WIN Report / Working with Influencers

Working with influencers and their weddings has been a hot topic in the press for a while, but especially this week, with The Times and The Week both publishing reports about the trend to 'gift' aspects of a wedding in return for the recipient promoting the product or services to their followers - sometimes to the detriment of their celebrations. Here we talk sponsored weddings...

Priyanka Chopra sold out on her wedding to Nick Jonas, embracing the sponsored thing with both arms Image from Priyanka's Instagram

The rules for that promotion have changed in recent years, with the Advertising Standards Agency apparently tightening up the rules, and stating that the poster has to make it clear that the item or service they are promoting is a gift. But whether these standards are ever upheld or penalties enforced… Who knows?

If you're considering working with someone you deem to have an 'influence' that will benefit your sales, you might want to consider which type of influencer you work with. There are basically three types:

Macro Influencers generally have an online presence of 100,000 to 1 million followers. The audience is eclectic and generally consists of young women. These influencers are available for higher-budget campaigns (like a wedding venue or a gown) and their fees (or the size of the gift) reflect the numbers.

Micro Influencers generally have between 1,000 to 100,000 followers, which are more defined and specific audiences. They are respected experts in their field. These individuals are less expensive than macro influencers and have great engagement rates. This is the market we would look to work with. Their audiences tend to be more authentic.

Nano Influencer - the smallest in terms of following, but has the best engagement, typically within a local or super niche community. Nano influencers usually have less than 1,000 followers and are choosy about the products or brands they endorse. It's always worth drilling down to this group.

What influencers can offer

• Blog posts

• Instagram posts or stories

• Facebook posts

• X - formerly known as Twitter - posts

• Emails

• LinkedIn posts

• TikTok content

Although traditionally when we think of working with influencers we think of Instagram, as it maintains its hold on the social media scene.

You might have worked with influencers and it's really worked. You may have had your fingers burnt whereby you end up disappointed with the coverage and feedback received, but there's nothing you can do about it, or you might even be really anti-influencer culture. It's not for us to advise, but what we do say is that you should thoroughly research the influencer before your part with your pennies - or product - and you should also have everything agreed in writing and signed off by both parties, otherwise, there is no recourse.

You may have heard about 'Cakegate', Catherine Tyldesley, a former Coronation Street actress, was accused of being behind a party planner asking Three Little Birds bakery in West Yorkshire, to make 100 cupcakes for her 40th birthday in return for social media coverage and a mention in OK! magazine. The incident went viral when the bakery posted a screenshot of the emails on Facebook. Rebecca Severs, the head of the Little Birds bakery, said in her email to the party planning agency who had approached her on Catherine's behalf: “My staff can’t feed their kids with exposure on Instagram."

We'd love to hear your thoughts on working with an influencer. Do you? Would you? Have you? Please comment below or join the chat on our Instagram post @weddingindustrynews