Overseas Creator BD Notes: Outreach Emails, Subject Lines, and First Contact

Overseas Talent BD Operation Notes: Development Letter, Title and First Round of Establishment

The original text comes from "Overseas Talent BD Operation Notes". This article is split according to the reading rhythm of the official website; the main text content remains the original text without compression.

Hello everyone, my name is Changjiang, and many people also like to call me CJ. In the past few years, I have been engaged in cross-border e-commerce and overseas talent marketing, and most of my time has been spent between experts and merchants.

TikTok Shop has expanded rapidly in recent years, but merchants’ understanding of “overseas talent distribution” has become increasingly divided: some regard it as an overseas version of Taoke, some regard it as an extension of content delivery, and some regard it as a shortcut for product testing. The understanding is different, the approach is completely different, and the result gap is very obvious.

In order to help everyone quickly become familiar with the overseas talent BD business and improve the efficiency of talent BD, this document summarizes the process, precautions, and techniques for the full life cycle of overseas talent cooperation.

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Select the "keyword" of the question, use the shortcut key [Ctrl+F] on Windows to bring up the search box, or use Command+F on Mac to bring up the search box, fill in the "keyword" to search for the answer.

Recently, I was writing a 30,000-word article about the only counter-intuitive understanding of marketing by overseas experts on the entire Internet. Containing relevant content about team management and talent stratification, this document will be updated [30,000 words deep] Counter-intuitive list of overseas talent distribution: 90% of merchants have misunderstood it. You can follow the document link in advance. You are also welcome to follow my personal public account: CJ Overseas Practice. I will continue to update my practical experience and thoughts on overseas talent marketing in the public account in the future, hoping to help more practitioners.

1. Overseas KOL development letter template with super high response rate

Here I only give a template that I personally have a good response rate. This template was previously used in the women's clothing category and can give you a reference. However, the content must be adjusted for different experts, categories and even countries. It cannot be the same. You can also do some AB tests yourself to gradually improve and increase the response rate.

To sum up, it should focus on the following three points:

1. Show understanding of the other party, and the email content is tailor-made for the other party

2. Be sure to start from the other party’s perspective, think about what value this cooperation between you and him can bring to her, and emphasize the other party’s benefits.

3. When introducing the brand, it must be something that the other party is more interested in.

Hi xxx,

• You should bring the name of the expert here to show your sincerity.

Hope you are doing quite well!

I am one of your followers and my name is xxx! I was really impressed and motivated a lot by your lifestyle! The content on your channel was really informative and gave us lots of fashionable vibes! Also, I am from the Public Relations Department with xxx Brand. We are devoting ourselves to enhance our products and also improving our customers’ experience!

• Show that you are a fan of the other person, compliment the other person and recognize the other person's content, and reduce the other person's wariness; or you can obtain the other person's current situation from the influencer's recent video content and express greetings, which can further prove that you are the other person's biggest fan.

I know you‘re very selective about the companies you work with, that‘s why I only wanted to reach out to you about a product your audience would get a lot of value out of.

• Compliment the other party for their careful choice of cooperation, and at the same time consider the other party to show that this must be a win-win cooperation.

Our brand is...

• The key part, the introduction of the brand that can attract and impress people the most

As a partner, you'll earn a 10% commission oveer the lifetime of each order you bring in. And I'd love to talk more info about the sponsor fee for the promotion.

• Put yourself from the other party’s perspective, think about what value this cooperation between you and him can bring to her, and emphasize the other party’s benefits.Maybe you will be interested in checking these items you are going to try!

• Put a picture or link behind it so that experts can see your product directly

If this sounds interesting, please kindly reply to me back at your convenient time. Thank you!

Best regards,

XXX

2. Three major elements of the title of the overseas KOL development letter

The first thing that catches the eye of a good email is the email title, so a good title determines the open rate of the email, which in turn affects the response rate. According to my experience, there is no rigid standard for the length of the title, but you must ensure that the focus of the title is at the front (within 10 words), which means "not short for the sake of brevity". The key point is to express what you want to express.

