Influencer marketing has proven to be one of the effective and sustainable marketing channels for both large and small brands. When executed well, it increases exposure, credibility, sales, customer loyalty, user-generated content, social followings, virality, search rankings, and so much more. Unlike more traditional forms of marketing, influencer marketing is a little messier. Brands are dealing with millions of individual influencers as opposed to one platform (like Google Adwords where you pay a certain amount and guaranteed clicks come out the other side). So, if you're one of those brands who feels like a fish out of water, not to worry, we got your back! We did the legwork for you by going straight to the experts (40 PR professional ninjas, to be exact) on how to role out campaigns that knock socks off! You're welcome.

2. Influencer Marketing has proven to be
one of the most effective marketing
channels for large and small brands.
Unlike more traditional forms of
marketing though, it can be a little
messy at times.
So, we did the legwork for you by going
straight to the experts (40 PR
professional ninjas, to be exact) on
how to roll out campaigns that
knock socks off!

3. What’s the best way to
find the right bloggers for your
influencer marketing campaigns?
QUESTION #1

4. Research on social media is a great way to find talent. Find out who works
with them and how credible their campaigns are. Are they engaging? If you
are starting a new campaign it makes the most sense to source a media kit
from the blogger. Bloggers are becoming more and more savvy in working
with brands and understand that PRs need a snapshot of their reach,
demographics and regional influencers for both their websites and social
platforms. We also are constantly using our networks and asking our
influencers who they would recommend.
Christine Faulhaber
Faulhaber Communications
@faulhabercomm

5. The best way to find the right bloggers is to search
for them on social media. Both their style and past
collaborations and social media presence plays a
huge part in ultimately deciding if they are the
perfect fit for my clients brand. Upon listing the
bloggers who fit the criteria, I reach out to them, first
to ask if they like to collaborate with my client and I
provide them my clients background and media kit.
Upon confirmation of a mutual interest, we move
forward with a collaboration that will benefit both
the designer and the blogger.
Laura Perez
By Laura PR
@bylaurapr

6. Chevy Donato
Now + Zen Public Relations
@chevydonato + @NowZenPR
There are a few ways to find the right bloggers for influencer marketing campaigns. To decide what is best
you must first understand your client’s goals. Some brands rely on blogger images as a source of content
to use on their own social media channels. In this case, the only solution is researching blogs and social
media channels to find bloggers that are an organic fit for the brand. It also helps to monitor other brands
that share the demographic and style of your client. You can usually find likeminded bloggers featured
that would be a good fit for your client as well.
Many times the main goal of a client is to drive traffic to their website and converting the traffic into sales.
I have found success in sending creative gift packages to a hand picked group of bloggers and gauging the
results from the gifting effort. There is risk involved, but if a client has ample product to spare, it is worth
it. You can learn a lot regarding the bloggers work ethic, editorial content and engagement by simply
gifting with no guarantees. Then, when it is time to invest in a campaign, you can use those results to
decide which is the best blogger to compensate.

7. The best way to find bloggers for
influencer marketing campaigns is to
connect with them offline and really
get to know them. We frequently
host blogger mixers and events so
that we can find out who is writing
about topics that align with the
brands we work with and how we can
best facilitate the content generation
process.
Sydney Mintle
Gossip & Glamour
@GossipGlamour

8. Reva C.J.
Milan Media Group
@thepr_doll + @MilanMediaGroup
I use all of my resources to stay
knowledgeable about the best
established bloggers as well as the
emerging ones but social media has
been one of the biggest aids in locating
potential influencers. I choose bloggers
based on how well they align with the
client's brand and whose primary focus
and audience is the same as the client's.

