Influencer Marketing: What It Is, Where to Start, and FAQ
Influencer marketing has long solidified itself as one of the main ways to work on social media.
To give you an idea, according to HubSpot, 68% of the companies studied in their latest global report use influencer marketing at some point.
Influencer marketing can even feel paradoxical sometimes. We think it’s hard to start, but once we do, we see it’s not. And when we relax, thinking it’s easy, it becomes harder again.
Today, we’ve gathered all the points your company or agency needs to consider when working with influencer marketing. We’ll dive deep into platforms, pricing, and general definitions.
Ready to go? Let’s start from the beginning:
What Is Influencer Marketing?
Influencer marketing is a digital marketing strategy focused on social media. This strategy uses digital influencers to highlight your product and brand.
It doesn’t necessarily have to happen on social networks, but that is the focus—particularly Instagram, which is where most influencers come from. Still, influencers can be featured anywhere.
For example, take Iran Ferreira—better known as “Luva de Pedreiro.” He appears in commercials:
But he also promotes products directly through his own Instagram profile.
Luva de Pedreiro is an exception since he’s both a digital influencer and a celebrity.
Usually, influencer marketing takes place within Instagram’s ecosystem, using influencers from your niche. But it can also be done on other networks like TikTok, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
Each company needs the right influencers, the right investment, and the right messaging. This even deserves its own section:
Challenges and Opportunities for Brands
If you’re a brand looking to start influencer marketing, here’s a heads-up: you need an experienced marketing team.
Without one, you’ll struggle to craft compelling copy, find relevant influencers, negotiate pricing, and measure results.
Even with a strong team, other challenges may arise: your messaging might not land well, or the influencer you choose could get “canceled,” etc.
But the opportunities are vast. When executed correctly, web traffic can double, triple—even skyrocket overnight.
To maximize opportunities and minimize risks, your company needs to:
- Have a marketing team to negotiate pricing
- Find the best influencers within your niche
- Analyze influencer engagement (some buy followers)
- Craft the right message using copywriting
- Define goals for traffic and sales growth
- Regularly audit these goals
🔎 Read also: Digital Marketing Team: How to Build One from Scratch
Is Influencer Marketing Worth It for Agencies?
If you run an agency and are considering influencer marketing, you’re on the right track.
According to Influencer Marketing Hub, 90% of agencies worldwide have an influencer marketing budget.
And HubSpot notes influencer marketing was the top investment trend in 2022:
One of agencies’ main roles today is managing everything we mentioned: expanding client portfolios, selecting influencers, crafting messages, and tracking metrics.
The work pays off—if clients understand its fluid, uncertain nature.
Some influencers will deliver more than others. That’s normal—markets and ad performance vary. Agencies must manage expectations and strive for the best results.
Top Platforms for Hiring Influencers
Ready to get practical?
We just covered influencer marketing for brands and agencies, both of which can benefit—if they follow basic steps.
Now, let’s talk about where to find influencers.
For beginners, influencer platforms are excellent resources. They organize influencers by niche, follower count, and engagement.
This service is helpful for research—but it usually comes with platform fees, which increase costs.
You can also find influencers directly—via email or social media outreach.
These platforms save time, offer contractual security, and help you start quickly.
Here are some recommendations:
Squid
A Brazilian company founded in São Paulo in 2014. It’s one of Brazil’s largest influencer platforms, covering over 12 states with a vast influencer database.
Squid works with major brands like Hellmann’s, Compra Certa, and Rexona, often using multiple influencers per campaign.
Verdict: Recommended if you have a larger budget and want access to top-tier influencers.
Influency.me
Another Brazilian platform working with domestic influencers. Unlike Squid, Influency.me offers both a Full Service plan and a DIY platform.
They manage thousands of influencers, including many micro-influencers.
Verdict: Great for those who want hands-on control and a more budget-friendly model.
Digital Influencers
One of Brazil’s most established influencer companies, with over 10,000 registered influencers across all niches.
Their model is agency-style, meaning they manage the campaign directly for you.
Verdict: Ideal if you want a more hands-on, guided approach with robust support.
Kuak
Launched in 2013, Kuak pioneered the influencer platform model in Brazil. It’s fully self-service, though support is available.
Their intuitive platform includes customized analytics and a well-established community.
Our verdict is that Kuak is one of the best influencer marketing platforms on the market. Its design, responsiveness, and analytics make creating influencer campaigns much simpler and more effective.
Airfluencers
You might be noticing that all these influencer marketing platforms are similar, right?
You’re not wrong — most offer a database of influencers, a platform with analytics, and team support if needed.
But among those we reviewed so far, Airfluencers is the only one that combines its platform with curated content support.
That offering is called Airlabs — a curated service that gives you everything you need to launch a campaign, even if you have no idea where to start.
Airlabs won’t do the work for you, but provides tailored content guidance — which is a huge advantage in campaign creation.
So our verdict: Airfluencers is a solid platform, enhanced by the added value of curated content support that makes a real difference in daily campaign operations.
Infleux
Infleux offers an even more “hands-off” influencer marketing platform designed for busy marketing managers.
With it, you don’t need to create the content yourself. You just set key parameters like target audience, campaign concept, and pay-per-engagement. Then their algorithm handles the rest.
Infleux is ideal if you want to launch campaigns quickly with minimal effort — a true launch-and-leave-it system.
How Do Influencers Usually Get Paid?
Believe it or not, influencers can be compensated in several ways — even without cash. Payment methods reflect the relationship between the brand and influencer.
