After taking stock of all the paying apps mentioned in my blog earlier (Part I), I am moving to influencer marketing programs and sites, which pays for your reach and people whom you can influence.
What is influencer marketing?
It is a form of marketing in which the businesses focus on influential people rather than the target market as a whole. It identifies the individuals in a specific segment which is suitable to the brand, that have influence over potential buyers, and orients marketing activities around these influencers. For participating in such campaigns you need to have large following in specific segments with high engagement.
Eg, an apparel manufacturer brand will choose 100 lifestyle influencers who have a following of 5000+ on social media channels, each paying them a fraction of the amount of which it would have spend on other mediums such as TV or newspapers. Here the reach is guaranteed, as well as the brand can provide traceable links of direct online purchases. Hence the marketer knows exactly each and every details of the buyer and behavior. This is not possible in the case of other mediums. Hence more and more companies, businesses and brands are adopting this technique.
How you can benefit?
As an influencer, when you already have a huge following and reach, you can cash in on that reach. When the brands approach you or vice-versa, you are able to cash in the reach you command. Moreover, some brands also offer you something in exchange like discounts or products for reviews etc. Brands have various types of campaigns which an influencer can select from, if you are present on many platforms with substantial followers on each channels.
Following are some of the platforms I have been using and earning from it currently or have earned in the past.
All its campaigns are from BAYER brand and most importantly they do not have any restrictions for specific number of followers. Click link to join.
Zefmo - Zefmo’s platform integrates a plethora of influencers - ranging from artists, gadget lovers, social activists, lifestyle enthusiasts, and business leaders - to create impact-full stories. With a reach of over 30,000 social influencers mostly from India, in over 25 categories, Zefmo has both the width and the depth to support a wide variety of brand campaigns.
Although it has user friendly site, as an influencer you have to send details on mail everytime for a new campaign which is bit tedious, same with its payments. Though they have consistency in payments as well as new campaigns.
IZEA - Content creators earn money for producing and distributing content for marketers. Marketers scale custom content and influencer marketing programs. They have software to determine the best performing influencer content. They have tie-ups with great brands and great campaigns.
They give an option, where the free plan members must have $100 in their earned balance to cash out funds. They have a Basic Plan which allows you to withdraw at $50 and a PRO plan which allows you to withdraw at $25. If funds are cashed out before the $100 threshold is met, a $3 early cash out fee is charged. Payments is through PayPal.
Webfluential - I found Webfluential a bit professional and loaded with features. They have tried to make it more interactive by integrating the walls/feed of all the influencers and the happening, which is quite interesting. Moreover, the add-on of IBM Watson gives it an extra edge in AI (Artificial Intelligence). It gives a detailed personality insights and analysis of an influencer's reach.
The only drawback according to me is that they have very little to offer for micro-influencers in India/Asia. The fact that you cannot see live or upcoming campaigns makes it bit confusing for new users.
You can join it by clicking here
TapInfluence - A former blog company, it has ventured into influencer marketing platform. They have big brand names to boast, but mostly US based brands which is quite understandable since it is based in California.
From the influencer point of view, it has its own mechanism to measure the reach and fix rates that be can charged for the campaigns by influencers. Though they also show median and ideal rates charged which kind of shows where you stand.
Klear - You need to be Klear in your influencer score in order to woo the brand and their campaigns. The Klear gives you a score you can rely on for your reach. It takes into consideration you reach, engagement, domain and your true reach. So even if you have more than 10,000 followers, and your engagement might be only 5-10% then it will give you a low scoring.
From the time Klout has send reminders about closing, I think Klear is good alternative for Klout. Though again, catering to the US market and brands, it is still growing and claims to have global brands.
Revfluence - Strictly USA only, infact when I login into the account it displays the message saying "Campaigns limited by Country". Many of their brands does not ship outside USA, so your campaigns maybe limited.
Apart from the above disappointment, you also get to read following message, which says
On Instagram: You need at least 500 average likes/post, 3000 followers, and 50 posts
On YouTube: You need at least 2500 average views/video, 3000 subscribers, and 20 videos
On Blogs: You need at least 3000 monthly page views and 10 posts
So, if you're a growing micro influencer doing small campaigns, you are in for a disappointment.
On the positive side, you can easily integrate your social presence on the platform, know your reach instantly and also fix your rates for the channels, after comparing the median rates.
Influence.co - It claims to be the world's first open influencer platform. Keeping it free for influencers, it emphasis on the skills, reach and the caliber of individual. Though it has a unique profile page for influencer, you need to market yourself. Again a platform for influencers where majority brands are from the USA.
GetEvangelized - India grown influencer marketing site, yet in the initial stages. It promises the micro influencers a platform and brands to get discovered through them. The influencers have the option of getting the payment in bank via transfers or gift vouchers. Long way to go for it.
Influencer.co - Mind you this is not the same site mentioned above. It has a slight difference if you notice. It has number of ways to monetize your reach in best way possible. USA based though, you can participate if you have substantial reach (around 10k) easily.
