Influencer whitelisting is a rising strategy within influencer marketing for brands to improve their social media ads performance. This allows them to run ads through the influencer’s social media account, offering several benefits for engagement, as the content is perceived as more organic, in addition to helping them reach a wider and more targeted audience.
Research shows that 71% of consumers prefer personalized ads tailored to their interests and shopping habits. Influencer whitelisting is an effective solution for achieving this.
In this article, we’ll review the concept of whitelisting in influencer marketing, how to set it up, and the main benefits it offers both for creators and for brands or advertisers.
Let’s get started!
Influencer whitelisting is when an influencer grants a brand access to their social media accounts—such as their Facebook profile, Instagram handle, TikTok account, or other platforms—so the brand can run ads on their behalf.
This means that when an influencer whitelists a brand, the brand gains access to the influencer’s audience and can promote content directly through the influencer's social media handle instead of its own.
The brand can either boost existing content that the influencer has previously created for them (UGC) or create new content as a “dark post”. This last posting option means that it won't show up on the influencer's feed but only on the news feed of people who have been specifically targeted.
Whitelisting offers several benefits for both influencers and brands, which we’ll discuss in more detail shortly.
The main objective of a whitelisted post is to appear as organic as possible, meaning it shouldn't look like an ad. It needs to align with the influencer’s usual content and integrate naturally so it is perceived as authentic.
Here is an example of what a whitelisted post could look like:
Influencer @phelps_winning is a kinesiologist who shares content about Alternative & Holistic Health. In this post, he shares how this dietary supplement impacts his daily life and the benefits he has experienced from using it.
While this is marked as a brand partnership or ad—since he tagged the brand and included his discount code for purchasing—it will appear much more natural and trustworthy to his followers than a typical ad directly from the brand’s Instagram handle sharing product benefits.
This comes across as an authentic recommendation, with the influencer sharing a valuable product that his followers might be interested in trying because it has worked well for him, based on his real experience.
Therefore, the main goal of whitelisting is for the content to blend seamlessly with the influencer’s style, making it appear more organic and resulting in increased trust and credibility.
In cases like this one, it can be difficult to tell whether the influencers posted the ad themselves or if they granted permission to a brand to manage it through whitelisting. That’s the trick!
Influencers have become a powerful voice for impacting on their audience’s behaviors and thoughts. A 2023 study by Vamp and Atomic Research found that 88% of consumers make purchases based on an influencer's recommendation. Additionally, one-third of consumers say that influencers are the primary way they discover new products.
This influence is increasingly being leveraged by brands who partner with influencers to promote their products, aiming to persuade followers to buy through engaging and authentic content—often more effective than traditional branded content.
According to Lumanu, influencer whitelisting outperforms traditional social media ads by 20-50%.
Whitelisting can elevate even more influencer marketing by allowing brands to create social media ads directly from the influencer’s account. These are far more effective on conversions and engagement than traditional sponsored posts, so brands, most importantly use whitelisting for three reasons:
Through the influencer’s account, you can access a larger and more customized audience. This allows brands to reach potential new customers and advertise directly to the influencer’s followers, which often results in better performance.
Testing is crucial in social media advertising. Having the ability to assess an ad's performance in real time and make adjustments as needed is essential for optimizing results and making sure you are reaching the right audience.
In traditional influencer marketing, sponsored posts or paid partnerships are largely controlled by the influencer, and they have exclusive access to the campaign's full metrics. However, with whitelisting, the brand gains full control over ad management, including visibility into performance metrics. This enables you to test different approaches, such as post types, copies, CTAs and audiences, and refine strategies for better outcomes. Additionally, you can use lookalike audiences to target new audiences similar to the influencers, expanding your reach.
The main goal of whitelisting is to display the ad from the influencer’s handle, as people tend to trust influencers more than brands. A sponsored post on the influencer’s account is likely to be perceived as more authentic and result in higher engagement.
This is because influencers often integrate promotions organically into their content, making their followers more likely to view the post as a genuine recommendation.
Whitelisting allows to measure ROI through Meta Business Suite or Tik Tok Business Center. In traditional sponsored posts brands have to request influencers to share performance metrics but don't have full control to manage the ads, so it’s more difficult to calculate ROI on ad spend.
