Overseas Creator BD Notes: Rates, Negotiation, Briefs, and Sample Issues

Overseas Talent BD Operation Notes: Quotation, Negotiation, Brief and Sample Abnormalities

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.

16. KOL must be better than KOC? (Analysis of advantages and disadvantages of both)

First about the definitions of these two:

KOL - Key Opinion Leader, can be regarded as an influential person

KOC - Key Opinion Customer, can be regarded as an amateur who can only influence those around him

The end of KOC is KOL, and every KOC is working hard to become a KOL.

The figure lists several differences between the two. To sum up, KOL is expensive, has great influence on fans, and has high professionalism and verticality in content, but is far away from target customers; while KOC is low-priced or even free, has strong content authenticity, and is close to target customer groups, but has low professionalism and verticality in content. In terms of conversion effect, KOC is easier to convert and can be converted with a small amount of traffic. However, the absolute value of conversion is generally not as good as KOL. After all, the influence base is there, unless a certain content of KOC becomes popular.

Secondly, let’s talk about the issue of controllability. Although the controllability of KOL is not very optimistic, why is the controllability of KOC worse? I believe that friends who have done exchange cooperation can feel one thing. Unpaid experts take longer to reply and have a higher chance of running orders. Because KOLs have relatively "baggage". After all, they have a certain fan base, and they still value their own reputation and fan maintenance. At the same time, KOCs are less professional, and free content often drags down or even runs orders.

17. What should I do if it is easy for experts to run away from orders? (prevention + rescue measures)

This issue is quite infuriating. Many foreign bloggers do have a poor contractual spirit, but this also varies from country to country and region to country. So what are some ways to improve this?

Here are some suggestions for you based on different stages of cooperation:

• Before cooperation:

1. Judge the attitude of the expert: whether the reply email has more words, whether the discussion of the video content is more enthusiastic, whether the personality seems more responsible, the reaction to the deadline, etc. (but many of them have two faces before and after)

2. The frequency of publishing brand videos in the channel: If the frequency is very low, the first reason is that they are picky about accepting jobs, and the second reason is that they like late-paying videos.

• Cooperating with:

1. Sign a contract: Contracts will make people with a strong contract spirit stronger, but may not make people with a weak contract spirit better. However, you don’t have to expect too much from the binding force of the contract.

2. Payment method: Try to negotiate payment after the release. If not, use the payment method of deposit + balance. New talents should not agree to pay before previewing when cooperating.

3. Encouragement policy: Emphasize the benefits this event brings to the other party and stimulate the other party's enthusiasm. For example, if you watch more than 10k times, you can give additional rewards.

• After cooperation:

1. Contact through other platforms: such as calling, sending text messages, other platforms. Although it is not very polite to make a business call without making an appointment in advance, but if the expert deliberately does not reply and almost runs out of orders, you can still try to choose a suitable time to call. You can also try WhatsApp (usually there will be the expert's phone number when sending samples, you can try adding WhatsApp)

2. Apply pressure under the latest post comments or videos: Just like we reply to customers' post comments, she will also care about what others think when she replies to you, so she may reply to you quickly.

3. Say harsh things in emails: When you have repeatedly tried to push the master to get the content but to no avail, you can say some harsh words. The master who I have been following for several months often replies to me on the same day.

18. What should I do if the master loses contact after receiving the goods? (Template attached/valid for personal testing)

After sending the sample, it is very tiring to urge the master to produce the content, especially when you encounter a master who has no spirit of contract. The above describes some measures to be taken when the master loses contact for a long time after cooperation (note that this is after a long-term loss of contact). Here I will expand on the point of "speaking harsh words": (template suggestions are attached)

a. Telling grievances method

(Telling that the other party never responded to emails really made me feel frustrated. I hope to get a response about the product and try my best to help the other party solve the problem)

• For example:

Honestly, it really made us feel disheartened that you have not been replying to me for such a long time. We were expecting to build a long-term relationship with you and create something great together.

