NeuroGum Europe (Influencer / Creator acquisition to affiliate program)

Initial Neuro Europe Website Insights (of May till November 2024):

• Product: Neuro Gum & Mints (functional chewing gum and mints with natural caffeine, L-theanine, B-vitamins).
• Core Benefits: “Energy, Clarity, Focus,” “Calm & Centered Energy,” “Clean Ingredients,” “Sugar-Free, Aspartame-Free, Vegan, Gluten-Free.”
• Target Audience: Health-conscious individuals, students, professionals, athletes, gamers, creatives – anyone seeking a mental edge or clean energy boost.
• EU Focus: Availability within Europe, shipping from EU, prices in Euros. This is key for influencer location targeting. This campaign was specifically made for the European branch of Neuro based in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Client: Neuro Europe – Official EU Distributor of Neuro Functional Gum & Mints (getneuro.eu)

Timeline: 6-Month Campaign

Objective: To successfully launch the Neuro brand in key European markets, drive initial e-commerce sales, rapidly build brand awareness, and grow Neuro Europe’s social media presence through targeted influencer / creator collaborations.

The Challenge: Entering a New Market & Building Trust from Scratch

Neuro Europe faced the typical hurdles of a new market entrant: low brand recognition, the need to educate consumers about a novel functional product, and the challenge of building trust and driving sales without an established customer base in Europe. They needed a strategy that could quickly generate buzz, social proof, and direct e-commerce traffic, at a more affordable cost than running social media campaigns.

After we got in touch with the CMO of the European branch, Filip, we crafted a strategy that would:

• Increase revenue, build social proof, and spart a wave of UGC content and brand awareness

Our Solution: A Scaled, Data-Driven Influencer / Creator Outreach Campaign

1SecondLeads designed a multi-layered influencer marketing strategy focused on engaging relevant micro and macro-influencers across key European countries. The goal was to leverage their authentic voices to introduce Neuro products to highly targeted audiences.

Phase 1: Defining the Ideal Influencer Profile (IIP) & Strategic Targeting

We identified distinct influencer tiers and niches best suited to promote Neuro Europe’s functional gum and mints:

• IIP 1: Micro-Influencers & Blog Owners (for Affiliate Program Onboarding)
  • Niches:
    • Productivity & Biohacking (e.g., “studygram,” “productibity hacks,” “dopamine detox,” “l-theanine”)
    • Health & Wellness (e.g., “clean diet,” “natural supplements,” “mindfulness”)
    • Fitness & Active Lifestyle (e.g., “natural bodybuilder,” “yoga,” “running,” “gym girlie,” “fitness mom”)
    • Gaming & Esports (where focus and sustained energy are key)
    • Student Life & Academics
  • Follower/Audience Size: 15,000 - 50,000 (Instagram, TikTok), or blogs with relevant niche traffic.
  • Key Characteristics: High engagement rates, authentic connection with their audience, content genuinely aligns with Neuro’s benefits (energy, focus, clarity, natural ingredients).
  • Geographic Focus: Germany, Austria, France, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Nordics (initial EU launch countries).
• IIP 2: Mid-Tier to Macro Influencers (for Paid Promotions + Affiliate Offer)
  • Niches: Similar to above, but with a broader reach and more established presence.
  • Follower/Audience Size: 50,000 - 500,000+
  • Key Characteristics: Professional content, history of successful brand collaborations (ideally in CPG, wellness, or lifestyle), strong trust factor, significant reach within target European demographics.

Targeting Tools & Initial Sourcing:

• Primary Tool - Clay.com + Influencers.club Integration: Used to systematically search for influencers based on keywords in their bio or hashtags they used in their recent posts (e.g., “productivity,” “vegan supplements,” etc.), niches, follower counts, and platform (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube). Influencers.club is key for finding direct contact information.
• Secondary (for Blogs/Media Outlets) - Apollo.io + Semrush: To identify specific blog owners and established personalities.
• Manual Exploration (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Search): To initially identify trending content styles and key opinion leaders to refine automated search parameters.

