Whitelisting for Content Creators – Risks and Benefits
Today, more brands are using influencer whitelisting as a core part of their social media buying strategy.
Given that trend, it's vital for content creators to understand the whitelisting process, why it's profitable from a brand's perspective, and what the benefits and risks are for content creators.
Ultimately, whitelisting isn't too difficult to grasp once you master the essentials of how it works, so here's a breakdown of the most important concepts.
What is influencer whitelisting?
In short, influencer whitelisting involves launching a paid social advertising campaign and using an influencer to amplify reach through social media.
Instagram – and Facebook to a lesser extent – already implemented this capability, but now, TikTok is in beta-testing for it too.
Soon, it'll be available to all advertisers and creates an opening for content creators. Specifically, brands can use existing influencer posts, adjust them, and repurpose the content as an ad campaign.
The alternative is to create new ads from scratch and launch them on behalf of influencers as dark posts, meaning that the content won’t appear in an influencer's feed.
Besides, brands can leverage influencer followers as the target audience or define similar audiences based on followers; they might also form new target audiences that don't relate to influencer followers.
Nevertheless, influencer whitelisting gives brands a means to post content and run paid ads, using an influencer's handle in place of the brand's company profile.
From a brand's point of view, influencer marketing's reach, combined with the impact of paid social, makes whitelisting a must-have.
How is influencer whitelisting distinct from branded content?
Branded content tools allow brands to boost content after an influencer tags the company in a post. After all, businesses can't edit influencer posts or create new content on their behalf.
Businesses will also have to use their audience, and they can't specifically target a content creator's list of followers for the ads.
Furthermore, influencer whitelisting has additional advantages over standard branded content ads, such as posting and editing content using an influencer's handles.
With influencer whitelisting, brands have much greater control over the target audience and the ability to run A/B tests, utilizing an influencer's content.
The result is that companies can maximize return-on-investment while driving more engagement and increasing conversions indefinitely through influencer content.
At Insense, we know that influencer whitelisting works fantastic for eCommerce and mobile brands alike.
How can content creators benefit from using influencer whitelisting?
So, what are the benefits for content creators? Here's a concise rundown.
Extended reach and audience growth
The primary benefit for influencers is more reach and a larger audience. They gain more exposure to audiences that haven't yet interacted with their content.
But with whitelisting, influencers can grow their audience by magnitudes, gaining a significant boost in their following and incoming traffic. Ultimately, whitelisting is fantastic at strengthening an influencer's credibility.
Reduced audience fatigue
For organic content, the influencer doesn't have to post any dark posts on their feed. This flexibility opens up the opportunity to accept more branded work without exhausting followers with an organic feed full of sponsored content.
More money
Content creators earn more as brands tap into influencer whitelisting, preferring to work with creators ready to grant brands access to their handle.
Lasting business relationships
Influencer whitelisting is a win-win strategy for brands and creators alike.
Brands can tap into the influencer's organic audience and use their authentic voice, while influencers can experience a boost in exposure and subsequent follower growth.
Gain recognition as a social media influencer
You may earn additional brand partnerships when they see how well your partner content is performing.
Learn and get invaluable experience
Lastly, whitelisting is an opportunity to learn from experts!
Brands have people in charge of running social media ads, and they know what will bring results.
So, isn't it time to learn and apply whitelisting to your personal branding? We think so!
The caveat is that there are risks as well.
What are the risks of whitelisting for content creators?
Indeed, those benefits are vital, yet there's also risk involved when content creators work with brands for whitelisting.
Lack of visibility
A partner with whitelisting access to your account can create an ad and run it through your account without your knowledge.
We strongly recommend that before you grant whitelisting permissions to your handle, make sure you trust the brand or agency you'll work with.
Following audience over-saturation
Another risk is that brands can target anyone, which may over-saturate and annoy your audience – the precise opposite of influencer marketing!
So, make sure that you mainly collaborate with brands that match your audience's interests and engagement level.
Difficulty understanding the agreement
Finally, there's a reasonable chance you'll have difficulty understanding the agreement. Typically, these arrangements are relatively complex, so to receive fair compensation, content creators like you need to know the limits of content copyrights.
The main challenge - giving the whitelisting permissions
Unfortunately, the actual whitelisting process itself isn't easy.
The idea is to assign permissions that vary depending on the influencer using the correct type of account.
So, if their account is a business profile or a creator account, they'll have to grant the proper permissions via Instagram or Facebook.
Still, under no circumstance should you give your username and password to anyone requesting whitelisting access!
Even if it's a brand you trust, please, ensure that everything you do is legit to prevent a bad experience.
Two ways to give whitelisting permissions to a brand
That said, here are a few ways to give whitelisting access properly.
Grant permissions via the Facebook Business Manager manually
This approach typically requires you to know your way around Facebook's advertising tools.
The Business Manager whitelisting approach, also known as manual whitelisting, requires one-on-one interactions with influencers and multiple check-ins.
In the end, it can quickly become a time-suck if you're not careful.
Grant permissions via Insense app
The good news is: you can also do whitelisting correctly with our Insense mobile app. It's free to download on AppStore or use the web version on Android, and if you apply and get accepted to a campaign, Insense will require whitelisting permission.
Our platform will allow you to give us the permissions we need through our app, and it only takes five clicks to confirm.
Incense app setup versus Facebook manual setup
Here's the difference between our app and Facebook manual setup for whitelisting.
- You don’t have to be an expert in Facebook Ads as the app will guide you step-by-step.
- You don’t have to leave a platform to give permissions since we keep everything in one place.
- The Insense app also ensures that you give permissions only to trustworthy brands, meaning that you have no risk of bumping into scammers who will abuse and misuse your ad account.
Insense app step-by-step setup
Step 1 - Apply to a campaign.
Step 2 - Connect to a Facebook if a campaign requires whitelisting permissions.
Step 3 – Give the proper permissions.
As you can see, it's a much easier setup with the Insense app.
Summary
Overall, whitelisting goes hand-in-hand with what content creators do best: connect with audiences and engage them daily.
But honestly, there are risks to account for, too, yet influencer whitelisting is a sound strategy that's gaining more prominence when executed correctly.
Click to learn more about our Insense app or go ahead and download the app on AppStore or use the mobile web version on Android!
