Mastering Retention: The Key to Influencer Marketing Success

? Six-Second Summary

• ?? Retention is the secret sauce in influencer marketing—brands that excel here see significant EMV growth.
• ??Retention is key to influencer marketing success, directly tied to brand growth and EMV.
• ??Brands like RHODE and Gisou are excelling, with influencer retention rates soaring over 100%.
• ??? Join us at CreatorIQ Connect on October 10th!
• ??? Earned Podcast: Ep. 140 with Paul Jauregui, Co-Founder of BK Beauty.
• ?? Vote for CreatorIQ’s SXSW Panel!

?? Editor's Note

Europe bound. ??

I’m headed out to Europe for the first 3 weeks of September (Paris, London, Zurich, Barcelona). Let me know if you’d like to say hello while I am there!

?? Retention: The Most Important Metric in Influencer Marketing

When it comes to influencer marketing, there’s one metric that stands out above all others: retention. Now, I know what you’re thinking—retention sounds like one of those buzzwords that gets thrown around a lot. But hear me out: this is the secret sauce that separates the brands that thrive from the ones that just get by.

?? So, What is Retention in Influencer Marketing?

Think of it like customer loyalty, but for influencers. You’ve worked hard to get an influencer talking about your brand—that’s great! But the real magic happens when you can keep that influencer engaged, creating content, and spreading the word about your brand for years to come. It’s all about building that relationship, so they don’t just promote you once, but they keep coming back, year after year. And let’s be honest, in the noisy world of social media, that kind of loyalty is gold.

?? Why is Retention So Important?

Retention is not just a nice-to-have—it’s your growth engine. We’ve crunched the numbers, and it turns out that brands with high retention rates see a serious boost in their Earned Media Value (EMV). Look at Gymshark with a 105% retention rate, or RHODE at a mind-blowing 270%. These brands are seeing influencers not just sticking around, but actually producing more content over time. It’s proof that if you can keep your influencers happy and engaged, your brand is going to see serious growth.

In simple terms: if you can keep an influencer in your corner, they’ll do more for you every year—and that means your brand keeps growing.

?? How Do You Nail Retention?

Here’s the deal: chasing new influencers is fun, but if you want to build something sustainable, you’ve got to focus on the ones you already have. Sure, acquiring new influencers is important, but if you want to be like the brands that are on fire, 80% of your effort should be on retention.

Here’s how you do it:

1. Divide and Conquer: Start with a list of the influencers who are already talking about your brand. Then, divvy them up among your team, just like you would with sales leads. Each team member is responsible for nurturing those relationships, ensuring those influencers feel valued, and keeping them engaged.
2. Measure and Optimize: Track how much value (EMV, engagement, etc.) each influencer brings in. This helps you identify your top performers and justifies the investment in your influencer management team. Plus, it makes sure you’re constantly optimizing who you’re working with.

This isn’t rocket science—it’s just about being consistent and thoughtful. When done right, retention is the key to long-term success in influencer marketing. ??

??? Join Us at CreatorIQ Connect on October 10th! ??

Get ready—CreatorIQ Connect is back on October 10th, and this year, it’s going to be even more epic! We’re talking about 1,000 attendees (up from last year’s 700), three stages, and a $780K budget! This is the event if you’re in the creator economy space. ??

What can you expect? A day packed with groundbreaking insights, cutting-edge innovation, and the chance to network with some of the biggest names in the industry. Our lineup includes incredible speakers from top brands like YouTube, Ulta, and Forever21. And, of course, we’re keeping things classy with a performance by the Hollywood Chamber Orchestra and 11am mimosas—because why not? ????

Don’t miss out—secure your spot and join us at NeueHouse Hollywood for the most exciting creator marketing event of the year. We can’t wait to see you there! ????

??? Earned Podcast: Ep. 140 with Paul Jauregui, Co-Founder of BK Beauty

In this week's episode of Earned, Conor sits down with Paul Jauregui, co-founder of the viral makeup brush brand BK Beauty. They dive into the fascinating journey of building a successful beauty brand with Paul's wife, professional makeup artist and YouTube sensation Lisa J. From mastering the intricacies of social commerce to maintaining brand integrity, Paul shares insights that every brand should hear.

Discover how BK Beauty harnesses the power of TikTok, YouTube, and Shopify to streamline processes and cultivate authentic relationships with creators. Plus, learn about the strategic decision to build in-house distribution and its pivotal role in scaling operations. Whether you’re into e-commerce, influencer marketing, or beauty, this episode is a must-listen! ???

?? Listen on Apple Podcasts

?? Listen on Spotify

?? Vote for CreatorIQ’s SXSW Panel!

Great news! CreatorIQ has qualified for the community voting stage at the SXSW PanelPicker, which determines the panels that go live at SXSW 2025.

Our entry, titled “Creator Economy ROI: How Media Value Predicts Brand Value,” will feature CreatorIQ Chief Strategy Officer Conor Begley covering some of the hottest topics in creator marketing, including:

• How the creator economy is transforming marketing and replacing traditional advertising.
• How earned media value correlates with market share and brand value.
• How the world's biggest brands lead with creator marketing.

If you love learning about how creator marketing drives real-world value for brands, or if you just enjoy the sound of Conor Begley’s voice, please vote for us! Every vote counts, and we’d love your support. ??

??? Vote for our panel here!

Voting closes on August 18th, so don’t wait—cast your vote today and help us bring this important conversation to SXSW! ??

?? HBBIP Shoutout: Airlines & Creator Marketing

This week’s edition of How to Build Brands and Influence People is all about the skies! ??

Alex Rawitz, Director of Research & Insights at CreatorIQ, dives into the top-performing airlines in the creator marketing space, ranking them by their cumulative EMV totals since January 2018. From American Airlines to Delta, these brands are taking off in the creator economy, with innovative campaigns and strong partnerships propelling them to new heights.

Curious about which airlines are soaring above the rest? Check out Alex’s full analysis in How to Build Brands and Influence People—and don't forget to subscribe for more insights every week!

?? Subscribe to HBBIP here

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Best,

Conor Begley