Gathering around a table with a cocktail, a nice glass of wine, or a simple glass of whiskey is part of many cultures and social activities, bringing people together for centuries. When compiling our recent State of Influence for Spirits, Beer and Wine, I had the pleasure of discovering thousands of beverage influencers publishing content on the best bars, drink recipes and wines.
Here are some of the most interesting influencers that influencer marketers in the beverage space should keep an eye on. They all have different personas, audiences’ sizes, content types, interests; and, each brings their special touch. Drink up my recommendations and feel free to share your own!
Emerging Sippers
While the definition of emerging influencer depends on the industry, for the purposes of our State of Influence report for this sector, we defined emerging influencers as those with less than 80,000 followers. But don’t be fooled by small numbers–their audience resonates with their niche expertise and remains highly engaged in their trusted content.
John Craven
- Where to find him: @bevnetcraven
- Audience size: 17K
- Top themes: Cocktails, Spirits & Beer
- Why you should follow him: For amazing Negronis! Last year, his content mentioning negronis received 14.8K engagements and an impressive engagement rate of 5.56%, positioning him as top performer for content related to this type of beverage.
Amber Desilets
- Where to find her: @pinkmillennial_
- Audience size: 77K
- Top themes: Fashion, Cocktails, Champagne
- Why you should follow her: Amber is unique and she offers you the opportunity to escape from typical drinking spots by stepping in a pleasant atmosphere. Following her is like traveling to a different world where everything looks more colorful, brighter and funnier.
Jacques Lacombe
- Where to find him: @jacqueslacombe.vin
- Audience size: 21K
- Top theme: Wine
- Why you should follow him: He’s the perfect wine adviser and his content related to wine received 254K engagements in 2018, which is considerable given his audience size and the diversity of his content.
Mid-Tier Influencers on a Quest for the Finest
Mid-tier influencers are a coveted group to work with because they have larger audiences, but might not be as thirsty as a macro influencer in terms of compensation.
Jenny Bullistron
- Where to find her: @thethirstyfeast
- Audience size: 180K
- Top themes: Beverage, Food
- Why you should follow her: Her content focuses on tempting homemade recipes. She knows how to make you want to make your own drinks, and thus impress your entourage.
Pierre-Olivier Beaudoin
- Where to find him: @pobeaudoin
- Audience size: 170K
- Top themes: Champagne, Wine & Travel
- Why you should follow him: He’s the top mid-tier influencer with 32.5K engagements for his content mentioning Champagne brand Moët & Chandon in 2018.
Rachel Martino
- Where to find her: @rachmartino
- Audience size: 600k
- Top themes: Beauty, Fashion & Beer
- Why you should follow her: She’s passionate about fashion. However, being a stylish woman doesn’t mean you can’t like beer! Rachel is the top french beer influencer with 13K engagements on her content mentioning Stella Artois.
Macro Influencers: The Grand Cru
Macro influencers are characterized as having a large number of followers, ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions. Some even rival celebrities and have become household names. Given that campaigns with these influencers often involve significant investment, it’s even more important to select the right influencer to work with to ensure your brand is reaching the right audience.
Vicky Pattison
- Where to find her: @vickypattison
- Audience size: 7M
- Top themes: Music, Media, Sparkling wine
- Why you should follow her: Her content mentioning drinks received more than 2M engagements last year! Quite impressive!
Jamie Oliver
- Where to find him: @jamieoliver
- Audience size: 21.2M
- Top themes: food, cocktails, spirits
- Why you should follow him: Jamie is a British chef, restaurateur, businessman and probably the person to follow if you’re looking for expert advice. He may be known for foodie content, however, his content related to spirits received 328K engagements last year. He will make pairing your food and drinks easier!
Julie Resnick
- Where to find him: @thefeedfeed.cocktails
- Audience size: 1.6M
- Top theme: Cocktails
- Why you should follow her: Her content on cocktails gets exceptional results with 611K engagements in 2018.
The One That Caught My Eye:
Le Cocktail Connoisseur
- Where to find them: @lecocktailconnoisseur
- Audience size: 14K
- Top themes: Cocktails, Bars & Bartenders
- Why you should follow them: They’re two cocktails lovers who travel all over the world to show you the best cocktails and bars. They’re also known for their creative direction, always taking photos of cocktails from a bird’s eye view.
With Traackr, you can structure your influencer marketing initiatives for success, build relationships with your influential community and analyze the results of your collaborations. To dig deeper into influencer trends in the beverage industry, download our State of Influence: Spirts, Beer & Wine report and contact us to learn more about how Traackr can support your programs.
Cheers!