Victorian Government entities should vet potential influencers/content creators (and ambassadors) thoroughly (or, if you are using the services of a media agency, ensure the agency does this) to ensure they are an appropriate choice for government communications.
The vetting and due diligence process for engaging an influencer or content creator without agency representation should include, but not be limited to, the following:
- Content and reputation vetting: Review the influencer's or content creator's publicly available content from the preceding 6 to 12 months to identify any material that may be controversial, inconsistent with the entity's values, or otherwise present reputational risks.
- Vetting of previous partnerships: Examine prior commercial collaborations and sponsorship arrangements to determine whether they align with your entity's objectives, values and target audience, and to assess the effectiveness and engagement levels of those partnerships. Check for potential conflicts of interest, political affiliations, past criminal activity or reputational risk to the Victorian Government.
- Verification and vetting of audience metrics: Obtain evidence of account performance, such as a screen recording or screenshots from the influencer's analytics dashboard, to verify audience demographics, engagement rates, reach and other relevant performance metrics.
Victorian Government entities must avoid engaging influencers who:
- engage in risky, unhealthy, illegal or undesirable activities (such as smoking, promoting extreme dieting or taking illicit substances)
- post or express views that are racist, sexist, or homophobic
- bully people
- make jokes at the expense of vulnerable or marginalised people
- are associated with organisations or causes that may cause reputational or legal risk
- are (or have been) involved in public controversies or are openly political
- work with brands that conflict with your entity’s values or your campaign’s key message
- refuse to meet requirements to ethically and consistently disclose the nature of the influencer relationship, and other conflicts of interest.
You may choose to add other criteria to vet influencers that are not suitable for your campaign.
Updated