The rise of the influencer

Influencers. Love them or hate them, they are now very much a part of the media landscape and, for PR professionals, whose inboxes can be inundated with requests, the phenomenon has certainly had an impact!

If done well, I have seen how the right influencer, with the right audience and the right, engaging content can have a really positive result on a PR campaign.

But it’s also fair to say that the exact opposite can be true so getting it right is vital for the time, effort and cost to be worth it.

What has become clear over the last few years (as one of the PR professionals whose inbox can be inundated!) is that influencers have much greater competition amongst each other than ever before. They have a big job to do to fight through the crowds and show why they, rather than anyone else, are best suited to promote your brand.

The other thing that has changed is the ‘noise’ around influencers. Companies, particularly small businesses, are beginning to question whether giving away their valuable service or products for free is worth it in the long run so they need to demonstrate their worth more than ever before.

So, if you’re an influencer think about how you approach the brand you want to work with. Demonstrate the expertise you have in the field you are targeting and show tangible results and the difference you have made. We don’t want jargon-speak and your family history, it’s all about understanding the audience we need to reach and your past track record.

And for us PRs it’s about cutting through the huff and puff and finding the ones that really understand how they can support us to get key messages to the people we need and who want to work collaboratively for the best outcome.