8 Best and Worst Influencer Marketing Networks in 2019

July 23, 2019

I’d be lying if I said I blog JUST for fun these days. Well, partially lying! I do write posts on this blog for fun – and for a paycheck. I’ve come across different platforms for growing my brand and turning it into profitable income. There are times when a brand will reach out to me directly over e-mail, but most of my recent paid campaigns (sponsored posts) were executed using content marketing platforms. I am going to outline the best and worst influencer marketing networks, in my opinion, so you can learn more about where I start the process of creating content!

First, What The Heck Is Content Marketing?

Before I dive straight into my long list of influencer marketing platforms I want to take a step back and inform you about the definition of content marketing.

Content marketing includes everything from blog posts to apps to in-person events and experiences to draw attention to a brand. A brand uses various content marketing tactics, such as informative blog posts or visual aids, to connect with its audience. Content marketing helps the brand turn into a credible resource. The brand turns into an authoritative source with the help of content marketing strategies and gains the trust and loyalty of its customer base.

An example of a vital content marketing strategy is explained using Sony Alpha Universe. Instead of dedicating the entire site to selling Sony cameras, the genius team behind this camera company chose to diversify its content and start a helpful podcast series to teach users about photography. Of course, the podcast also covers the best practices to utilize Sony cameras to entice the audience to consider purchasing a Sony device.

For myself and most bloggers out there, we use our blog posts as examples of content marketing to grow our businesses. I post a few times a week and include high-resolution images, 2000+ word written content, and backlinks to ensure that my posts reach a large audience of women ages 25-34 who comprise my demographic.

I also rely on Instagram as another form of content marketing to send my followers over to my blog to increase page views. What makes content marketing such a smart idea is how a business can tap into other areas to educate the potential “buyer”. By posting to my blog, posting to my Instagram, and adding images to my Pinterest boards, I am able to increase the visibility of my brand across multiple streams.

What is a Social Media Influencer Network?

The goal of social media influencer networks is to provide a popular brand with a trustworthy influencer to produce deliverables (blog posts, YouTube videos, Instagram pictures, Instagram stories, etc) for a campaign.

Social influencer networks partner with influencers to work together to increase brand awareness. These networks act as a middleman and introduce the right influencer for the job! The networks will target certain influencers based on numerous factors like social reach, demographics, location, and age.

Top 5 Best Influencer Marketing Networks For Bloggers in 2019

Take these recommendations lightly because not every influencer marketing network was developed the same way! The networks I love may not work out for every blogger. I am recommending these networks because they have 1) provided me with payment opportunities 2) offer campaigns that flow with my niche as a fashion, beauty, and travel blogger.

1. Ahalogy Muse

A recent find for me is Ahalogy Muse. I signed up and made an account on this platform only a few months ago, but I have already completed two high-paying collaborations since my initial start! Ahalogy Muse sends e-mails each day with opportunities that you might be interested in applying for based on your interests and profile credentials.

Signing up for an account with Ahalogy is FREE!
Do yourself a favor and sign up right now before you forget.

Each day the Ahalogy team sends e-mails with brand new sponsored opportunities.

For example, I just created a travel essentials post that included products from U by Kotex and Neutrogena for Ahalogy. The post performed REALLY well and I have since seen a huge spike in my page views since hitting publish on that sponsored blog post. I was also thrilled to work with two major brands in collaboration on my travel essentials post.

I’ve seen a mix of food, fashion, lifestyle, and beauty campaigns on this influencer network. The two campaigns I previously mentioned completing through Ahalogy were beauty related and food-related (an upcoming collab with a coffee brand, stay tuned.) I am satisfied with the quick turnaround I find with each campaign, too. Some campaign managers take weeks to review your content, but with Ahalogy the managers and brands typically take a couple of days before sending back your work for edits.

2. CLEVER

Another personal favorite influencer platform of mine is CLEVER. I partnered with the CLEVER platform quite a few times this year so far. The platform is easy to work with, the campaign managers and quick to reply to your e-mails, and the pay is competitive. A few stand out companies that work with CLEVER influencers include P&G, GM, Johnson & Jonhson, and Pepsico. Don’t be discouraged if you think you need a large following to apply for these campaigns, either. CLEVER looks through applications and will choose the right candidates based on age, demographics, location, and even by food allergy.

Some examples of recent CLEVER campaigns for me were Instagram photos featuring Quilted Northern toilet paper and a boomerang for Dove hair care.

8 Best and Worst Influencer Marketing Networks in 2019 | Clever Influencer Marketing Platform

I’ve also seen a few other campaign opportunities to work with law firms, travel insurance companies, and restaurants. A few times I have applied for campaigns to find out I was not selected. Don’t lose hope! I am constantly applying for all types of content-driven campaigns on CLEVER to make sure I am in the running. From toilet paper to home appliances, it’s also challenging and fun to partner with brands outside of your usual comfort zone.

3. Social Fabric

Social Fabric also recently caught my attention when I was looking for new platforms to join. After all, if you take away one piece of advice from this post it would be to diversify your revenue streams! I join multiple influencer networks for this very reason.

