10 Ways to Get a Celebrity to Use Your Product
A celebrity endorsement can increase brand awareness and influence sales.
By Kristin Marquet •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Today, every fashion, beauty, or lifestyle brand wants to get a celebrity endorsement to help catapult its business to success. But navigating the celebrity world can be difficult and intimidating if you don't have the right contacts or enough resources.
Related: Put Authenticity Into Your Celebrity Endorsements
Follow these 10 tips to help increase your chances of a celebrity or influencer using your product.
- If you don't have six or seven figures to spend on hiring a celeb to endorse your brand, be willing to give up a percentage of equity in the company.
- Pick an upcoming social media star or blogger. Be willing to gift the influencer products. Some influencers will only want a few hundred dollars in products, while others will want a couple of thousand. Make sure the gift fits into your budget.
- Subscribe to a celebrity manager database such as Whorepresents.com to find the appropriate celebrity manager or publicist contact.
- Make sure your package is wrapped beautifully and include several items to increase the chances of their manager or publicist passing it onto their client.
- Personalize the package. Whatever products you're sending should match the aesthetic of the celebrity you're gifting.
- Send your package to the celebrity's stylist or make-up artist.
- If a celebrity is visiting your boutique, ask them to mention your store on Twitter.com or take a photo and post it to Instagram.com.
- Include a short-typed note. Be sure to include a company package and two business cards so the celebrity or representative can get in touch with you.
- Show you care. Reach out to celebrities who support a similar cause that matches your brand's mission and messaging.
- Mind your etiquette. While it's appropriate for you to follow up with the manager or publicist a week after you've shipped the package, don't bombard them with calls and emails. That's a sure way to get your gift thrown in the garbage.
Related: How to Win Celebrity Endorsements. (Hint: It's Not About the Money.)
While there's no guarantee that your product will end up in the hands of a celebrity or influencer when you send it, it's worth the risk. Just one Tweet, photo, or post on Instagram.com can increase brand awareness, credibility, exposure and overall sales.