Whitelisting allows to boost an influencer’s sponsored content that has already been created or post new content as a dark post. This is a post that doesn't show publicly in the influencer’s or the brand’s Feeds but only appears on the News Feed of selected users.
This avoids content overload on the influencer’s profile by still allowing brands to leverage their influence for targeted ads. Additionally, dark posts provide an opportunity for A/B testing different ads with variations across diverse audiences, to assess what performs better. Finally, according to case studies from agencies such as Vamp, dark posting typically leads to a 25% higher engagement rate.
Highly targeted ads can drive higher engagement as they are more likely to resonate with your target audience. This results in a lower CAC (customer acquisition cost) and CPA (Cost-per- action).
This means that targeting ads to the right audience is more likely to increase your conversion rate, which makes your marketing budget allocation significantly more effective.
Whitelisted content has an extended lifespan compared to sponsored posts which appear on the influencer’s feed. This means that it has an extended duration or visibility period, which can drive higher engagement and long-term results.
There are some cons that could be considered for whitelisting compared to traditional ads:
Influencers tend to charge more for whitelisting than other sponsored content since they need to grant you full permission to their accounts.
How much can influencers charge for whitelisting? There are different payment methods, let’s review the most popular ones!
However, it's important to consider that the best way to get influencers to agree is by highlighting in your outreach the benefits for them, such as increased reach and enhancement of their personal brand through boosted content. By using our A/B tested Influencer Whitelisting Request templates, we often get influencers to agree to whitelisting for free or at least put us in a better position to negotiate.
The technical setup of whitelisting is quite more complicated than running an ad through the brand’s account or a sponsored post through the influencer. Influencers need to meet several requirements in advance, such as setting up a Facebook Business Manager.
If they haven’t done this yet, you'll need to guide them through the process. Finally, you’ll need to request permission to access their Facebook and Instagram accounts, which typically involves some back-and-forth communication with the influencer.
Influencers will be your ad partners, and they can stop or edit the ads at any point, so brands are not the only ones under control. You also need to be in mutual agreement regarding the content to be posted. This means influencers need to grant you permission in advance for the content that will be promoted.
As previously mentioned, it is essential to highlight the benefits of whitelisting to influencers in order to secure their agreement and negotiate better terms or reduced fees. Here are the key benefits that they should be aware of:
Whitelisting allows brands to reach lookalike audiences, which means influencers will gain exposure to new audiences who are similar to their existing followers and are more likely to be interested in their content. This expanded reach provides influencers with more awareness while the brand is covering the cost.
An extended reach can lead to potential follower growth. New users who discover the influencer through the branded post are more likely to visit the influencer's profile and subscribe to their channel or follow them if they find the content appealing.
Sponsored posts can achieve higher engagement (interactions) due to their quality, which Instagram’s algorithm prioritizes. Higher engagement is a key metric for influencers, helping them maintain partnership demand from brands.
Brands managing whitelisting can monitor and optimize the performance of ads in detail and test different variations to identify areas for improvement. They can provide feedback to influencers, helping them enhance their future content for better performance.
This is particularly valuable for influencers who may not have the time to analyze and optimize their content on their own. Therefore, all they need to do is take care of what they know best, which is to create the content, while the brands take care of the rest!
Since whitelisting offers mutual benefits for both creators and brands, it has the potential to develop long-term relationships and diverse types of collaborations between them.
Some whitelisting deals include commissions for influencers, providing them with the opportunity to earn money from any purchases made through the whitelisted post. This performance-based structure is a common additional benefit designed to encourage influencers to agree to the deal. Purchases can be tracked through an affiliate link and/or discount code included in the content.
Or some influencers may charge additional fixed fees for whitelisting, so this can be another revenue channel for them.
In order to set up whitelisting, which requires getting access to the influencer’s social media accounts to manage the ads, there are some previous steps that influencers need to take beforehand.
Influencers need to set up three main things in advance, and brands should make sure that all these have been accomplished or provide guidance to do so, so you can then proceed with setting up whitelisting.
Let’s dive into a step-by-step guide on how to set up all of these and other pre-requirements for influencers:
All influencers you have engaged with typically have an Instagram account, but some of them may have set this up as a Personal account. In that case, they need to convert it to a Business or Professional account.