The last thing you want as a content creator is to be left without work to do. Relying heavily on ONE platform will not only cause you to go crazy figuring out how to find more work, but it will ultimately keep you from exploring new and exciting campaigns from other brands. Brands are loyal to working with certain networks which are yet another reason why it’s vital to seek out other influencer networks to join.

8 Best and Worst Influencer Marketing Networks in 2019

As for Social Fabric, I suggest this influencer network for food bloggers, pet bloggers, mommy bloggers, and beauty blogger the most. Right now there is an influx of back-to-school campaigns (unfortunately, these are not relevant to me) so any mommy bloggers with young kids would be the perfect match! The network also provides you with “top matches” to apply for. Some campaigns have open bids where you can enter the amount you desire as payment for your time and work while other campaigns have fixed payments.

One of the first campaigns I completed with Social Fabric not too long ago was made in collaboration with Purina and Pet Supplies Plus. The campaign involved taking videos inside the pet store which was a first for me. I uploaded these videos to my Instagram Stories as part of the campaign in addition to shooting cute photos with sweet little kitty Jenkins, the star of the photoshoot!

4. HerCampus / InfluenceHer Collective

The influencer network that holds a special place in my heart is InfluenceHer Collective. When I started my blogging journey out of college, this was the first platform that paid me actual MONEY for my content! I am forever grateful for joining the InfluenceHer Collective network.

I collaborated with Summer’s Eve + InfluenceHerCollective

Since 2016, I have worked over and over again with several large brand-name companies by applying for influencer campaigns through InfluenceHer Collective e-mails. I also love experimenting with new beauty launches which is another reason I am excited to read over new e-mails from InfluenceHer Collective. A few stand-out campaigns include the time I partnered with Garnier, the time I partnered with Clarisonic, and more recently the time I partnered with Summer’s Eve.

8 Best and Worst Influencer Marketing Networks in 2019 | InfluenceHer Collective HerCampus Influencer Platform

Typically, the network sends out mass e-mails with the latest campaign opportunities available. I read over the requirements of the campaign via e-mail and if it sounds like I am able to complete the tasks in a timely manner I apply for the campaign.

5. BrandBacker

I suggest checking out BrandBacker if you are new to blogging and don’t mind trying out products in exchange for content posts. I first partnered with brands such as Peter Thomas Roth, Evian Spray, and Peach Skin Sheets because of BrandBacker campaigns.

I partnered with Jan Marini Skincare + BrandBacker on a blog post

BrandBacker does not update their campaigns as often as these other influencer platforms I’ve previously mentioned. Some months go by and not a single campaign will offer payment, either. A cool factor about BrandBacker is the likelihood that a brand manager will send you a personal invite to work with a brand! Once you start producing great content, the brand managers will notice and refer you to potentially team up with the same brand for another campaign in the future. I do still catch up with BrandBacker every once in a while to see what paid opportunities they have on the table. It’s definitely not my first top choice as an influencer network based on the infrequency of paid campaigns.

Influencer Networks to Skip (100% In My Opinion!)

Obviously, when reading my comprehensive list of the best and worst influencer marketing networks, there are some networks that just fall flat in comparison to the rest. Why waste your valuable time working on a collaboration for a measly $50? Your effort is worth SO much more than that, right?

Some influencer networks can charge as little as they want for content from an influencer. Trust me when I say I’ve been there and there were times a few years back when I would do anything for real money instead of products as compensation. These days, making a quick $50.00 just doesn’t cover the time, energy, creativity, photography, and social media coverage involved in developing and curating the perfect brand deliverables!

From my personal experience, these are the influencer networks that I rarely accept campaigns from or apply to in general. Sometimes it depends on the pay while other times it comes down to the brands being offered to me. Will it look “off-brand” to accept a campaign with a brand that has only 5,000 followers? Sometimes!

6. IZEAx

I’ve had my IZEA account set up for a couple of years now. I still have never worked on anything other than Twitter posts through this influencer platform!

The site was recently redesigned so it looks very modern and cohesive, but that doesn’t change the fact that I barely interact with any brands on it.

On this specific influencer platform, you need to “bid” for campaigns. I’ve never heard of some of the brands listed on the bidding tab. I honestly can say that I spend more time declining the potential partnerships with unknown brands than I do apply to work with anyone.

7. Cohley

I have partnered with quite a few brands on Cohley in the past.

I was thrilled when I accepted a campaign with Kohls! I also received a soft bedroom sheet set from PeachSkinSheets that I truly sleep on each night, so that worked out in my favor. Cohley consistently posts anywhere between 15-20 solid campaign opportunities listed on their site. A majority of the campaigns listed require content in exchange for products only, which is a bummer. No longer do I accept campaigns that solely include exchanges of product for content. Since turning my blogging into a career, I need to find the best campaigns that match my niche while paying me for the amount of work I put into each project I set my eyes on. Blogging is my job so I rely on the sponsored posts to pay real-life BILLS (student loans, car payments, living costs) and I turn down any project that does not pay.