Phase 2: Deep Enrichment & Contact Validation with Clay.com

Raw lists of potential influencers were processed through Clay for deep enrichment to ensure fit and personalize outreach:

1. Consolidate Data from Influencers.club: Pull in email addresses, social profile links, follower counts, and any available engagement metrics.
2. Scrape Social Media Profiles (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube via Clay’s browser):
   • Purpose: Verify profile authenticity, assess content quality and relevance, understand audience interaction.
   • Data Points Used: Bio description (looking for keywords like “health,” “focus,” “student,” “gamer”), recent post themes/captions, visual style, comment sentiment (qualitative), actual follower count.
   • Signal for Neuro Europe (Reason to Collaborate):
     • “This influencer consistently posts about natural ways to boost productivity and maintain focus during study/work, making Neuro’s benefits a perfect thematic fit for their audience who actively seeks such solutions.”
     • “Their audience shows high engagement on posts related to healthy lifestyle choices and clean supplements; Neuro’s sugar-free, vegan, and natural formulation will resonate strongly.”
     • “The influencer has a clear European audience base (evident from comments, language, or bio location), ensuring promotions reach Neuro Europe’s target market directly.”
     • “Recent content includes reviews or recommendations of similar (but not directly competitive) wellness or energy products, indicating their audience is receptive to this category and trusts their judgment.”
3. For Blog Owners - Scrape Blog “About Us,” “Contact,” & Recent Posts:
   • Purpose: Understand blog niche, readership, and if they accept product reviews/sponsored content.
   • Signal for Neuro Europe (Reason to Collaborate):
     • “This blog regularly features articles on ‘improving focus or productivity providing an ideal editorial context for introducing Neuro gum/mints as a solution.”
     • “The blog has a dedicated ‘product reviews’ section or ‘work with us’ page clearly stating openness to brand partnerships in the wellness or lifestyle space, indicating a good potential for collaboration.”
4. AI Content Analysis (OpenAI in Clay):
   • Purpose: Further qualify influencers and generate personalization angles.
   • Tasks:
     • Analyze recent post captions/blog article snippets for alignment with Neuro’s core message (energy, clarity, focus).
     • Identify if an influencer has previously promoted direct competitors (to avoid conflict or tailor pitch).
     • Draft personalized opening lines for outreach based on their specific content. E.g., “Loved your recent post on [topic related to focus/energy]; Neuro could be a great addition for your audience seeking that extra mental edge.”
5. Verify Contact Information: Ensure email deliverability.

Phase 3: Multi-Tiered Outreach Campaign Execution

We crafted distinct outreach sequences for different influencer segments, managed through an email sending platform (like Instantly.ai, fed by Clay).

Outreach Stream 1: Micro-Influencers & Bloggers (Affiliate Program Focus)

• Goal: Onboard a high volume of authentic advocates into Neuro Europe’s affiliate program.

• Offer: Free product samples, unique affiliate tracking link, competitive commission on sales (15-20%).

• Email 1 (Personalized Intro & Affiliate Offer):

  Subject: Collab Opportunity: Neuro Europe X [First Name]
  
  Hi [First Name],
  
  My name is [Filip] from the Neuro Europe team. We're launching Neuro – the clean energy gum & mints for focus and clarity – here in Europe!
  
  Saw [specific content/theme, e.g., "your tips for staying focused while studying" or "your journey with natural wellness products"] - love it! And I thought your audience would love Neuro as well. It’s sugar-free, vegan, and packed with natural nootropics for that calm, centered energy.
  
  We're inviting a select group of [European country] influencers like you to join our exclusive affiliate program. You'd get free Neuro products to try and share, plus a great commission on any sales you drive.
  
  Please let me know your thoughts with a reply!
  
  Best regards,
  
  [Your Name]
  Neuro Europe Partnerships
  [Link to getneuro.eu]
  

• Email 2 (Follow-Up - Benefits & Ease, 3 days later):

  Subject: Re: ollab Opportunity: Neuro Europe X [First Name]
  
  Hi [Influencer First Name],
  
  Just wanted to quickly follow up. Partnering with Neuro Europe is super simple – we provide all the assets you need, a unique tracking link, and it's a great way to offer genuine value to your audience looking for that mental boost.
  
  Happy to send over some samples for you to experience the benefits firsthand.
  
  Best,
  
  [Your Name]
  

Outreach Stream 2: Mid-Tier to Macro Influencers (Paid Promotion + Affiliate)

• Goal: Secure dedicated promotional posts/videos from larger influencers.

• Offer: Paid fee for content creation (e.g., Instagram post/story series, dedicated YouTube review), plus an affiliate offer to maximize long-term benefit.

• Email 1 (Personalized Intro & Paid Collaboration Inquiry):

  Subject: Paid Collab Opportunity: Neuro x [Influencer Handle/Name] - Clean Energy for your Audience
  
  Hi [Influencer First Name],
  
  I'm [Your Name], reaching out from Neuro Europe. We're officially launching Neuro – the popular clean energy gum and mints from the US – across Europe and are huge admirers of your work, especially [mention specific post/video or aspect of their content, e.g., "your insightful video on daily productivity tools" or "your engaging Instagram stories on healthy daily routines"].
  
