--- name: sales-openinfluence description: "Open Influence platform help — AI-powered influencer marketing agency + SaaS platform (hybrid), visual image recognition search (20M+ indexed keywords), look-alike modeling, Mood Board creator grouping, psychographic audience analysis, campaign management, paid media amplification, Studio OI premium content production, omnichannel activations (social, OOH, experiential). Use when Open Influence image search isn't finding on-brand creators, campaign results aren't meeting KPIs, unsure whether to use managed services or self-serve, paid amplification isn't performing, need to evaluate Open Influence pricing, or comparing Open Influence with other influencer platforms. Do NOT use for influencer marketing strategy across platforms (use /sales-influencer-marketing), TikTok marketing strategy (use /sales-tiktok-marketing), or gaming influencer marketing (use /sales-gaming-marketing)." argument-hint: "[describe what you need help with in Open Influence]" license: MIT version: 1.0.0 tags: [sales, influencer-marketing, platform] --- # Open Influence Platform Help Helps users evaluate and get the most out of Open Influence — a hybrid influencer marketing agency and SaaS platform combining AI-powered creator discovery with managed campaign services. ## Step 1 — Gather context If `references/learnings.md` exists, read it first for accumulated knowledge. Ask the user: 1. **What do you need help with?** - A) Evaluating Open Influence (deciding if it's right for my brand) - B) Influencer discovery and search (image recognition, keywords, look-alikes) - C) Campaign setup and management - D) Paid media amplification of creator content - E) Studio OI — premium content production - F) Pricing or plan selection - G) Self-serve platform vs managed agency services - H) Something else — describe it 2. **What's your brand type?** - A) Fortune 500 / enterprise - B) Mid-market brand - C) Small business / startup - D) Agency managing multiple clients 3. **What industry?** - A) CPG / consumer goods - B) Beauty / fashion - C) Automotive - D) Entertainment / media - E) Health / pharma - F) Financial services - G) Other — describe it 4. **What's your current influencer marketing setup?** - A) No program yet — starting from scratch - B) Manual process (spreadsheets, agencies, no tech) - C) Using another platform — which one? - D) Already on Open Influence — need help with a feature **If the user's request already provides most of this context, skip directly to the relevant step.** Lead with your best-effort answer using reasonable assumptions (stated explicitly), then ask only the most critical 1-2 clarifying questions at the end. ## Step 2 — Route or answer directly If the request maps to a different skill, route: - Influencer marketing strategy across platforms → `/sales-influencer-marketing` - TikTok marketing strategy → `/sales-tiktok-marketing` - Gaming influencer marketing → `/sales-gaming-marketing` - Paid social ad strategy → `/sales-retargeting` - Email marketing to subscribers → `/sales-email-marketing` Otherwise, answer directly from the reference below. ## Step 3 — Open Influence platform reference ### Company overview - **Founded**: 2013 by Eric Dahan (originally as InstaBrand, rebranded to Open Influence) - **HQ**: Los Angeles, CA (8455 Beverly Blvd, Suite 300) - **Offices**: San Francisco, New York, Chicago, London, Milan, Hong Kong - **Model**: Hybrid — self-serve SaaS platform + managed agency services - **Clients**: Fortune 500 brands (50% of client base) including Uber, Google, Amazon, Mercedes-Benz, Disney, Chase, Subway, Fox, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, L'Oreal, Tinder, Etsy, Under Armour, P&G - **Scale**: 50+ countries, 92% client renewal rate - **Recognition**: Webby Awards, Inc. 5000, Drum Marketing Awards, Shorty Awards, YouTube Works Awards ### Platform capabilities #### AI-powered discovery - **Image recognition search** — searches visual elements in images, not just text/hashtags. Finds creators whose content aesthetically matches your brand even without keyword overlap. - **20M+ indexed keywords** — interests indexed for *engaged users only*, not just follower demographics - **Look-alike modeling** — find creators similar to ones you already know work - **Mood Board** — unified visual display grouping influencer aesthetics for brand alignment review - **Psychographic audience analysis** — goes beyond demographics to map interests, values, and content preferences - **Interactive geographical and topic maps** for influencer list exploration #### Campaign management - End-to-end execution — strategy, creator selection, negotiation, content creation, distribution, and reporting - Post-approval workflows and brand