With over 2 billion active users (Statista, 2024), Instagram ranks third after Facebook (3 billion+) and YouTube (2.4 billion+) as one of the most popular social networks worldwide. With such a vast reach, Instagram has become a top platform for brands to partner with influencers to drive brand awareness, positive word of mouth, and conversions.
This guide will walk you through the steps to build a solid influencer marketing program on Instagram for your brand. From finding the right influencers to understanding performance metrics and ROI based on real case studies, and determining which media (Reels, Stories, or Feed) to utilize, this guide provides all the insights you need to succeed with Instagram influencer marketing.
This section provides general information for those new to Instagram influencer marketing. If you’re already familiar with the basics, you can use the table of contents on the left or click here to skip to the next section.
Instagram influencer marketing is a strategy where brands collaborate with influencers on Instagram to promote their products or services. Influencers are individuals with a dedicated following and the ability to sway purchasing decisions within their niche.
By leveraging influencers' reach and trust, brands can increase awareness, drive engagement, and boost sales. This form of marketing is particularly effective on Instagram due to its visual nature and high engagement rates.
Instagram is one of the most popular platforms for brands to partner with influencers. Research involving over 3,000 participants, including influencer marketers from agencies and brands, revealed that 46.7% (Influencer Marketing Hub, 2024) primarily collaborate with influencers on Instagram.
Instagram is a go-to platform for influencer marketing due to its highly visual content, including photos, videos, Stories, and Reels, which effectively capture audience attention.
With over 70% of shoppers (Meta, 2024) turning to Instagram for their next purchase, the platform is essential for brands aiming to connect with their target audience.
Compared to TikTok, Instagram attracts an older demographic with higher disposable income, making it particularly appealing for premium brands or product categories seeking to engage this audience segment.
Instagram’s strong engagement rates, influencer-friendly features such as tagging and shoppable posts, and advanced targeting options make it an ideal space for brands to connect with consumers through authentic and relatable influencer content.
This section provides a step-by-step guide to help you successfully implement an Instagram influencer marketing campaign.
The first step in creating a successful campaign is to clearly define your objectives. Your goals will shape how you structure your influencer marketing strategy and will vary depending on the size and stage of your brand.
If you’re just starting with influencer marketing, your primary goal might be to drive conversions. Limited budgets often mean focusing on campaigns that deliver a direct return on investment (ROI).
For smaller brands, an ideal objective could be: increasing conversions and running a profitable, ROI-driven campaign.
For larger companies, objectives may involve managing a set marketing budget, often pre-allocated by upper management.
An example goal might be: allocating $50,000 to an influencer campaign to increase brand awareness and foster positive word of mouth.
Your individual objective could also include presenting a detailed, structured report to management, highlighting the campaign’s effectiveness.
By defining these goals upfront, you can create a clear roadmap to structure your Instagram influencer marketing campaign effectively.
Once the goal is clear it is time to get started. You probably already have a vague impression of the type of influencer you think would be ideal. This is good but not enough. Make sure to clearly quantify what influencers you want to work with and what metrics / KPIs they should have. Below are some of the 5 most important KPI’s to analyze when deciding on which influencers to partner with:
You can access all these metrics using our free influencer audit chrome extension or using our free fake follower check.
Read more in detail how to find Instagram influencers here. With Influencer Hero for example you can use detailed filters including audience location, engagement rate, demographics, lookalikes and much more to hyper target the influencers you want to work with.
Now that you have selected the influencers you want to work with it is time to contact them in order to onboard them to your campaign. Kraft a strong invitation email to maximise your reply and onboarding rate.
There are two ways to reach out to Instagram influencers.
Pro: In some cases the influencer themselves will see your message instead of their management team / agent.
Con: It is not scalable and your account might get blocked if you send out the same messages too many times.
Pro: It is scalable and can be automated.
Con: You might contact the influencers agent which makes negotiation more difficult.
Manually reaching out to influencers can be time intensive which is why we recommend using tools to automate your outreach. Below are some of the most common tools to automate your email outreach.
Tools like Instantly and Woodpecker are often used by Sales teams and can be complicated to set up. In comparison with Influencer Hero you have your entire influencer program in one place.
You can simply add the influencers you want to contact into a campaign and the system will automatically send out the emails using an Ai to hyper personalize each email like in the example below. The best part, the system automatically sends out follow ups to maximise your reply rate.
Access our influencer outreach templates for different types of influencer collaborations for free here.
Once you have contacted the influencers it is important to effectively manage your campaign. If you do this manually we recommend using a google sheet / spreadsheet to keep track of replies and analyse your campaign progress.
If you have to work with more influencers it is recommended to use 3rd party tools / Influencer CRM / IRM to effectively manage your campaign.
Below are some of the best influencer CRM tools for effective campaign management.