9. The best way to find the right
bloggers is through previous
experience, lists from services
that provide contact information
and from researching the field
that is appropriate with the
marketing campaign.
Harris Theophanous
PR 360 Global @pr360global

10. We use a handful of
proprietary tools to find our
influencers. Additionally we
do a lot of Instagram
searching (we could spend
forever on Instagram!), we use
Bloglovin', a simple Google
search, Cision, referrals from
other Influencers, among
other software platforms.
Ali Grant
Be Social
@besocialpr

11. It seems like there are thousands of new bloggers popping up on our radar every month and not only in
the fashion space, but expanding in numerous different categories like home design, food, eco, travel,
and more. With that comes an exciting opportunity to partner with influencers on marketing
campaigns that can increase the exposure for clients across a broad landscape, and with that it is your
job as a publicist to filter and edit the “right” blogger that will appeal to the demographic of your client
and result in a successful partnership. At The Vanguard PR we specialize in working with clients in the
social good and sustainability space and find that the most effective way to seek out influencers is
through social media. On an hourly basis, we have our team of assistants coming through Instagram
posts of online outlets like style.com and Who What Wear, as well as paying close attention to what
bloggers the high profile media outlets like Vogue, Bazaar, etc are posting and promoting on their
Instagram. That way we know when we go to pitch a client an idea about a potential collaboration with
blogger XYZ, we are already coming to the table armed with insight on why this would be a successful
partnership and which media would be interested in the news.
KristinAnn Janishefski
Vanguard PR
@VANGUARDPR

12. There are a handful of companies, like the Shelf, that exist to bridge
the gap between campaign opportunities and influencers. A business
willing to invest the time can also put together a contact list on their
own by searching with the keywords on Google, Instagram and
Twitter. One of my favorite strategies is to find a blogger who is a fit,
and ask her to recommend others in her space that she thinks would
be a fit for the project.
Crosby Nicks
PR Couture
@prcouture

13. We've used a number of platforms such as Vocus
and Meltwater that cover both traditional media
and influencers. We've also worked directly with
individuals that have an influencer database of
maybe only several hundred, or a few thousand.
This tends to be a tightly integrated community,
excited to help spark conversations, each with a
unique voice. Working with smaller groups help
streamline our work processes, keep brand
messages consistent and allow client budgets go a
longer way.
Elena Verlee
Cross Border &
PR in your Pajamas
@elenaverlee

14. The right blogger for an influencer campaign is the one you already know will rock it. So the
best way to find them is to already have them in your head (and/or Rolodex).
Influential bloggers gained their influence by establishing trust with their audiences. When
you approach a blogger about an influencer campaign, you’re asking them to ask their audience
to trust you, too. That’s an extraordinary ask. And it can come across as a little skeevy if the ask
is coming from a stranger.
Don’t wait for a campaign to come up to establish relationships with influencers. Get working
on those relationships now so that when the time comes, you’ll know who’s suited for what, and
who’s interested.
Paul Balcerak
Curator PR
@curatorpr

15. Malania
Dela Cruz
Dela Cruz PR
@delacruzpr
We take a few things into consideration when
looking for a blogger to work with for a specific
campaign. Their reach, demographic, along with
style of their content are all part of the criteria we
look at when aligning with an influencer. We have
a solid list of bloggers who we've built strong
relationships with over the years and will usually
choose from that pool, however, at times we do
work with agencies that represent a variety of
online influencers to find the right fit for a
collaboration.

16. Research on social media is a great way to find talent. Find out who works
with them and how credible their campaigns are. Are they engaging? If you
are starting a new campaign it makes the most sense to source a media kit
from the blogger. Bloggers are becoming more and more savvy in working
with brands and understand that PRs need a snapshot of their reach,
demographics and regional influencers for both their websites and social
platforms. We also are constantly using our networks and asking our
influencers who they would recommend.
Howard Ruben
Howard Ruben Communications, Inc.
@howardruben

17. It’s our experience that face to face
interaction works best when activating
a marketing campaign with digital
influencers. In the past we have raised
visibility with our clients by 11% with
engaging blogger meet up events and
pop-up shops. The style soirees, as we
term them, allow influencers to interact
with the brand on site while providing
pertinent feedback to help us as a firm,
better grow our clients’ brands.
Janelle Langford
SUITE PR
@janellelangford

18. Crystal Kwon
Citizen Relations @CitizenPR
The best way to find the right bloggers is
by first having an intimate
understanding of their content. With
that knowledge, you'll be able to provide
opportunities and incentives that will
best resonate with them and their
audiences, allowing brands to be
authentically front and centre.

