An Influencer Marketing Brief is an essential part of every influencer marketing campaign. Knowing that your brand values align with your influencers ultimately leads to a better, more effective ad campaign. By using IM brief, both the influencer and the brand can be assured that the created content will match the expectation of spreading a message aligned with the campaign. A clear and well-structured brief will prevent any potential misunderstandings. You can create a template and use it multiple times with some adjustments for the specific case.
A document that clearly outlines campaign objectives, expectations, guidelines, and expected deliverables to any influencers you’ll be working with.
#1 Create a value proposition. No doubt, popular and successful influencers get requests to collaborate from brands every day. Therefore, the value proposition is the key factor in convincing a creator to work with you. It can give you a huge advantage over your competitors. Write your brand value proposition based on what your customers are looking for and what makes you stand out.
#2 Provide background info. Introduce the brand that you’re going to promote. Include links to the website and social media accounts. Understanding who you are and what your brand stands for is often a deciding factor for influencers!
#3 Give product details. Write some information about the products or services that you offer, and which particularly you want to promote. Focus on key benefits. Avoid lengthy product descriptions.
#4 Explain your campaign. An influencer should be crystal clear on the primary goals of the campaign. Give an overview of your collaboration: the message you want to convey, the target audience you’d like to reach, the social media channels you want to be used, the number of posts you need to be created, etc.
#5 Share expectations and clear KPIs. To avoid potential misunderstandings, set the goals (KPIs) you wish to achieve as a result. Include campaign reporting requirements to measure the results.
#6 Set creative outlines. What, where, why, who, when, and how — lay out the details of the kind of content the influencer will need to produce for your campaign. Describe when to publish posts, and what branded tags and hashtags you want to include, and links to use. Make sure everything is clear, and nothing leaves room for misinterpretation.
It’s important to trust and respect an influencer’s creative freedom. Give them the freedom to create authentic content and have genuine conversations with their audience while being in line with the brand’s expectations.
#7 Use visuals. Add images and screenshots when it is relevant to visualize your plan. Create a mood board — a compilation of images, text, direct links, textures, and colors — which can help an influencer get a good grasp of the style of your campaign and inspire them toward your goals.
#8 Do & Don’ts. Highlight all the specific requirements. The list should include: message in the post captions, brand guidelines (i.e., logo or product position), sponsored hashtags and links, all the info influencers need to mention or avoid. The clearer, the better!
#9 Set the deadline. Make sure the influencers know about important deadlines: the duration of the campaign, the deadlines they must meet to submit content for review, and the dates and times the influencer must share sponsored content.
#10 Address regulations & payment. When and how is the influencer paid? What documents do they need to provide? Will the content have to be approved before posting? Where and how do they submit it? Include all terms and conditions about the payment, schedule, how and when to share content so influencers know what to expect.
Creating a clear and well-structured Influencer Marketing Brief will keep your collaborations organized and prevent any potential misunderstandings. Send your brief to every influencer you plan on working with and get written confirmation that they have read and agree to the document.