You’ve heard tons of stuff about influencer marketing: It’s amazing, it’s pointless, it costs a lot, you should do more of it, you should do less of it. What exactly is the truth?
There are rumors and myths on the internet about everything, including influencer marketing. It’s hard to know what “influencer” even means!
So right now we’ll explain the influencer meaning and debunk common influencer marketing myths.
Influencer meaning: who they are and why they matter
Before we dive into influencer marketing myths, let’s clarify what being an influencer actually means.
An influencer, also called a “content creator” or “creator,” is someone who creates online content, grows an audience, and influences their audience to buy products or services from other brands.
The influencer meaning can be confusing. You may think “influencer” is a silly word that doesn’t mean anything to your business. But what if it could mean more attention on your brand and higher sales numbers?
If that sounds like something you want, influencer marketing can help you get there… if you know the facts.
12 influencer marketing myths and facts
1. Influencer marketing is just a fad
The myth: There’s no reason to invest in influencer campaigns. People aren’t interested in influencers anymore. You missed the boat and now it’s too late.
Actually: You didn’t miss a thing. The influencer marketing industry has grown year over year, going from $1.7 billion in 2016 to an insane $24 billion in 2024. Even if the industry suddenly lost half its value tomorrow, it would still be worth multiple billions more than it was in 2020 ($9.7 billion). This is a monster-sized industry, and both brands and influencers are reaping the benefits.
Think about how much content goes online every day. Content is constantly being put into the world, and people are eating it up. Audiences are hungry for good content, and influencers create good content. The connection between an influencer and their audience is a special thing – and you can become a part of it.
2. Only big businesses use influencer marketing
The myth: If you’re a small business just getting off the ground, there’s no need to think about influencer marketing. It’s complicated and expensive, so it’s just for large, established businesses.
Actually: If you’re a small, newer business trying to get your name out there, influencer marketing is for you too. Your ideal customers barely know you exist, but influencers can do something about that.
You’re at the stage where you’re trying to establish your brand and introduce it to the world. Collabing with influencers can bring you exposure and communicate your brand’s story, values, and vibe. This creates a reputation for your brand and a solid foundation for it to grow on.
3. Influencer marketing is only for physical products
The myth: Influencers only promote physical products like makeup, food, tools, accessories, etc.
Actually: It’s true that there’s plenty of influencer content about physical products, but that’s not all influencers promote. They also promote service-based businesses, subscriptions, memberships, hotels, and even charities.
When you think of influencer content, you may think of a short video where an influencer holds up a product and talks about it. But influencer content can come in many forms and promote many different things. So if you think influencer marketing won’t work for your business or organization, think bigger. Brainstorm out-of-the-box ways influencers could boost your brand.
4. Influencer marketing is all short-form IG and TikTok videos
The myth: When brands work with influencers, that means influencers are creating short-form videos to go viral on IG and TikTok.
Actually: While short-form videos are popular with influencers and they work well, there are other types of content that work just as well. You can get influencers to make long-form videos, livestreams, still photos, or carousels.
You can also ask them to write a blog post about your brand if they have a high-traffic blog. There’s no need to limit your influencer campaigns to one type of content.
And TikTok and Instagram aren’t the only platforms influencers use. There’s YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Reddit, and more. You can even use email marketing. If there’s an influencer you want to work with and they have an email list, they can promote you in their newsletter.
That’s the wonderful thing about influencer marketing: There are lots of cool ways to do it.
5. Influencers are just paid shills
The myth: Influencer marketing is dishonest. Influencers are just in it for the money. They’re happy to promote low-quality junk as long as they get paid.
Actually: Some influencers are less than honest, but that’s not the majority. The vast majority are just regular people who love creating content and talking to people online. They want to make a positive impact and feel good about the brands they promote. That’s why it’s crucial to find influencers who agree with your brand’s values and purpose.
Making content and growing an audience takes time and effort, so influencers expect to be compensated. But that doesn’t mean they don’t care about the brands they’re promoting.
Before working with an influencer, take a close look at their tone and message. Talk with them and get to know them. You’ll find the genuine ones who are eager to share your brand with the world.
6. Influencer marketing is only about increasing sales
Actually: Influencer campaigns can bring a sales boost for sure. And they can do a lot more. Influencers put your brand in front of a wider audience, giving you more traffic, followers, and email subscribers.
Influencers also increase customer loyalty because they’re great at building enthusiasm. (If you’ve ever wanted to be one of those “cult brands” with devoted fans, influencers are the way.)