Three key elements:

1. Willingness to cooperate: Collaboration / Review / Try on invitation, etc. (If necessary, you can bring Paid to indicate paid cooperation)

2. Specific product name or general category: let the experts know at a glance what type of product you are (if necessary, you can also add some attributes according to the type of expert, for example, for fashionable products, you can say Trendy, Fashionable, etc.)

3. Brand name: It is recommended that no matter how big or small the brand is, you should bring it. Large brands can be placed directly at the front, while small brands can be placed at the back to make them look familiar.

Example:

1. Are you interested in trying our trendy product name I brand name?

2. Paid Collaboration I brand name - Focus on product or category

3. The collaboration request from brand name [product name or category]

4. Fashionable brand name, product name or category Try on

It is more recommended to use a professional and formal cooperation letter template. It is not particularly recommended that you use a "clickbait", such as:

1. Some very casual and ambiguous expressions, or titles whose intentions are completely unclear from the title. Firstly, it is unprofessional, and secondly, it is easy to end up in the trash can.

2. If it starts with [Urgent], it is easy to be put into the trash can by the system; the word "Sponsor" is also easy to be put into the trash can occasionally, but it can also be used sometimes. You can do an AB test to see

3. Simply approach or say hello (it is also recommended that you abandon the expression "Hi dear" and use Hello or Hi. It is not recommended to use Hey, which is more colloquial)

4. Use Re: or Fwd: as the preface, pretending to have communicated with the other party before. Use this method with caution. It’s okay if you don’t get discovered. If you do, it may reduce your impression. After all, what we want to improve is not just the open rate, but ultimately the reply rate.

3. How should I send a Follow Up Email that overseas KOLs can reply to instantly?

We know that it is not easy to get experts to respond to the first invitation letter, but among the experts who have responded, there are also many people who directly disconnected after exchanging one or two letters. So how should we effectively follow up this group of people?

The title and body of Follow Up are very different from the first invitation and development letter. Here are some templates for you to use as a reference. I also suggest that you must capture this group of people, otherwise it will be a pity that the people you finally contacted will suddenly be lost.

First of all, in terms of titles, in addition to the more professional and formal titles mentioned above, the titles of follow up emails are a little different.

1. The title I use with the highest open rate is: Any updates? (With these two words, the highest open rate is 100%)

2. As mentioned above, please use Re: or Fwd: at the beginning. It can be used at this time, because you have really communicated with the other party before.

3. I have been careful and used this type of relatively silly title: Did I do something wrong? (Be careful not to complain about the master's failure to reply. Find the reason from yourself first)

4. Still interested in [Product/Campaign]?

5. Quick question about [Campaign]

Make a template reference

Hi,XXX

This is xxx from the Public Relations Department with xxx Brand I haven't heard back from you in a while. I am wondering

In advance, set up the system's built-in filtering function of negative comments and set up relevant blocking notes in the APP > If it still appears, you can delete it directly.

• Complaints about negative product reviews (common)We must remember that replying to a negative review is not just a reply to this customer, but to all fans who see this review. This determines the brand's attitude in their minds if they encounter product problems in the future. Therefore, we must not pretend to turn a blind eye, do things perfunctorily, or even say bad things in return.

Secondly, try not to get too entangled in the comment area, sincerely apologize and show everyone that you are willing to solve the problem, and then privately chat with the other party to get more information, that is, show your attitude in the comment area, and then privately chat to solve the problem.

After understanding each of the customer's complaints through private chat, we can determine whether it is an objective or subjective reason, analyze the customer's demands one by one, and solve the problem flexibly.

In cases where the problem is perfectly solved, you can ask the customer to delete the negative review as appropriate.

If you encounter customers who are entangled in the comment area and unwilling to chat privately, you can invite loyal customers to help participate in the comments, tell their own positive cases, or help the brand speak up to restore the brand image.

