I recently read an article about a resort owner turning away influencer requests for a free stay in exchange for Instagram posts. The summary: he basically questioned the value of working with social media “influencers.”

And after reading it, I realized I was siding with the business owner.

After working alongside numerous brands - thus working with many influencers of all follower sizes on behalf of said brands - I’ve seen first hand how great an influencer’s partnership can be for a brand, improving awareness, reach, and engagement. I’ve also read my fair share of generic pitches from individuals, often made without showing any value or trust, that were often quickly deleted by my clients.

Thanks to all of these experiences, I’ve found four common threads that make these publicity partnership successful prior to an influencer sending an introduction email. Before requesting a free meal, overnight stay, spa experience, or whatever in exchange for the brand to be featured in an Instagram feed, Stories, podcast, blog, and/or other platform, here are the four items that make an influencer successful with their ask. 

1. Do the Research 

Deep dive into their social platforms to read about them on other sites. Check their website. Read what other people have said about them. And – here’s the kicker – look to see if they’re worked with any influencers. If so, take notes about those influencers’ posts. Who were they? Where are they based? What are their follower counts? What was the engagement rate? What kind of influencer are they (travel, food, fashion, etc.)?

2. Read the Room 

Various locations may not want the burden of sudden fame. They may enjoy being off the beaten path, already be at guest capacity, or they're dealing with ecological impacts. For example the "Game of Thrones" filming location Dubrovnik in Croatia, had to put tourist limits in place for cruise ships and tour groups due to massive number of people visiting the city; and Thailand's Maya Beach 2018 closure due to huge number of tourists wishing to visit it were causing environmental harm to the island, which was the backdrop for "The Beach.” Or the business may simply depend on every dollar coming in to meet their bottom line. 

3. Show Clear Alignment 

Your followers and engagement stats need to be on-point and organically aligned with the business. Would a third of your followers realistically take this kind of vacation? Eat at that restaurant? Buy the jacket? Do you and the brand have legitimate audience cross-over? Some of this is tricky to sort out due to privacy rules so it takes some Nancy Drew-like sleuthing to show the alignment between you and the brand.

4. Be Self-Aware

This is the tough one, but a very important one. Be *really* honest about what you can truly offer a brand when offering a publicity exchange. Being able to answer why partnering with you will pay off by showing the two types of ROI: 1) Return on Investment (their hard cost to host you) and 2) Return on Intent (the purpose of the partnership and its outcomes).

Let’s breakdown a $60 meal that includes a $15 glass of wine, $10 appetizer, and $35 entree. It not only covers the restaurant’s ingredients to make the meal but helps pay for the space, the utilities, and the entire team working, from the host to the prep line to the chef to the busboy. (BTW: if you’re given a free meal, make sure you tip for the actual cost.)

While a resort's nightly price of $250 may seem like a lot, they’re in a similar boat: that fee helps cover the cost for everything on and related to the property.

I’ve actually known several influencers whose first experience included them offering to pay for a portion or all of the experience, then comped future partnered experiences. These influencers simply laid the foundation for a great partnership, showing their value while building trust.

Remember, proving the partnership is not only beneficial, it’s crucial. It isn’t just about your own invested time to set up the shots, editing, and creating great content while enjoying a great meal or free experience; but it’s also understanding if a brand says “yes,” it’s coming out of their pocket financially as well as making time in their own schedule to assist you and answer questions as needed.

bottom line:

Before asking a brand to be a partner, be prepared to show why the partnership is mutually beneficial without pointing to your Instagram followers.

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