Influencers can elevate the reputation of your brand, turning you from “just another brand” into an industry leader. Another thing influencers can do is show your brand to a different type of audience you’ve had trouble breaking into. Influencer marketing isn’t just about sales. It’s about changing the way people see your brand and becoming the most respected brand in your industry.
7. Influencer campaigns are too risky for your money
The myth: Influencer marketing is like gambling. You spend money on an influencer and hope you get a return on your investment, but it’s hard to know what will happen. You just have to hope it works!
Actually: When your influencer campaigns are data-driven, the risk isn’t so risky anymore. A good creator management platform can give you comprehensive data so you’ll find influencers who are most likely to help you hit your goals. You can also gather data during your live campaigns, letting you adjust things as needed to create better results.
If your influencer campaigns have felt like throwing money into a slot machine, it may be because you haven’t had enough data to develop detailed strategies. “Hoping it works” isn’t a strategy. Using data to your advantage is.
8. Influencer campaigns risk making your brand look bad
The myth: Collabing with an influencer is too risky because you can’t control them. You don’t know if they’ll say something bad or inaccurate about your brand and mess up your reputation.
Actually: This is a common myth, and when brands are too worried about this, they get overly controlling of the influencers they work with. They over-script and take too much creative control of the content. The influencer’s content comes out sounding artificial, people see it, and the “influencers are paid shills” myth lives on.
Don’t be afraid to let influencers have creative control. The key is to find influencers who are a good fit for your brand’s products/services and mission. Those influencers will make content that’s genuine and actually influences people.
9. More followers = more success
The myth: For a successful influencer campaign, you have to work with celebrities with millions of followers.
Actually: You’d be surprised how valuable influencers with small followings can be. Consider working with micro- and nano-influencers. Micro-influencers have a five-digit follower number (10,000-99,999). Nano-influencers have four (1,000-9,999). Influencers with smaller followings often have niche audiences with higher engagement, which is why they’re so valuable.
Follower count is one of several things to look for when searching for influencers. You also have to look at their content style, tone of voice, audience demographics, rates, experience, and more. If this sounds like a headache, it doesn’t have to be. A creator management platform can help you find and analyze influencers faster.
10. Influencer marketing is too expensive
The myth: You can’t work with influencers because it costs too much. It’s just not worth it.
Actually: Influencer marketing is an investment, not a drain on your finances. If you invest a large amount in influencer campaigns, you’re more likely to see a greater return. You can work with experienced influencers, get them to make elaborate, high-quality content, and use advanced tools to make the process smoother.
When you get incredible results from your investments, they’re suddenly not so expensive. That’s why it’s worth it to increase your influencer budget. But if your budget’s tight, try a simple campaign with newer influencers and gifted products instead of payments. It may not be the campaign you really want to do, but it’s a start, and you can improve your influencer strategy over time.
11. Influencer marketing is simple
The myth: It’s easy to run an influencer campaign yourself. You just search some hashtags, DM a few influencers, send them products, and pay them to post about the products. How hard could it be?
Actually: It can be harder than you think, especially if you start scaling your influencer campaigns for bigger results. The more influencers you work with, the harder it is to do things manually and keep everything organized. Trying to find quality influencers, communicate project details, handle payments and legalities, run campaigns on time, and analyze piles and piles of data is enough to make your head spin.
At some point it becomes too exhausting to handle everything manually. Getting help from tools and experts is one of those “Why didn’t I do this earlier?” kind of things. If you want more successful influencer campaigns that are also easier to handle, using a creator management platform just makes sense.
12. Influencer marketing is too complicated
The myth: You just read the previous myth and now you think influencer marketing is too hard and you don’t want to get caught up in a complicated mess.
Actually: Influencer marketing is not too complicated for your business. It’s not quick and easy, but that doesn’t mean your business can’t handle it. The more campaigns you run, the more you’ll learn from firsthand experience and be able to get impressive results.
If you’ve never run an influencer campaign, or you haven’t in a while, it’s worth a try. Go for it and get creative! When you see meaningful, measurable results, you’ll be glad you didn’t miss out.
Key takeaway: Time to go from wondering about influencer meaning to creating influencer marketing magic.
Now that those myths are out of the way, you can get excited about influencer marketing. It’s something that can benefit your business, but only if you know what you’re doing and have tools that help.
GRIN is a Creator Management platform designed to make your influencer campaigns better in every way, enhancing all parts of the process. Instead of letting myths scare you away from influencer marketing, let us make it easier and more fun for you. You can succeed at influencer marketing… and that’s a fact.