Here are the three most common compensation methods:
No Payment
Sometimes influencers receive no direct payment.
For example, Wine (a Brazilian wine subscription service) ran a campaign offering a trip to Chile for the influencer who secured the most new subscribers. Influencers promoted based on results, not upfront pay.
Product exchanges (“recebidos do dia”) are also common—sending products for posts and stories.
Pros: No cash payout. Cons: You lose control over messaging and timing. Formal campaigns usually require paid deals and clear contracts.
Pay Per Post
An informal method is flat-rate pay per post.
On influencer platforms, campaign budgets are paid to the platform, which distributes payments to influencers.
If you handle influencer outreach yourself, you negotiate with each influencer directly:
- Set pay based on post impressions
- Pay per post (regardless of engagement or sales)
- Commission per sale
- Variable payment based on site traffic
The key is to establish fair, transparent criteria.
Pay Per Campaign
This is the most common model. Brands negotiate campaign-wide budgets and contracts with influencers, defining deliverables, deadlines, and payment terms.
This method provides legal and compliance security.
It’s especially prevalent on platforms offering influencer mediation and contract support.
How to Measure Influencer Performance?
We’ve covered finding and paying influencers — now let’s talk about selecting the best ones to promote your brand.
The key is to choose influencers aligned with your niche. No point hiring Luísa Sonza to promote thermoplastic welding machines — it won’t resonate with her audience.
Start with niche fit, then evaluate these metrics:
Engagement
Follower count matters — but only so much.
An influencer with 200 K followers but only ~10 K views may have lower engagement than someone with 20 K followers and the same views.
Calculate engagement rates: (likes + comments + shares + views) ÷ followers
Higher rates indicate stronger audience interest and better ROI.
Follower Count
Follower volume determines pricing.
Big influencers can generate massive traffic, but that requires your operational capacity to fulfill orders.
Make sure your budget and fulfillment plans can support the demand.
Website Traffic & Lead Growth
One of influencer marketing’s strengths is generating immediate traffic spikes.
Platforms often report increased site visits and leads. Look for those results.
Even with a low conversion rate, traffic growth has value.
Likes are nice, but sales matter. Focus on site traffic and purchase results.
Sales Increase
If an influencer campaign runs for six months with no sales, it’s time to reassess.
Let me know if you’d like help crafting engagement formulas, selecting influencers, or analyzing campaign ROI!
Honestly. Influencer marketing isn’t like inbound marketing, which can take over a year to show its first results.
Influencer marketing drives consistent sales. It requires a quick return since the investment isn’t small.
We’re talking hours, days, at most one or two weeks of a campaign. If you don’t generate sales in that time, you likely won’t in a month or six. Consider switching, and do it fast.
5 Strategic Tips for Working with Influencers
Everyday questions will arise: What do you need to do to get the best results with your influencers?
That’s normal—and expected. Up to this point, it may have seemed influencer work is black and white, but real-world execution rarely is.
This last section covers what to consider after launching your influencer strategy—what really happens.
Should You Let the Influencer Control Creative?
It depends. Influencers are used to producing their content, so giving them control is easier.
But be cautious—it can lead to tone mismatches. The voice will be theirs, not yours.
Sometimes that’s perfect: if it fits the campaign concept, personalized messages resonate better.
But when you have specific points to include, brief the influencer in advance and review the copy.
Ideally, review everything they publish about your brand. It’s not easy—time constraints, delays—but worth insisting.
Big Influencers or Niche Ones?
We discussed this before, but it’s worth reiterating—it depends on your campaign and budget.
A big influencer costs more than ten smaller ones. Consider reach versus engagement—which one will deliver more value?
Single-influencer campaigns aren’t ideal. The best influencer strategies involve several creators—for broader exposure.
If you can’t afford many big influencers, work with multiple micro-influencers. If you can include one or two larger ones, the results typically impress.
Beyond Instagram: Other Platforms?
There are influencers on almost every social network. The key is knowing the return and audience.
LinkedIn influencers rarely run sponsored posts—but when they do, they have a specific tone.
YouTube also uses influencers, but more subtly. Podcast sponsorships are trendy right now, and many brands are investing in that format.
In short: there are many ways to leverage social media; just study your preferred platform well before proceeding.
Who Writes the Copy: You or the Influencer?
As mentioned earlier, there’s no rule. Either one can write it.
If you write it, prepare the copy in advance—and customize it for each influencer’s style.
Using the same script for everyone sounds forced. Let influencers adapt it to their voice—but with your guidance.
Are There Laws for Hiring Influencers?
Brazil has no specific influencer marketing laws dictating how influencers should work or what they must say.
However, the Consumer Protection Code mandates all advertising be clearly identifiable:
Art. 36. Advertising must be presented in such a way that the consumer can identify it easily and immediately.
Brand posts don’t require this label, but influencer content must be clearly marked as paid content.
There’s also a free CONAR guide, developed by AlmapBBDO.
Did this clear your questions about influencer marketing? I hope so!
Now that we’ve reached the end of the article, let me take one more minute to talk about results. Influencer marketing is complex, and when you’re fully immersed in campaign execution, it’s easy to lose sight.
Again: the goal is results—driving visitors to your site, converting leads, and generating sales.
Influencers drive traffic—but what if that traffic doesn’t convert? That’s where Leadster comes in.
With our chatbot platform, you have an extra chance to convert visitors into leads. Just set up standard responses aligned with your campaigns—and you’re done.
Companies that don’t waste visitors never run out of sales. Visit Leadster’s website today to learn more!