However, now we may have to revisit it based on the current situation.If possible, I'd love to hear more about how you like or dislike the product. If there are any problems with the items, I'll follow up on this matter and try our best to help resolve them. I'm always here for whatever you may need and look forward to hearing from you soon.

b. Provocation method

(I pointed out that the other party’s loss of contact had delayed the progress of our overall campaign, and asked the other party if they wanted to terminate the cooperation)

• For example:

It's been a long time since we last spoke. As we do have some promotion plans in advance, we have to say that your loss of contact caused some delays for the whole campaign.

If there are some problems with the products, I'd appreciate you letting me know abouit your negative experience. I will also be of assistance to resolve the problems.

Finally, if you desire to discontinue this campaign, which we'll feel sad about as we really adore your content very much, but which is acceptable, please kindly return the items to the address below.

Thanks a lot!

c. Blame method

(I offered to help the other party solve the problem, but the other party remained silent and did not reply after receiving the goods. It is really unprofessional)

• For example:

If there are some problems with the products, I'd appreciate it if you let me know about your negative experiences. I will also be of assistance to resolve the problems. We were really excited about creating something great with you before. However, it was really unprofessional to keep not responding to us after you received the products for a long time. It made us feel quite disheartened, and we are afraid that we may not consider working with you in the future.

d. Intimidation law

(If the other party continues to remain silent, we will notify the PR and BD teams of other peers, and the other party’s reputation in the circle will also be affected)

I have never used the last method, but I heard it mentioned by other friends. I won’t give template suggestions here, please use them with caution.

e. Ultimatum law

If the master does not reply for a long time, you can send an email to formally notify us of our cooperation products, arrival date and current situation. Tell us that if you want to continue cooperation, please send a video; if you don’t like the product, please return it (generally, let the expert send it to you by express delivery, and we pay the freight)We sent you the (commodity) on (date), and the sample arrived on (date). Up to now, we haven't seen any video you posted about this product. We tried to contact you, but we haven't received your reply.

(Go to the comment area to find fans and use it according to the actual situation. If you really don’t reply for a long time, you can try it)

Please be sure to reply to my email. If I don't get your reply, I will go to your comments section and ask your followers directly for help. I think they should be able to contact you.

We can understand that the master does not reply to one, two or three letters because he is too busy, but if he does not reply for a long time or even reads the private message, this master indeed lacks the spirit of contract or has procrastination, and we need to say something harsh to stimulate it. Moreover, the master's violation of the contract is originally the master's own problem, and we as Party A do not need to lick it all the time. When I use the above three methods, the experts I have been chasing for a long time often reply on the same day. But I must take the opportunity to finalize a release date that is specific to the day. I will not accept vague times like this week, next month, or when I come back from vacation, otherwise I may fall into a state of disconnection again.

19. How to review KOL videos efficiently? (Objective index + subjective analysis)

Many BD/PR experts from major manufacturers will not be asked to do data analysis. The workflow they do is: developer - negotiate price and content - send samples - check out the content - end. Because there are dedicated data analysts, they are only regarded as one part of the job, that is, a screw tool person. The development platform of a large factory is bound to be broader than that of a small company, but this kind of work arrangement is not very beneficial to personal development, and it does not help much in the construction of the entire operational thinking. Next month I will start to lead you to conduct data analysis. Interested friends can also comment if they encounter problems.

20. 15 free Chrome plug-ins that are useful for social media marketers

We have compiled the daily free Chrome tools that are essential for social media professionals and are divided into categories:

• Expert video analysis tools:

Fastmoss

The main website is a data analysis platform specifically for TikTok

PiPiAds

The main website is a data analysis platform specifically for TikTok advertising effects, which can be used to check the advertising status of celebrities and brands.