You can reassure influencers that the only difference between them is that a Business profile will automatically set it to public and allow them to access a Meta Business account to manage brand partnerships across Facebook and Instagram more efficiently.
1. Click on the menu icon located at the top right corner (three horizontal lines).
2. Select "Settings and Privacy."
3. Scroll down and choose "Account Types and Tools."
4. Click on "Switch to Professional Account."
You can also check Instagram’s full guide for changing a personal Instagram Account to a Business account.
Please note that a Facebook account is required to set up and access Meta Business Manager, through which you can manage ads, brand partnerships and assets. Influencers won't be able to connect their accounts with brands directly through Instagram. They need to have their Instagram and Facebook accounts connected.
It's essential for whitelisting that both the brand and the influencer have a Meta Business Manager, through which they can connect and request or grant access to their accounts for brand partnerships.
One of the first steps for setting up whitelisting is to know the influencer's Business Manager ID in order to invite them to become a partner in your brand's Business Manager.
However, you may experience that a lot of influencers, especially those with smaller audiences, such as micro-influencers, will claim that they don’t have a Business Manager or don’t know where to find this ID. If that’s the case, you can just provide them instructions on how to create it, as it's super easy!
(IMPORTANT: As highlighted in step N°2, they need to have a personal Facebook Account to create a Facebook Business Manager, so make sure they have this in advance)
If you have any doubts, you can check this full guide on how to set up a Meta Business Manager.
Creating a Facebook Page, which you’ll next connect to your Instagram account, is quite easy.
Within your Facebook Business Manager, go to “Business Settings” < “Accounts”< “Pages” < “Add” < “Create a new page” (last option). Select category (eg: Brand or Product), Name and click on “Create”.
The influencer’s Instagram account needs to be connected to their Facebook page so they can create and manage ads across both platforms through their Facebook Business Manager. This can be done in two ways: From the Facebook Page or from their Instagram app. Let's check out both!
Done! Your Instagram and Facebook Business pages are connected directly from your Facebook page.
By doing this, it's not necessary to link your Instagram account to your Meta Business Manager, as your Facebook page and Instagram account will be connected, so by granting access to a brand to your Facebook page, you will have granted access to Instagram as well.
*Note: Inside your Meta Business Manager, you should see your page connected, and within "Instagram Accounts", under the "Accounts" option on the left-hand side menu, you'll find your IG account. But if you don't, just click on "Connect IG Account".
For a step-by-step guide on how influencers can connect their Instagram to their Facebook Page, you can refer them to this tutorial.
If the influencer confirms that they already meet all the above requirements, including having a Meta Business Manager, follow the steps below to request or gain access to their social media accounts.
This can be done in two ways:
They work quite similarly, so let’s take a look at the first option.
1. The first thing you need to do is ask the influencer for their Facebook Business ID.
Where can they find this? To instruct influencers where to find their Facebook Business Manager (or now called Business Portfolio) ID, you can share the following instructions:
They need to go to "Business Settings" and select "Business Info" from the left menu. Below their business portfolio name, they'll find their Business ID number. Alternatively, they can check the number in the URL of their Business Manager Account!
2. Once you have the influencer’s Business Manager ID, go to your Meta Business Manager/Portfolio and at the top, select the Business Manager account you want to use to get access to your influencer's assets
3. In the bottom left corner, select the cog symbol “Settings”.
4. Go to “Users” < “Partners”.
5. Click on "Add" and "Ask a partner to share their assets".
NOTE: At this stage, if you're choosing the second option of this process—where you share your Facebook Business Manager ID with the influencers and instruct them to add your brand as a partner—the main difference is that they will need to click on "Add" and select the first option: “Give a partner access to your assets.” After that, it will be up to the brand to accept the invitation, following the steps outlined below.
6. Click "Get Started"
7. Fill out the requested information and click “Request asset types”. You'll need to have their contact name, email and Business Account ID.
8. Choose the asset types you require access to and then the permissions you need (you will need to request the permissions separately for each asset type you want access to: pages, ad accounts, catalogs, datasets, and Instagram accounts).
Click each asset type one at a time and use the blue toggles to turn on your requested permissions.
