PR AGENCY DIARIES: SOCIAL STRATEGY, WILL ASKING FOR ENGAGEMENT BOOST YOUR INSIGHTS?
You’re building momentum, gaining followers, and getting noticed by brands but your sponsored IG posts just aren’t popping off. Sponsored posts are hard to nail and it’s tempting to panic and try to get sneaky with your old friend the Instagram algorithm.
Shares, likes, saves and comments all help to boost your content’s reach but, with brands and loyal followers watching, the process can be just as crucial as the result. So, what’s a humble content creator to do?
Don’t beg
Why not simply pop up a story and ask for your followers’ support? A quick, ‘hey guys my sponsored post isn’t getting much attention please like, share, save, leave me a comment…’ seems like a good way to get the boost you need, right?
Not so fast – the beauty of influencer marketing is authentic engagement. Brands are watching and so are your fabulous followers who often don’t need, or want, to see how the sausage is made.
Say you’re a new mum promoting the latest must-have nursery accessory, you ask your followers to flood you with comments and your insights are popping off. But, if all those comments are from young, childfree folks who love you for your thirst traps (no shame, get it girl!), will brands see it as genuine?
And FYI, if your comments are loaded with other bloggers, influencers and content creators saying ‘slay’ – we see you.
Be honest with yourself (and the client)
Why aren’t your followers engaging organically? If you have to ask for engagement, then something is amiss.
Maybe this particular #collab wasn’t really a genuine fit for your or your audience or perhaps you had an off day and didn’t put in the effort to give your content your trademark flair. It could even be the time you posted or that you posted too many times that day.
Of course, sometimes the brief is to blame - don’t be afraid to tell a brand what works and what doesn’t for your followers. Show them how you’ll lead the horse to water – rather than drowning it in sales speak.
Add value
You can share the post to your story – without the outright ask – but what’s in it for your followers if they visit your feed?
Ask a question, include a poll, share an outtake, tell them how tricky the shot was to get or how exciting it was for you to work with the brand. Simply put, add value and the engagement will come.
Engage
Influencer marketing is like no other platform, it’s about building connections in a way that billboards or TVCs just can’t.
You get what you put in, engage with your followers and they’ll respond in kind – like all your comments (excluding the trolls), answer your followers’ questions, say thank you to the compliments and respond to 🔥 with 🔥.
Set yourself up for success
This might seem as helpful as suggesting you build a time machine but everything in life is a learning opportunity. Examine why a post fell flat and apply those learnings to your future #collabs, and learn from your successes too. What value are you giving them, and how can you keep them coming back for more?
Your followers love it when you ask a question? Great, pop one in the caption next time. You get a lot of emoji comments? Use them in your posts. Your followers like a sneaky BTS snap or outtake? Why not add an easter egg at the end of your perfectly polished carousel?
Learn from the best
Start with checking out some of our favs like @millieelderholmes, @eviekemp, @franz.liu and @jessmolina – Kiwi legends who know their audience, connect with their followers as if they’re friends and produce on point content whether it’s a collab or just because.
