5-Step Influencer Marketing Plan to Launch & Sell Your Product

This guide will walk you through a proven 5-step plan to successfully launch your product using influencer marketing. We'll cover everything from finding the right influencers and reaching out to them (and getting replies!), to creating unboxing-worthy packaging and measuring your success.

Follow this playbook if you wan to make a big impact on your sales without a big budget for ads.

Step 1— Identify people who can 'influence' your audience

When choosing influencers, it's tempting to think that more followers means more people will see your product. But that's not the most important thing.

What really matters is sales. You want to sell out your product, not just have people look at it.

Think about it this way: If an influencer has a million followers, but none of them are interested in what you're selling, how many sales will you get? Probably not many. Now, imagine an influencer with only 10,000 followers, but all of them are exactly the kind of people who would love your product. You'd likely get way more sales from this smaller group.

Here are 3 things to check when finding your ideal influencer before your product launch.

Content alignment with your brand

An influencer's past content should naturally align with your product. If you're launching an eco-friendly water bottle, look for influencers who regularly post about sustainability, outdoor activities, or health. Their audience should already be primed for your product.

Scroll through at least 3 months of an influencer's content. If you can't imagine your product fitting seamlessly into their feed, move on.

Engagement quality

Here's where many brands mess up. They just focus on the number of comments or likes, but not their quality.

Ask these questions: Are followers asking thoughtful questions? Is the influencer responding and creating real conversations?

Read through comment sections. Look for back-and-forth discussions, not just emoji spam. If an influencer consistently sparks genuine dialogue, they're more likely to generate interest in your product.

Here's an example of an influencer post with lesser 'likes', but genuine engagement —

Value match

Make a list of your brand's core values. Then, when reviewing potential influencers, check their past posts and collaborations. Do they consistently support causes or ideas that match your list? If yes, they might be a good fit.

For example, if your brand is all about sustainability, partner with influencers who regularly talk about eco-friendly living, not those who promote fast fashion or single-use plastics.

Step 2— Reach out to influencers

After you have the list of your favorite influencers ready, it's time to make contact.

DM vs. email : What's better for influencer outreach?

Before deciding what you'll say to the influencer, think about whether you should DM them or email them.

Here's what we suggest:

• For micro-influencers (those with fewer than 10,000 followers), direct messages (DMs) often work best. They're more likely to see and respond to these personally.
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• For influencers with more than 10K followings, send an email. Their DMs are often flooded, so a well-crafted email has a better chance of catching their attention.

What to say and not to say

Avoid asking them to send their fee for promoting a product or to do it for free in your first message. The goal here is to start a conversation.

For example, a few weeks before the launch, Kendall Dickieson, Graza's Social Media Marketing manager, began sliding into influencers' DMs. The messages were light-hearted and engaging, like: "How much easier would life be if olive oil came in a squeezy bottle?"

Even brands that understand the importance of not being too pushy often make a different mistake. They swing to the opposite extreme, trying to appear overly accommodating or casual. They often say, "Hey, Would like to send you our product. No commitment is needed! " The intention is to show that they're not demanding anything from the influencer. However, this approach can backfire.

Why is this a problem, especially for emerging brands that don't have cash to burn?

1. It can come across as insincere. Influencers know that brands ultimately want something from them, even if it's not stated outright.
2. It undervalues the potential partnership. By emphasizing "no commitment," you're suggesting that the relationship isn't important or valuable.
3. It might attract influencers who are only interested in free products without any genuine interest in a long-term partnership.

Instead, be clear about your interest in a meaningful collaboration.

Below is an email template you can use to be respectful and professional without pretending that you're reaching out just to be friendly. Observe how it still doesn't say 'Hey, we're sending this product for free and please post about us.' It's all about the long-term —

Hello [Influencer's First Name],
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I've consistently been impressed with your work on [platform], especially your insights on [theme].
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Over at [brand], we’re all about [one-line description]. We believe you'd appreciate our product because of [benefits]. Currently, we're scouting for 25 creators who resonate with our [mission]. We'd be thrilled to have you on board as a long-term partner.
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Confident you'll love our product, I’ve set aside a special package.
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Can I get your shipping address?
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Cheers, [Your name]

This approach may result in fewer immediate responses, but it's more likely to attract influencers who genuinely connect with your brand and can become authentic, long-term advocates.

Don't forget to follow up

Influencers receive dozens of messages daily and it's possible that your first DM or email might have been overlooked unintentionally. Follow-up after 3-4 days. Reference your previous message, and maybe add a new point about why you think they'd be a great fit for your brand.

Here's a template you can use to follow up:

Hey [Influencer's First Name],

Hope you're doing well. I sent an email to [Influencer's email address] about a potential collab with [Brand Name]. Just wanted to make sure it didn't get lost in the inbox.

We're really excited about the idea of working with you to launch [short product description] on [date].

Let me know if you'd like to chat more.

Thanks for your time!

[Your Name]

SARAL helps you set up the follow-up emails once and sent automatically at the time you would've set.

It automatically pauses follow-ups when an influencer responds, preventing any unnecessary messages.

Step 3— Onboard influencers as ambassadors

Onboarding influencers as ambassadors means that you familiarize them with the brand, and establishing a formal relationship.

Ship your products in an unboxing-video worthy packaging

Let's think about the experience of receiving your product from the influencers' perspective. They probably get a couple of products every week, mostly free, with no upfront payment.

