Let's discuss why you should not focus solely on an influencer's follower count and how it can lead to failure in your promotional campaign. Many marketing specialists still set requirements for creators, such as having at least 50,000 followers on YouTube or at least 20,000 on Twitch. However, they may still be dissatisfied with the results and conclude that this promotional resource is not suitable for their product.
So why not look at the number of followers?
The simple answer is that this metric does not necessarily reflect their popularity or audience interest in their content. There are several reasons why this happens, and we will consider the two most significant ones:
- Followers were recruited gradually over a long period, such as five years, but their number did not translate into increased views or online engagement, because the growth was too slow, and those who subscribed initially lost interest in the creator.
- Followers were acquired as a result of a sudden surge in popularity. For example, a creator may have gained fame for their prowess in a particular game, but after completing it, they were unable to capitalize on their sudden popularity. Alternatively, a former esports player may have switched to streaming games of a completely different genre. While followers may have resulted from a successful collaboration or a raid by another streamer, the audience may not have been interested in the person themselves. Ultimately, it could even be the result of a simple case of cheating.
As a result, an influencer may have an apparently impressive audience, but it is essentially empty and unengaged, meaning it does not convert into new users for your product. In such cases, the cost-benefit ratio of a promotional campaign with such an influencer will not be in your favor.
What should you look for when choosing an influencer?
Firstly, pay attention to the online streamer, and if the influencer is a YouTuber, then to the number of views on their videos. It is best to look not at a single stream, and not at statistics for only a few months. You can request stats data directly from the streamer's control panel, and they are usually willing to share this information if everything is transparent. However, to speed up the process and assess whether it is worth offering a collaboration, you can use the TwitchTracker service.
Secondly, pay attention to the streamer's communication with the audience. Consider how much they engage with viewers, ask direct questions, and participate in dialogue. Do they mumble under their breath, ignoring what is happening in the chat? Streamers who have meaningful conversations with their audience are the best at advertising products and services since their audience tends to listen to their words and respond to them.
Lastly, pay attention to chat activity. Look beyond the frequency and quantity of messages and consider whether viewers engage in dialogues among themselves without involving the streamer. How many of them have a paid subscriber icon, use channel-exclusive emoticons, and support the influencer with donations? All these factors are indicators of content engagement and audience trust in the streamer.
By solely chasing a large number of followers, you may miss the opportunity to work with those who are enthusiastic about promoting your game or product. For instance, there are novice streamers who collect a huge online following in the first few months of their career, but their number of followers has not yet reached a significant mark. Within a few months, they may accumulate a substantial following, and everyone will want to work with them, but their prices will be much higher by then.
On the other hand, some content creators do not strive for significant growth. Micro-influencers with small to medium audiences enjoy intimate contact on live streams, and their viewers choose them because they want to be more involved in the community. Collaborating with these small streamers could be the only chance to reach a large but invisible audience. You can find these influencers on Drope.me, and the coolest thing is that you don't have to manually onboard everyone and spend significant time on 50 streamers with a small audience. The Drope.me platform offers an ideal and easy-to-use solution by creating a common platform where game or product developers can effortlessly find influencers for their company.