• Negative comments on posts (occasionally)

Negative comments on posts refer to descriptive or directional post errors made due to a lack of understanding of the other party’s culture. For example, the alternative approach of a certain makeup tutorial is controversial, and a certain English expression contains implicit racial discrimination; negative comments on the former that have personal tendencies can be left alone, because everyone has different preferences. But for the latter, which is very serious, you must apologize very sincerely, indicate that you made the mistake because you did not understand the culture well enough, and reiterate your attitude and views.

• Product questions (common)

Treat customer problems objectively. Many product and user experience improvements are based on the small ideas of many customers. We must cherish and appreciate these voices; if they are voices that deliberately seek trouble, such as saying something inaccurate or unfair, then we need to provide facts to politely wake up the other party, but we must not be angry or complaining.

Note:

1. All negative reviews must be dealt with in a timely manner. Do not wait for the negative reviews to ferment before dealing with them, otherwise you will get twice the result with half the effort.

2. The comments in the last three points must not be deleted. If the complainant finds out, the situation will be very serious. Of course, you can't block someone because the other party may change their account. But there is a tip that you can hide the other party’s comments. Only you and the comment poster can see the hiding operation, and this operation will not notify the comment poster. The other party thinks that their comments are still visible to everyone.

12. What should a perfect score brief contain?

In the process of cooperating with the influencer, the role of Brief is to let the influencer understand the brand's expectations and clarify the focus of the cooperative video, so that the subsequent video production work can better meet the needs of the brand.

A perfect brief should contain:

• Brand Info

A brief elaboration of the brand’s story, style and vision

• Campaign goal

The desired effect, increase fans, attract traffic, conversion or exposure?

• Product Introduction

Introduction, selling points, and keywords of the recommended products

• Deliverables and Deadlines

What type of content will be published on what platform, preview date, delivery date

• Deliverables Description

What content needs to be displayed, what style, what selling points, what tone, display steps, shooting angle, etc.; video cover, duration, music, title, tone, font and other requirements; if necessary, you can add demo pictures and videos and ask the expert to refer to the style.

• Payment

Fixed amount, commission or other, payment method, account number, date, whether the handling fee is over

• Caption & Description

Tags and hashtags that need to be added, links to link, product information that needs to be placed in the description box mentioned by keywords, website tracking links, discount code information, etc.

• Key Objectives (if set)

Set target data such as participation rate, views, jump rate, conversions, etc.

13. What should I do if the overseas expert doesn’t like the goods after receiving them?

In the process of cooperating with an expert, it is a headache for the expert to write a letter saying that he does not like the goods after receiving the goods. After all, he has gone through a series of processes such as searching, waiting for a reply, bargaining, discussing the content, and sending samples for a long time. It is very likely that the result will fall short.

As a brand, how should we deal with this situation? (Because the reasons are different for different categories, here is a series of processing procedures using women's clothing as an example)

1. Explore the reasons

• After communicating with the expert, we get the reasons why the other person doesn’t like it. They generally don’t like the color, style, back design, upper body effect, etc., and whether the size is too big or too small.

2.Processing process

• First confirm whether the warehouse has sent the wrong goods

• Secondly, check whether there is a lack of information display on the website page that the other party said, such as no background design drawing, serious color difference, unclear size marking, etc. If there is any problem, be sure to optimize the page and thank the expert for the suggestion.

• If there is no problem with the page, but the other party just makes a small complaint, you can briefly explain that the color may have errors due to different monitors and lighting, and see if it affects the wearing effect and whether the other party is willing to continue to promote this dress. Otherwise, you can give up and give up this piece. Ask the other party to give it to a friend or family member without sending it back.

• If there are many problem items, such as size issues, it is recommended to send the measurement method and let the expert re-measure and re-send it.

3. Review afterwards- Check whether the product page displays the product from multiple angles, add expert or customer pictures to show other people's upper body effects, avoid serious color differences, and confirm key selection information such as size and fabric.

