The landscape of influencer marketing has undergone a transformation in recent years. While collaborations with celebrities and macro-influencers once dominated brand strategies, a new, more intimate and authentic trend is emerging. This shift is driven by the rise of micro-influencers and user-generated content (UGC). This dynamic duo is redefining the rules, bringing a sense of proximity and credibility that larger influencers often struggle to maintain today. Micro-influencers, with their niche communities, stand out for their ability to build genuine and direct relationships with their audience. Unlike macro-influencers or internet celebrities, who may seem distant or inaccessible, micro-influencers are perceived as "ordinary" people by their audience, sharing similar interests, which makes their recommendations more sincere and relatable. This sense of closeness translates into higher engagement. According to a study by Markerly, micro-influencers with less then 100,000 followers generate a higher interaction rate than larger-scale influencers. Their audience comments, shares and engages more with their posts, strengthening the impact of their brand collaborations. Additionally, micro-influencers are more affordable for brands while offering ultra-targeted marketing. They help reach specific audiences in niche sectors like beauty, fitness, tech, and lifestyle. For brands, collaborating with them means connecting with highly engaged, often passionate consumers who are in search of authenticity. These consumers no longer settle for traditional promotional messages, often perceived as overly commercial or even fake. They have also changed how they make purchasing decisions. They are increasingly inclined to rely on the opinions and recommendations of other consumers, whom they see as more honest and trustworthy. In this context, user-generated content (UGC) plays a central role. Photos, videos, reviews, or recommendations created by consumers themselves allow brands to anchor their narratives in more credible and realistic stories. In fact, consumers are 2.4 times more likely to perceive UGC as authentic compared to content directly created by brands. According to a study from Stackla, 79% of consumers surveyed say that UGC directly influences their purchasing decisions, proving that this type of content inspires trust and credibility. A concrete example is GoPro, which has centered its marketing strategy on UGC by encouraging its users to share their videos. Through initiatives like the GoPro Awards, the brand has generated millions of authentic pieces of content, thereby strengthening brand loyalty and creating an engaged community. With over 10 million subscribers on YouTube, this approach has allowed GoPro to reduce content production costs while amplifying its impact. Micro-influencers and UGC have become powerful drivers of conversion, as they allow brands to enter real consumer conversations and build trust. In 2024, the companies that succeed are those who bet on this combination of authenticity and real interaction. This more human and accessible approach, where the consumer's voice becomes the main vector of trust, is the key to effective and sustainable influencer marketing. In communication and public relations, authenticity is now more crucial than ever. Audiences demand relatable, trustworthy content, and brands must engage in honest dialogue to build lasting relationships.

6 tips to maximize the impact of micro-influencers & UGC in 2024 The use of micro-influencers and user-generated content (UGC) can significantly enhance your marketing strategy by fostering stronger connections and greater engagement through personalized, relevant content. However, to take full advantage of their potential, it's essential to carefully craft and optimize content and messages, ensuring that they resonate with your target audience and align with your brand values. A well-thought-out message can amplify authenticity, reinforce credibility and generate more meaningful interactions. Here are some tips on how to best leverage the potential of micro-influencers and UGC, focusing on strategies that prioritize authenticity, engagement, and long-term impact: ✅ Choose micro-influencers who share your brand values : Authenticity is crucial. Prioritize micro- influencers who already talk about products or services similar to yours. Their audience will be more receptive to a natural collaboration rather than a forced partnership. ✅ Focus on engagement over follower count : A micro-influencer s engagement rate is a key indicator of the quality of their relationship with their community. An active and engaged audience is often more valuable than a large number of passive followers. ✅ Promote user-generated content : Encourage your customers to share their own experiences with your products on social media. Use specific hashtags, create contests, or repurpose this content in your campaigns. UGC shows real and genuine use of your products, strengthening future buyers trust. ✅ Collaborate long-term with your micro-influencers : Instead of multiplying short-term partnerships, prioritize ongoing collaborations with micro-influencers. This builds a lasting trust relationship, and their recommendations will seem more natural and sincere to their community. ✅ Stay on top of your industry's trends : Each niche has its own trends regarding content and engagement. Keep an ear to the ground for new forms of UGC (such as viral challenges or short videos) and adapt your campaigns accordingly to stay relevant. ✅ Measure impact in real-time : Use tracking tools to evaluate the effectiveness of your campaigns with micro-influencers and UGC. ROI can be measured by the number of sales, increased engagement rates, or the reach of posts. Adjust your strategies based on results to maximize impact.

