Influencer Marketing: What It Is, How It Works, and Why It’s So Powerful

Influencer marketing has evolved from a trendy tactic into a mainstream, measurable strategy for brands of all sizes.

With social media audiences becoming more niche, content creators gaining more trust than traditional ads, and AI transforming how we work, now is the time to refresh your approach.

Whether you're just getting started or refining your current influencer strategy, this guide covers everything you need to know in 2025—from types of influencers to campaign planning, outreach, and performance tracking.

What is influencer marketing?

Influencer marketing is a type of social media marketing where brands collaborate with individuals—aka influencers—who have established credibility and an engaged audience within a niche.

Rather than speaking directly to customers, brands tap into an influencer’s voice to reach their audience in a more relatable, trusted, and creative way.

These collaborations can take many forms:

• Sponsored posts and videos

• Product reviews or unboxings

• Livestream events or giveaways

• Long-form collaborations like tutorials or newsletters

What are the benefits of influencer marketing?

Done right, influencer marketing can deliver better results than traditional ads. Here’s why:

1. Authenticity builds trust

Audiences see influencers as peers, not brands—making their recommendations more credible. And seeing how being authentic is one of the leading social media trends, you should double down on it.

2. Better engagement

Influencers often have higher engagement rates than brand accounts, especially in niche communities.

3. Targeted reach

Work with influencers whose audience matches your ideal customer profile. That way you will raise the right kind of awareness and improve your social media reach.

4. Cost-effective (especially micro-influencers)

You don’t need a huge budget to make an impact—smaller influencers often have more loyal followers and affordable rates.

5. Boosted content creation

Influencers double as content creators, producing assets you can repurpose across ads, emails, and your own social channels. And don't forget that Instagram has Collaborative posts, which means that, when applied, their posts will show on your profile, too.

What is UGC in influencer marketing?

UGC (User-Generated Content) refers to original content—such as videos, photos, or reviews—created by customers or influencers rather than the brand.

In influencer marketing, UGC is gold:

• It feels real and unscripted

• It’s often more relatable and persuasive than branded content

• You can repurpose it across your social platforms, paid campaigns, and product pages

Types of influencers: Micro vs. macro vs. celebrity

One of the most important decisions in influencer marketing is who to work with. Not all influencers are created equal—and bigger isn’t always better.

How much does influencer marketing cost?

Influencer pricing in 2025 varies widely depending on the platform, audience size, content format, and exclusivity terms. There is no universal pricing model—most rates are negotiated individually—but general benchmarks do exist.

According to Influencer Marketing Hub and Shopify, here’s what brands can expect to pay per post across major platforms:

Other cost factors to keep in mind:

• Exclusivity clauses – Preventing influencers from working with competitors raises the price.

• Usage rights – Reposting influencer content as paid ads or branded content typically costs extra.

• Campaign length – Long-term ambassadorships can be more cost-effective than one-offs.

• Platform matters – YouTube videos tend to cost more than Instagram or TikTok posts due to higher production value and longer viewer retention.

📊 Pro tip: Don’t just look at the follower count—always evaluate cost against expected reach, content quality, and the influencer’s engagement rate. A micro-influencer with high trust in a niche market may outperform a macro-influencer with passive followers.

How to build an influencer marketing campaign (step-by-step)

A successful influencer campaign starts with strategy. If you're looking for the full process, bookmark our 10-step guide to influencer campaigns. Here's a quick overview:

1. Set your goals – Awareness, traffic, UGC, or conversions?

2. Know your audience – What influencers do they trust and follow?

3. Pick the right platforms – Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn?

4. Choose influencer types – Micro, macro, or a mix?

5. Find influencers – Use tools, hashtags, and competitor research

6. Reach out – Personalize your pitch. Start via DM or email.

7. Define deliverables – Be clear about what’s expected

8. Measure performance – Track KPIs like engagement and ROI

9. Repurpose content – Turn influencer posts into social proof

10. Build long-term relationships – The best results come from repeat partnerships

Influencer outreach in 2025 (and how ChatGPT can help)

Influencer outreach is a crucial part of the process—and it’s changed a lot in recent years. Cold emails alone don’t cut it anymore. It’s all about relationship-building at scale.

In our updated influencer outreach guide, we break down how to:

• Use ChatGPT to draft personalized messages, subject lines, and follow-ups

• Identify collaboration formats that fit the influencer's style

• Warm up the relationship through social engagement before sending a pitch

• Use prompts like:

  “Write a friendly, 100-word outreach email to a micro-influencer in the wellness niche. Offer free product + affiliate commission.”

Be versatile: Collaboration formats that influencers actually want

No two influencers are the same. Some love sponsored reels, others prefer long-form video. And some are excited about an email giveaway that delivers value to their subscribers.

Offer flexible collaboration options like:

• Social media shoutouts or product tags

• Tutorial or unboxing videos

• Story takeovers or livestreams

• Blog features or affiliate programs

• Newsletter content or email giveaways

Tailor your outreach to include options—and always ask for their input. The best collabs feel co-created.

What is an influencer manager?

An influencer manager is someone—either in-house or freelance—who oversees all influencer collaborations for a brand or client. Their responsibilities may include:

• Identifying and vetting influencers

• Managing outreach and contracts

• Briefing and communicating with influencers

• Coordinating campaign timelines and deliverables

• Monitoring performance and reporting results

Think of them as the bridge between brand and creator. If you're running more than 3–5 campaigns a year, having an influencer manager can save time and ensure consistency.

How to track influencer performance

Influencer campaigns are no longer guesswork. You can (and should) track:

• Impressions & reach – How many people saw the content?

• Engagement – Likes, comments, saves, shares

• Traffic & clicks – Did they drive visits to your site?

• Conversions – Did they generate leads or sales?

• ROI – Was the investment worth it?

Once you've created a collection of best-performing influencer campaign posts, you can easily add them to Sendible's Smart Queues and automate their republishing across your social media platforms as evergreen content.