19. The best way to find the right bloggers for influencer marketing campaigns is to
find someone with an organic connection to the product or campaign. At Seventh
House PR, we are most interested in working with bloggers who have an astute
grasp of the product and already have firm supporters of the product and/or
campaign. This is paramount in connecting bloggers with campaigns; before
putting together any paid posts or endorsement deals. These also seem to us to be
the most natural way of working with bloggers and influencers in order to form the
foundation for building lifetime relationships between bloggers/influencers and
the product or campaign.
Mandie Erickson
Seventh House PR
@seventhhouse

20. At PR 20/20, we frequently use
Buzzsumo for influencer
marketing campaigns. Search
a topic or keyword in the tool's
Influencers tab, and it pulls a
list of top influencers based on
domain authority, Twitter
followers, retweet ratio and
more. This data can inform
strategy for even the most
niche buyer personas.
Taylor Radey
PR 20/20
@pr2020

21. For B2B thought leadership campaigns, the best way to
find and approach online influencers is to become one.
If you build an audience by sharing your knowledge
and expertise on a regular basis, you will be much
better positioned to approach online influencers. Read
what they write, engage with them on social media,
refer to their posts on your blog. If you are able to do
this in a genuine way, eventually you will be seen as one
of the influencers and earn mentions, backlinks and
recommendations. Also, give consideration as to who is
influential to your influencers. Not so much six degrees
of separation but at least two.
Freek Janssen
LEWIS PR
@lewisprus

22. Instagram is my go-to tool when
exploring possible influencers for my
clients campaigns. It allows me to get a
real sense of what kind of content they
will create and better place them with
the appropriate brand. It's not always
about the number of followers, but the
quality of the images they put together.
Karine Idrissi
Stop & Stare PR
@StopandStarePR

23. Finding the right bloggers takes research. You can research popular and trending
hashtags on Instagram; you can Google the most influential bloggers in a certain
demographic or topic; you can research similar companies and see what blogs have
featured them. Once you have compiled a target list, it’s time to reach out. Today, many
popular bloggers will charge brands for features. However, there are still bloggers out
there who will trade product for a feature! The “right” blogger should have a solid
following not only on their blog, but also a substantial network across social media
platforms, i.e. Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. However, the number one way
to connect to ANY influencer is through a personal contact. It's ALL about networking!
Lexie Olson
Melrose PR
@MelrosePR

24. I always look at what other
brands they’re featuring, this
helps me to determine if their
audience is right for the client
I am working for. I look at how
many social media follows
they have and how exciting
their content is. I find bloggers
are more exciting when they
are not just doing outfit posts
constantly.
Rosie Davies
The London
Fashion
Agency
@LdnFashionAgcy

25. With the nearly endless supply of
incredible influencers at our fingertips,
selecting the right blogger for a
partnership can be overwhelming.
Depending on the client’s priorities, we
consider a variety of factors, including
the size of their following, the
demographic of their followers, the style
of their content, their geographical
location, and examples of their work with
other brands. Above all, we look for a
partner who feels organic and genuine.
Katelyn
Koepke Lewis
Skirt PR
@skirtpr

