Sending PR packages to influencers is a brilliant way to build awareness and earn repurposable content. This post breaks down how to ship products to influencers.
Should your brand be sending PR packages to influencers?
It’s no secret that people love discovering products on social media. Fact: 77% of consumers claim that social posts inspire them to buy from brands they hadn’t heard of before.
The popularity of trends like unboxings and hauls says it all. We've seen firsthand how brands benefit from promoting products by sending PR packages at scale.
Authentic user-generated content. More positive reviews. Greater visibility in social search.
Sending PR packages to a high volume of creators can make all of the above happen faster.
This post breaks down step-by-step how to send products to influencers. We'll also share lessons from working with 400+ brands to get products into thousands of creators' hands.
If you’re itching to get your products into the hands of influencers, we get it.
But the importance of PR package planning can’t be overstated.
Before shipping a single item, you have to spell out your campaign goals. Also, you’ll need to brainstorm which products make the most sense to ship out.
Trust us: answering these questions now will set up your campaigns for success in the long run.
Ask yourself: what will you achieve by sending free products to influencers?
As with any marketing campaign, it's important to start by defining the “why” behind it.
Think about your business objectives. Sample goals of PR package campaigns include:
If some of your goals overlap, that’s okay! What matters is justifying your time and energy spent sending products to influencers. If you want to reach 100+ creators, you really need to consider whether you realistically have the bandwidth to make it happen.
No matter how much you love your products, they won’t be a fit for every influencer.
And so the more focused your audience targeting, the better.
Because relevant influencers are more likely to produce authentic, high-quality content.
In terms of targeting, keep the following in mind when researching and vetting creators:
Translation? Your outreach candidates should reflect your brand’s specific target audience.
That's the benefit of sending products to influencers with a platform like Statusphere.
Our software programmatically matches brands and creators based on 250+ unique, first-party data points. This includes all of the data points above (and then some). Granular matchmaking ensures that you only partner with influencers that authentically want to promote your products.
And hey, that leads us right to our next point!
“Uh, why did they send me this?”
Not exactly what you want to hear from your influencers, right?
Putting together a meaningful PR package requires thought and effort on your part. Unfocused and random assortments of items don’t result in great posts.
Consider how influencers get pitched by brands all the time. Free swag alone doesn’t always “wow” creators like you think it might. Brands need a thoughtful combination of products if they want to stand out from the crowd.
Below are a few considerations for products to include in an influencer PR package:
For brands sending products to influencers, the concept of value exchange is crucial. The more value you put into your packages, the higher quality content you'll earn.
Now, let’s look at some examples of how to send a PR package that ticks the boxes above.
Here’s an example from Perfume.com. Note how they gifted an influencer with a Versace perfume. Totally worthy of Instagram, right?
Source: @thefitishbrunette
This is an example of how a “smaller” PR package can boast a high dollar-value product. Likewise, items like this make creators feel like VIPs.
Check out the example from Andalou Naturals below. The company sent three product bundles to influencers in small, travel-friendly packages. Colorful and themed packaging really helps these posts pop.
Source: @_ciara.chanel
Let’s look at another example! The Brow Trio sent its brow stencil for influencers to try out and introduce to new audiences. This product has a “cool factor” because it’s presented as a life hack for your everyday beauty routine.
Source: @juliya.yasmin
These examples all highlight the value of presentation when putting together PR packages.By now you know what you’re sending to influencers and why.
But now the tricky part: finding and pitching relevant creators to post about your products.
You already have an idea of who your brand’s “ideal” influencers are from past campaigns, right?
Getting those creators' attention and actually coordinating a PR package is never a guarantee. The outreach phase is easily the most time-consuming aspect of sending products to influencers.
This is also the biggest barrier keeping brands from working with influencers at scale. That's why brands are turning to influencer platforms to streamline the process.
You have to be mindful of who you approach and how. That’s what the next steps cover in detail.
When it comes to finding influencers, you have a few options:
Let’s assume you’re still doing things the DIY way, though. When looking for influencer profiles, try to spot creators with values and an audience that aligns with your own. You can figure out these details at a glance through social bios, content previews and captions.
The influencer profile below is a good example of what we’re talking about.
Source: @chofuloflove
Based on the creator’s bio and content previews, it’s clear that she has an established audience and promotes specific brands. The fact that she’s “PR/Collab Friendly” and shares an email address is a nice added bonus.
But even if a creator ticks all of your boxes, it's crucial to audit their profiles before moving forward.
Again, you want to send PR packages to people who will actually use your products. When combing through influencers and their content, ask yourself:
Note: this all highlights why many companies send PR packages to existing customers. That’s because customers are already familiar with your products. As a result, they’re legitimately delighted to see your products on their doorstep. This increases your chances of success during outreach.