With Influencer Hero for example you can create outreach campaigns as well as relationship boards to effectively manage your influencer program. The deal will move to the next stage automatically and each influencer has its own deal page where you can gather all information and data in one place.
Once you have onboarded the influencers to your campaign it is important to make sure that you can track the performance of your campaign. Below are some of the most common techniques to track your Instagram influencer marketing performance.
Affiliate links are specific URL paths which will automatically place a cookie in the browser of the person who clicks or opens the link. This is an effective way to track clicks as well as conversions.
You can provide a personalized coupon to each influencer you work with. Everytime this coupon is being redeemed you know that it came from an influencer. With Influencer Hero you can directly create affiliate links and discount codes from within the CRM allowing you to effectively track your influencer performance and payout influencers.
Using the tracking tools explained in the previous chapter you are often required to create reports to showcase the effectiveness of your campaign. Below are some of the most important metrics / KPIs to track when reporting on your influencer campaign.
To read more about KPIs in detail access our influencer marketing KPIs article here. Using Influencer Hero you can access detailed reports which will allow you to streamline this process. Besides having all your KPIs in one place you can also export the data to excel in order to run more detailed analysis.
Of 3,000 respondents which participated in a survey in 2024, 55.8% mentioned that UGC was their main reason for influencer marketing followed by sales with 23,2% and awareness with 21% (Influencer Marketing Hub, 2024). The video and image material created by the influencers can be reused for organic as well as paid social. Reels and feed posts can be downloaded from Instagram directly while stories are more difficult to capture.
To download the high quality file from a reel or feed post follow the steps below.
A faster and easier way to access Instagram influencer content is by using 3rd party software. Influencer Hero for example automatically collects all content including feed, reel and story posts which you can conveniently access through a centralized content library.
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Below are some of the best 3 party tools to track influencer UGC and content.
Below are some case studies where we share detailed metrics for Instagram influencer marketing campaigns which we have managed for clients.
The case studies include screenshots of realised revenue, clicks, conversion rates and more giving a good insight into the performance and ROI can accept when working with Instagram influencers.
Context:
The case study emphasizes the importance of building strong partnerships with influencers who align with your brand values and audience. Additionally, it provides free templates to help businesses design impactful influencer campaigns for high-stakes sales events like Black Friday. Key takeaways include leveraging data-driven decisions, creating urgency in messaging, and optimizing campaign elements for maximum ROI.
The detailed case study: $687K Black Friday Influencer Case Study
Also, don’t miss our article featuring a curated list of 20 detailed case studies.
Influencer rates on Instagram vary based on several factors, including follower count, engagement rate, content type, and specific campaign requirements.
Influencers are typically categorized by their follower count, which significantly influences their pricing:
These figures are approximate and can vary based on additional factors such as engagement rates and niche relevance.
Several key elements affect how much an Instagram influencer may charge:
To estimate the cost of collaborating with an Instagram influencer, you can use the following formula:
Influencer Cost = (Target CPM / 1,000) × Average Views per Post
Where:
For example, if your target CPM is $30 and the influencer's posts average 5,843 views, the calculation would be:
Influencer Cost = ($30 / 1,000) × 5,843 = $175
This formula helps determine a fair compensation based on the influencer's reach and your budget objectives.
Tip: Reels show the number of views the video’s get which you can use for the formula.
Access our detailed article on influencer pricing and rates by platform here.
Whenever there are general ROI numbers you have to be careful on how to interpret and use these numbers for your decision making. Some reports state that the ROI of influencer marketing is between $4 - $7 for every dollar spent. It is very difficult however to put an actual number on this as it depends on so many different factors.
As the formula to calculate ROI uses revenue it might not provide the entire picture as you aren’t calculating the impact on brand awareness which are determined by more top of funnel metrics like:
Because of this Earned Media Value is a better metric to analyze which essentially determines the value you created through your influencer program.
Access our detailed article on how to calculate earned media value on Instagram here.
When deciding which type of Instagram influencer to collaborate with, it’s important to consider your goals, budget, and target audience. Nano, micro, and macro influencers each bring unique strengths and challenges to the table. Here’s a breakdown to help you decide which is the best fit for your campaign:
Macro influencers are ideal for boosting brand awareness with larger budgets, while nano and micro influencers deliver better ROI and conversions on a limited budget.
This essentially depends on your situation and what you are trying to achieve.
If you have a larger budget to allocate and your main goal is to increase brand awareness with limited work, macro influencers would be the right fit.
If you have to work with a limited budget and conversions and ROI is the main objective working with nano and micro influencers can be more beneficial.
When looking at ROI it is also important to understand that there are multiple factors determining your ROI. While a single macro influencer is likely to have a bigger impact than a micro or nano influencer, you are often able to work with more nano or micro influencers with the same budget allowing you to essentially collaborate with more influencers.