26. The bloggers with the most followers should be picked first (Instagram can be useful to find them)
as they have the widest audience. But if a blogger shares the same values as your brand, connect
with the same category of readers/customers, it’s better! To find the right bloggers is to achieve a
great balance between the number of followers and the “quality” of the followers. So as a brand
you need access to the readership’s data to determine if you would be targeting the audience you
want your brand to connect with. Sometimes it’s better to pick an “underdog” blogger but with a
fan base strong enough so the blog followers will turn into brand advocates themselves and buy
the brand’s products too. So a brand should work with bloggers that can drive traffic to their
website and impact their sales positively. So the right bloggers are the ones with the strongest
influence. Just having the brand or its products showcased isn’t enough. The bloggers need to
explain what’s the brand is about, test the product etc. not just upload a picture. A good marketing
campaign needs relevant, engaging and attractive content to be efficient (video, giveaway).
Marie-Cassandre
Marie-Cassandre PR Agency

27. Immerse yourself in the market you want to reach. To find the most influential beauty
bloggers, you have to put yourself in the shoes of a curious beauty lover searching for what's
important to them: tutorials on Kylie Jenner's makeup, how to clear up my skin, a brand new
makeup product review, etc. The most relevant bloggers will rise to the forefront of your
search across YouTube, social media channels and their personal blogs.
Captivating, innovative content is indicative of a quality blogger. In today's world of Insta-
fame and purchased fans, it's crucial to look beyond the cold number of followers. What's
most important is engagement - a blogger with 10,000 followers but 3 comments isn't
actually influencing their audience. Followers will only click through to your marketed
products if they truly admire their influencer.
Cece Feinberg
Feinberg PR
@cecefeinberg

28. At Droese Public Relations, we practice strategic
marketing and public relations. Within each client
strategy, we set out to increase brand awareness
through several vehicles – a strong editorial footprint,
innovative events, celebrity seeding and influencer
relationships. We look to align each brand with like
minded brands, individuals and business that embody
each brand's DNA. Depending upon the client, we may
also select a handful of appropriate bloggers, and from
there combine our marketing and sales goals to
identify desired partners.
Suzanne
Droese
Droese Public
Relations
@droesepr

29. What types of
influencer marketing
campaigns are the
most successful?
QUESTION #2

30. Influencer marketing campaigns
that work are ones where we
leverage and build in content for
all the specific platforms (blog,
Instagram, Twitter, etc.) Unique
and bespoke assets that echo their
brand ethos and speak to their
audience are key to success.
Charitable tie-ins or giveaways
work well to drum up audience
engagement, so whenever we can
build them in, win-win.
Christine Faulhaber
Faulhaber Communications
@faulhabercomm

31. Chevy Donato
Now + Zen Public Relations
@chevydonato + @NowZenPR
The best campaigns for my clients have been achieved by working with bloggers
who work with affiliate linking programs. Affiliate linking makes it easy for
everyone to come out a winner after a campaign. The blogger benefits by earning
a commission on their sales and the client can easily track the conversions.
Affiliate linking programs also make a brand more enticing to work with,
especially when a budget is tight. In today’s digital age, a consumer craves a visual
interpretation of a brand and wants to shop instantaneously. For these reasons,
the most popular and successful program for my clients has been rewardStyle and
their Instagram component, Like to Know it.

32. Instagram promo marketing campaigns (without
promo codes) have done tremendously well for my
clients due to the huge focus on images and the
positive impulsive reactions it creates for viewers.
Clients want to see measurable results from these
campaigns and Instagram provides an easy way to
post unique content, drive traffic and measure
engagement. On the flip side, viewers want to see
authentic posts by influencers they trust and look to
for guidance towards the appropriate products.
Reva C.J.
Milan Media
Group
@thepr_doll +
@MilanMediaGroup

33. Influencer marketing campaigns work best when
you present a unique idea to an influencer.
Something a bit more thought out than simply
sending them product to include in a post, though
that works, too! Influencers get so many pitches a
minute, so you want to create a campaign that's
exciting for them. When there is a call to action for
their readers/viewers/followers it goes even
further. I like to do giveaways or discounts with our
clients and influencers. It's a win-win because
influencers love being able to offer something to
their readers because it generates more
engagement for them, and more interaction leads
to increased results for our client.
Danika Daly
Danika Daly PR
@DanikaDalyPR

34. Harris Theophanous
PR 360 Global @pr360global
One of the best influencer marketing
campaigns is giveaways with online
and digital outlets that have high
numbers of followers and UVPM's
that mean more visitors get to see the
brand you are exposing.