Nox Influencer

Ranking and change curve of number of fans and views, expert country information, viewing rate, like rate, keyword extraction (the main website is suitable for development experts)

Upfluence

Talent data (email, country), fan data (region, gender and age), page data (interaction rate, CPE, quotation estimate, average likes and comments data), other social account data

VidIQ Vision

Video viewing and comments, cover title modification, search for SEO keywords, mainly used for video optimization

TubeBuddy

Video viewing fluctuation data, channel commonly used keywords, tag expansion function

Social Blade

Channel ranking, subscription status, video cover title optimization, keyword extraction, etc. (The website has many functions, most of which are charged)

• Email auxiliary tools:

GMass

Emai group sending by nickname, timing, read receipt, report (open rate, reply rate)

Boomerang

Automatic grammar correction

Grammarly

Email timing, read receipt, Al algorithm optimization (title text length, grammar, tone, etc.)

Bitly

Short chain tool, short chain click analysis

21. Several things that brands must plan before doing celebrity marketing

Many newcomers often don’t know how to start after receiving the talent promotion task from the leader. Here I have compiled 7 things that must be done before starting to help everyone clarify their overseas talent operation ideas.

1. Brand portraitOnly by clarifying the brand portrait can the fans’ attributes such as region, gender, age, and spending power be clarified

2. Promotion platform

Determine promotion platforms with reference to brand audience and product characteristics, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitch, Linkedin, Snapchat, etc.

3. Expert type

Determine the type of expert with reference to the brand portrait, product type and customer unit price. The higher the verticality, the better; secondly, consider the usage scenarios and vision of the product to determine the remaining secondary selection types.

4. Promotional goals

Brand exposure, website traffic, order conversion, material acquisition, account fan increase, word-of-mouth communication, brand image, etc.

5. Budget splitting

According to the allocated total budget, two splits are made: 1. Platform (determined by the focus of promoting the platform) 2. Number of experts (determined by the promotion goals)

6. Monthly cooperation quantity

Determine based on budget and size of expert

7. Promotion frequency

Whether it is a seasonal promotion or a year-round promotion, it needs to be planned in advance to ensure the normal development of the campaign.

22. 10 necessary clauses for overseas KOL cooperation contracts

The templates are listed here to make it easier for everyone to know the cooperation details that should be paid attention to when cooperating with experts.

Making a contract will more or less bind the performance of the artist's video tasks, so it is necessary for paid artists, especially big artists. Listed below are the elements of a simple contract. Regarding templates, many contract tools can help formulate them, such as Shake Law, but remember to modify the terms as appropriate.

1. Subject (the subject of both parties signing the contract)

• Identities and names of both signatories

2. Rates (related to fees)

• Fees, if you have CPS payment, you must also mention it

• Payment method, account number, time, whether the handling fee is covered

3. Deliverables (related to deliverables)

• Cooperation content

• Release time

4. Visual Requirements

• Video or picture size, resolution

• Video title and duration

• Video or picture content requirements: product introduction, selling points, keywords, presentation method, exposure time, etc.

• It needs to be reviewed in advance and there are 2 opportunities for revision.

• Cannot be hidden or deleted within 1 year

5. Warranties

• The master guarantees that all deliverables are authorized. If a dispute occurs, the master will be responsible for handling and assuming legal and financial responsibility.

6. Confidentiality

• Cooperation terms agreement shall not be shared or disclosed in any way

7. Exclusivity

• No other brands will appear in the video

• How long after the video is published before other competing videos can be published (this requirement may require payment)

8. Usage

• Brands have the right to collect photos from videos, posts and stories for one year and can repost them on social media or any other purpose

• Use, copy and edit videos or pictures

9. MISCELLANEOUS (Miscellaneous)

• Things that experts are not allowed to do (false statements, damaging product image, etc.)

10. Signature

• Names, dates, and handwritten signatures of both signatories

23. 10 complete processes of overseas talent marketing (logical thinking)

Here I have listed the basic steps for master cooperation. For specific details, please see the corresponding title

1. Determine the operation plan

• Brand portrait, promotion platform, talent type, promotion goals, budget split, number of cooperation, promotion frequency

2. Developer

• Determine the type of talent: size, age, country, content verticality, etc. It is recommended to divide the ABC level according to whether it meets the needs of the brand.

