Stepping on toes really sucks, especially when it’s for a brand and relationship you’re trying to foster.

Creators often make these common mistakes because they’re not always from the industry themselves, and often norms are unspoken for creatives and freelancers.

I’ve made plenty of these blunders myself and readily share all the missteps I’ve made- but it’s way more important to hear from industry experts themselves.

This is not a drill.

A handful of amazing and accomplished marketers who regularly work with influencers and creators have (anonymously) given us insight about what to do and what not to do.

So! Share this with your creator friends, share the information and let’s all do our best.

From A Brand Manager's Perspective

Q: Pet peeves working with influencers?

“One major pet peeve is a lack of professionalism.

This includes late content submissions, failure to send content for approval, and delayed communications.

Influencers are expected to treat collaborations as a professional engagement (a job…), respecting deadlines and communication protocols.”

Action steps:

• Avoid late content submissions or promptly request extensions that reflect an accurate new date of submission. This can be prevented by agreeing to timelines that you’re able to meet.

  Negotiate with the brand and request an initial timeline that is doable for your situation. Consider explaining some of the limitations (work, lighting) and how a more generous timeline will result in better work quality.

• Always send content for approval before posting. Send through content via WeTransfer or a Google Drive link. Give all your content at once reel, caption via Google Document or in the body of the email.

• Do not paste image or video content in the body of an email. Keep in mind many Marketers are working from a desktop.

• Avoid slow or late replies. If there isn’t a new update, acknowledge or update the brand if they’ve reached out. “Hi ___, just acknowledging I’ve gotten your email. [update or say there’s no update]. Thank you.”

Q: How do they feel influencers can add value to a product launch?

“Teasing about the launch. Sharing their experience with their product more than once, adding link stickers (driving to e-retailer) on their stories.”

Action steps:

• Teasing (with permission) about a product launch or upcoming AD work. In the most ideal world, an AD shouldn’t be the first time you’ve shown a product to your audience. Take them along the trail period and give sneak peeks.

• Reshare AD work when relevant! Has someone made a great comment? Share it. Multiple reshares encourage engagement and build brand trust.

• Know the retailer that the brand prefers to sell through. Is it their direct site? Smaller bespoke retailers or larger e-tailers? Make sure you ask where is best to send your audience.

• Share + link to your stories, so your audience can easily click through to learn more or purchase. Stories are a great way to encourage sales.

Side note: This next bit is a bit controversial.

Many influencers and creators support their paid ADs with organic content because AD work is often unpredictable.

Not only does it give more value to brands and helps foster a stronger relationship, it also builds trust with your audience.

Viewers are often suspect of products that only feature via a paid partnership, and only feature once. Consider ways to show genuine love for a product and how that may look for your own platform.

When engaging in paid work, ask yourself “How do I make this go well?” and “How can I make this engaging and educational?” for your audience. Do your best to become invested in the project and apart of the team, not just a third party filling a brief.

Q: What are your major turn-offs/irks with creators? (Yes, this gets juicy)

“When they don’t include their location on their Bio or make it basically impossible to know where they’re based (ie. no location tags on posts).

When they don’t pronounce the brand’s name correctly (Youtube is your friend) or worse, they confuse you with another brand.

When they talk sh*t about other brands/products they’ve tried publicly. It’s fine to give feedback and be honest but there’s nicer/polite ways of doing it.

When they come across as entitled or too demanding (more for bigger influencers).”

Action steps:

• Add your location to your bio now! Go one step further and include your email in your bio, not just the contact button.
  Again, many marketers work from a desktop and can’t use the “email” button. I’d personally say pop your location (ie; Sydney) in your name, so it’s searchable. This can help you get invited to local events, too.

• You need to know how to say the brand name and product correctly. Don’t guess!
  Youtube and/or ask for how to pronounce everything phonetically. Even go so far as to request a voice memo from the brand account.

• Give feedback nicely. This is a mistake I’ve made before and it hurts to think about.
  Honesty doesn’t have to be cruel and it’s fine if something doesn’t work for you, but there are people and teams behind products who have made an effort to include you- consider this when you share.

• Be polite and clear about your boundaries. Do not go back on agreed terms.

There is so much more marketers have shared with White Rabbit Social and we can’t wait to share more.

We are so passionate about women who go out of their way to support others. You can support us by sharing this article with your friends if you found it helpful.

Coming up? Content Creation Improvement, Approaching Brands and Preferences, Content Creation Preferences, Value and Metrics, Pricing and Negotiation & PR Lists and Approaches.

A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to this series.