safety monitoring (millions of posts monitored) - Performance analytics with real-time reporting #### Paid media amplification - Strategic distribution of creator content as paid social ads - Cross-platform amplification (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Pinterest) - Extends reach beyond organic creator audiences #### Studio OI - Premium content production with creators and celebrity talent - Higher-production-value assets for brand campaigns - Can be used independently or as part of an influencer campaign #### Omnichannel strategies - Multi-channel activations beyond social: OOH (out-of-home), experiential marketing, events - Global execution across 50+ countries ### Pricing | Plan | Price | Searches/mo | Results/search | Key features | |---|---|---|---|---| | Basic | $50/mo | 50 | 20 | Basic discovery | | Pro | $100/mo | 150 | 50 | More searches, deeper results | | Premium | $500/mo | 500 | 1,500 | Image recognition, advanced filters | | Enterprise | Custom | Unlimited | Unlimited | Full campaign management, managed service | **Plan-gated features:** - Image recognition search requires Premium ($500/mo) or Enterprise - Campaign management tools only available on Enterprise - Agency/managed services require Enterprise or custom contract ### Integrations - **Social platforms**: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Pinterest - **CRM/other**: Not publicly documented — likely requires Enterprise or custom integration ### API No public API documented. Enterprise clients may have access to custom integrations — contact Open Influence sales for details. ## Step 4 — Actionable guidance Based on the user's question, provide specific next steps. For common scenarios: **Evaluating Open Influence:** - Best fit: enterprise brands (especially CPG, beauty, automotive, entertainment) that want agency-level service with technology backing - If you need self-serve discovery at scale → consider Modash or HypeAuditor instead (larger databases, more affordable) - If you need visual/aesthetic brand alignment → Open Influence's image recognition is genuinely differentiated - If you're under $500/mo budget → the Basic/Pro tiers offer limited value; look at Heepsy ($49/mo) or Afluencer (free) **Using the platform:** - Start with keyword-based searches, then use look-alike modeling to expand from your best performers - Use Mood Boards to visually pitch creator selections to internal stakeholders - Leverage image recognition (Premium+) to find creators whose visual style matches your brand guidelines **Managed vs self-serve:** - Self-serve (Basic-Premium): Discovery and research tool only — you still handle outreach, negotiation, contracts, content management - Managed (Enterprise): Full campaign execution — Open Influence team handles everything from strategy to reporting - Consider managed if: budget $50K+/campaign, need multi-market execution, want agency creative direction - Consider self-serve if: already have internal team, just need better discovery, budget-conscious ## Gotchas > *Best-effort from research — review these, especially items about plan-gated features and integration gotchas that may be outdated.* - **Basic/Pro plans offer minimal value** — 50-150 searches/mo with 20-50 results each is very limited compared to competitors. At $50-100/mo, Heepsy ($49/mo Starter), Modash ($199/mo), or even free tools give more capability. - **Image recognition is Premium-only** ($500/mo) — this is Open Influence's signature feature, but it's behind their most expensive self-serve tier. If this is your primary reason for choosing the platform, you're committing to $500/mo minimum. - **No public API** — can't build custom integrations or pull data into your existing tools without Enterprise/custom arrangement - **Campaign management requires Enterprise** — the self-serve tiers are discovery tools only. For actual campaign execution, you need Enterprise pricing (custom, likely $30K+/yr) - **Not on major review sites** — Open Influence doesn't have a presence on G2 or Capterra with user reviews, which makes independent evaluation harder - **Hybrid model can be confusing** — the SaaS pricing page suggests a self-serve product, but the company primarily operates as an agency. Set expectations accordingly. - **Database size not publicly stated** — unlike competitors who advertise profile counts (Modash 350M+, HypeAuditor 223M+), Open Influence doesn't publish their database size - **Post-campaign reporting lacks audience demographic insights** (per reviews) — you get performance metrics but may not see who actually engaged - **Self-improving**: If you discover something not covered here, append it to `references/learnings.md` with today's date. ## Related skills - `/sales-influencer-marketing` — Influencer marketing strategy across all platforms — choosing platforms, discovery workflows, vetting, outreach, ROI measurement - `/sales-viralnation` — Viral Nation — enterprise influencer agency + SaaS, CreatorOS campaign management, Secure AI brand safety, talent representation (competitor) - `/sales-neoreach` — NeoReach — enterprise influencer marketing with API and managed services (competitor) - `/sales-creatoriq` — CreatorIQ — enterprise influencer OS with Creator Graph and SafeIQ - `/sales-hypeauditor` — HypeAuditor — AI-powered fraud detection and influencer analytics (223M+ profiles) - `/sales-modash` — Modash — Shopify-focused influencer marketing (350M+ profiles, lowest entry price) - `/sales-retargeting` — Paid media strategy for amplifying content - `/sales-do` — Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill. Install: `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-do` ## Examples **Example 1: Enterprise brand evaluating Open Influence** > User: "I'm a beauty brand doing $50M+ revenue. We want to work with 100+ creators across Instagram and TikTok. Is Open Influence right for us?" Open Influence is a strong fit for your profile — they specialize in Fortune 500 beauty brands and offer managed campaign execution at scale. Key advantages: image recognition for finding creators whose visual aesthetic matches your brand, multi-market execution (50+ countries), and paid media amplification to extend creator content reach. Go directly to Enterprise tier — the self-serve plans aren't designed for your scale. Expect pricing in the $30K-100K+/yr range for managed services. Compare against CreatorIQ (stronger data/API) and NeoReach (larger discovery database with IMV analytics) before committing. **Example 2: Small brand on a budget** > User: "I have a $2K/mo budget for influencer marketing. Should I use Open Influence?" Open Influence is not the best fit at your budget. The Basic ($50/mo) and Pro ($100/mo) plans are very limited — few searches, small result sets, no image recognition, no campaign tools. You'd get better value from Modash ($199/mo, 350M+ profiles, Shopify integration), Heepsy ($49/mo, 11M+ profiles, marketplace), or Hypefy (no subscription, pay per campaign). If you need agency-level support, consider inBeat (managed from $1K/mo) or Afluencer Concierge ($199/mo). **Example 3: Using image recognition for brand alignment** > User: "I need to find influencers whose content has a minimalist, earth-tone aesthetic. How does Open Influence's image recognition work?" You'll need the Premium plan ($500/mo) for image recognition. The AI analyzes visual elements in creator content — colors, composition, style — and matches against your brand's aesthetic profile. Start by uploading reference images or describing the visual style. The system finds creators whose content aesthetically aligns even without matching keywords/hashtags. Combine with look-alike modeling: once you find 2-3 creators whose style matches, use them as seeds to discover more. Use Mood Boards to group results visually for stakeholder review. Note: this feature is genuinely differentiated — most competitors (Modash, HypeAuditor, Heepsy) rely on keyword/filter search only. Aspire also has image recognition but requires a ~$2,300/mo commitment. ## Troubleshooting ### Basic/Pro plan feels too limited **Symptom**: Running out of searches quickly, results too few per query **Cause**: Low-tier plans are designed as entry points, not power tools **Solution**: Upgrade to Premium ($500/mo) for 500 searches and 1,500 results per search, plus image recognition. Or evaluate Modash ($199/mo) or HypeAuditor ($299/mo) which offer more generous self-serve tiers. ### Can't find enough relevant creators **Symptom**: Keyword searches return too few or irrelevant results **Cause**: Database may not cover your niche, or search terms too specific **Solution**: Use broader interest keywords first, then filter. Try look-alike modeling from known good creators. If on Premium, use image recognition for visual-match discovery. Consider supplementing with a larger-database platform (Modash 350M+ or HypeAuditor 223M+). ### Unclear on agency vs platform pricing **Symptom**: Website shows $50-500/mo pricing but sales team quotes much higher **Cause**: The SaaS plans are discovery-only; managed campaigns are priced separately **Solution**: Self-serve discovery: $50-500/mo per the pricing page. Managed campaign services: custom pricing, typically $30K+/yr for enterprise. If you want the full Open Influence experience (strategy, execution, reporting), you need the managed service tier. If you just need discovery, the self-serve plans work — but evaluate whether competitors offer more for the price.