An Influencer Resource from Fohr: Responding to Cultural Moments Email Templates

In response to distressing news this week, we wanted to provide you resources as you navigate these difficult times. 

There are some days that remind us that to have a platform is to have privilege, and to have privilege is to have the responsibility to try and be an agent of change, a force for good, and an ally to those communities and causes calling for this country to make good on its promises. There are days that remind us that advertising can wait.⁠

As an influencer, your platform and your connection to your audience come with a level of responsibility. This means being mindful of the information and news you share with your followers. Most importantly, if you don’t feel well equipped or available to answer questions or speak on a specific topic, search for reliable sources and experts that you can redirect to.

Before you share, please keep these things in mind:

1. As always, be mindful of the cultural context you are creating within.
2. Read the entire article before you share, not based on headlines. 
3. If you choose to share a post, read through the entirety of the caption, watch the full video, view each individual image (for example, if it’s a carousel post).
4. Make sure you’re sharing from a reliable source. Research into the user profile that you are sharing from. 
5. Understand your intention behind sharing, rather than just adding to the noise.

As political and cultural tensions remain high, we hope that these email templates will help you communicate and manage expectations for your brand partnerships. It’s more than ok to be honest with your brand partners if you don’t feel comfortable or up to posting sponsored content in the present climate. In fact, we encourage it.

If you’re looking for a space to discuss these issues and more, we welcome you to join our #FohrCommunity Facebook Group: a place for private conversations on navigating the influencer marketing space: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fohrcommunity/

Preemptive Social Approach Update

Hi [name],

I hope you are staying safe and healthy. I wanted to reach out to update you on how I'm approaching my content calendar over the coming weeks. It's definitely a difficult time to navigate right now, so keeping the channels open between us will be integral. 

As you may have seen, last week, I [insert detail on how you approached your content]. I have been closely monitoring sentiment and tone from my audience and I [insert detail on whether you have resumed posting branded content]. I have preemptively blocked my content calendar from sponsored content for [days you plan to block content]. I anticipate that the online conversation on these days will be very focused on these national events, and branded content will not be well received by online audiences.

I plan to continue to keep a pulse on my audience's sentiment to ensure my partnerships are well received and that I am protecting your brand's safety as well as my own. It's unfortunate that we've had such extremity in the news cycle, and I appreciate your patience and partnership as we all determine how to navigate. 

Please let me know if you'd like to discuss this further.

[Your Name]

Request to Postpone Sponsored Content

Hi [name],

I hope you are staying safe and healthy. I wanted to reach out to see if we could discuss some timing flexibility on the upcoming deliverables for [insert campaign].  

I personally have found [news update] to be very distressing. I have been working to balance my mental health with my desire to use my platform responsibly. It’s been a lot to juggle over the past week, and in anticipation of another heavy news cycle, it would be enormously helpful if we could push out the deadline to [proposed deadline]. 

Optional: I’m happy to share a bonus Instagram Story as I continue to be excited about this partnership. I appreciate your attention to this and will keep an eye out for your thoughts. 

[Your Name]

Contingency Plan Request

Hi [name],

I hope you are staying safe and healthy. I’m reaching out as I know we have upcoming sponsored content planned, and as I’m sure you know, it is a very tumultuous time. In preparation for more potential civil unrest, I wanted to see if we could align on a contingency plan in the event that I’m uncomfortable sharing sponsored content due to the news cycle. 

My priorities are ensuring I’m using my platform responsibly, protecting your brand's safety, being cognizant of my mental health, and ensuring my audience is receptive to what I am creating for them. I know we have content planned for [insert date], and I’m currently comfortable with that, but I just wanted to get ahead and send the flag up now in case the landscape rapidly changes. 

I’m open to answering any questions you may have, and I’m excited about our partnership.

[Your Name]