INTRODUCTION
In an influencer marketing survey done by Collective Bias, 70% of millennial consumers are influenced by the recommendations of their peers in buying decisions. One tool that can help find, connect and keep track of influencers is Cision.
Here are a few ways to find influencers using Cision:
FIND INFLUENCERS USING PLATFORM FEATURES
Located under the “Influencers” tab are a few ways to optimize your targeting. This includes things like “Talking About,” “Audience Interest,” “You Might Also Like” and “Reach Out.” The Talking About section lets users do a quick online and Twitter search to see which influencers in the Cision database have recently published articles or tweeted about the topic/brand. Your results will appear based on influencer rank, with the most impactful media at the top of the list. Once you click on an influencer’s profile, a dashboard will appear that shows information such as their article history, what they are currently tweeting about, how their beat (or subjects) have changed over time and who is trending on specific topics. This information can help when drafting your outreach message.
If you know the topic your audience is interested in, use the Audience Interest button to find out media contacts who have social audiences interested in the topic. For example, if you are looking for audiences interested in yoga, the results will show contacts that have audiences interested in that subject. Meanwhile, the You Might Also Like feature is useful for finding additional contacts outside your original search. It analyzes Twitter audience data and automatically suggests other contacts in the Cision database whose Twitter audience is similar to the contacts you’re interested in. Think of it like the “similar results” section at the bottom of a Google page.
Lastly, Reach Out gives you the option to directly contact the influencers on your list with personalized emails and detailed reports of email opens and clicks.
SAVE YOUR SEARCHES
Once you’ve created all the influencers in your search, save the results by using the “Save Search” button that appears in the top right corner. From there, you can rename the list for future use. For example, if you are looking up travel bloggers, name one list “Midwest Travel Bloggers” and another “East Coast Travel Bloggers.”
SET UP A SOCIAL STREAM
Cision lets users set up real-time social streams, making it easier to send a very timely pitch. To set up a social stream, click “Campaigns” and then “New Stream.” From here, pick the social media channel you want to monitor. Then select a contact list and name it appropriately. You will be able to engage with influencers directly through Cision.