How to Get Influencers To Help Your Crowdfunding Project

One of the best ways to convert your audience is through the power of word of mouth. And the best way to get word of mouth out is through influencers. All it takes is one trusted influences — a cultural leader — and your product will be seen as real.

Influencers have built up audiences that trust their opinions, and you can leverage this to grow your campaign successfully.

So, how do you get them to talk about your project?

First, you have to find the right ones

To find the right influencers you have to make sure their audience is one that your product will resonate with.

But you also don’t want to put your eggs in one basket. So it’s important to build out a list of potential influencers, whether they are on YouTube, Twitter, or Instagram.

You can build up an influencer list manually through Google — just search for people who are influential in your products niche.

Check through social media as well.

Twitter’s advanced search allows you to find those relevant to your niche

• Check who that page is following, and who follows it for even more influencers
• Facebook pages offer specific communities with leaders (the admins are influencers of these audiences, contact them!)
• Instagram also offers search through hashtags and even specific product promo’s.

How do I know if this is a good influencer?

You can find influencers in your niche, but some stand above others. Look for the following to determine if your influencer can help grow your campaign”

• Authenticity — provides valuable opinions and information to contribute to the community. Engaged with his audiences regularly.
• Followers — You want to find influencers with ten thousand followers and a verified account. But anything over a thousand works.
• Engagements — Check their rate of engagement (shares, retweets, conversations) to ensure there are discussions and reaction to a influencers content
• Location — Where is your influencer from? What language do they speak? Is their audience going to translate or be receptive to your project. These are important things to check for.

How do you get their support?

Contact them!

The key to getting an influencer to work with you is to make sure they care about your project.

Authenticity is the only way to work here.

• Focus on talking about your project- its originality, what problems it solves and what challenges you’re facing.
• Build a healthy and valuable relationship by engaging and sharing their content
• Show how your project can resonate with their audience.
• Give them the inside scoop or let them know your project’s plans are
• Offer exclusivity to them and their audience.
• Show gratitude. A simple heartfelt gratitude goes a long way in helping build your influencer network.
• Provide a fully functional product to your influencer to try, test, and review.

It’s a lot like getting your press release noticed by a media writer or blogger — you have to engage and build a relationship with them. They have to believe your project is viable in order for it to succeed.

When to reach out to them?

An influencer releasing a post or video won’t do you any good if it’s weeks after your campaign has ended. It’s vital to create a relationship with influencers before your campaign launches, so that the posts they release can be coordinated to best help your campaign grow.

Reach out to them well before your campaign begins, preferably during the pre-launch phase (a good rule to follow is 4–6 weeks before your campaign launch), and be ready to share with them details regarding your launch, your progress in design and manufacturing, and what you can offer them and their backers.

You have to schmooze and do what you can to get them to believe your brand is the real-deal. Let them know you’ll provide a discount or affiliate program for them or their backers. Be willing to ship out a free sample (and don’t expect to get it back).