The complete A-Z guide to influencer marketing terminology.46+ terms explained with examples.
A performance-based marketing model where influencers earn a commission for each sale they drive through unique tracking links or codes.
An influencer shares a 15% discount code. When followers use it, the influencer earns 10% of each sale.
A long-term partnership where selected influencers represent a brand over an extended period, typically with ongoing product access and sometimes compensation.
Lululemon's ambassador program partners with local yoga instructors who represent the brand in their communities.
The genuine quality of influencer content that resonates with audiences because it feels real rather than scripted or forced.
An influencer who has an ongoing relationship with a brand and consistently promotes its products as part of their lifestyle.
A paid agreement between a brand and influencer specifying deliverables, compensation, and usage rights for sponsored content.
A unique URL sent to influencers that allows them to select products and enter their shipping address to receive free products for seeding campaigns.
Instead of collecting addresses via DM, brands send claim links that auto-collect shipping info and create orders.
An individual who produces and shares original content (photos, videos, blogs) on digital platforms. Often used interchangeably with "influencer."
The percentage of people who take a desired action (like making a purchase) after seeing influencer content.
If 1,000 people click an influencer's link and 30 buy, the conversion rate is 3%.
A metric calculated by dividing campaign cost by total engagements (likes, comments, shares, saves).
A $500 campaign generating 5,000 engagements = $0.10 CPE.
The cost per 1,000 impressions. Used to compare the relative cost of reaching audiences across different influencers or channels.
A $1,000 sponsorship reaching 100,000 people = $10 CPM.
The ecosystem of independent content creators who monetize their audiences through brand partnerships, merchandise, subscriptions, and other revenue streams.
A sponsored social media post that appears in targeted users' feeds but not on the brand's or influencer's public profile.
The specific content pieces an influencer agrees to create as part of a brand partnership (e.g., 2 Instagram posts, 3 Stories, 1 Reel).
A metric that estimates the value of influencer content by calculating what equivalent paid media exposure would cost.
An influencer post reaching 50,000 people might have an EMV of $500 based on equivalent ad costs.
Any interaction users have with content, including likes, comments, shares, saves, clicks, and views.
A metric measuring audience interaction as a percentage of total followers or reach. Calculated as (Total Engagements ÷ Followers) × 100.
An account with 10,000 followers and 500 average engagements has a 5% engagement rate.
A contractual agreement preventing an influencer from promoting competing brands for a specified period.
Bot accounts or purchased followers that inflate an influencer's follower count without providing genuine engagement or reach.
Required statements (like #ad or #sponsored) that inform audiences when content is sponsored, as mandated by the Federal Trade Commission.
"#ad Thank you @BrandName for gifting me this product!"
The practice of sending free products to influencers without requiring them to post content. Also known as product seeding.
The total number of times content is displayed to users, regardless of whether it was clicked or engaged with.
An individual with the ability to affect the purchasing decisions of others due to their authority, knowledge, or relationship with their audience.
A marketing strategy that leverages influencers to promote products or services to their audiences, typically through sponsored content or product seeding.
Categories of influencers based on follower count: Nano (<10K), Micro (10K-100K), Mid-tier (100K-500K), Macro (500K-1M), Mega (1M+).
A respected expert or thought leader whose opinions significantly influence their audience. Common term in Asian markets.
An ongoing relationship between a brand and influencer spanning multiple campaigns or months, rather than one-off collaborations.
An influencer with 500,000 to 1 million followers. Offers significant reach but typically lower engagement rates than smaller creators.
A document influencers share with brands showcasing their audience demographics, engagement rates, past collaborations, and pricing.
An influencer with 10,000 to 100,000 followers. Known for higher engagement rates and niche audience connections compared to larger influencers.
A fitness micro-influencer with 25,000 followers who consistently gets 8% engagement on workout content.
An influencer with fewer than 10,000 followers. Often has the highest engagement rates and most trusted relationships with their audience.
Product seeding without requiring the recipient to post content. The brand hopes for organic posts but doesn't demand them.
Content posted by an influencer without paid promotion, reaching audiences through the platform's natural algorithm.
A formal collaboration where an influencer receives compensation (money or products) in exchange for creating promotional content.
In product seeding, the percentage of influencers who actually create content after receiving a gifted product.
If 50 influencers receive products and 30 post, the post rate is 60%.
The practice of sending free products to influencers hoping they will create organic content. No payment or posting requirements involved.
A skincare brand sends 100 products to beauty micro-influencers. 60% post unboxing videos on Instagram.
A unique discount code given to influencers to share with their audience, enabling tracking of conversions and sometimes earning affiliate commission.
The total number of unique users who see a piece of content. Different from impressions, which counts total views including repeats.
A measure of campaign profitability calculated by comparing revenue or value generated against total campaign costs.
A $5,000 seeding campaign generating $25,000 in sales = 5x ROI.
A marketing initiative focused on sending products to multiple influencers to generate organic content and awareness.
Content created by an influencer in exchange for payment or free products, which must be disclosed to audiences per FTC guidelines.
A unique URL with parameters that track clicks, conversions, and sales attributed to a specific influencer.
Content format where influencers film themselves opening and reacting to products they received, popular in seeding campaigns.
Content created by consumers or influencers (rather than brands) that features or mentions a product or service.
A customer posts a photo wearing your product on Instagram with a positive review.
Tags added to URLs that track where traffic originates, enabling attribution of conversions to specific influencers or campaigns.
The process of evaluating potential influencer partners for authenticity, audience quality, content style, and brand alignment.
Permission for a brand to run paid ads through an influencer's social media account, making the ad appear as if posted by the influencer.
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