If you are just starting out as a blogger, I recommend joining Cohley to get your foot in the door as a content creator. The brands offer products in exchange for posts and some offer payments ranging from $50-$100 per post, too. There was a time last summer where I was consistently partnering with Gorjana, a major California-based jewelry brand. I loved all of the work I completed for Gorjana and fell hard for the dainty gold pieces sent to my mailbox each month, too.

8. AspireIQ

When I was actively using Aspire IQ last year, (formerly known as refluence) I saw numerous exciting campaign opportunities available on their site. Of course, I would LOVE to partner with brands like Dyson, HelloFresh, Maybelline! I just applied to partner with Maybelline on a bold lipsticks campaign, so keep those fingers crossed.

However, I would apply and apply and only receive interest from 1 or 2 companies after reaching out to over 10 brands at one time! This platform started to frustrate me because although the brands listed on their site are some of the top major brands in the fashion and beauty industry, I began to feel like my applications weren’t good enough. Wasting precious time applying for campaigns that would never end up panning out eventually took a toll on me and I took a break from AspireIQ for months.

Another point to make involves the website itself. For some odd reason, I can only ever access my account when I type the website URL into my browser using incognito mode. Sometimes the website crashes, too. These might be technical bugs that could eventually come to an end, but for now, they definitely cause me to exit the tab before I even finish scrolling through all of the possible campaigns.

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The Comments

Caitlin

July 25, 2019

This post is SO helpful! There's so much valuable information here, and I so appreciate reading through this. It's a challenge to figure out what is best about different influencer networks and always is helpful to hear from others who have actually gone through the process and worked with them.
Thank you for sharing, girly!
Caitlin
http://lemonadepressblog.com/

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Amanda
Caitlin
October 10, 2019

I am so glad you could find this post helpful, Caitlin!
XO Amanda

Reply

Rachel

July 29, 2019

Thanks so much for taking the time to be open and share your finds! It's so hard to figure this out 🙂

Reply

Amanda
Rachel
October 10, 2019

Of course! Happy to spread the word about these networks that I personally use!
xo Amanda

Reply

Aurora Az

July 29, 2019

Very helpful post! Thank you for sharing the best/worst networks girl!! #scsister
xo Aurora

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Amanda
Aurora Az
October 10, 2019

So glad you found it helpful, Aurora!
Thanks for checking it out.
XO Amanda

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Tracy

July 30, 2019

There is so much info here! Thank you for this post, I will be refering back to it!

Tracy
https://www.findyourdazzle.com

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Amanda
Tracy
October 10, 2019

Thanks so much for stopping by to check out my list, Tracy!
xo Amanda

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La Hunter Gatherer

July 30, 2019

This post is so informative. I have learnt about so many blogger networks that i never knew existed. The way you broke each one down was extremely helpful too. Thank you for taking the time to share this invaluable information xoxo

Reply

Amanda
La Hunter Gatherer
October 10, 2019

I really wanted it to be informative for bloggers of all niches!
Thanks so much for the positive feeback!
xo Amanda

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Caroline

August 1, 2019

Love this post girl! I hadn't heard of some of these and definitely need to sign up!

xx Caroline
http://www.whenwear.com

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Amanda
Caroline
October 10, 2019

Thanks so much for taking the time to read it, Caroline!
xo Amanda

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Molly

August 1, 2019

I don't think that's weird to reach out to ten and only hear from one or two. In fact, I'd say those stats are pretty great! This is a great list!

http://www.mollyonthemoveblog.com

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Amanda
Molly
October 10, 2019

I am so glad you agree!
xo Amanda

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Cynthia Crosby Risk Management

August 12, 2019

Thank you for sharing xoxo
http://www.cynthiacrosby.blogspot.com

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Amanda
Cynthia Crosby Risk Management
October 10, 2019

Thanks for stopping by, Cynthia!
xo Amanda

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Hannaround the World

September 15, 2019

Thank you so much for this! I’ve actually been trying to do some research on influencer platforms so this post is perfect!

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Amanda
Hannaround the World
October 10, 2019

So glad you found it helpful, Hanna!
xo Amanda

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Comms Direct

October 21, 2019

Thanks for share your blog here . Comms Racks

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Nancy Rogers

November 6, 2019

Affordable tips shared. I will bookmark it. The way you explained is awesome.
meet and greet Heathrow
meet and greet Birmingham

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Amanda
Nancy Rogers
November 23, 2019

So glad you thought so, Nancy!
xo Amanda

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Petite Happenings

November 21, 2019

This was just a helpful post! I'll be definitely using some of your advice! Thank you so much for sharing! If you don't mind me asking how long did it take for you to start making some sort of income on your blog? I just started and have all the questions.

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Amanda
Petite Happenings
November 23, 2019

Thanks so much for reading my post! I would say I started earning a feasible income after a solid year of blogging. I didn't start working with brands until a year of creating blog post content, starting my Instagram page, and connecting with PR companies. It definitely takes patience and time!!

xo Amanda

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David aarons

December 13, 2019

Thanks for taking the time to share this article here about the influencer marketing. Your article is very informative and I am impressed by the details that you have shared in this post. Keep sharing these types of articles here. Influencer Marketing in Social Media

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