Influencer Marketing

Instructions

Build and manage authentic influencer partnerships that drive brand awareness, engagement, and conversions. Apply systematic discovery, vetting, and measurement processes to every partnership.

Discovery Framework

Identify potential creators through a structured funnel:

1. Define campaign objectives — awareness, engagement, traffic, conversions, or content creation
2. Map the niche — identify the content categories, communities, and platforms where the target audience lives
3. Set tier criteria — decide whether nano (1K–10K), micro (10K–100K), mid-tier (100K–500K), macro (500K–1M), or mega (1M+) creators fit the campaign goals and budget
4. Source candidates — use platform search, influencer databases, competitor audits, hashtag exploration, and community recommendations
5. Build a shortlist — 3–5x the number of creators needed to account for declines and negotiation fallout

Vetting Checklist

Evaluate every candidate against these criteria before outreach:

• Audience demographics — age, location, gender, interests match the target market
• Engagement rate — benchmark by platform: Instagram 1–3%, TikTok 3–6%, YouTube 2–4% (rates above benchmark suggest authentic engagement; well below suggests bot activity)
• Follower authenticity — check for sudden follower spikes, low comment quality, or engagement/follower ratio anomalies
• Content quality — production value, consistency, brand voice alignment
• Brand safety — review past 6 months of content for controversial statements, competitor partnerships, or values misalignment
• Past partnerships — how they’ve represented other brands, disclosure compliance, professional reputation
• Exclusivity conflicts — active partnerships with direct competitors

Outreach and Negotiation

• Personalize every outreach — reference specific content you admire; explain why this partnership makes sense for both sides
• Lead with value — describe what the creator gains beyond payment (audience exposure, product access, long-term relationship)
• Be transparent about expectations — deliverables, timeline, usage rights, exclusivity, and compensation
• Negotiation levers: content volume, usage rights scope, exclusivity duration, payment timing (upfront vs. milestone), and performance bonuses

Campaign Brief Template

Every campaign brief should include:

1. Brand overview — company, product, positioning, target audience
2. Campaign objective — the specific goal (awareness, traffic, sales) with a measurable target
3. Key messages — 2–3 talking points the creator must include; avoid scripting exact language
4. Deliverables — format, platform, quantity, and timeline (e.g., “2 Instagram Reels + 1 Story series, delivered by March 15”)
5. Creative direction — mood, visual style, dos and don’ts; include reference examples
6. Disclosure requirements — FTC-compliant language and placement
7. Approval process — draft submission deadline, review turnaround time, revision limits
8. Compensation — flat fee, commission, product, or hybrid; payment terms and timeline
9. Usage rights — where and how long the brand can repurpose the content
10. Exclusivity — competitor categories and duration

FTC Compliance

Non-negotiable requirements for all influencer content:

• Clear and conspicuous disclosure — “#ad” or “#sponsored” must appear early and prominently (not buried in hashtags)
• Platform-native tools — use Instagram’s “Paid partnership” label, YouTube’s “Includes paid promotion” checkbox, TikTok’s branded content toggle
• No misleading claims — creators cannot make unsubstantiated product claims
• Honest experience — creators should only endorse products they’ve actually used
• Gifted products — still require disclosure even without monetary compensation
• Stories and ephemeral content — disclosure required on every story frame, not just the first

Content Approval Workflow

1. Creator submits draft content by the agreed deadline
2. Brand reviews within 24–48 hours (respect creator timelines)
3. Provide specific, actionable feedback — avoid vague notes like “make it better”
4. Limit to 1–2 revision rounds (specify in contract)
5. Written approval before publishing
6. Verify disclosure compliance before giving final approval

Performance Metrics

Metric	What It Measures	When to Prioritize
Reach	Total unique viewers	Awareness campaigns
Impressions	Total content views	Awareness campaigns
Engagement rate	Likes + comments + saves / reach	Community building
Link clicks / CTR	Traffic driven	Traffic campaigns
Conversions	Purchases, sign-ups, downloads	Performance campaigns
EMV (Earned Media Value)	Media-equivalent value of organic reach	ROI justification
Cost per engagement	Total spend / engagements	Budget efficiency
Content quality score	Subjective 1–5 rating of creative output	Content library building

Micro vs. Macro Strategy

• Micro-influencers (10K–100K): Higher engagement rates, more authentic audience relationships, lower cost per engagement, better for niche targeting and community building
• Macro-influencers (500K+): Broader reach, stronger brand association, better for launches and awareness, higher production value
• Blended approach: Use macro creators for campaign anchors and micro creators for volume and authenticity

Relationship Management

• Treat creators as partners, not vendors
• Pay on time, every time
• Share campaign results with creators — they care about performance too
• Build long-term relationships — repeat partnerships outperform one-offs
• Create a creator community or ambassador program for top performers

Examples

Creator vetting report: Platform handle, follower count, average engagement rate, audience demographic breakdown, content style summary, brand safety notes, recommended partnership tier, and estimated rate range.

Campaign brief: One-page document with brand context, campaign objective, 3 key messages, deliverable specs (format/platform/quantity/timeline), creative dos and don’ts, FTC disclosure requirements, compensation terms, and approval deadlines.

Performance report: Campaign summary, total reach and impressions, engagement metrics by creator, conversion data with attribution, cost per result, EMV calculation, top-performing content with screenshots, and recommendations for future campaigns.