As a general rule if ROI is the main objective, we always recommend trying to work with as many influencers as possible in order to identify the ones that work. This is because influencer marketing follows a strong power law distribution where the performance is typically driven by a smaller group of people.
Read more in detail about what performance and ROI you can expect with influencers here.
Below are a couple more generic rules when deciding which type of influencer to work with.
Below are some of the most important benefits of Instagram influencer marketing.
Partnering with influencers helps your brand reach a larger, more engaged audience. Influencers can introduce your products to their loyal followers, increasing exposure and brand recognition.
Compared to platforms like Youtube, Instagram is fairly quick to implement. This is because influencers can often create a post using their phone compared to Youtube which requires equipment, sometimes a studio and video editing afterwards. If you want to organise a last minute campaign with a tight timeline Instagram could be a beneficial platform.
Due to the short form, content influencers are able to showcase their lives and everyday usage in a casual and genuine way. The content is also named as user generated content (UGC) which is popular because it showcases products in a more authentic way.
Influencers build strong relationships with their followers, who trust their opinions and recommendations. By collaborating with the right influencers, you can enhance your brand’s credibility and consumer trust.
Influencers can drive traffic to your website or e-commerce store through engaging content and direct call-to-actions. Whether it's a product recommendation or a limited-time offer, influencers help convert followers into customers. Especially if you brand is not well known yet in a market an influencer recommendation can lead to increased conversions due to trust and social proof.
Compared to traditional advertising, influencer marketing can be more cost-efficient. Micro and nano influencers, in particular, offer high engagement at a lower cost, delivering excellent ROI.
Influencers are content creators at their core. They produce authentic, high-quality visuals and videos that align with their personal style, offering your brand unique and relatable content for campaigns which can reused through organic or paid social.
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Tracking the success of influencer campaigns can be tricky. Even when affiliate links and discount codes are being used attribution often gets lost making it harder to get a clear picture of the effectiveness of your campaign.
Some influencers may inflate their follower count using bots or fake accounts. Their audience might be located in a different country which isn’t relevant for your brand. Collaborating with these influencers can result in low engagement and wasted marketing spend.
When working with influencers, brands must rely on them to represent their products authentically. This can lead to miscommunication or content that doesn’t align with the brand’s values or message.
Failure to disclose sponsored content properly can lead to legal issues. Both brands and influencers must ensure full compliance with advertising regulations to avoid fines and reputational damage.
Influencer campaigns often yield short-term spikes in traffic or sales. Without a long-term strategy, these results may not translate into sustained growth or brand loyalty.
With more brands utilizing influencer marketing, audiences may become desensitized to sponsored content. This oversaturation can reduce the impact of influencer promotions over time.
You might be asking yourself which media you should use when working with influencers on Instagram. Below is an overview of all the different media on Instagram and their advantages and drawbacks.
The answer is it depends. While the reach is clearly higher for feed and reels they are typically more expensive compared to stories. One major benefits of using stories is that you are able to include a link sticker which a). Increases conversions b). Allows for tracking through the affiliate link.
Similarly, an effective hashtag strategy is crucial for brands looking to maximize the visibility and reach of their Instagram influencer campaigns. By selecting a mix of trending, niche, and branded hashtags, your content becomes more discoverable to the right audiences. Hashtags not only amplify engagement but also help target specific demographics, increasing the chances of connecting with potential customers. Using tools like our Influencer Hero Instagram Analytics, brands can evaluate the performance of their hashtags, refine their strategy, and drive better results from their influencer partnerships.
Below are some of the most common types of Instagram influencer marketing campaigns.
To read about these campaigns in detail access our article on 5 types of influencer marketing campaigns here.
Based on over 30,000 influencer partnerships that we helped our clients implement, we know that Instagram influencer marketing performance follows a strong power law distribution.
If you heard of the 80/20 principle (Pareto Principle) influencer marketing follows this distribution. More strongly we typically observe that around 5-10% of the influencers we work with generate over 80% of the total revenues.
This distribution is clearly explained in a lot of the case studies we published. You can access our influencer case studies here.
Instagram influencer marketing offers brands a powerful way to connect with audiences through authentic, engaging content. With its vast user base, high engagement rates, and diverse content formats, Instagram is an ideal platform for driving brand awareness, trust, and conversions.
By following the strategies and best practices outlined in this guide—from finding the right influencers to tracking campaign performance—you’ll be equipped to build a successful influencer marketing program that delivers measurable results for your brand.
The cost of Instagram influencer marketing varies based on factors like the influencer's follower count, engagement rate, and the scope of the campaign. According to a survey by Later, 66% of businesses pay less than $250 per post, while 27% pay between $250 and $1,000 per post. Top-tier influencers can command significantly higher fees, sometimes reaching thousands of dollars per post.
Success can be measured using key performance indicators (KPIs) such as:
To find suitable influencers:
Legal considerations include:
To maintain authenticity:
Schedule a Demo with one of our media experts below.
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