35. It all depends on the client and how you define "the best" campaigns. If we
assume that the goal is simply exposure to the product, for example, the
influencer campaign often comes down to - how many people can we reach with
our budget? A new fragrance, for example, could send out small vials of the scent
to encourage trial and social media recommendations, perhaps going broadly
with giveaways across multiple blog verticals. A high-end designer with a small
rack of samples doesn't have the mass sampling option - for her, a photo shoot
with a handful of bloggers, plus a behind-the-scenes style video, a hosted pop-up
shop, influencer dinner or an Instagram takeover might be a more on brand and
budget-friendly way to go.
Crosby Nicks
PR Couture
@prcouture

36. Our agency has seen success in various
ways. It really comes down to what your
overarching goal is. If you're looking for
a following and engagement boost,
giveaways certainly provide that.
Instagram takeovers are ideal for
introducing your company to a new set
of consumers.
Ali Grant
Be Social
@besocialpr

37. We define unique measures of success for each campaign, so it’s hard to say that a certain type
of does better or worse than another. That said, we find that campaigns in general perform best
when they’re designed to allow influencers the freedom to be themselves.
Great example: I read an article a while back—I don’t remember where—about a large brand
that had hired someone to post on Snapchat for them. The assignment was pretty free-flowing:
Go to X location and post on Snapchat about our brand. The brand’s marketing director said
that was intentional. “I didn’t hire this influencer to do what I want him to do—I hired him to do
what he does, because that’s why he’s popular,” the marketing director said (paraphrasing).
We try to embrace that in our influencer-marketing campaigns. We don’t want to just blast a
message to an audience; we want to connect with an audience. Influencers know how to do that.
Paul Balcerak
Curator PR
@curatorpr

38. The most successful campaigns
are those in which influencers
have two key attributes: a
strong, loyal following and an
organic affinity to the brand.
Simply put, the partnership
needs to make sense to your
supporters. Social media users
are savvy and they’ll know if
your influencers are solely
motivated by perks or money.
Matt Levinson
O&G
@OGPR

39. Depending on the type client, goals of the campaign, and tools available, measuring and analyzing
influencer marketing performance can be a simple but time consuming task. So here are the metrics to
look out for:
● Traffic to the website, in-store, or app.
● Monitor online mentions either with a social listening platform, using Google search terms, or a
designated hashtag. You can also monitor sentiment too.
● Track community growth: did the influencer send a wave of new fans to your social networks?
● Increase in social media engagements. Fluctuation in likes, comments, retweets, or shares?
● Conversions! Did the influencer drive an increase in app downloads, purchases, email sign-ups, etc.?
You can track sales conversions by monitoring the number of coupon code redemptions or app
downloads during a certain timeframe or checking which social network new downloads funneled
from.
Aljolynn Sperber
Marketing Maven
@marketingmaven2

40. We've had great success
partnering with bloggers to
facilitate giveaways. In this
way, our brands' products
are placed directly into the
hands of select consumers
while being promoted to
many via distinguished
outlets.
Cindy Riccio
Cindy Riccio
Communications
@CRC_PR

41. Mariposa Communications loves working with our clients on customizing
unique PR campaigns for their brand. We believe the types of influencer
campaigns that perform the best and create deep engagement with
consumers are ones that have a very organic feel to them. The brand (or
product) and influencer must have a matching audience, and the influencer
has to believe in the story they are telling to their fans in order for it to be a
success, creating desire from the consumer to want to go out and buy the
product or check out the brand being promoted.
Mallory Goldstein
Mariposa Communications
@MaripostComm

