People trust a recommendation from someone they follow more than an ad from a company. That’s what influencer marketing is built on. But before you send out your first package of products, it pays to know who to choose, how to set up the partnership and how to find out whether it brought you anything. That’s exactly what you’ll find in this article.
What influencer marketing is
Influencer marketing is a partnership between a business and a person who has an audience on social media and whose word carries weight with that audience. It doesn’t have to be a celebrity – often it’s an expert, a local personality or an enthusiast for a specific topic. The business gives them a product, a service or a fee, and they tell their followers about it in their own way.
It works because the recommendation comes from a person, not a brand. But if you choose the wrong influencer, you’re paying for reach among people who aren’t interested in your product at all.
Trends worth following
- Smaller creators instead of celebrities. Micro and nano influencers have smaller but more engaged audiences. For a local business, they’re often a better choice than famous faces.
- Long-term partnerships. A single post gets lost fast. When an influencer uses and mentions your product repeatedly, it comes across as trustworthy.
- Authenticity and transparency. Audiences can spot a script. It works better when creators speak in their own words – including about what they’d improve in the product.
- Short video. Reels, TikTok and stories that show the product in real use.
- Experts in B2B. If you sell to businesses, people from the industry carry more weight than lifestyle influencers. Read more in our article on why personal brands and experts on LinkedIn make the difference in B2B.
Where to find influencers
- among your own customers and followers – they’re often the most convincing,
- through hashtags and locations related to your industry or town,
- in the comments under posts from similar brands,
- at events and in local communities.
Someone who already knows and likes your brand recommends it more convincingly than someone hearing about you for the first time. So start close to home and only then reach out to creators you don’t know.
How to choose the right influencer
The audience matters more than the follower count
Find out who follows the influencer: where those people are from, how old they are, what they’re interested in. Ask for screenshots of audience insights straight from the app. If you sell in the Prešov region and most of their followers are from another region or country, big reach won’t help you.
Check engagement
Look at how many people react to regular posts, not just giveaways. Read the comments – are they real conversations, or just emoji and “awesome”? You can quickly calculate the engagement rate with our Instagram engagement rate calculator.
Values and style have to fit
Go through the influencer’s content from the past few months. How do they communicate, what do they promote, how do they handle criticism? If they recommend your product today and a competitor’s next week, credibility is gone for both of you.
Check their previous partnerships
Ask about results they can back up and, if you can, talk to a business they’ve worked with. A good creator will share the numbers, because they know their next job depends on them.
Red flags
- a sudden jump in followers for no obvious reason,
- lots of followers but only a few reactions to posts,
- comments that repeat or have nothing to do with the content,
- too many sponsored posts one right after another.
How to set up a partnership: a practical approach
- Set a goal. Awareness of a new location, sales of a specific product or sign-ups for an event – each goal is measured differently.
- Prepare a brief. What the product is, who it’s for, what must be said and what mustn’t. Leave the format to the creator – they know their audience better than you do.
- Put the agreement in writing. The number and format of deliverables, deadlines, compensation, rights to use the content in ads and disclosure rules.
- Give the creator time to try the product. Nothing replaces an honest experience.
- Prepare a trackable link or code. Every influencer should have their own discount code and a link with UTM parameters – tags that tell you in analytics where a visitor came from.
- Evaluate and decide whether to continue. Build long-term relationships with the ones who deliver.
How to measure results
- reach and impressions of the posts,
- reactions, saves and shares,
- website visits from a specific link,
- discount code uses and orders,
- growth in searches for your brand and new followers.
Reach is a nice number, but a business is judged by orders and inquiries. We explain why you shouldn’t be fooled by numbers that just look good in our article Why likes don’t pay the bills.
The legal and ethical minimum
A paid partnership has to be clearly labeled as advertising. On Instagram, there’s a paid partnership label for this, but the disclosure should also be clear in the caption or right in the video. It’s not just about money – a free product counts as compensation too. Transparency protects both your brand and the influencer, and audiences usually appreciate it more than hidden advertising.
Frequently asked questions
How much does working with an influencer cost?
There’s no single price. It depends on the size and quality of the audience, the number and format of deliverables, and whether you want to use the content in ads. Smaller creators often work in exchange for products, while bigger ones have their own rate card.
Is one big influencer better, or several smaller ones?
For a small, local business, usually several smaller ones – they reach a more precise audience and spread the risk. A big name makes sense when you need to reach a broad audience fast.
How do I spot fake followers?
Compare the follower count with reactions to regular posts, read the comments and check whether the follower count jumped suddenly. Also ask for audience insights straight from the app.
Does a partnership have to be disclosed even if the influencer only got a product?
Yes. A free product is compensation too, so the partnership has to be clearly labeled as an ad or a paid partnership.
An influencer partnership needs a solid foundation
An influencer brings people in, but they’ll look at your profile and website. We’ll help you set up your social media content and ads so the partnership has something to build on and can be measured. See how we do social media marketing.