3. Email invitation

• Invite via email or private message, and continuously optimize to improve reach and cooperation rates

4. Communicate cooperation details

• Including promotion platform, content presentation, price negotiation, etc.

5. Send a Brief

• Formulate a brief to help the expert clarify the focus of the video

6. Sign a contract

• Sign the contract content based on the discussion results and both parties sign (this step is sometimes omitted)

7. Send samples

• After selecting the product, send the sample and update the logistics tracking number to the other party for tracking

8. Experts make videos

• The expert will start making videos based on the content of the Brief

9. Video review and payment

• Review the title, product information, cover and video content, etc. If there are any problems, modify them. If there are no problems, you can pay (the payment time will be determined according to the contract)

10. Video review

• Review, summarize and summarize the video data after one week to decide whether to cooperate again

24. How to politely refuse cooperation requests from overseas experts

Usually we ask for cooperation but can't, but occasionally there are times when an expert comes to ask for cooperation but doesn't want to cooperate (such as the Sample request in the TikTok store backend). At this time, you need to respond politely. It is recommended that you must reply to the expert's letter requesting cooperation, because you don't know whether the expert will grow up and become unreachable in the future. The tone should be polite and short but the intention is clear. Don't make the rejection ambiguous because of being overly polite.

Reasons for not wanting to cooperate:1. Fan data does not match

You can say it directly, because the objective data does not meet the audience, and the other party can generally understand it.

2. The page data is not up to standard

This is relatively sensitive. If you are too naive, you can say it directly; if you are almost ready to meet the cooperation requirements, you can change your words, such as there is no campaign for the time being, and I hope to have the opportunity to cooperate in the future.

3. The page content does not comply with

It can be said directly that if the page data is good, you can leave a way out and say that we can cooperate again if there is promotion of related products in the future.

4. Low cost performance

You can tell me directly that the budget is not enough at the moment. We can cooperate again in the future when there is a budget.

Elements of a rejection letter response:

• express gratitude

• explain why

• Provide other options and leave a way out

I’ll write a template below for your reference.

Hi lovely,

Thank you for reaching out!

We appreciate your interest in our brand. However...

[Reason 1. The fan data does not match: You can say it directly, because this is an objective data that the audience does not match, and the other party can generally understand it]

I noticed that the top gender of your account is identified as male. But the gender of our target audience is mainly female.

[Reason2. The page data is not up to standard; this is relatively sensitive. If you are too inexperienced, you can say it directly; if you are almost ready to meet the cooperation requirements, you can say something else, such as there is no campaign for the time being, or the number of campaign participants is full, and you hope to have the opportunity to cooperate later]

I am so sorry that we have enough booking at the moment (dort have space for this particular campaign). We will definitely let you know when we have the new one!

[Reason3. The content of the page does not meet the requirements: You can say it directly. If the page data is better, you can leave a way out and say that we can cooperate again if there is promotion of related products in the future]

We specialize in producing XXX. If you cover this topic in the future, please do not hesitate to reach out again. We’d love to revisit the collaboration then!

[Reason4. The price-performance ratio is too low: You can say it bluntly, the budget is not enough for the moment, and we can cooperate again in the future when there is a budget. The rates are way over our budget at the moment.

I am afraid that we have to decline the opportunity at the moment politely. Hope we can work together in the near future.

Thanks,

XXX

24. Methods to improve the success rate of KOL replacement cooperation

It is getting more and more difficult to cooperate with KOLs, and it is even harder to cooperate with free ones. Even celebrities with thousands of fans are asking for promotion fees. When the budget is strictly controlled, the following methods can improve the success rate of product replacement cooperation with experts.

1. This is my first time to cooperate. I am worried about the effectiveness of the content. I hope to test the waters first. If the effect is good, I can pay for cooperation later.

2. Increase the value of the replacement product. If the AOV cannot be changed, you can increase the quantity to show that you cherish the fruits of the master's labor.

3. Alliance cooperation and opening of CPS cooperation mode can increase the commission ratio appropriately.

4. Don’t just recommend the top seller, but recommend products that are suitable for the person and that the person likes based on the person’s personal style for her to choose.