42. Giveaways, Instagram takeovers and Snapchat
campaigns all do really well but we are interested in any
type of campaign that works well for our clients.
Our clients have found great success with influencer
marketing campaigns involving Instagram takeovers.
Whether this is a "day in the life" snapshot or a "behind
the scenes" look during an event like New York Fashion
Week, these campaigns have the ability to expand
visibility and grow followers for both the brand and the
influencer.
Suki Mulberg
Altamirano
Lexington PR
@LexingtonPR

43. Nancy Vaughn
White Book Agency
@whitebookagency
We've found success with influencer marketing campaigns through giveaways and co-
hosted in-person and virtual events. With giveaways, we provide the influencer with the
product to try so that they're able to give an honest and accurate review because when s/he
really likes our client's product, that comes across in the video and/or writing. Then we
typically provide the item to giveaway to their audience/followers or some sort of shopping
incentive (i.e. personalized codes, packages, etc.) And with co-hosted in-person and virtual
events, it's a win-win situation. The influencer is able to get their personal brand in front of
our clients' audience and our client gets in front of the influencer’s audience. Whether it's
co-hosting a webinar or tweet chat, or a planned in-person event which may be open or
invite only. This doesn't always result in attendee coverage (blog posts, articles, etc.) but it's
great for relationship-building and brand recognition, where some of the attendees convert
to becoming loyal customers.

44. It really depends on the project and the
price points of the product. Giveaways
are the most effective for products
which have a low price point. In today's
social media crazed world, Instagram is
absolutely one of the strongest
mediums for luxury brands. I am
actually very excited about the new
app, Periscope, which I think will
become one of the biggest platforms
for luxury brands.
Mandie Erickson
Seventh House PR
@seventhhouse

45. In terms of the type of influencer
marketing campaigns that work best, it’
s important to know what is right for
each audience. It’s not a one size fits all
approach so it will always vary. Make
sure you spend time not only finding
the right influencers but also working
on a proper engagement process with
consistent strategic thinking. What you
share with your influencer networks
will define how they interact with you.
Gugs Sarna
LEWIS Pulse UK
@lewisprus

46. Giveaways and contests are always a
great hit in order to build awareness and
buzz around a brand. That being said, we
are now working in a world where the
giveaways have to be of high-value in
order to standout and when paired with
the proper influencer, can make for a
really great initiative.
Karine Idrissi
Stop & Stare PR
@StopandStarePR

47. Erika Kauffman
5W Public Relations
@5W_PR
When working with influencers, we’re very careful to create tailored opportunities
for the right personalities. Rather than create a “one-size-fits-all” campaign, we work
with our brands to create unique campaigns (be it a capsule collection, a contest
opportunity, or a social media takeover) with specific individuals in mind. This not
only ensures that the brand/influencer partnership is right for our client, it goes a
long way in getting our influencer partners engaged with the collaboration. It’s all
about curating the experience, which begins with the influencer and extends to our
audience through digital and traditional channels. Consumers are savvy and can tell
when a campaign feels forced. Our best campaigns are when both the brand and the
influencer are excited. It’s our job as an agency to understand where the authenticity
lies, bring that creativity and cause that spark.

48. We by far see that Facebook translates into the most
direct online sales. Why? Because on Facebook you can
hyperlink directly to a brand’s website. You can also pay
to boost a post or page to a targeted demographic
through the Facebook platform. Today’s consumers are
visual and regularly respond best when they see images
paired with text. A great influencer marketing
campaign features a popular blogger or influencer,
with a large social following, recommending or
showcasing a brand across all of their online and social
platforms.
Lexie Olson
Melrose PR
@MelrosePR

49. Rosie Davies
The London
Fashion
Agency
@LdnFashionAgcy
Gifting celebs works
for most of my brands,
if we can get one of
their items on a
celebrity it usually
results in the product
selling out!