​In media relations and communications, timing isn't just a detail; it is a central pillar of any effective strategy. It is the art of perfectly synchronizing your campaigns with the news and events cycle in your market, to maximize impact and resonate with your audience. The 2024 Paris Olympics is the perfect example of this dynamic. Picture the scene: Paris is set to become the global epicenter of sport and culture from July 26th to August 11th, 2024, with 11 million visitors expected and a billion viewers for the opening Ceremony. Against this backdrop, companies planning their communications campaigns around this global event have a golden opportunity to capture the attention of an international audience. Choosing a moment like the Paris 2024 Olympics to launch communications and public relations initiatives can turn a simple campaign into a real success story, which the media will be eager to cover. Brands will benefit from notable advantages, such as increased visibility thanks to the global audience of the games as well as associating themselves with the Olympic values of excellence, performance and surpassing oneself. If you look at brand sponsorship of international sporting events although the investment is high, a study driven by Nielsen demonstrates a direct connection between messaging and purchasing behaviour. Among 100 brand sponsorship studied between 2020 and 2021 across 7 markets and 20 sectors, it reveals that sponsorship increases purchase intention by an average of 10% among exposed fans. The study also shows that a one-point increase in brand awareness translates into a 1% increase in sales. Moreover, the effect of sponsorship is felt over the long term. So an opportunity for your brand? Certainly, but the Paris 2024 Olympics will also be a very competitive and intense media environment, showing us that communication is a delicate art and that timing is definitely crucial. The key: always align your media campaign with the context. From on-site activation, strategic partnerships, to sponsorship, and big announcements, monitor the conversation and adapt your timing, to make sure your audience will actually hear you. Spotlight Planning a media activation around a global event? : Get the timing right to make sure your target audience hears you. Finding the right timing for a media campaign requires a well-thought-out strategy that takes several key elements into account. Here are some steps and tips to optimize the timing of your media relations campaign: ✅ Analyze the media calendar : Identify off-peak and peak news periods. Launching a campaign during an off-peak period can increase your chances of getting coverage, whereas a busy period with major national or international news events (e.g. presidential elections...) that take up a lot of media space could dilute your message. Take into account the publication cycles and deadlines of the media you are targeting (daily, weekly, monthly,...). ✅ Synchronize with relevant events : Plan your campaign around events, holidays, or international days that relate to your message. For example, a heart health campaign could be launched around World Heart Day. Make sure to closely monitor current events that could overshadow or reinforce your campaign. ✅ Consider seasonal factors : Seasonal products or services should be promoted well in advance of the relevant season to maximize exposure and impact. For industries such as fashion, tourism or gardening, adapting timing to the sector's seasonal cycles is crucial. In tech and finance, it can be during their annual accounts closing or budget renegotiation periods. School vacations are also periods when journalists are often away and editorial activity is reduced. ✅ Coordinate with your marketing and sales activities : Make sure the timing of your press relations campaign is aligned with new product launches, company events, and other promotional activities. Use media relations to amplify other ongoing campaigns. ✅ Lay the groundwork in advance : Start building relationships with journalists well in advance of the campaign launch. Providing information in advance can help pique their interest and pave the way for full coverage. ✅ Monitor the news for piggybacking opportunities : Be prepared to slightly modify or accelerate your campaign to take advantage of a relevant news event. This can increase the resonance and relevance of your message. ✅ Launch at the best time of the week : Media launches at the beginning of the week (Monday or Tuesday) are often more effective, as they give journalists time to work on stories for mid-week or weekend editions. ✅ Follow up planning : Schedule reminders and follow-ups after your initial press releases are sent out. This can help maintain the momentum of your campaign and ensure that your story stays top-of- mind.

Steps & tips to optimize you PR campaign Finding the right timing for a media campaign requires a well-thought-out strategy that takes several key elements into account. Here are some steps and tips to optimize the timing of your media relations campaign: ✅ Analyze the media calendar : Identify off-peak and peak news periods. Launching a campaign during an off-peak period can increase your chances of getting coverage, whereas a busy period with major national or international news events (e.g. presidential elections...) that take up a lot of media space could dilute your message. Take into account the publication cycles and deadlines of the media you are targeting (daily, weekly, monthly,...). ✅ Synchronize with relevant events : Plan your campaign around events, holidays, or international days that relate to your message. For example, a heart health campaign could be launched around World Heart Day. Make sure to closely monitor current events that could overshadow or reinforce your campaign. ✅ Consider seasonal factors : Seasonal products or services should be promoted well in advance of the relevant season to maximize exposure and impact. For industries such as fashion, tourism or gardening, adapting timing to the sector's seasonal cycles is crucial. In tech and finance, it can be during their annual accounts closing or budget renegotiation periods. School vacations are also periods when journalists are often away and editorial activity is reduced. ✅ Coordinate with your marketing and sales activities : Make sure the timing of your press relations campaign is aligned with new product launches, company events, and other promotional activities. Use media relations to amplify other ongoing campaigns. ✅ Lay the groundwork in advance : Start building relationships with journalists well in advance of the campaign launch. Providing information in advance can help pique their interest and pave the way for full coverage. ✅ Monitor the news for piggybacking opportunities : Be prepared to slightly modify or accelerate your campaign to take advantage of a relevant news event. This can increase the resonance and relevance of your message. ✅ Launch at the best time of the week : Media launches at the beginning of the week (Monday or Tuesday) are often more effective, as they give journalists time to work on stories for mid-week or weekend editions. ✅ Follow up planning : Schedule reminders and follow-ups after your initial press releases are sent out. This can help maintain the momentum of your campaign and ensure that your story stays top-of- mind.