How to Reach Out to TikTok Influencers

Learn how to effectively reach out to TikTok influencers with our step-by-step guide.

Jun 8, 2024

Illustration of a person sending an email to a TikTok influencer with social media icons in the background.
Illustration of a person sending an email to a TikTok influencer with social media icons in the background.

Here's the process of reaching out to TikTok influencers in a nutshell:

  1. Find their business email and contact them through it.

  2. Gather a large number of emails, as only about 20% of influencers may respond.

  3. Utilize automation software to streamline your outreach process.

  4. Craft engaging messages that clearly express your willingness to pay and assert the legitimacy of your product.

  5. Monitor and evaluate the results of your outreach to confirm their efficacy and make necessary adjustments to your strategy.

Identify the Right Influencers

It's essential to be selective when choosing influencers for your brand. Avoid a "carpet bombing" approach where you reach out to any possible influencer. Instead, focus on finding influencers whose style, audience, and values align with your brand. Take the time to research their content, understand their followers, and evaluate their engagement rates. This strategy will help ensure a more successful and meaningful collaboration.

Set Benchmarks

Keep in mind that a good reply rate for influencers is 20%. Yes, only one-fifth of the influencers you contact are likely to respond. This can be attributed to several reasons:

  • Most influencers are overwhelmed by offers.

  • Many offers do not align with their interests or values.

  • Influencers always have the choice of who they wish to collaborate with.

This is why it's essential to make sure your outreach is personalized, valuable, and respectful.

Considering the 20% reply rate, any influencer marketer faces the same challenge: the continuous need to find more influencers. For this reason, we created InfluencerFeed. This tool is designed to streamline the process of discovering new contacts automatically. With InfluencerFeed, you can expand your network of influencers efficiently and effectively, ensuring you always have potential new partners to reach out to.

Based on my experience, a well-crafted outreach message can fetch a reply rate of 25% or more. However, for most brands, a response rate of 20% is the norm. These benchmarks can serve as a yardstick for the effectiveness of your outreach efforts. If your response rate consistently falls below 20%, it may indicate that something is amiss with your outreach campaigns. It's crucial to continually assess and refine your strategy to ensure you're connecting effectively with influencers.

Choosing the Right Outreach Method for TikTok Influencers

You have two basic options for reaching out to TikTok influencers: email or direct messages. However, it's important to note the limitations of using direct messages. If you and the influencer are not following each other, they will not be able to see your message. Therefore, email often proves to be the most effective method of communication. Despite some challenges, email outreach consistently shows a reply rate of 20%.

Writing hundreds of emails can be exhausting. For that reason, I recommend using an application like Gmass. Gmass helps automate the process of sending emails from Gmail and also automates follow-ups, which can significantly increase your reply rate.

How to Write a Catchy Email for Outreach

There are several rules to follow:

  1. Be as brief as possible. Explain what your brand does in one sentence.

  2. Be direct: if you want a dedicated video for your brand, state it clearly.

  3. Explain why you see that influencer as a great fit. Be brief, again.

  4. Show that you are able and ready to pay. Influencers are overwhelmed by CPA, rev-share offers, and they get lots of them.

  5. Suggest the next step.

By adhering to these guidelines, you are likely to see positive results in your outreach efforts.

Always remember that influencers receive numerous offers and reject many of them daily. They often scan your message briefly to determine whether it is worth investing their time in that connection.

Best Practices for Outreach to TikTok Influencers

When attempting to connect with influencers, consider the following formula:

  • First Catchy Email: Craft an initial email that grabs the influencer's attention. Make sure it's concise, clear, and engaging.

  • 2-4 Follow-ups: Don't get disheartened if you don't receive a reply after the first email. It's standard practice to send 2-4 follow-up emails to get an answer. Remember to space out your follow-ups appropriately.

  • Be Ready for the Next Step: Once you get a positive response, be ready to move onto the next steps quickly. This typically includes discussing the terms of the promotional deal, setting a timeline, and ironing out the details of the collaboration.

Conclusion

Strategic planning, effective communication, and persistence are key to successfully reaching out to TikTok influencers. By identifying suitable influencers, setting achievable benchmarks, and crafting powerful messages, brands can leverage the influence of TikTok creators. Patience and continuous strategy refinement are essential, as this process takes time and not all attempts will succeed.

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