50. Celebrity partners and bloggers are a powerful
tool if used in a strategic and mindful manner. As
the marketplace is saturated with brands that
pay large sums for appearances and sponsored
posts, we strongly believe in building organic
relationships. A true ROI can be measured
through an organic relationship, more so than a
one-time paid partnership.
Suzanne
Droese
Droese Public
Relations
@droesepr

51. What’s the best way
to track the success of
influencer marketing campaigns?
QUESTION #3

52. In order to smartly track the success of influencer marketing campaigns,
we review engagement and analytics. Ask these questions: Can we find a
correlation between viewership/readership and click throughs? Can we
build in discount coding leveraging the influencers name if the brand is
looking to increase sales? Success directly relates back to the brand’s KPIs,
so those need to be identified early so the agency can identify ways to track
against them.
Christine Faulhaber
Faulhaber Communications
@faulhabercomm

53. Reva C.J.
Milan Media Group
@thepr_doll + @MilanMediaGroup
Promo codes are a great way to track
results, but a lot of brands prefer not
to use discount codes because it
doesn't seem authentic. In that case,
I think isolating the campaign
ensuring it is the only activation is a
good way to track engagement,
sales, etc.

54. Chevy Donato
Now + Zen Public Relations
@chevydonato + @NowZenPR
In my case, I have been very lucky that my clients are vocal about which
bloggers or influencers drive the most traffic and conversions to their e-
commerce sites and retailers. I think it’s very important to have open
communication where a client can share the successes and failures of
certain campaigns. Tracking success goes beyond just watching a social
media following increase, it is important for a client to share back-end
information regarding traffic, click-throughs and conversions.

55. When we do a giveaway we
usually provide codes for the
partnering digital/online outlet
that way we can track who
enters and from where they are
coming to us.
Harris Theophanous
PR 360 Global @pr360global

56. Alexandra Kirsch
Finn Partners
@finnpartners
Establishing a realistic measurement framework is essential in the execution of an
influencer campaign. We evaluate each of our campaigns based on an engagement-focused
mindset - focusing on a return on engagement versus return on investment. It's also critical
to identify influencers based on criteria that extends beyond reach. We also identify
bloggers based on content relevance and resonance.
For influencer programs, we evaluate success based on quantitative factors: number of
placements (inclusive of social posts), impressions (a look at each post's respective reach -
size of readership, inclusive of social audience when applicable), as well as engagement with
published content (comments, RTs, replies, mentions and shares). We also look at the
qualitative factors, including: quality of published content (did they include images, video?)
and post originality (did they elaborate beyond our suggested areas of coverage?).

57. The most effective way to measure influencer
marketing starts with ensuring you have well-
designed goals before you begin. Whether
you're trying to create more traffic to a
website, increase sales for a product or
establish credibility for a brand, you need to
know what it is that you're trying to achieve.
From there, it becomes much easier to identify
the metrics and milestones that will get you to
your end goal.
Danielle Gano
Elle Communications
@ellecomm

58. It starts with clear outcomes and objectives. Each social media platform has its
own analytics (and barriers to overcome), which is partly why hashtags are so
important. Hashtags allow you to at least track mentions across Instagram and
Twitter. However, it's not always about the number of mentions, but looking at
the sentiment and of course, what happened next. Was their a spike in website
traffic? Did a popular fashion website pick up images from the photo shoot, which
snowballed into a media frenzy? There are the numbers for sure, and then is
stepping back and looking at the program as a whole. Sometimes, success is
simply the fact that the company tried something different and created content
they feel proud to share.
Crosby Nicks
PR Couture
@prcouture

59. The success of thought leadership influencer
marketing campaigns can best be measured by
engagement; how often do online influencers refer to
you? What is the impact of these references (based on
level of influence and sentiment)? Becoming an
influencer in your own right as part of an influencer
marketing programme has other benefits that add to
the success. You may very well be offered a speaking
opportunity at an industry event, or be quoted by a
journalist. It can also enhance your SEO results - by
writing about a certain topic on a regular basis, your
website will rank higher in Google search results.
Freek Janssen
LEWIS PR
@lewisprus