We'll assume you have a curated list of influencers that align with your brand. Nice!
But again, just because a creator seems perfect doesn’t mean they’ll say “yes” by default.
For brands getting ghosted or receiving lukewarm replies from creators, chances are there's a problem with your pitch. Our advice? Be clear on who you are and what you’re asking for.
Many brands tiptoe around what they want from influencers. Being indirect doesn’t do you any favors, though. We’ll say it again: influencers get pitched constantly. Unclear or vague outreach messages are easy to gloss over or ignore.
On the flip side, sending someone a novel’s worth of instructions is a good way to get left on read. This is true whether you’re reaching out via email or DMs.
Here’s exactly what you need to say when pitching a PR package to influencers:
Below is an example of an Instagram collaboration email template that sticks to these points:
Personalizing your outreach is much of what makes this phase so time-consuming.
That said, personalization is arguably the easiest way to set yourself apart from competitors. Maintaining a professional, positive and genuine tone will also help your pitches land.
Let’s say an influencer says “yes” to your pitch.
If you’re purely interested in gifting products for a one-time post, you’ll need an address and contact information for starters. Proactive influencers might ask about benefits or what to say in their posts. For free products, expect to give influencers near-total creative freedom.
But if you’re hashing out the details of a full-blown partnership? Be prepared to carve out some serious time from your schedule. That’s because you’ll need to:
Note: In our experience, handling communication takes anywhere from 15 to 20 hours for just a handful of influencers. Shipping products to a high volume of influencers (100+) DIY is next to impossible.
If you’ve gone through the legwork to get to this point, pat yourself on the back.
It’s finally time to send products to influencers. Posts aren’t far behind, right?
Almost there! While sending packages themselves might seem straightforward, there are a few key details to note.
To wrap things up, consider how you send your products impacts the quality of content you earn.
Presentation is huge when it comes to PR packages for influencers.
One of the best ways to make your products worthy of a stellar social post? Go the extra mile to create an awesome gifting experience. This means:
Taking these steps is a subtle way to improve your relationships with influencers. If nothing else, you highlight how much you value your partnership.
Below are a couple of examples of our own past PR packages that tick these boxes.
Source: @brittanyardito
Branded packaging helps influencers instantly recognize when your products are at their door. Meanwhile, personalized notes show that you really appreciate the creator’s time and effort.
Source: @london.collinson
Showing that you’re willing to go that extra mile will remain in their minds when creating posts about your brand. The more you prioritize the creator's experience, the better content you'll earn.
No surprises here. Assuming things are in order at your warehouse, it's time to:
As a courtesy, make sure to let influencers know when their PR package is on the way. Share any necessary tracking information. Your influencer packages should be sent in a timely manner and creators should never be left wondering "Where's my stuff?"
Fulfillment is yet another time-consuming step of sending products to influencers. This is especially true if you’re sending a variety of products and package sizes to hundreds of influencers.
This all circles back to creating a top-tier creator experience.
For example, Statusphere's solution offers influencer fulfillment technology that delights creator and makes your brand look like a million bucks. That's because we set up automatic tracking on shipments through both our platform and text notifications. We also create a seamless, repeatable checkout experience where all orders are shipped to influencers within 48 hours.
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Step #9: Engage with Influencers' Posts Once They're LiveDon’t expect posts to roll in automatically as soon as your products go out.
Shipping takes time and influencers have to fit you into their respective schedules.
The key here is not to just play the waiting game. Be proactive about the following:
The last point here is crucial. A thoughtful comment and “Like” on your influencers’ posts puts a positive stamp on the process. Likewise, doing so can encourage you and a creator to work together again in the future.
This is important if a creator goes viral or earns an overwhelmingly positive response to their post.
There’s no denying the legwork that goes into sending PR packages to influencers.
The reality, though? Sending products yourself can only take you so far. Earning meaningful results is possible when you partner with hundreds of influencers. Not just a handful!
After all, so much of social media marketing today is a numbers game. Getting your products and content in front of your target audience means having a high volume of creators backing you up. More creators yield more content and more of a social search presence.
And that's exactly where Statusphere can help.
Our micro-influencer marketing platform empowers brands to partner with creators at scale. We built our software specifically to streamline the most tedious and time-consuming tasks of influencer marketing campaigns (including fulfillment). We've already helped 400+ brands do exactly that.
Want to learn more about how our platform works? Get in touch with one of our experts to see how Statusphere can scale your influencer marketing efforts in a fraction of the time.
This article was first published in October 2020. It was last updated June 26, 2023.
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