PRESS RELEASE: February 27, 2023
The power of celebrities and Influencers to create cultural conversations, change opinions, and ignite action has transformed the marketing world in the past fifteen years. Yet many businesses and philanthropic organizations have been baffled about how to engage and work with Influencers to support their causes. All that is about to change with the publication of Good Influence: How to Engage Influencers for Purpose and Profit by social entrepreneur Paul M. Katz. Good Influence is the first comprehensive guide for creating and executing Influencer‐led cause campaigns that tap into the exponential power of the Influencer Effect.
Katz, who is CEO of Entertain Impact, has spent over thirty years as a leader in both the entertainment industry and philanthropic spheres, bringing a unique perspective to more than 100 cause marketing campaigns that he has created with celebrities and cultural influencers like Kevin Bacon, Ziggy Marley, Angélique Kidjo, John Legend, Lupita Nyong’o, Mark Ruffalo, Usher, Annie Leibovitz, and Desmond Tutu.
In discussing the Influencer Effect, Katz explains that it happens when celebrities and Influencers throw their popularity, social capital, and platform behind a cause to raise awareness, inspire action, and do good. Results are both psychological and social, with audiences taking action based on an Influencer’s comments, recommendations, and choices.
Katz points out that the speed and reach of the Influencer Effect is unprecedented as an attractor and amplifier, due to recent technological breakthroughs such as the iPhone, TikTok, and Instagram.
“Whether your goals are purpose, profit, or both, the Influencer Effect will get you well beyond the finish line,” says Katz.
Filled with extensive case studies, entertaining stories, and professional insights, Good Influence is based on Katz’s five-part D.R.E.A.M. method. “Over the last fifteen years of working with Influencers on more than 100 campaigns, I have developed, tested, and refined my D.R.E.A.M. method, a combination of science and art, to engage Influencers and ignite the Influencer Effect. I hope that organizations will use the D.R.E.A.M. method to help their fellow humans and improve our planet.”
Both strategic and practical, Katz’s D.R.E.A.M. method has resulted in Influencers, businesses, and philanthropic organizations being matched and working together with impressive outcomes. It consists of the following steps:
Design Your Action Plan
Creating an action plan ensures that people have a roadmap for success. With a plan, everyone is on board, knows what resources are needed, who will do which tasks, the timelines involved, the budget, and the anticipated results. Katz fully details how to craft an action plan whether you are integrating an Influencer into an already existing program or starting from scratch.
Research Your Influencers
Researching every Influencer is essential to make sure that they are a good fit for the organization, the campaign, and its goals. Katz delineates three criteria for vetting an Influencer: relevance, reach, and resonance. He then defines the different types of Influencers – such as macro or micro, animal or AI – and explains how to choose the right ones. Bottom line: match Influencers with causes close to their hearts for the biggest return and lasting relationships.
Engage Your Influencers
Katz provides all the tools needed to reach out and cultivate Influencers. He emphasizes that email is the way to go, detailing what should be written in the email, who to send it to, when to ask, and how to find Influencers’ contact information. Leaving nothing to chance, with a tiered approach to reach audience segments, Katz also helps readers create a system for tracking their “Asks” and for closing the deal.
Activate Your Campaign
Activations can be as simple as a social media campaign or as complex as a multipart undertaking, involving numerous Influencers, activities, events, and promotions. Katz provides dozens of examples to inspire readers to develop their own activations, emphasizing that successful activations require creativity for longevity and impact, and that preparation is key. This section of Good Influence is filled with advice about everything from setting goals to creative thinking; from budgeting to finding sponsors; from production schedules to travel plans; and much more.
Measure Your Impact
Katz provides a practical methodology for measuring the impact of every type of campaign and the Influencer Effect. He discusses who, what, when, and how to measure; and instructive ways to interpret, present, and learn from the findings. “You can measure the Influencer Effect in concrete ways that convincingly demonstrate the positives achieved and give meaning to your campaign. This information allows you to drive your organization or cause forward. The benefits of measuring far outweigh the effort,” he writes.
For anyone who wants to tap into the full potential of Influencer-led campaigns, Good Influence is the ideal guide and companion. Following the D.R.E.A.M. method can change the entire trajectory of an organization, business, non-profit, or cause.
“I hope the stories, information, and good vibes you find in Good Influence will give you the confidence and the knowledge you need to move forward,” concludes Katz.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paul M. Katz, author of Good Influence: How to Engage Influencers for Purpose and Profit, is a veteran music industry executive, multi-Grammy nominee, and thought leader in the cause influence field who has guided nonprofits, companies, high-profile artists, and other influencers in driving meaningful social impact campaigns for more than two decades.
As CEO and founder of social impact agency Entertain Impact, Katz’s marketing and advocacy campaigns have raised awareness, support, and funds for philanthropic, social justice, and purpose-driven organizations over the past two decades—including the African Wildlife Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, National Trust For Historic Preservation, Rotary International, ELMA Philanthropies, and WHO Foundation. These campaigns have been supported by hundreds of influencers, including Kevin Bacon, Ziggy Marley, Angélique Kidjo, John Legend, Lupita Nyong’o, Mark Ruffalo, Annie Leibovitz, Usher, and Desmond Tutu.
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