How to get influencers to promote your product
Most pitches fail before they're sent, because they go to the wrong creators with an unclear offer. Fix targeting first, then make saying yes easy.
By the topYappers team4 min read
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If you want to know how to get influencers to promote your product, start with who you ask, not what you say. A creator who already promotes products like yours has an audience that buys them, knows how to present them, and is used to working with brands. Get the targeting right and the rest of this guide (the offer, the brief, the follow-up) becomes much easier.
1. Target creators who already promote products like yours
Every creator's feed is a record of what their audience accepts. Look for:
- Adjacent products. If you sell a meal-prep container, look for creators who've promoted meal kits, protein powders or kitchen gadgets.
- Your competitors, carefully. A creator who promoted a direct competitor proves the fit, but they may be under exclusivity. Ask, or come back after the deal ends.
- Repeat partnerships. A creator who promotes the same brand month after month is delivering results for it. That's a strong signal.
You can do this by hand: check tagged posts, discount codes and video descriptions in your niche. Or use topYappers, which lists the products and brands detected in each creator's posts and lets you search by them. Our creator lists show the same thing for the top creators in each niche, like these three from the food list:
- 1
バヤシBayashi(opens TikTok profile)
@bayashi.tiktokJapan
Cooking · Food hacks
Has promotedCoca ColaPepsi- Followers
- 55.5M
- Engagement
- 6.3%
- Avg. views
- 18.1M
- Followers
- 55.5M
- Engagement
- 6.3%
- Avg. views
- 18.1M
- 2
Surthycooks(opens TikTok profile)
@surthycooksLebanon
Cooking · Food blogger
Has promotedArem-aremNabati- Followers
- 31.7M
- Engagement
- 12%
- Avg. views
- 18.5M
- Followers
- 31.7M
- Engagement
- 12%
- Avg. views
- 18.5M
- 3
Gordon Ramsay(opens TikTok profile)
@gordonramsayofficialUnited Kingdom
Cooking · Chef
Has promotedDiet CokeWelsh's fruit snacks- Followers
- 40.6M
- Engagement
- 8.3%
- Avg. views
- 6.9M
- Followers
- 40.6M
- Engagement
- 8.3%
- Avg. views
- 6.9M
2. Make the offer easy to accept
A vague "would you like to collaborate?" makes the creator do the work of inventing a deal. Pick one of three offers and say it plainly.
| Offer | How it works | Works best with | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gifting | You send the product, they post if they like it | Smaller creators who genuinely want it | No guaranteed post |
| Flat fee | A set price for agreed deliverables | Established creators | Paying for a post that doesn't sell |
| Affiliate or commission | They earn a share of each sale through their link or code | Creators with buying audiences | Many creators won't work on commission alone |
Many brands combine them: product plus a fee for the first post, then a commission on everything after. Whatever you choose, include it in your first message. If there's a budget, say so.
Our creator rate calculator gives you a realistic starting fee before you make an offer.
3. Write a pitch that's about them
Your first message has one job: show the creator that you picked them for a reason. Name a specific video or topic, say in one line what you sell and who buys it, state the offer, and ask one simple question. Keep it under 150 words. Our influencer outreach guide walks through the full message, contact details and follow-up timing.
Then follow up. Silence usually means busy, not no. One follow-up three or four days later and a second about a week after that is polite and effective.
4. Brief them well
Once a creator says yes, a good brief is the difference between a post that sells and one that doesn't. Keep it to one page:
- One key message. The single problem your product solves. Not five features.
- Must-say points. At most three, such as the discount code and one proof point.
- What to avoid. Claims you can't make, competitors you don't want mentioned.
- Creative freedom. Let the creator present it their way. Their audience follows them for their voice, not yours.
- Logistics. Posting date, review step, disclosure ("ad" or the platform's paid partnership label) and links or codes.
5. Start small, then scale the winners
Don't bet your whole budget on one creator. Run a small test first:
- Pick five to ten creators across a few sizes and styles.
- Give each one a unique code or tracked link.
- Compare results after a couple of weeks: sales, sign-ups, clicks, and how the post did against the creator's usual views.
- Book the best performers again, and look for more creators like them.
The second post with a creator who worked usually beats the first post with a new one. Their audience has already heard of you, and the creator knows what lands.
6. Track results
You can't scale what you can't measure. For each creator, track:
- Reach: views on the post compared with their recent average
- Engagement: comments and saves, and whether the comments ask about your product
- Clicks and sales: through unique codes or tracked links
- Cost per result: what you paid divided by sales or sign-ups
topYappers account and video tracking follows each post's views, likes, comments and engagement over time, so you can see which creators actually delivered.
Why creators say no (and how to avoid it)
- The product doesn't fit their audience. Fix it with better targeting (step 1).
- The offer is unclear or too low. Fix it with a concrete offer (step 2).
- The message looks mass-produced. Fix it with one specific sentence about their work (step 3).
- Bad timing. Their calendar is full or they just promoted a competitor. Ask when would be better and follow up then.
A quick checklist
Before you contact anyone, make sure you can answer yes to these:
- Has this creator promoted something similar to my product before?
- Is my offer (gift, fee or commission) stated clearly?
- Does my first message mention something specific they made?
- Do I have a one-page brief ready for when they say yes?
- Can I track what each creator brings in?
Frequently asked questions
How do I get influencers to promote my product for free?
Gifting works with smaller creators who genuinely want your product, but there's no guarantee they'll post. Target creators whose audiences match your product, send it with no strings attached, and make it easy to share a code if they love it.
How do I find influencers who will promote my product?
Look for creators who already promote similar or adjacent products: their audiences buy those products and they know how to present them. You can find them through tagged posts and discount codes, or by searching past promotions in topYappers.
Should I pay influencers or offer commission?
It depends on the creator. Smaller creators may accept product or commission; established creators usually expect a fee. Many brands combine a fee for the first post with a commission after that.
How many influencers should I start with?
Five to ten is a good first test. Use different sizes and styles, give each a unique code or link, and scale the ones that bring results.
Find creators who already promote products like yours
Paste your website and topYappers matches you with creators whose past promotions fit your product. Start free with 10 matched creators.