Which ones are they going to show to their audience first?  — The one in basic brown cardboard with plastic wrapped like crazy or the one that seems new, exciting, and thoughtfully crafted box? Definitely the latter. When an influencer has an interesting product to show, it makes their job of creating content and engaging the audience. This also helps you to stand out without getting lost in the sea of content on social media platforms.

Your product might be the best but wrapping it up nicely improves the chances of it getting noticed, and getting shared.

So, how do you make it Instagram-worthy?

Think visually. Think of textures, colors, and layers. Maybe it's a sleek, minimalist box that oozes luxury. Or make your box is burst with vibrant colors. Add some props that complement your products. Whatever you choose, it should say "I'm new, exciting, and worth talking about!"

Charlotte Tilbury sent products from their new line lipsticks in a giant box looking like lipstick. It was eye-catching, on-brand, and made for great visual content.

Chloe's post about Charlotte Tillbury's giveaway

Include a handwritten note

Authenticity resonates more than extravagance. That's why a physical, handwritten note is more valuable than anything else you will send with your product. It shows you've taken the time to personally connect with the influencer, which is especially meaningful when you're introducing a new product.

You can:

• Talk about why you believe the influencer is the perfect partner for this launch.
• Thank them for their collaboration.
• Give a unique discount code for their followers. → This will also help you keep track of sales that a particular influencer generates.

You can easily create and manage dynamic discount codes for influencers with tools like SARAL. These codes expire quickly and prevent your code from landing on a coupon site. Try out SARAL for free for 7 days, and see how it can help you launch your new products or promote the existing ones.

Share a launch-specific creative guideline document

When launching a new product with influencers, remember that they haven't seen or experienced your product ever before. The way you position your product now, through these influencers, will likely stick in consumers' minds for quite some time. This is your opportunity to shape your brand perception.

To do this right, share a creative guideline document with your influencers that outlines all about your product, your brand, what sets it apart from competitors, etc.

This gives influencers a solid foundation to build their content around. Share information about your target audience and how this product meets their needs. Mention any specific launch dates they should be aware of.

While you're providing guidance, allow room for the influencer's creativity. Don't give them a sales script to read off of.

Step 4— Nudge influencers to post

Even if influencers initially seem excited about your product, they can easily get sidetracked or forget about posting once the package arrives. Life gets busy, and your product might get lost in the shuffle.

Send a follow-up email 2-3 days after product delivery as friendly reminder.

This email template keeps it simple, asking for their honest feedback or thoughts on the product without being too pushy:

Hi [Influencer Name],

I wanted to confirm that you've received the [Brand Name] products we sent. I'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback once you've tried them out. Looking forward to your post/story/video highlighting [Brand] on your channels 😁

🎁 You can use your unique code [CODE] to give your followers 15% off while earning a 20% commission on any purchase done using your code.

Let me know if you need any other information or support from me as you're trying out the products.

Cheers,
[Your Name]

If you send 3-4 follow-up messages and receive no response, stop frequent follow-up. If you're using SARAL or any other CRM, tag them as 'DORMANT.' Send them re-engagement emails once a month after you're done with your product launch. The goal is to get them onboard later on in your journey.

Step 5— Was your launch a success?

When you're launching a product, whether it's through ads, or influencer marketing, one way to judge the success is your sales number. If you follow the steps we showed you above, you'll likely end up with 'sold out' stock or make 2—3x on your investment. These are not just claims, but we've seen this happen in the past.

Take Graza, for example. The olive oil brand sold out completely in their first week of business and made $100,000 in revenue. They crossed the half-million dollar mark in revenue within just three months.

Or look at James. He followed these principles for his product launch and ended up with a "Sold Out" notice on his website. Even more impressive? He made $22,000 on the very first day.

Even if you don't sell out during your launch, don't dismiss influencer marketing as a strategy. Most people don't buy a product the first time they see it. They might notice your brand on an influencer's post, then see it again in an online store, and finally decide to buy when they come across your ad. Each exposure builds familiarity and trust.

Influencer marketing does more than just drive immediate sales. It provides:

• Reviews for your website: Real customer feedback that can convince others to buy
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• Content for your social media: High-quality posts you can reuse, saving you time and money
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• Building awareness: Every post, comment, and share helps spread the word about your product. This creates a snowball effect that can lead to more sales over time.

Even if sales are slow at first, you're gathering valuable information about what works and what doesn't. Use this to refine your approach.

How to launch a DTC brand with influencers, without all the manual work?

As a new brand founder or someone working on a launch, you're probably wearing many hats. You're the CEO, marketing manager, social media expert, and customer service rep all rolled into one. You don't have the luxury of a big team or a massive budget to handle everything.

On top of all that, finding the right influencers, reaching out to them, tracking campaigns, measuring results – it's a full-time job on its own.

This is exactly why we built SARAL. We understand the struggles of new brands looking to partner with influencers. SARAL is an all-in-one influencer marketing platform designed to make your life easier and your launch more effective.

With SARAL, you can:

• Find the right influencers: Discover influencers who match your brand. Filter by niche, audience size, and engagement rates to find the perfect fit.
• Reach out to influencers easily: Send personalized messages to lots of influencers at once. No more copy-pasting emails for hours.
• Keep track of your campaigns: See all your influencer work in one place. Know who's supposed to post what and when, and track your payments.
• Understand how you're doing: Get clear data on how your campaigns are performing. See how many people you're reaching and if it's worth the money you're spending.
• Build lasting relationships: Keep notes on influencers you work with, just like a sales team would. This helps you work with the same people again and again, building trust over time.

…and do so much more.

It's built to help you succeed, even if you're a one-person show with a limited budget. Claim your free trial. Explore the features, and find your first influencer.