You’ve chosen your influencers, all a perfect fit for you brand, and you’ve planned out a killer influencer marketing strategy… so now what?
The next step is to write a detailed influencer brief. This is a document that will act as the road map for the influencer when they are creating the content for your campaign. The key is to be specific about what you want, without being too prescriptive and limiting their creativity.
As a communications agency that specialises in PR and influencer marketing, writing a great influencer brief is something we do every day. Let’s go through some of the essentials to include in your next brief to get the best results for your brand.
Visual Examples
In the influencer marketing industry, content is king, and image is everything. As social media platforms are highly visual, it’s important that the influencer you’re working with knows exactly the ‘look and feel’ you’re after for your brand. According to science, the human brain can process images up to 60,000 time faster than words– meaning that visual examples are really the best way to communicate exactly the type of content you want for your brand. You can use images from your website, a previous campaign, or anywhere else you find inspiration. The options are endless! Try not to cram your brief full of images, instead provide a few key visual examples for the influencer to use as a base for creating their own content.
Background Information
In your influencer brief, be sure to include essential background information on your brand as well as a summary of your campaign. This section should include your brand mission and brand values, an outline of the goals of the current campaign, as well as any future plans (if applicable). Once you’ve provided some general information, be sure to include specific information about the product or service you’d like the influencer to promote. This will help the influencer to decide whether they’re a good match for your overall campaign objectives.
Create a value proposition
A value proposition is also essential, it explains why the influencer should want to partner with you! In the world of influencer marketing, influencers with high engagement levels are in-demand for brands and swamped with requests daily. A great value proposition will help you stand out from the crowd- be as clear, concise and to-the-point as possible.
Key Messages & Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Make sure you are clear from the very beginning on those all-important key messages and KPIs. Think about what key takeaways the audience should have about your brand after engaging with the influencer’s content. Include specific KPIs to ensure that both you and the influencer are on the same page from the get-go regarding outputs and deliverables.
Developing and outlining well-defined KPIs in your influencer marketing strategy should be a key priority in the planning phase. Having a clear set of objectives will also make it easier to measure and evaluate the campaign’s success and return on investment (ROI).
Campaign Timings & Deliverables
Following on from my previous point, make sure you are specific about the timeframe of the campaign and when the influencer needs to post the content to maximise its reach amongst your target audience. Where possible, try to negotiate a time with the influencer that their page sees the most engagement.
Mandatory Requirements
In Australia, there are many organisations dedicated to help protect consumers from false and misleading advertising, which influencer marketing can fall into if you’re not careful. So, in your influencer brief, be clear about all of the mandatory requirements they must adhere to. For example, all paid/contra influencer posts must be clearly labelled as a partnership in some way, whether it’s claiming the ‘sponsored post’ feature, or even using the hashtag #gifted. Be as specific as possible to avoid lots of back-and-forth in the approvals phase, and also to avoid repercussions for your brand.
Content Approval Guidelines
Alongside any mandatories, be sure to include content approval guidelines in your influencer briefs. These are any guidelines the influencer must follow when creating the content, including any important brand do’s and don’ts that the influencer needs to be aware of. Don’t be afraid to get into the nitty gritty details- for example, if your product is a protein shake, is your influencer allowed to stir it for a video for TikTok, or shake only? While this may seem a touch pedantic, getting this right from the start will avoid any miscommunication down the track that could slow the approvals process and delay the execution of the campaign.
Address Regulations and Payment
Is this opportunity paid, or is it contra? Important to address this upfront so that both you and the influencer are on the same page regarding payment expectations. Also, when creating an influencer marketing strategy for various products, keep in mind any legal regulations regarding the products that the influencer may need to be aware of i.e. alcohol promotion must only be done by people over 25 etc.
Additional sections
Depending on the campaign or type of influencer, some additional items to consider are Disclosure Arrangements, Audience Objectives and Extra Talent Notes.
Well, there you have it! Our guide to writing a killer influencer brief for your next influencer marketing campaign.
If you’re interested in learning more about influencer marketing, get in touch with us today via info@agent99pr.com.
By Agent Kathleen
