How To Catch an Influencer's Attention

On day four at my new job at Bizzy I was given a challenge – throw an invite-only influencer launch party in 12 days. Ready. Set. Go! The challenge wasn’t throwing the party, but rather getting the key influencers there. When most people don’t know who you are or don’t know anything about your company, how do you get them in the door? Want to know the magic formula? @prsarahevans recently said it best: She’s right. It REALLY is.

1. Reach Out to Your Inner Network First

The best relationship is the relationship that already exists. There’s nothing better than making the people that already “got your back” feel special. Inviting them to an event or letting them be the first to know shows how much you value the relationship you have with them. In fact, this part is the easiest. It’s called friendship.

2. Ask That Network for Recommendations

By asking for recommendations from your inner network, you accomplish three things:

• You sincerely demonstrate that you value their connections and knowledge
• You keep the discussion rolling in a meaningful way, enhancing the relationship
• You make it easier to leverage the sell in your cold call or email

It’s a win-win for both parties. People love to help, as long as you don’t nag about it.

3. Personalize, Personalize, PERSONALIZE

Wait, I’m not sure if you got that. Personalize! How do you expect someone to care about you if you clearly have not taken a moment to care about them? Do your research. Now, here’s the kicker. REALLY do your research. I’m not talking about “I agree with the points of your latest blog post” research. Find something more personal, such as “I hope you can make it to our launch party, I’ve invited your girlfriend, X, too.” Keep your eye on your Twitter stream and you will find research gems there, like “How did your X event go last month? I saw X tweeting about it and I wish I could’ve made it!” By discovering information that is in public knowledge, but not so obvious, your delivery will make more of an impact. The bare minimum of personalization:

• Always reference his or her blog, site, clients or article by name.

Never be generic.

• Use names of mutual friends or some shared connection whenever possible.
• Research for below-the-surface information on your influencer.

It is important to remember this section also pertains to emails to your inner network. Everyone deserves a personalized correspondence. You’re working on building a relationship and that cannot be accomplished if you treat all influencers the same. No relationship is a carbon copy of another. When in doubt, pretend you’re sending an email to yourself. Do unto others…

4. Continue the Dialogue

Getting an influencer’s attention is not a one-way street and it isn’t over when you achieve what you want. Continue building on the momentum you created. The obvious thing is to thank him or her. After that, work on supporting them; tweet out the work from them you really admire, attend their events, congratulate them on key moments.  Be genuine in keeping the relationship moving forward.

5. Just Be There

Want to stay top of mind? Be at the events your influencers attend. Introduce yourself or at least say hi if you’ve already met. Follow up with a simple email or tweet afterward. Over time, the familiarity can only serve as an asset in your relationship with them. … And sometimes, if you’re lucky, Jason Keath will admit, “you did a quality job. That is rare.” I never met or spoke with Jason before our launch event a few weeks ago.]]>