60. Marketers need to first consider two different sets of metrics – influencer and
influencer referrals. On the influencer side, website and social engagement
metrics can determine the relevancy of content to the influencer and can gauge
whether you’re sending the right message. Measure influencer referrals based
on content engagement, such as form submissions, content engagement and
customer conversions. But the real value lies in the influencer’s relationship with
your brand. While promoting your content to gain traffic, credibility and leads is
important, influencer advocacy ensures an ongoing relationship to relationship
engagement and the “holy grail” of your efforts.
Mark Nardone
PAN Communications
@pancomm

61. We look at a handful of KPIs.
Typically, we will look at Google
Analytics to track web referral
and sales, additionally we look
at the following growth and over
engagement.
Ali Grant
Be Social @besocialpr

62. If you don’t define what success is before your campaign starts, someone else will define it for
you. Make sure you and your client have a clear understanding of what your campaign is
aiming to accomplish (again, before it starts), and measure metrics that ladder up to those goals.
For example, if I’m trying to raise awareness of a product, likes/comments/shares—on any
social network—are probably going to be some of my primary tools for measurement. But if I’m
working to drive traffic back to a website, there’s no real reason to care about social actions;
they’re ancillary to my goal of driving web traffic.
Be the expert who says, “Oh, you’re trying to accomplish X; we need to measure Y.”
Paul Balcerak
Curator PR
@curatorpr

63. Mandie Erickson
Seventh House PR
@seventhhouse
It’s rather difficult to gauge unless the
product or campaign is directly linked to
e-commerce. Otherwise it is all about
brand building and aligning with true
influencers and notable bloggers to help
organically link to peer groups, targeted
outlets, and strategic marketing
campaigns.

64. It's best to do research before embarking on an influencer produced
marketing campaign. Make sure to inquire about their followers, are they
paid for or are they organic? Who is their core demographic and does that
align with your core customer? If you choose to proceed with partnering, the
best tool then for tracking is simple: track your sales. Posts and campaigns
should boost sales along with brand awareness. If the sales are not
translatable, then it is just another pretty picture with a ‘like’.
Shannon Cavanagh
Pitch! Press
@PitchPress

65. There's a number of ways I track the
success of a campaign; Iconosquare,
Google Analytics, bit.ly (if there's a
link involved), Facebook analytics.
Depending on what the scope and
objectives of the campaign are, the
tools used will vary.
Karine Idrissi
Stop & Stare PR
@StopandStarePR

66. A great way to see if an influencer
marketing campaign is successful, is
to issue specific coupon codes for
influencers to list in conjunction with
their post. This way, brands can track
where their online traffic is coming
from. It quickly becomes apparent
which influencer’s audiences are
proactive and translate directly into
sales.
Lexie Olson
Melrose PR
@MelrosePR

67. When tracking the success of a digital influencer
marketing campaign, my team and I look for boosts
in three main areas: social media following, traffic
driven to the brand’s website, and the resulting e-
commerce sales. We also frequently check the
feedback and comments that the influencer is
getting from their following. This is a great way to
get sort of a faux focus group response from the
target market you are aiming for.
Shannon Funk
xPose PR
@xPosePR

68. Well sales are of course a
good indication to how
successful a campaign has
been but we also measure web
traffic and social media
increase.
Rosie Davies
The London Fashion Agency @LdnFashionAgcy

69. Droese Public Relations measures results
based on media impressions and
conversions to sales. As we find it difficult
to measure ROI for PR, we strongly
believe in both print and digital public
relations campaigns to successfully
measure results. We track through click-
throughs and press generated through
the campaign.
Suzanne
Droese
Droese Public
Relations
@droesepr

70. We are an influence marketing platform
that helps brands find, engage, and run
campaigns with influencers.
If influencer marketing is new to you,
check out our resources!
www.theshelf.com/resources.