5. Play the emotional card. As a new brand, we really don’t have much budget. We hope to have long-term cooperation. We can continue to send new products to try every month.

6. By doing a joint giveaway, the master can get free products, and she can also give benefits to her fans to increase their stickiness.

7. Reduce deliverables or do not mention complex requirements to reduce the workload of experts. The realization of content should respect the ideas and creativity of experts.

8. Maintain a good relationship. If the influencer recognizes your product and brand, he or she will be more willing to help you promote it for free, and may even help you recommend other influencers.

Several templates are provided below for reference.

Scene 1

Use the value of the product itself to persuade the other party to accept it. The unit price of some brands' products is several hundred dollars. At this time, free product sponsorship is already a sign of sincerity, so we can use this value to persuade celebrities.

Email templateDear [Influencer],

Thank you for your response and interest in collaborating with our brand.

Regarding the collaboration method, we understand your preference for a flat fee, but we would like to propose gifting as a more valuable way of working together. As you may already know, the product we offer for gifting, is about [XXX]USD per unit, you can also see it on sale in [Amazon/Our Shopify Store/etc. with link]. By providing you with our high-quality/value products, you can create more authentic and engaging content that resonates with your followers. Additionally, showcasing our products to your audience can help to increase their interest and engagement with our brand, resulting in more long-term value for both parties.

We understand that a flat fee may be more convenient, but we believe that a product exchange can provide a more sustainable and mutually beneficial partnership. We hope you can consider this proposal, and we are open to discuss any further details or concerns you may have.

Thank you again for your interest and support, and we look forward to potentially working with you!

Best regards,

[Your Name/Brand]

Template analysis

Let’s briefly interpret this email template:

First, express understanding of the other party’s desire to receive compensation;

Then propose the price/value of the product itself (which can be supplemented by the price tag on the corresponding product sales page, customs declaration form, etc. as supporting materials);

Finally, he expressed his sincerity for cooperation, implying that the first cooperation is just the starting point, and further cooperation is possible in the future;

Scene 2

Explain the significance of replacement cooperation for "long-term cooperation": Some celebrities do not rely on "advertising brands" to survive. On the contrary, getting new and interesting products and showing "my life" to their fans is a more valuable and meaningful behavior. Therefore, we can emphasize this part of the meaning and the corresponding "long-term value" to impress the celebrities.

Email template

Dear [Influencer],

Thank you for your response and interest in collaborating with our brand.Regarding the collaboration method, we understand your preference for a flat fee, but we would like to highlight the benefits of gifting. We noticed that your channel/content are focused on your life with all kind of good products, and we belive that is the key of attracting more and more fans to your channel/content. By providing you with our high-quality products, you can create more authentic and engaging content that resonates with your followers. This can help increase your engagement rate and follower growth, which can lead to more long-term value for both parties.

We understand that a flat fee may be more convenient, but we believe that gifting can provide a more valuable and long-term partnership. We hope you can consider this proposal, and we are open to discussing any further details or concerns you may have.

Thank you again for your interest and support, and we look forward to potentially working with you!

Best regards,

[Your Name/Brand]

Template analysis

Similarly, let’s disassemble the email template:

First, compliment the other person’s content/channel a little;

Then he proposed that showing the life of owning products is more meaningful and valuable to both parties;

Scene 3

Proposed to use the commission/affiliate system: increase commissions

Dear [Influencer],

Thank you for your response and interest in collaborating with our brand.

Regarding the collaboration method, we understand your preference for a flat fee, but we would like to propose a commission-based partnership. Instead of providing a flat fee, we would offer you a commission for any sales generated through the links you share on your social media channels. This allows you to earn a percentage of the revenue generated from your content and provides a more sustainable and mutually beneficial partnership.We see you already have [Amazon/XXX Affiliate] within your previous content, and you are welcome to join/use the [same/similar system] to make a commission-based partnership. We are also open to discuss any additional incentives or benefits that we can offer to make this partnership more attractive to you.

