For everyday folk, posting a social media review of a brand is akin to free advertising.

Since we're not influencers, we're fine with not getting reimbursed for our efforts and troubles.

But what if there was a way to turn your reviews into money and all you need is your phone and a social media account? If that sounds enticing to you, then Partipost is the mobile app you should be using.

Simply put, Partipost is a platform that allows anyone to get paid for sharing about the brands they love.

Yes, we know it sounds incredulous, but before you swipe left on the idea like a catfishing dating profile, co-founder Jonathan Eg wants you to know that the app was really made to be accessible to anyone, from students and housewives to regular folks enjoying a delicious meal.

You see, word of mouth is a powerful tool - just a simple recommendation from a trusted source, like friends and family, will be enough to make or break that Burpple or Google review for people.

And that was how Jonathan, an electrical engineering graduate from the University of Illinois, and co-founders Ben Ramli and Tony Jen, discovered an opportunity in 2016 to make some money from the food posts that their friends publish .

Jonathan explained: "Partipost's origin story started with seeing not only our friends but everyone around us being so passionate about social media.

"While one of our friends was taking pictures of the food at a restaurant before we ate, we realised if we posted the picture of the food, we were actually advertising the food for that restaurant. Then that led to thinking if we could be paid money for it. The idea stuck in our minds for months until finally we decided to act on our idea and start Partipost."

According to Jonathan, Partipost wants to enable everyone to have genuine voices that can influence the world. Hence, unlike other similar services, the minimum number of followers you need to participate in a Partipost campaign is much lower.

Jonathan said: "With Partipost, even with 200 followers, there are campaigns that you'd be eligible for. Some might wonder how can someone with just 200 followers be an influencer? Their influence lies in their friends and family who follow them on social media."

Even I became an 'influencer'

I took a stab at joining the 'club' and registration was simple. After downloading the app and booting it up on my phone, I was taken through a registration process that included listing details about my social media account - like my account handle, which platform I'm using, number of followers, and the demography of my followers.

The app even allows you to select your interests - such as technology, fashion, fitness, food, childcare, nightlife, social causes - so the system can match you with the relevant campaigns. Partipost also takes into account your home, work, and hang-out location to further curate the campaigns that would be most suitable for you.

Once I was registered, I headed to the Campaigns page to browse the list of available campaigns to participate in.

Upon selecting a specific campaign, you'll be brought to a page that lists the payout you're entitled to (upon successful completion of the campaign), the aim of the campaign, requirements, terms and conditions, the task(s) required, and the deadline.

For product- and food-related campaigns, you'll be required to purchase the item and show proof of purchase in addition to your social media post.

Campaign instructions are laid out in a way that is easy to read - especially the important details - and comprehensive enough for the layman.

No surprises there, as the founders are aware that the layman won't be savvy with traditional briefs and industry-speak. Jonathan explained: "On our end, we try to make the brief as easy to understand as possible and we're also constantly pushing out education to help these users out by sharing resources with them on how they can improve their content."

Once your post is approved by the brand, you can share it on social media and wait for the monies to start rolling in. If you want to cash out your earnings, it's just a simple tap away after adding your bank account details.

'First 10 brands rejected us'

The app has been available since 2018 and has seen success in Singapore, Indonesia and Taiwan, with over 343,000 users onboard and more than 1,200 brands, including Kellogg's, GongCha, Pokka, Pepsi, ShopBack and Chope.

To date, the highest amount a Partipost user has earned is $14,600 from more than 300 campaigns over a period of close to three years.

However, the app did not receive a warm welcome in its initial stages as Jonathan revealed that most of the pushback came from brands they were wooing to come aboard.

"The first 10 brands I approached rejected me outright, and it wasn't until I decided to run a campaign for a 50 per cent discount that the first brand worked with us," he said. Jonathan cited this as an ongoing challenge but revealed that brands that took the leap of faith found that the app achieves their "marketing objectives" and have stayed on with Partipost.

Creating Partipost was also a leap of faith on the part of the founders, who had to give up their jobs and invest their own money, but it seems to be paying off as they've heard that "certain influencer agencies" see the app as a "potential threat".

However, Jonathan isn't too bothered by it as he believes the app will be able to co-exist alongside established influencers as it services the nano-influencers in the market and automates the process for them.

He explained: "Traditionally, influencers are also spending a lot of time going back and forth with brands on campaign briefs, rates, and deliverables. Partipost is a platform that manages all of that. Everything is clearly stated, deliverables are uploaded directly to the app, there are deadline reminders, and payout is also done directly via the app within a certain period of time."

As a testament to the fact that the app and the concept work, Jonathan revealed that since the launch of Partipost, they've seen a year-on-year growth in users and brands across the three markets they're currently in. Moving forward, they aim to expand into markets with heavy social media usage like Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

"Our app will definitely have to adapt to the surge in downloads that we are expected to have. Most of our plans are secret for now, but we have great features coming out and we're launching several countries for sure in the next five years!"

You can find out more information about Partipost here and you can download the app here.

This article was brought to you in partnership with Partipost.

bryanlim@asiaone.com

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