Working with influencers: a practical guide

In today’s digital landscape, building visibility and trust is more important than ever — especially for arts, heritage, and cultural organisations. One exciting and increasingly powerful way to do that is by collaborating with social media influencers.

Whether you’re a national institution or a grassroots digital collective, working with influencers can help you reach new audiences, tell your story in fresh ways, and build lasting engagement — without needing a huge marketing budget.

In this guide, based on a recent expert-led webinar, we’ll break down the why, the how, and the practical steps involved. You’ll find tips for planning, budgeting, finding the right voices, and building great working relationships — even if you don’t have a venue or a big in-house team.

Influencers are creators and come in many different shapes and forms. From nano-influencers with small community followings, to mega-influencers who have millions of followers. They often have deep relationships with their followers who see them as real people rather than corporate voices.

Key benefits:

• Reaching new audiences, especially younger or niche communities
• Generating excitement and share stories in creative formats
• Building credibility by being introduced through a trusted voice, helping to humanise your organisation and assist with telling your stories
• Supporting inclusivity and diversity by partnering with influencers who reflect your values and communities

Identifying your goals, benchmarks and expectations will provide direction and help you measure the impact of your collaboration. It should also help you learn from your efforts and demonstrate the value of your team’s work.

Before reaching out to anyone, be clear on what you want to achieve. Think about…

• Who are we trying to reach?
• What kind of content would suit our offer?
• Are we aiming for ticket sales, awareness, engagement?
• Do we want long-term ambassadors or one-off promotion?

Working with influencers doesn’t need to be expensive. As a general rule, your budget should be aligned to your goals and expectations. The higher your expectations in terms of content quality, reach and outcomes, the higher your budget is likely to be.

• Micro-influencers may charge £50–£250 per post
• Mid-tier influencers might charge £250–£1,000+
• Some may accept event access, commissions, or bartered services
• Influencers that we have worked with have charged approx. £200-300 per video

Many influencers or hobbyists have small but very engaged communities (numbering a couple of thousand) that really buy into what they do. At the other end of the spectrum, creators and influencers with very large followings may have agents and managers that you will need to liaise and negotiate with.

There are lots of things to think about when planning a campaign, and this takes time.

Practical planning tips

• Think about the wider campaign objectives – who is your audience? What platforms do they use?
• Research the platforms that best suit your intended audience and objectives
• Start early and build relationships well ahead of your launch (micro and nano-influencers are likely to have full-time jobs outside of their online work)
• Create a clear brief: What’s the message, format, timeline?
• Agree content beforehand: Will you see it before it goes live?
• Give creative freedom: Let the influencer speak in their voice
• Have a point of contact: Make the process smooth and supportive

Once you’ve researched relevant influencers and engaged with their content, find their preferred contact method – this could be via email or direct message. Be warm, clear and professional.

• Say who you are and why you’re reaching out
• Share why you admire their work
• Explain your idea and goals
• Mention what’s in it for them
• Be open about timeline, expectations, and fees (if any)

On TikTok

The TikTok Creator Marketplace is a useful tool. It acts like a jobs board, you can upload your brief and creators can respond and apply to do your videos, based on your brief. You can also ask specific influencers to apply. Be careful, however, as you may receive applications that are not entirely suited to your brief.

On Instagram

Use the question box on Instagram Stories to ask your followers which influencers they follow. Or use Google keywords related to the topic. This will show various Instagram accounts. When contacting influencers, avoid using Instagram on Desktop as you will not see the ‘Email me’ button. It’s visible on mobile. Many influencers will have a link in their bio to contact them on.

Great influencer partnerships are built on mutual respect, flexibility and shared enthusiasm. How can you ensure that the collaboration is a fruitful one?

• Set clear agreements (in writing is best)
• Be responsive and appreciative
• Offer them access to behind-the-scenes or insider insights
• Support their posts by resharing and engaging
• Follow up and keep the door open for future work
• Ask for a hi-resolution, unwatermarked version of the content and check that they are happy for you to use it elsewhere and on other platforms.

Many arts and cultural organisations may not have a venue or exhibits to showcase. Performing arts companies may also be subject to union regulations, restricting the amount of performance they can publish online. Many digital first or project-based organisations can create powerful online campaigns. Creative thinking around the following may help with content ideas:

• Virtual exhibition tours or artist Q&As
• Behind the scenes footage
• Co-hosted Instagram Lives or TikTok content
• Influencer takeovers of your social channels
• Digital challenges or hashtag campaigns
• Commissioning influencers as storytellers or creative collaborators