Partnering With Influencers To Run Campaigns

Growing a brand isn’t just about having a great product, it’s about reaching the right audience in a way that builds trust and visibility.

This guide shows you how to run influencer marketing campaigns using Gleam to reach new audiences, drive engagement, and convert followers into customers.

By combining influencers’ reach with a Gleam Competition or Rewards campaign, you can amplify results, turning authentic content into measurable growth.

You’ll learn step-by-step how to:

• Find and evaluate the right influencer for your brand
• Reach out with a professional, compelling offer
• Launch an influencer-led giveaway or discount campaign
• Track results and build lasting relationships with creators

The key to success is finding influencers who genuinely align with your brand and giving them a campaign that’s simple to share.

Keep reading to learn how to identify the perfect partner and launch a successful influencer campaign with Gleam.

Influencer campaigns work by offering a prize or discount to drive actions like follows, sign-ups, or shares.

In return, the influencer promotes your campaign, creating valuable content while exposing you to their audience.

To get the most out of it, pick the right influencer:

• Prioritise Engagement – A smaller, engaged audience beats a big, passive one.
• Check Your Community – Influencers already mentioning you are likely great fits.
• Search Relevant Hashtags – See who's talking about your industry.
• Review Past Collaborations – Have they worked with similar brands successfully?
• Assess Consistency – Regular posts and steady engagement are key.

If you are new to influencer discovery, start with these proven methods:

On YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, or X, enter niche-specific hashtags (for example #smallbusinessmarketing or #techreviews). Watch several videos or posts to assess tone, authenticity, and how the audience interacts with them. Look into the creator profile for their email address and reach out directly.

Platforms like Collabstr, Heepsy, Upfluence, or Modash let you filter by niche, location, audience size, and engagement rate. These save time but often require paid plans.

Meta’s Brand Collabs Manager and TikTok’s Creator Marketplace allow you to see verified creators’ analytics and engagement stats before reaching out.

Review your social analytics or use insights from Gleam Competitions to identify fans already sharing or tagging your brand. These users make excellent micro-influencer partners.

Influencer agencies can handle vetting, outreach, contracts, and reporting. However, this is the most expensive route and better suited for large-scale campaigns.

Once you’ve found a potential influencer, reach out in a professional but friendly way.

There’s no need to be overly formal, clarity and respect go a long way:

• Be Clear – Briefly explain your campaign and why they’re a great fit.
• Highlight Benefits – Show how they’ll gain followers, engagement, or valuable content.
• Offer Value – Small to mid-sized influencers may accept free products or exposure; larger influencers may request payment.
• Use the Right Channel – Email is best for collaborations, but DMs work for introductions.

Influencer giveaways are one of the fastest ways to build trust and drive engagement.

They work because influencers introduce your brand to their followers, people who already trust their recommendations, making them more likely to take action.

Giveaways benefit both you and the influencer: your brand gains exposure, and they get engaging content for their audience.

You set up the giveaway using Gleam, and the influencer drives traffic by sharing the link in their bio, Stories, or captions.
All entries are tracked, verified, and measurable for both partners.

While giveaways are great for engagement and awareness, discount campaigns help you convert followers into paying customers.

Followers unlock a reward, such as a discount or early access, by completing key actions like following your brand, subscribing to your newsletter, or visiting your store.

This approach works especially well for conversion-focused brands because it offers instant value while building relationships with engaged audiences.

A great example of a successful partner giveaway is Flyte’s Kickstarter pre-launch campaign, where they teamed up with complementary brands to reach new audiences and build excitement ahead of launch.

The giveaway invited users to complete actions like following, sharing, and subscribing, each helping to expand awareness across partner audiences.

By using Gleam’s viral sharing tools, Flyte grew their email list, boosted social engagement, and generated massive buzz around their upcoming product.

The result?

Flyte exceeded their Kickstarter goal by more than 700%, proving the power of a collaborative giveaway for audience growth and brand visibility.

• Partner with influencers who genuinely share your brand’s values
• Combine giveaways for awareness and discounts for conversion
• Keep entry actions simple to reduce friction
• Always include clear Terms & Conditions for transparency
• Track results through Gleam’s reporting dashboard

Start your next influencer campaign today with Gleam’s Competitions and Rewards templates.