What Influencers and Creators Want from Brands: Compensation, Product Details, and More

NewcomersURLgenius and Impact.com Influencer Research to the world of influencer marketing might think that flashy brand deals are the ultimate way to monetize content creation. For many creators, however, ecommerce affiliate commissions are the number-one way they earn commissions, according to the Commerce Creator Lightning Survey jointly commissioned study by URLgenius & impact.com.

Affiliate commissions were a source of income for a whopping 99% of the content creators surveyed. They weren’t necessarily the only source, however: 72% also earned money from brand deals and 36% from advertising. To put it another way, for 39% of creators, affiliate commissions accounted for more than three-quarters of their income. In comparison, only 37% of the influencers surveyed earned more than half of their income from brand deals, ads, or other sources.

URLgenius and Impact.com Creator Economy Research

Are content creators satisfied with affiliate commissions accounting for so much of their earnings? Yes and no. Just slightly more than half—51%—prefer a flat fee plus commission as a primary compensation model. That’s understandable: The flat fee guarantees some compensation for their effort even if the content or the product fails to resonate with the audience. Also understandably, 51% of brands would rather pay commission only. In what’s promising news for creators, however, 46% of brands prefer paying a flat fee plus commission—so don’t be afraid to try to negotiate for that if it’s your preference.

Influencer Marketing Compensation Trends

When partnering with a brand, creators’ top priority is financial compensation. Perhaps the biggest surprise here is that only 45% cited it as the most valued aspect. Even so, that’s more than twice the percentage of influencers—20%—who valued long-term relationship potential most. Only 16% prioritized a product’s relevance to their audience, and even fewer said creative freedom or brand alignment with their personal values were top priorities.

URLgenius and Impact.com Creator Economy Research


Get More from Influencer Marketing with Product Details

Once an influencer has partnered with a brand, it’s detailed product information that’s king. Two-thirds of creators found it among the most helpful types of brand support, with 55% citing marketing and promotional materials. Slightly less than half prized brand exclusives and events as highly.

URLgenius and Impact.com Creator Economy Research


Influencer Marketing and Creative Control

Another thing creators want is at least a degree of creative control. While 35% preferred complete creative freedom, 45% appreciated having broad guidelines to work within. The remaining 20% were neutral on the subject of creative freedom or deemed it not very important. Given that 51% of brands consider retaining creative control very important, to the point of providing detailed guidelines, creative control is apparently a source of conflict in many would-be partnerships. In fact, 32% of creators said creative freedom was a frequent challenge—just as 36% of brands cited misalignment with brand messaging as a frequent challenge.

Influencer Marketing Collaboration Types

Preferred types of content are another area where influencers and brands are at odds. Nearly half of creators cited sponsored posts as the most effective type of collaboration, compared with only 22% of brands. On the other hand, 36% of brands viewed long-term ambassadorships as the most effective type of collaboration, but only 26% of creators agreed. Event collaborations and live appearances were the subject of an even greater disparity: While 22% of brands felt they were the most effective form of collaboration, a mere 1% of creators did.

URLgenius and Impact.com Creator Economy Research


Creators are Worried About Algorithms

Despite challenges regarding creative control and collaboration types, the top concern of most creators had nothing to do with brands. Nearly two-thirds—64%—of influencers said that algorithm changes among social media was their biggest worry. Losing control of their business and their income to these changes is especially painful for those who turned to content creation in order to have greater command over their career than when working for someone else, and it’s a likely reason at least half of influencers prefer being compensated with a flat fee plus commission.

implementing an app-linking solution such as URLgenius can help creators compensate for a potential decline in earnings due to changing algorithms. By enabling influencers to link directly to brands’ category and product pages, app-to-app solutions have been proven to boost conversion rates, regardless of algorithm changes. Of the influencers who had implemented a deep-linking app like URLgenius, 89% enjoyed higher Prime Day conversion rates. What’s more, a survey we conducted earlier this year found that 78% of influencers saw their average order value rise after implementing URLgenius. Another plus: URLgenius measures non-personally identifiable information (PII) including clicks, app opens, device, and platform. Beyond being able to track performance, influencers can use the information to see the most popular links so that they can continue to improve their content.

See for yourself how URLgenius can help you grow your income with no added effort; contact us today to learn how we can help you drive more revenue from your influencer marketing efforts.

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