They are a unique influencer site where they host thousands of products from online shops which you can promote to your audiences. So you choose the product, generate a tracking link for yourself and start promoting it on your channels to your followers. It has a CPC & CPA model, the moment someone buys it from the link referred by you, you get to earn. The earning commission ranges from 1% to 20%+ depending on the product category and demand.
They give an option, where the free plan members must have $100 in their earned balance to cash out funds. They have a Basic Plan which allows you to withdraw at $50 and a PRO plan which allows you to withdraw at $25. If funds are cashed out before the $100 threshold is met, a $3 early cash out fee is charged. Payments is through PayPal.
Webfluential - I found Webfluential a bit professional and loaded with features. They have tried to make it more interactive by integrating the walls/feed of all the influencers and the happening, which is quite interesting. Moreover, the add-on of IBM Watson gives it an extra edge in AI (Artificial Intelligence). It gives a detailed personality insights and analysis of an influencer's reach.
The only drawback according to me is that they have very little to offer for micro-influencers in India/Asia. The fact that you cannot see live or upcoming campaigns makes it bit confusing for new users.
You can join it by clicking here
TapInfluence - A former blog company, it has ventured into influencer marketing platform. They have big brand names to boast, but mostly US based brands which is quite understandable since it is based in California.
From the influencer point of view, it has its own mechanism to measure the reach and fix rates that be can charged for the campaigns by influencers. Though they also show median and ideal rates charged which kind of shows where you stand.
Klear - You need to be Klear in your influencer score in order to woo the brand and their campaigns. The Klear gives you a score you can rely on for your reach. It takes into consideration you reach, engagement, domain and your true reach. So even if you have more than 10,000 followers, and your engagement might be only 5-10% then it will give you a low scoring.
From the time Klout has send reminders about closing, I think Klear is good alternative for Klout. Though again, catering to the US market and brands, it is still growing and claims to have global brands.
Revfluence - Strictly USA only, infact when I login into the account it displays the message saying "Campaigns limited by Country". Many of their brands does not ship outside USA, so your campaigns maybe limited.
Apart from the above disappointment, you also get to read following message, which says
On Instagram: You need at least 500 average likes/post, 3000 followers, and 50 posts
On YouTube: You need at least 2500 average views/video, 3000 subscribers, and 20 videos
On Blogs: You need at least 3000 monthly page views and 10 posts
So, if you're a growing micro influencer doing small campaigns, you are in for a disappointment.
On the positive side, you can easily integrate your social presence on the platform, know your reach instantly and also fix your rates for the channels, after comparing the median rates.
Influence.co - It claims to be the world's first open influencer platform. Keeping it free for influencers, it emphasis on the skills, reach and the caliber of individual. Though it has a unique profile page for influencer, you need to market yourself. Again a platform for influencers where majority brands are from the USA.
GetEvangelized - India grown influencer marketing site, yet in the initial stages. It promises the micro influencers a platform and brands to get discovered through them. The influencers have the option of getting the payment in bank via transfers or gift vouchers. Long way to go for it.
Influencer.co - Mind you this is not the same site mentioned above. It has a slight difference if you notice. It has number of ways to monetize your reach in best way possible. USA based though, you can participate if you have substantial reach (around 10k) easily.
They are a unique influencer site where they host thousands of products from online shops which you can promote to your audiences. So you choose the product, generate a tracking link for yourself and start promoting it on your channels to your followers. It has a CPC & CPA model, the moment someone buys it from the link referred by you, you get to earn. The earning commission ranges from 1% to 20%+ depending on the product category and demand.
InfluencerPort - Another new influencer marketing platform from India, which claims to connect brands and influencer with creative bend of mind. Recently started, have a long way to go, lets see how does it copes up with others in the market.
Spending more than 4 years in this field I felt, the influencer marketing platform/companies should cater to all the influencers, who want to monetize their (wannabe) influence and also to people who are not aware of this market altogether, to help them tap on their following and influence. Very few platforms have a clear policy and a transparent process of campaigns and payments, which makes the difference between success and failure for them. Few of the influencer platforms like Blogmint, were way ahead of their times but unfortunately it closed down.
I will keep adding the influencer platforms as and when I find really worth mentioning, which genuinely pays, so that they can make it to this list. Please let me know your feedback on the same in the comments below.
Spending more than 4 years in this field I felt, the influencer marketing platform/companies should cater to all the influencers, who want to monetize their (wannabe) influence and also to people who are not aware of this market altogether, to help them tap on their following and influence. Very few platforms have a clear policy and a transparent process of campaigns and payments, which makes the difference between success and failure for them. Few of the influencer platforms like Blogmint, were way ahead of their times but unfortunately it closed down.
I will keep adding the influencer platforms as and when I find really worth mentioning, which genuinely pays, so that they can make it to this list. Please let me know your feedback on the same in the comments below.
