Influencer Marketing Platforms — What Are They, and Where Do I Get Started?

You’re serious about being an influencer. Maybe you’re still fresh to the business, or maybe you’re a seasoned pro with plenty of brand deals under your belt. You know your brand, and you’re ready to turn your online presence into more partnerships — aka, you’re ready to make some money. So, you may be thinking: Where do I get started? How do I connect with more brands and land campaigns? Say hello to influencer marketing platforms…

1. WHAT ARE INFLUENCER MARKETING PLATFORMS?

   Influencer marketing platforms, or influencer marketplaces (as I call them!), are digital platforms that make you available and searchable to brands that are looking for influencer talent. From the brand or agency side, users are able to search for influencers using specific criteria — like location, interests, audience size, audience demographics, etc. — to find talent that fit exactly what they’re looking for. Joining these platforms makes it easy for brands to find you and connect about campaigns that are a perfect fit for both you and the brand.

2. should i join if I’M ALREADY SCORING CAMPAIGNS?

   Sure, you can still land deals without joining influencer platforms. But these babies are a goldmine of opportunity, and they take out a ton of the stress that goes into finding campaigns. Influencer marketplaces are used by thousands of local, national, and global brands across all verticals, and the platform basically serves as the middle-man whose sole purpose is to connect these brands with you. Forget pitching; with these platforms, the brand finds you instead of the other way around.

3. ANY REQUIREMENTS TO GET STARTED?

   Each platform is different! Some just ask you to download their app, some have an immediate sign-up-and-join process, and some ask you to share some information about your channel before approving your request to join. But most platforms accept creators with any size audience, so don’t stress if you’re still growing your followers.

4. OK, SIGN ME UP… LITERALLY.

   Convinced you should join these platforms? Probably a great idea. The good news is: signing up is super easy! The platforms are completely free to join as a creator. Some platforms may take a cut out of your secured campaigns, but they always let you know before accepting the job. Within a few minutes, you can be on multiple platforms getting your channel in front of real, paying clients.

Influencer marketing platforms are an effective, easy way to get more brand deals with minimal additional effort on your end. To save you even more time, we’ve created the Ultimate Influencer Marketing Guide — your new BFF with more than 40 platforms and links to help you join.

Go get those gigs, and leave a comment to let us know with influencer platform is your absolute fave!