  Neuro delivers sustained energy, focus, and clarity using natural nootropics, and it's all sugar-free, vegan, and aspartame-free. We believe it would be a fantastic fit for your audience who values [mention audience value, e.g., "high performance and clean living" or "effective study/work aids"].
  
  We're looking to partner with influential voices like yours in [Country/Region] for paid promotional content (e.g., dedicated post/story, video integration) and would also love to offer an affiliate partnership to top it off.
  
  Would you be open to discussing a collaboration and sharing your media kit/rates?
  
  Best regards,
  
  [Your Name]
  Neuro Europe Partnerships
  [Link to getneuro.eu]
  

• Email 2 (Follow-Up - Product Details & Audience Value, 4 days later):

  Subject: Re: Paid Collab Opportunity: Neuro x [Influencer Handle/Name]
  
  Hi [Influencer First Name],
  
  Following up on my previous email about a potential paid collaboration with Neuro Europe.
  
  To give you a bit more flavor, Neuro is designed for anyone needing that mental edge – students, professionals, creators, athletes. You can check out the product and science here: [Link to product page/science page on getneuro.eu]
  
  We're confident a partnership would provide immense value to your audience and are flexible in creating a package that works for you.
  
  Looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
  
  Best,
  
  [Your Name]
  

The Results (Quantifiable Metrics over 6 Months):

• Influencer Outreach Campaign Metrics:
  • Total Influencers & Blog Owners Researched & Enriched via Clay: 3,500
  • Highly Qualified Influencers Reached Out To: 2,200 (after filtering for relevance, activity, and contactability)
  • Overall Positive Response Rate (interested in learning more): 22% (484 influencers)
  • Micro-Influencers & Bloggers Signed Up for Affiliate Program: 215
  • Mid-Macro Influencers Secured for Paid Promotions (who also joined affiliate program): 35
• Neuro Europe Business Impact Metrics:
  • Website Traffic (from influencer referrals & direct type-ins):
    • Increase in average monthly website sessions: +450% compared to pre-campaign baseline.
    • New Users Acquired: Over 25,000 new users visited getneuro.eu.
  • E-commerce Sales & Growth:
    • Direct Sales Attributed to Influencer Promo Codes & Affiliate Links: €75,000+
    • Total Number of First-Time Orders from Campaign: Over 1,800 orders
    • Average Order Value (AOV) from influencer traffic: €41 (indicating bundled purchases)
  • Social Media Growth (Neuro Europe’s official channels):
    • Instagram Follower Growth (@getneuro.eu): +4,250 new organic followers
    • Increase in Average Instagram Engagement Rate: +2.5%
  • Brand Awareness & Reach:
    • Estimated Total Reach from All Influencer Content (paid & organic affiliate mentions): Over 5.5 million impressions across target European demographics.
    • Number of User-Generated Content Pieces (customers posting about Neuro after purchase): 150+ instances noted.

Key Takeaways & Why This Worked (For E-commerce Brands):

• Hyper-Targeted Influencer Selection: Using Influencers.club within Clay allowed for precise targeting by niche, location, and audience size, ensuring Neuro was promoted by genuinely relevant voices to engaged European communities.
• Personalization at Scale: Even with a high volume of outreach, AI-assisted personalization based on influencer content made connection requests feel authentic, significantly boosting response rates.
• Tiered Collaboration Model: Offering a low-barrier affiliate program for micro-influencers created a broad base of advocates, while strategic paid partnerships with larger influencers provided significant reach and credibility spikes.
• Clear Value Proposition for Influencers: The offer was not just “promote our product,” but “offer your audience a genuinely beneficial product for clean energy and focus, and get rewarded.” Samples were key.
• Data-Driven Tracking & Optimization: Consistent monitoring of promo code usage and affiliate link clicks allowed for identifying top-performing influencers and optimizing future collaborations.
• Authenticity Drives Conversion: Focusing on influencers whose content naturally aligned with Neuro’s product benefits led to more believable endorsements and higher conversion rates from their audiences.

Client Testimonial:

“1SecondLeads was instrumental in our European launch. Their influencer outreach campaign was incredibly well-targeted and executed. We went from zero brand presence to thousands of engaged social followers and a significant surge in sales in just six months. Finding the *right partners at scale was a game-changer for us. We now have a thriving community of affiliates and a strong foundation for growth in Europe.”* - Head of Europe, Neuro Europe.

---