Thank you again for your interest and support, and we look forward to potentially working with you!

Best regards,

[Your Name/Brand]

Template analysis

In this email, we proactively expressed that we understood that the other party already had an Affiliate system, so we proposed to share the commission.

Summary

According to our historical experience, after explaining the above emails, most influencers will understand and continue the discussion. A small number of influencers who insist on asking for fixed compensation may be too focused on fees. At this time, you need to reconsider whether to continue cooperation.

In short, it is necessary to "prescribe the right medicine" for different celebrities, or even give specific feedback for a specific celebrity.

25. How to maintain existing KOL resources?

In addition to developing talent resources, maintaining existing talent resources is also very important to us. Just like maintaining old customers, you need to do some accumulation of old experts, which will reduce a lot of difficulties in later expansion. Considering the energy reasons, it is not required that all experts need maintenance. It is necessary to combine review data, expert content, cooperation, and invisible benefits brought to the brand to determine which experts are experts who can cooperate multiple times, so as to consider allocating part of the energy for maintenance.

The key to being a maintenance expert is two words: details. There are several detailed practices that can effectively improve the influencer's favorability towards the brand. When the brand needs cooperation in the future, the difficulty of cooperation will be greatly reduced.

1. Develop sincerity

When contacting KOL for the first time, we need to be as sincere as possible. For example, in the letter, we need to call the other party's name correctly, indicate their identity, and express our love for the influencer. This can be specific to a recent post, event, or video. We have been following the other party for a long time and want to seek cooperation with a certain campaign. Try to avoid sending group messages to top experts, and avoid starting greetings without addressing them.

2. Respect experts’ suggestions on content

The experts themselves are high-quality content creators. We need to listen more to their suggestions. Experts know their channels and fans best. Therefore, there is no need to have too many hard and detailed requirements for the master in the brief, otherwise it will be easy for the master to turn into a content output machine, or even completely deviate into another persona. Of course, fans will also be able to see at a glance that the master is having a meal and feel disgusted. Naturally, this content will easily turn over.

3. Appropriately detailed praise

From the words of praise in the development letter to receiving the content output from the talent, there are many opportunities to praise the talent in many aspects and details. Remember to sincerely praise, not too many words, just grab a small detail. On the one hand, praise is an affirmation of the talent's work, and on the other hand, it can encourage the other party to carry forward this advantage in later content. But why moderate praise is needed instead of mindless praise is to prevent these two phenomena. First, non-high-quality experts think that they have made a great contribution to the brand, so they ask for multiple cooperation or more benefits, causing the brand to be in a difficult situation; secondly, it is easy to encourage some experts to quote, resulting in a serious premium.

4. Brand sponsorship

Generally speaking, some influential influencers will often participate in some influencer offline activities, or there are some small online giveaway activities. We need to pay close attention to the influencer's dynamics in a timely manner and consider providing sponsored products depending on the type of activity. There are also landing events that the brand may hold, and some influencers with good cooperation can also be appropriately invited to participate.

5. Product information sharing

The brand's product iterations and updates, as well as the addition and adjustment of categories, can be shared with experts. Some experts are priority users of our products or even more professional users. We need to give full play to the experts' new product testing function, listen to their suggestions for optimizing product details, provide feedback on the final presentation effect, and express gratitude. In the future, this expert's help in product improvement can be mentioned on various marketing platforms for the product. Experts who have unique suggestions for products can further consider offering the expert’s signature model. These are all good means to deepen cooperation.

6. Daily care

For example, send blessing letters during festivals, especially major festivals. Secondly, you can note the talent’s birthday in the talent database form, and then prepare small gifts in advance. The value of the gift can be about 30 to 100 US dollars (depending on the depth of cooperation)KOL is not just a marketing method and tool. The ideal situation is to turn the influencer into the most loyal fan of the brand. Every influencer deserves to be taken seriously. Although some experts are not very well-educated, the BD of the experts cannot be driven by emotion, because the BD of the experts represents a brand. The experts will not remember you as a person, but they will remember your brand.