between influential affiliates and their sponsors. Following are some of my most successful strategies and tips for convincing influencers to sign up for affiliate programs.

First, Find the Right Influencers

IZEA tells us Canadian influencers use the following social media networks regularly:

Facebook 88%
YouTube 86%
Instagram 75%
TikTok 59%
LinkedIn 49%
X (Twitter) 47%
Snapchat 44%
Pinterest 34%
Reddit 32%
Twitch 20%

Look for influencers on a variety of platforms, not just social media. While social media influencer campaigns can be effective, the impact is short-lived and the organic exposure on social networks gets more limited every day. For long-term impact, I suggest you also focus on influential bloggers who share their blog posts on social media. That blog post will be there indefinitely and can be promoted, shared, and viewed repeatedly for years.

Bloggers may be interested in a wide range of brand promotions, including sponsored posts and other native advertising, reviews, giveaways, and long-term brand advocate arrangements. You can also get in on seasonal content, such as gift guides. If you can establish a long-term relationship to a point of advocacy, the benefits will be ongoing.

“The best influencer relationship is genuine, meaning that the influencer feels pride in representing your company and will be more sincere in recommending you to his or her community,” suggests How to Give your Sales a Kick with Influencer Marketing.

While you’re checking them out, note how they work with other sponsors. Is there something that would work well for your business too? Is there something specific you could pitch with your products?

Identifying the Right Influencers

The most important question you should be asking is, does the person have influence over your target market? While the size of their audience should be a consideration, bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better. In fact, smaller audiences can be more effective and will definitely cost less.

Influencers are categorized based on their follower count:

• Nano-influencers: 1,000-10,000 followers.
• Micro-influencers: 10,000-50,000 followers.
• Mid-tier influencers: 50,000-500,000 followers.
• Macro-influencers: 500,000-1 million followers.
• Mega-Influencers: 1 million+ followers

“The key finding of our data is that as an influencer’s follower total rises, the rate of engagement (likes and comments) with followers decreases,” states a Markerly study, Instagram Marketing: Does Influencer Size Matter? “Those with less than 1,000 followers generally received likes on their posts 8% of the time. Users with 10 million+ followers only received likes 1.6% of the time. Users with less than 1,000 followers generate comments about 0.5% of the time, compared to 0.04% for those with 10M+ followers – a difference of nearly 13X.”

This becomes especially important if you’re in a narrow niche. Naturally, an influencer in a small niche could have less followers and engagement than one in a broader niche. You might also see limited engagement with some influencers, such as those in business-to-business (B2B) niches. What matters is if they’re reaching (and engaging) your target market either directly or inadvertently.

The Successful Influencer Pitch

Once you’ve determined which influencers you’d like to work with, it’s time to begin your outreach campaign.

Most influencers are aware of affiliate programs and actively seek them out as any affiliate marketer would. However, it has become common for affiliate program managers to reach out to individual influencers and pitch their partner program directly to them.

Search for and contact influencers in your niche, or a similar niche that happens to attract your ideal customer avatar. Make sure you actually research their website, advertiser guidelines, and social media accounts so you can personalize the email. Don’t send a generic pitch to hundreds of influencers. Your submission or pitch should include pertinent information for that specific creator. For example, tell them (briefly) why you think their audience will appreciate your products and why your partnership is a perfect fit for them.

Your initial correspondence should be professional, direct, polite, and appreciative of the creator’s time.

An effective influencer pitch should include:

• A clear and concise subject line. For example, “We’d like to work with you on influencer campaigns.”

• Pertinent statistics for your affiliate program and product sales, such as the average order value (AOV), conversion rates, and how much your top affiliates are earning. Only include data that has the potential to convince the influencer to join your program. Too many stats will reduce their impact on the decision-making process.

• Special commission rates, bonuses for specific content (blog post, review, social media posts, videos, etc.), product sample availability, or other incentives.

• Lead with all of the things you’re offering on top of the email. Bullet points are very effective, and a custom “media kit” style information package is helpful too. If you start right off with all of the things that set you apart, you’re emphasizing your value while acknowledging their value.

• Select a few specific ways your brand can help the influencer, such as deep linking to specific products or content you prepare for them to publish.

• Wrap it up by asking them how they would like to work with you. Professional influencers know what they’re doing and can share fantastic ideas. This doesn’t end at the point of recruitment. Continuously ask for feedback from influencers and act on their best suggestions.

Lay all of your cards on the table. This isn’t the time to be elusive or to make vague promises.

Influencer Outreach

You can contact influencers through social media platforms, but I’ve found an email is much more effective. These public figures are contacted by many companies and scammers through their social media accounts. Consequently, they are more likely to ignore or dismiss your pitch. The possible exception to this is LinkedIn, which is designed for networking and has helped me directly recruit affiliates and influencers.

Additionally, most affiliate networks will allow you to make recruitment offers to their members if your partner program is managed by their network. Network tools can facilitate these connections, such as PartnerStack’s Partner Discovery Tool. Some of them have special ways to work with influencers specifically as well. CJ.com and ShareASale.com are a couple of networks breaking into the influencer market with special programs. Amazon facilitates brand/influencer connections through its Creator Connections program.

There are numerous influencer integrations to consider as well, such as Shopify Collabs. Independent influencer management software and agencies bring even more opportunities to connect with top influencers for your affiliate marketing program.

A few Canadian influencer marketing agencies to consider are:

• The Influencer Agency (Ontario)
• BrandFit (Ontario)
• Made In (Quebec)
• Talk Shop Media (Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto)

Influencer Etiquette

Once you’ve been mentioned by an affiliate influencer, promote the content with pride via social media or on your corporate blog. A note of thanks to the influencer is also the kind of gesture that promotes good will and keeps the door open.

Please share your experience or questions about recruiting influencers for your affiliate program, or join us in the Online Business Canada Facebook group.

Related Reading

To learn more about starting an affiliate program, please read How to Start an Affiliate Program for a Canadian Business.

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Digital Editor - Melody McKinnon

Digital Business & Marketing Manager at Online Business Canada | Website | + posts

Melody McKinnon is an internet entrepreneur with 25 years of experience in a wide range of online business models, backed by a formal business education and enhanced by training and mentorship. She has owned or managed both educational and ecommerce websites. Her book, 7 Recession Proof Online Businesses to Start From Home, is available from all major ebook retailers.

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  Canadian affiliate marketing, Canadian affiliate programs, Canadian Influencers, social media