Working with Influencers — What we look for in a great media kit!
By Yasmine Hussain
VERB Interactive is proud to offer expert influencer marketing services for our clients. These services include everything from outreach and influencer vetting to planning and orchestrating a full brand partnership. When an influencer reaches out to any of our clients regarding a potential collaboration, one of the first things we look for is a media kit, which helps us determine whether or not an influencer is a good fit for our partners.
What is a media kit and, more importantly, what goes into creating a good one? Read on to find out how to create a winning media kit — or what to look for if you’re vetting influencers for your brand.
What’s a Media Kit in Influencer Marketing?
A media kit is a document that influencers and content creators compile to share with brands when inquiring about potential partnerships. Think of it as a resume or portfolio for influencers. Your media kit will act as your official pitch when offering to collaborate with a brand and serve as an asset in getting you that brand partnership.
A quality media kit will include an introduction explaining who you are and what your personal brand can offer. It should display an array of your social media statistics, including your profiles’ following, reach, impressions, and engagement. You should also highlight consumer demographics, including age, gender, and location. You can pull these statistics from the analytics on your social accounts. Use a credible platform when gathering these numbers, as a brand will always do background checks to confirm your numbers are accurate. Some media kits may even include case studies and testimonials from past partnerships with other credible brands.
When creating your media kit, ensure your format is clean and consistent. This is an easy way to make an excellent first impression for the influencer strategist in charge of reviewing your media kit. Brands often receive multiple inquiries about partnerships daily, so you want to ensure yours is clear, concise, and stands out for the right reasons.
Why is it Important to Know These Details About an Influencer’s Demographic?
You may wonder, ‘Why is a content creator’s consumer demographic important? Isn’t it more about the number of people who will see it?’ The short answer is not always. For example, someone with teenagers as their primary demographic is probably not the ideal partner for an organization that sells homeowner insurance. Instead, this organization will ideally want their influencer’s audience demographic to be aged 25 and up. An influencer with a large teenage following might be a better fit for a partnership focusing on video games, fashion, or entertainment.
Some brands prefer to partner with micro-influencers focused a specific demographic rather than a macro influencer with a broader demographic. Quality over quantity is essential for most partnerships in the influencer marketing world. Brand and marketing agencies want to work with creators with audiences that align with their expected target reach — including age, gender, and location — regardless of the influencer’s follower count.
When an influencer authentically aligns with a brand or desired client, the chances of a successful and effective partnership increase.
Common Errors in Media Kits
Spelling and grammatical errors are the most common mistakes we find in media kits. Small mistakes can significantly impact your overall credibility when marketers are exploring potential candidates for a partnership. Always proofread your media kit before sending it off, and remember — if you don’t, we will.
Another common mistake is not including your audience demographics or social media channel handles on your media kit. Make sure to include all pertinent information for a quick and smooth review of what you’re capable of. When a brand is looking for an influencer, they don’t want to search for information about you online because it’s not in your media kit.
Last but not least, the look of a “busy” or hard-to-read media kit is a common error found in influencer marketing. Make sure your media kit is easy to follow and digest while still being informative.
How to Reach Out to a Brand as an Influencer
The best way to reach out to a brand is to send them a DM on Instagram or visit their website to see if they have an influencer marketing or media press form. When doing so, introduce yourself and include your social handles and contact information. Highlight the similarities between you, your audience, and the brand. Explain why you would be a good fit for a partnership, and of course, provide your media kit.
Interested in collaborating with some of the most interesting brands in travel and hospitality? We can help. VERB offers expert influencer marketing services to enhance brand strategies and performance. Contact us for more information.
Yasmine Hussain is a Social Media Coordinator at VERB Interactive — a leader in digital marketing, specializing in solutions for the travel and hospitality industry. Find out more at www.verbinteractive.com.
