So you've written a new blog post or created a piece of content that you think could really make a splash, or at least generate some traffic and business around your website. You hit publish, run through your usual share sites, but the needle doesn't seem to move. In fact, a week later, your post is far from going viral. You think, alright, but I've quoted some experts in here, and this other company has a similar market that might enjoy what I've created, maybe I'll ask if they can share it too!
But they probably get bombarded daily with tens or even hundreds of requests - so how can you stand out?! Well, here are a few ideas:
Have multiple targets. The fact of the matter is, even the best of pitches can fall on deaf ears, so it's in your best interests to play a numbers game. If your goal is to have 3 influencers share your content, then you're much more likely to meet your goal if you approach 15 influencers than just 3. Everybody wants to bad 1.000, but that's just not how this play works.
Engage them first in a more helpful way. Do you know how much more likely most people would be to give their change to a homeless person on the street if they stopped and talked with them for a bit, found some common ground, and began to empathize? We naturally have better opinions and perceptions of trustworthiness of those we know better, so use this bit of psychology to your advantage! Never ask an influencer for a share straight up. Instead, share their content first, let them know in a tweet how much you like it, ask if you can help them with something they're working on. In this way, you'll warm them up before going for an ask, and be much more likely to get the answer you're looking for.
Follow-up without the nag. This is a tough balance to strike. Sometimes, however, people just don't have time when they receive it to open your mail and it gets lost in the bottom of their inbox. Or perhaps they don't really use email and another form of communication is way more likely to get their attention. Make sure that you have a follow-up plan for those who don't respond to your messages the first time around, a sequence of 2 or 3 messages that you can try on different platforms, just to see if you can get a response. Funny enough, the "breakup email" (alright, I won't message you anymore you clearly aren't interested!) is the one that generally gets the highest response rate!
Be thankful. If someone is so kind as to share what you have to offer, make you thank them and ask what you can do for them in return. For every relationship you build here, you'll have one less 'random' person you have to ask next time around.
Remember, even the most popular of people are just people, so being nice and treating them as such will go a long way in influencer marketing.