Win market exposure by depositing value with influencers

When Alto’s founder Christopher Waugh launched his eco-friendly home cleaner, he knew Amazon alone wouldn’t spark discovery. He targeted five mid-tier home-design bloggers with 20–30K followers, sending each a no-strings-attached sample. Two weeks later, three wrote glowing reviews that they shared with their readers. Alto’s site saw a 40 percent traffic spike overnight, and Amazon sales jumped 25 percent in the first month.

This wasn’t a random gift bag gambit. Christopher strategically chose micro-influencers whose values aligned with his brand—clean solutions, sustainable packaging, minimalist design. He started the conversations by offering value first: a product his influencers could genuinely test. Their honest praise, amplified by his public shout-outs, created a ripple of credibility far more powerful than paid ads.

Each influencer partnership wasn’t a one-off transaction but the seed of a growing community. Christopher kept the dialogue alive with quarterly “new formulation” samples and digital features on his own channels. Over time, the gap between influencer and brand blurred—his fans began following those influencers and vice versa.

This cooperative competition leverages social proof and network theory. By depositing value into multiple relationship accounts, Christopher unlocked an ever-expanding web of advocates, each fueling an accelerating cycle of exposure. For a new brand, this channel is both cost-effective and exponentially scalable.

You’ve built momentum on your own channels; now it’s time to tap into others. Pick ten micro-influencers who speak to your market, send them complimentary samples framed as genuine gifts, and ask for their unfiltered thoughts. When they do share, reshare their content with heartfelt thanks. Repeat this cycle quarterly so you stay top of mind. You’ll turn small gives into big brand boosts.