Have you ever looked at an influencer’s profile and wished you could get them to run ads for you? Or maybe one of your collaborations with an influencer was SO good that you just wish you could amplify it. 

What if I told you that you can do exactly that? That’s right. It is completely possible and it is called influencer whitelisting! Let’s take a look at what it is. 

What Is Influencer Whitelisting? 

Influencer whitelisting is the process of an influencer granting brands permission to run paid ads through their identity. In short, the influencers give brands access to their social media pages so that the brands may run ads through them. These ads will be shown under the influencer’s handle. 

It also gives brands a way to repurpose influencer-made content into ads. This has the added advantage of lengthening the run-time of certain types of posts such as Instagram stories. 

Here is an example:

See how this ad fits in with the rest of @chefpriyanka’s feed? It looks organic and authentic! That is the goal of influencer whitelisting- to create advertisements that don’t really look like advertisements. 

But wait..

What Is The Difference Between a Whitelisted Ad And a Brand-Owned Ad? 

Brand-owned ads are advertisements that run under the brand’s own handle. A brand may take influencer-made content and repurpose it as an ad. 

Take the above example. Planet Oak may take the same video that Priyanka made and run it as part of their ad campaign, giving their ad a human touch as well as providing social proof of their products. However, as long as that particular ad runs under their own handle, it will be a brand-owned ad.

A whitelisted ad, on the other hand, runs under the influencer’s handle. This gives brands the opportunity to add call-to-action buttons such as “shop now.” So, anyone who follows the influencer (or similar accounts) will be able to see the ad and purchase the products even if they have never heard of the products before. 

Here is an example:

Source: Amy Roiland.

Influencer whitelisting has several benefits, both for brands as well as content creators. But before we look into that, let’s see how you can whitelist influencers. 

How To Whitelist Influencers on Faecbook?

The first step is always to find the right influencer to collaborate with. Their goals as well as the type of content they create should align with your company’s vision. Before you collaborate with anybody, don’t forget to ask them these 11 crucial questions. 

Once the influencer has been chosen and all the details regarding the campaign have been hashed out, it is time to set up influencer whitelisting. In order to do this, both the brands and the influencers must have a Facebook page and a Facebook Business Manager account. 

The influencer’s business manager account must be linked to their Facebook account and/or their Instagram account. The next step is getting whitelisting permissions from the influencers. 

Content creators can do this with just a few simple steps: Open Facebook Business Manager → Business Settings → Users → Tap on Partners → Select Add → Click on Give a Partner Access To Your Assets → Enter the brand’s Facebook Business Manager ID. 

After this, go to Assets and Permissions → Choose the Facebook page and Instagram account the brand will be able to access. The final step is setting the permission level to Create Ads. And.. that’s it. Instagram (and Facebook) whitelisting has been set up! 

Pro Tip: Ask your influencer to give you access to Pixels. This will help you build custom audiences that match your target demographics so that you can target them exclusively! 

Now, let’s look at why you should whitelist influencers. 

Benefits of Influencer Whitelisting 

For Brands:

• It gives more authenticity to your ads since you are amplifying influencer content- something that customers tend to like more because it makes them feel more in control over their purchases. They feel like they discovered your brand on their own as opposed to discovering you through targeted ads. This also gives you organic engagement from customers. 
• You get creative control and also the opportunity to test different types of content. 
• You get to control the post. This includes making edits to the influencer’s social media copy, adding a call-to-action, and also controlling who sees the post. 
• You get full access to campaign metrics so that you can analyze what worked and what didn’t. 
• You get the ability to dark post. Any sponsored post that is specially created for paid advertising is called a dark post. It will not show up on the influencer’s feed. 
• You can extend the life of your posts by repurposing them into whitelisted ads. 
• You can reach new audiences – even ones that don’t follow the influencer. You can use the influencer’s data to target similar audiences known as Lookalike Audiences (LALs). 

For Content Creators:

• Improved reach and growth since their content is being amplified and shown to people who don’t follow them. 
• They get to stick to doing what they love (content creation) without the hassle of creating and running ads. 
• Deeper relationships with their favorite brands and the chance to promote products they actually love.
• More opportunity to make money. Since dark posts don’t show up on the influencer’s feed, they can take on more sponsored work without feeling the need to fill their feed with organic content first. 
• A deeper understanding of their own audience and their post metrics which will help them tailor their social media strategy. 

How To Make The Best Of Your Whitelisted Ads? 

If done right, whitelisting can be a powerful tool in your brand campaign. Here are some tips to make the most of your whitelisted ads:

• Use video content! They are more engaging and allow your brand to shine in just a few seconds. 
• Make sure the photos you use are aesthetic and eye-catching. Experiment with colors and styles and see which one garners the most engagement. 
• Use catchy slogans but keep them short. 
• Keep the CTAs short but strong. At the same time, don’t use CTAs that create a strong sense of urgency in people. This can be off-putting sometimes. Using coupon codes is always a great idea. For example: Use code A2B15 for an extra 15% off!
• Work with influencers who already use your products. This will make their reviews more authentic. 
• Allow the influencers to use their own voice. People can pick up on artificial ads a mile away and the whole point of whitelisting is to stay away from that. 
• Run longer ads– at least for 15 days. This will give you enough room and time to experiment with different types of copies and content, analyze the metrics, and see what is working and what needs to be tweaked.

Influencer whitelisting is truly a win-win-win situation. You get to increase your sales, the influencers get to increase their fanbase, and the customers discover new products that they will come to love! 

So, use this tool wisely but, at the same time, don’t be afraid to experiment! And remember, behind every successful influencer whitelisting campaign is a successful relationship between the brand and the influencer.