9. Once you've selected all the assets you want access to, click “Next: Confirm and review”
10. Add a message for your influencer, review your request, click “Send”.
11. Ask the influencer to confirm the request they have received within their Business Manager. They should have received an email notification like this:
12. The influencer now needs to click “View in Business Manager” which will take them to Meta Business Manager, select the permissions for each asset type, and confirm. Then you'll have complete access to their accounts and you’ll be ready to start running ads on their behalf!
For further information, you can check this full guide on how to set up whitelisting through Meta Business Manager or Portfolio.
All this process detailed above can be time-consuming for both sides. Additionally, it can lead to influencers dropping interest, especially those who are not very familiarized with Meta Business Manager.
An alternative option for the granting and requesting access process is to use Leadsie, an app that helps to streamline and simplify the whole process for both parties.
Leadsie makes it easier for influencers to grant brands access to their social media accounts, through a private access request link. All your influencers need to do is click on your link, approve the request and the connection will be done!
So by using Leadsie, you’ll set up whitelisting through three simple steps:
Leadsie’s main benefit is that even if the influencer does not have a Facebook Business Manager, which is typically the case for micro-influencers, they can still grant the brand access to their accounts through Leadsie.
For just a Facebook Page, no Business Manager setup is needed. However, if you need access to more than the Page & Instagram, the influencer must have a Business Manager.
Leadsie provides an easy way for influencers to set up a Business Manager and connect their Facebook Page during the access granting process. You can share the same Leadsie request link with the influencer, and they can create their Business Manager or Facebook Page within your request link.
If you are new to influencer whitelisting, there are some expert tips you can follow to run a successful campaign:
Make sure to run influencer whitelisted ads with influencers who align with your brand’s messaging and values. It’s essential to have good synergy between the brand and the creator to share content that resonates with their audience and feels authentic.
That’s why it’s recommended to run gifting and affiliate campaigns for a few months first, known as the testing phase, to identify creators who perform well and produce high-quality content that aligns with your expectations. At a later stage you can select those for whitelisting.
It’s important to incentivize influencers fairly, as you're getting access to their accounts and, therefore, their audience. Compensate them for their partnership to show that you value their contributions.
Avoid running ads that are overly branded. The whole point of whitelisting is to promote content that blends seamlessly with the influencer's content style, making it more likely to be perceived as organic, which leads to higher engagement. This is the main difference compared to branded content that could be posted directly on the brand’s account.
By using a Meta pixel, you can gather valuable data on how users interact with your paid ads. This data can be used to create custom audiences for targeting. Simply upload your customer data to Facebook, and it will match those details with other users to reach custom audiences that align with your target demographic.
Including interactive features in whitelisted content can help drive engagement. Examples include:
For example, fitness influencer @chair.yoga (605 K) consistently posts about her workout routines. By wearing clothes such as leggings in her videos, she can authentically promote activewear brands. Adding a discount code encourages followers to engage with the brand by visiting the website to make a purchase.
One of the main advantages of whitelisting is gaining access to the influencer’s audience and reaching new segments by creating lookalike audiences. Start by reaching your own audience, then expand to the influencer’s audience, and finally, use lookalike audiences to tap into new audience segments that are similar to your existing ones, helping you discover new potential customers.
Facebook and Instagram provide analytics tools to monitor the performance of whitelisted ads, which is essential for optimizing the campaign as needed.
Conduct A/B testing with different ad elements to determine what works best for your target audience and what resonates with them. You can test CTAs, copies, and content types, for example.
Whitelisting is a growing marketing strategy to enhance your influencer marketing campaigns. It's a win-win situation for both creators and brands, as it allows influencers to gain more exposure and increase their follower base through the brand’s ad spend, while also enabling brands to leverage the influencer’s content and their audience. By promoting branded content directly through the influencer’s social media accounts, brands can connect with wider and custom audiences in a more authentic and engaging way, resulting in better performance.
Setting up whitelisting can be a bit challenging, as it depends on influencers having certain technical things in place and being familiar with Facebook Business Manager. However, by following the step-by-step guide provided in this article, you'll learn how to set it up manually or by using alternative methods such as Leadsie, which allows you to send the influencer a request access link to connect their account with the brand’s in a few steps.
Either way, becoming an expert at setting up whitelisting is totally worth it for marketers to increase their ROI on their ad spend.
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