Influencer Marketing Do's and Don'ts

The Truth About Influencer Marketing: What Works, What Flops, and Why

---

Here's the thing about Influencer marketing: it’s overdone. Between endless sponsored posts and identical PR unboxing videos, influencer marketing has lost its human touch. However, the right strategy can still break through. The difference between a successful campaign and one that crashes usually comes down to authenticity, audience targeting, and creative freedom.

Do: Match your message to your market

The right influencer doesn’t just look good on your feed, they belong in your audience’s world. Campaigns that connect always start with alignment of values, lifestyle, and demographics, not just aesthetics.

Understanding your target audience is the first step for finding the best influencer to work with. Getting to know what values your audience resonates with and what creators are leading with those values can help you match with the right person to speak for your brand.

Gymshark is a great example of a brand becoming a part of their audience community. This athletic wear company partners with bodybuilders, yogis, and fitness experts to promote their gear (McPhils PR, 2024). In this case, their medium specifically corresponds with their message that fitness is a lifestyle and should be celebrated in all aspects of life, including fashion. Because their medium, message, and market are aligned, their campaigns reach the right people and create a lasting impression.

Don't: Be blinded by follower counts

A million followers means nothing if no one's listening. Micro-influencers have something very special that brands can leverage: a tight-knit audience community that trusts them. Working with small creators over celebrities may limit the reach of your message, however it allows you to connect to people far more likely to engage with your partnered influencer and the products they are promoting (Cybertek Marketing, 2024).

Audiences engage because the content feels genuine, not transactional. Take Baggu, for example. The brand didn’t rely on celebrity partnerships or mega-influencers to fuel its rise. Instead, they leaned into user generated content trends like "What’s in my Baggu" on TikTok, integrating the trends with their marketing emails (DTC, 2024). Here they can demonstrate their online presence and understanding of their audience, while engaging with proven fans and customers.

By gifting and marketing products to small creators and established fans who were already talking about them, Baggu turned viral visibility into a fixed brand strategy.

Do: Collaboration over control

Creators and influencers have a following for a reason: people love their content and personalities. When working with influencers, give them the message, not a manual. Let their creativity shine and connect with their audiences in an organic and familiar way so that it doesn't seem like just another ad.

For instance, in 2020 Dunkin’ (newly rebranded from Dunkin' Donuts) worked with mega Tiktoker Charli D’Amelio on a limited-time drink called “The Charli," and allowed her voice, audience and dance style to be part of the campaign (“The Charli” Dances Onto The Dunkin’ Menu", 2020). The campaign primary featured content created by Charli, posted on her own social media accounts as well as the Dunkin's, in a similar style to her usual posts.

As a result, the advertisements did not appear as a stark, scripted contrast to her authentic brand and was well-received by her audience. Not only did Dunkin's sales for cold brews increase by 20% but they became the one of the most followed fast food account on TikTok (Schwartz, 2023).

Don't: Hide the partnership

As a rule of thumb, transparency will always safeguard trust with the consumer. Fashion retailer Revolve’s influencer program was once praised for its aspirational marketing. However, in April 2025, they faced a major backlash when a 50 million dollar class-action lawsuit accused the brand and its creators of failing to disclose paid partnerships (Taylor, 2025).

The influencers’ posts looked like genuine recommendations, not ads. This caused audiences to perceive the Revolve products as higher value due to the seemingly real enthusiasm from the influencers they trusted. Of course, consumers felt misled and deceived once the truth surfaced. Hiding or burying sponsorship details might make a post feel more authentic in the moment, but in the long run, it erodes credibility. When you’re upfront about partnerships, you're protecting your reputation.

Bottom Line

Social media marketing is not slowing down any time soon and neither is influencer marketing. It can be a pillar of success if used correctly. The key is to keep it authentic, transparent, and aligned with your brand. Influencer marketing can not only sell a product, it can create long-lasting relationships with creators and consumers alike.

References

• “The Charli” Dances Onto The Dunkin’ Menu. Dunkin’. (2020, August 19). https://news.dunkindonuts.com/news/the-charli-dances-onto-the-dunkin-menu 

• Cybertek Marketing. (2024, January 30). The power of micro-influencers in niche marketing. https://cybertekmarketing.com/digital-marketing/the-power-of-micro-influencers-in-niche-marketing 

• DTC. (2024, March 4). Why Baggu is so popular with gen Z. DTC Newsletter Mar 04, 2024. https://www.directtoconsumer.co/newsletter/baggu-brand-profile-popular-gen-z

• McPhils PR. (2024, August 24). Influencer Marketing Case Studies: 8 Success Stories & Lessons from top brands. https://mcphilspr.com/influencer-marketing-case-studies-8-success-stories-lessons-from-top-brands  

• Taylor, H. (2025, April 18). Another one: Revolve hit with $50M class action over undisclosed influencer ADS (via Passle). Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC. https://advertisinglaw.fkks.com/post/102k8yc/another-one-revolve-hit-with-50m-class-action-over-undisclosed-influencer-ads 

• Schwartz, R. (2023, March 22). What you need to know about Charli D’Amelio’s new Dunkin’ collab. Mashed. https://www.mashed.com/368969/what-you-need-to-know-about-charli-damelios-new-dunkin-collab