4. Key Attitudes

• In a certain sense, the way this matter is handled can be transformed into handling customer complaints. The brand's consideration at this time is not to reduce costs and force the other party to accept the product for promotion, but to restore the brand's image in the mind of this expert. (But here is an aside, if it is a customer complaint, you must ask for it to be sent back. The fact that returns do not have to be sent back will lower the value of the product in the minds of customers. Therefore, even if it is sent back and then destroyed, it must be asked to be sent back. This can also prevent some customers from figuring out the pattern and making multiple malicious complaints.)

14. Comprehensive forms of overseas KOL video cooperation

I haven't sorted out the content of this section before because in a general sense, video types are divided into Dedicated Video and Integrated Video. However, with the increase of cooperation experts, there are more and more various quotation names, which is easier to cause confusion. As for the three platforms of YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, they are mainly classified according to the duration of brand exposure, because YouTube has the longest development time and the longest duration, and because the types are also more complicated, in fact, when we encounter a video format that we do not understand well, we can directly ask the expert politely, and the expert will explain some details and charging standards.

YOUTUBE

1. Dedicated video (Full Video)

• Exclusive high-quality video. The entire video only promotes a certain brand and does not include other brands or other irrelevant content.

2. Integrated vide (Part Video)

• Generally, only 1 minute to 4 minutes of the video are used for promotion. It may contain other irrelevant content, but generally does not include other brands.

• Note: The price is different for different durations; the position of the brand content can be requested to be placed in the front or back section, and the price may be different.

3.Mentioned Video

• The exposure time is shorter than Integrated Video, usually up to 1 minute. Other brands may appear. Note: There may be additional charges for whether the expert tries the product and adds a product link.

4. Gifted Review (Paid)

• Some influencers who are difficult to catch up with are more protective of their own feathers and may consider accepting samples sent by brands to create an inserted 1~2 minute video promotion.

• Note: A small amount of additional advertising fees or commissions are required. There will be other brands. Generally, it may be a collection of brand reviews and comparisons, etc.

5. Gifted Basis (Unpaid)

• Generally, it is what we call in China replacement cooperation with small experts or amateurs, sending samples to the other party to replace some content.

6.Shorts

• Short YouTube videos within 1 minute

INSTAGRAM

1. Feed Static Post / Still IG Grid

• Single image

2.Video/Reels

• Short videos under one minute, Reels are relatively more popular

3. IGTV

• Although the independent IGTV APP has been cancelled, you can still publish long videos of more than 1 minute and add clickable links.

4. Carousel Post

• Multi-picture/video carousel posts, that is, there are several pictures or videos in one post that can be swiped left. Note: It can be further refined to determine whether the carousel is pictures, videos or cross

5. Story 3 Frames

• Publish 3 stories within 24 hours, or the same long video may be divided into 3 clips to post. Note: Swipe up links with branding may be charged separately.

TIKTOK

1.Dedicated Video

• Focus on brand products, without other irrelevant content and brands. The duration is usually within 1 minute, but we can also discuss making a long video with original sound.

2.Integrated Video

• Various, it may be part of the time, or it may only be exposed, you can communicate with the expert in advance

3. Story

• New pilot function, not much cooperation, similar to IGstory

15. How to obtain the contact information of overseas KOL?

The best way of business communication with KOL is email, which is generally available. The following is a list of some search steps starting from the YouTube platform. However, if the email left by the master cannot be found on all platforms, the master may not be doing brand cooperation at the moment~

Step 1:

Please leave your partner email in the Description Box under the latest YouTube video (why put this first, because the email here is usually the latest)

Step 2:

The cooperation email left in the channel introduction (note the timeliness and number of daily visits)

Step 3:

Check to see if there are links to other platforms on the master's homepage. If not, you can search for the name on other platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or Twitter.

Step 4:

Bio may leave a cooperation email address (relatively new)

Step 5:Use your mobile phone to check the IG homepage or the Upinfluencer plug-in to get your email.

Step 6:

Send a DM (TikTok may be set to not allow private messages)

Step 7:

Get the other party’s phone number and add WhatsApp (less likely)

Step 8:

Use tools to send internal messages (usually a paid function)

TikTok can directly invite invitations on the creatormarketplace site