Hello and welcome to the first instalment of our ‘Ask the Influencer’ series where we’ll speak with established personalities and social influencers to get their advice on how best to create meaningful partnerships with influencers, as well as their personal insights on the type of content that best engages their audience.
First cab off the rank is the legend himself, Hayden Quinn, who first rose to fame on Series 3 of MasterChef and was back for season 12 in their “Back to Win” competition alongside 23 other past MasterChef contestants. And lucky us, he’s back on our TV screens in a big way this year with Taste of Australia with Hayden Quinn currently airing on Channel 10.
Since his time on season 3 of MasterChef, Hayden has become a legitimate social media influencer, having amassed a loyal legion of fans (90K and 80K on Instagram and Facebook respectively) where he shares his passion for food, travel and adventure.
Having worked with Hayden in the past, I speak firsthand when I say that he’s truly mastered the art of ‘social influence’, not only being great to work with (note: not everyone is great to work with), but always delivering significant value for the brands he’s partnered with.
Here’s what Hayden had to say:
- What do you look for in a successful brand partnership?
Authentic connection to the brand. I think that is key. If myself as an individual don’t use the brand / believe in the brand / love the brand, then there is no drive for me to want to work with or be passionate about the product. There needs to be genuine connection.
- What sort of content best engages your audience?
For me it is video content, or static images that include me in them. Or when I’m doing recipes, recipes that have the ingredients and method in the actual body of the post – it just means one less click for the audience and they can get the information they need right there on the post, rather than going to a third party website.
Personally, I work on long term brand partnerships (3-12 months) and rarely on singular or one-off posts – I find this increases the traction, the brand awareness and also the value to both the brand and myself.
- What advice do you have for small businesses considering an influencer partnership?
Ensure that ROI is there for your investment. Make sure the influencer is relevant to your product or business or field. Double and triple check that the influencer has genuine “influence” – there are a lot of shoddy people out there. Speak with other brands / clients who have worked with the influencer in the past and see how things went for them.
Also, make sure you have a written agreement / contract in place before any dollars or work begins, with a clear scope of works, delivery dates and expectations from both sides. I would suggest dealing with people who have a management team or someone advising them, as it would offer another level of assurance.
If you want to learn more about Influencer Marketing and how to establish successful influencer partnerships, then take a look at our Influencer Engagement 101 manual on our Tools page.
Good luck!