Instagram Influencer Marketing 101: What Brands Need to Know
- McKinsie Woodworth
- Apr 24
- 6 min read
If you are anything like me, then you know how powerful influencers’ opinions are when looking into different products and services. Every day, I am exposed to some sort of influencer marketing, whether that be by choice or just scrolling through Instagram and TikTok, and I imagine a lot of you can relate.
Imagine this: you are relaxing on your couch after a long day of class and work; one of your favorite influencers is using a new makeup product that works very well, and before you even blink, the product is in your cart and arrives in two days.
When the product is being marketed by someone we enjoy watching, like a favorite influencer, we tune in and usually want to try what is being presented through the post. Most of the time, I am more likely to purchase a product or service if it is marketed by an influencer whom I follow than by a brand because I am usually getting an honest review from a consumer.
If you are like me and want to learn more about the influencer marketing world and what all goes into that influencer working with that brand, then this blog post is for you!
What is Influencer Marketing?
According to Hootsuite, influencer marketing is also known as branded content or working with creators. Influencer marketing expands your brand’s reach by exposing it to a wider audience, especially people who may not have heard of it otherwise. With the correct planning and research, influencer marketing can benefit almost every business.
Influencer marketing on social media has grown tremendously. According to Hootsuite, nearly 72.5% of U.S. marketers used some form of influencer marketing in 2023, a number that’s expected to continue growing. Instagram is the platform of choice for social influencers, but TikTok is growing as well.
Types of Influencers
When evaluating influencers to use for your brand, there are different types. Hootsuite breaks them up into four types: nano-influencers, micro-influencers, macro-influencers, and mega-influencers.
Nano-influencers have 10,000 followers or fewer.
Micro-influencers have 10,000 to 100,000 followers.
Macro-influencers have 100,000 to 1 million followers.
Mega-influencers have 1 million+ followers.
Hootsuite also recommends considering the three Rs of influence. The three Rs are relevance, reach, and resonance. When it comes to relevance, you want to make sure the influencers’ target audience aligns with your target audience. Reach is the number of people you could potentially reach through the influencer’s follower base, which you can determine based on the above information. Resonance is the potential level of engagement that can be created with the influencer’s audience. The three Rs of influence can help your brand determine which influencer would be best for the company.
The blog post from Later gives helpful tips on how to find the right influencer(s) for your brand. One of the tips is to ask your community and followers for recommendations. There is no better way to find the right influencer than to find someone your target audience already relates to. This can be helpful when first starting to find influencers because you can already get feedback from consumers who value your company.
Influencer Marketing Strategy Checklist
HubSpot offers an Influencer Marketing Strategy checklist to help you successfully integrate influencers into your brand’s marketing plan. Below is the checklist from HubSpot.
Identify and define your audience.
Define your goals.
Define your budget.
Decide on the social media platform(s) you want to use.
Choose your campaign type(s).
Identify your influencer(s).
Develop your plan for launch and promotion.
Track your success.
Choosing an influencer can feel overwhelming, especially when your budget is tight and you want the partnership to be just right. The checklist provided can help take some of those overwhelming feelings away.
When using this checklist, it is important to know who your target audience is and what goals you want to achieve. The budget you have will determine what type of influencer to look for, and the platform you want to market on will be important because you will need to find an influencer with a following on that platform. Your campaign type will be important to make sure it aligns with your company and target audience. The last three steps are crucial to determine which influencer would be best for your brand to use and help you determine if your efforts in influencer marketing were successful and met the goals you set earlier.
Influencer Proposal Checklist
If your brand decides to hire an influencer, HubSpot also provides an Influencer Proposal checklist. This checklist will help you create a proposal for the influencer(s) that you want to work with. Below is the checklist from HubSpot.
State your goals.
State the responsibilities of influencer.
Describe your audience.
Show visual examples.
Don’t be overly specific.
If your brand has never worked with an influencer before, this checklist can help calm any nerves you may have when reaching out to various influencers. By using the checklist, you can ensure that your proposal is well-written and has all the aspects needed to answer initial questions for the influencer. If anything is unclear, make sure the influencer understands to reach out with any questions they may have.
Influencer Contract Checklist
Once an influencer expresses interest in working with your brand, you will want to make a contract. HubSpot provides an Influencer Contract checklist that is listed out below.
Parties Involved
Expiration Date
Terms of Compensation
Each Parties’ Responsibilities
Type of Content / Campaign
Content / Campaign Requirements
Approval Process
Content Copyright
Publication Agreement
Restrictive Covenant or Non-Compete: an agreement on the length of time an influencer isn’t allowed to work with a competitor after the campaign
Sunset Clause: dictates the length of time your sponsored content should appear on the influencer’s pages
Cancellation Clause
Image Authenticity
Morality Clause: guidelines can protect you, like discontinuing the contract when they conduct themselves in any way that puts your brand at risk
The most daunting task to some could be the contract. The idea of a contract might sound intimidating, but think of it as your safety net. It protects both your brand and the influencer from miscommunication. This protects and holds both parties accountable, but it is also an important document to enclose everything the brand and influencer have discussed to ensure everyone is on the same page.
To learn more about influencer marketing and how it builds brand loyalty, read Ali Colwell’s blog post, “From Follower to Fan: How Influencer Marketing Builds Brand Loyalty.”
Conclusion
As social media continues to grow and evolve, influencer marketing continues to become a large part of marketing that many brands incorporate into their marketing strategy. When your brand starts to incorporate influencer marketing, it is important to set goals before jumping into it. Once goals have been established, you can research different influencers to determine which ones will relate the most to your company and accomplish the goals set by your company. HubSpot provides multiple checklists as you start navigating influencer marketing to help make the process less daunting and more seamless.
If your organization is not already using and implementing influencer marketing, it is something to consider if it could help benefit your brand. With the right strategy and mindset, influencer marketing isn’t just for big-name brands; it’s something you, as a student and future marketer, can explore confidently.
Disclaimer: No AI was injured in the production of this content. AI (ChatGPT) was used as a tool to supplement, enhance, and make suggestions in writing this blog post.
Resources
Colwell, A. (2024, April 24). From follower to fan: How influencer marketing builds brand loyalty. The SMMU. https://www.thesmmu.com/post/from-follower-to-fan-how-influencer-marketing-builds-brand-loyalty
Gagliardi, A. (2025, April 11). How find influencers and creators for your next campaign. Later Social Media Marketing. https://later.com/blog/how-to-find-influencers/
Influencer marketing strategy: How to build a plan creators & customers will love [+ templates]. HubSpot Blog. (n.d.-a). https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/influencer-marketing-power
Newberry, C. (2025, January 6). Influencer Marketing Guide: How to work with Influencers. Social Media Marketing & Management Dashboard. https://blog.hootsuite.com/influencer-marketing/
OpenAI. (2025, April 23). Instagram influencer marketing 101: What brands need to know [Chat]. OpenAI. https://chat.openai.com
Loved this post, McKinsie! 😊 The point about asking your own community for influencer suggestions is genius! Such a smart way to stay authentic and audience-focused. Have you seen any brands really nail this strategy recently?