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Influencer marketing fails
What 4 influencer marketers learned from failed campaigns
Eleni Zoe
March 13, 2025
Welcome to Return on Influence #41! The weekly newsletter where I, Eleni Zoe from Modash, share tactics and ideas to strengthen your influencer campaigns and improve ROI.
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Ever had a campaign flop? You’re not alone.
Influencer marketing can feel like Instagram did circa 2012. Everyone’s doing it better than you (and doing it with a ring light).
What we never consider is the trail of failures that shaped the marketers behind the strategy.
I don’t want to sound like your therapist. But it needs to be said. Failure is not something to avoid but a necessary part of the process. Every loss leaves behind a lesson that makes you sharper, smarter, and better prepared for what comes next.
So today, I want to flip the script. Instead of showing you wins, I’m sharing four times influencer marketers got it wrong and what they learned.
(These are all from real influencer marketers who wish to remain anonymous)
Mistake #1 Failure to check receipts
The influencer we used had fake numbers. We didn't research it much, so the campaign had a negative ROI. My key learning was to always go above and beyond researching your influencer's campaigns, manually and with software.
Numbers can lie. Influencers can tweak their analytics, inflate their engagement, and make their audience look far more real (and interested) than they actually are.
What to do instead: Build the real conviction your budget requires. If you’re giving a meaningful portion of your available cash to someone, you want to consider running a lower-commitment trial with a creator.
For example:
Instead of a fully integrated YouTube video, try a quick mid-roll shoutout first.
Instead of a mid-roll, try out an end-cap.
Instead of a YouTuber's main channel, sponsor their secondary channel.
Instead of their second channel, sponsor their other socials (like Instagram).
Once you get a feel for the audience’s reaction, you can buy a more expensive, complex, or even long-term partnership.
If a creator's reach doesn’t justify such experimentation, go full-on detective mode. Sniff around engagement patterns, past collaborations, and audience demographics from an influencer marketing platform. (Very unsubtle wink)
Mistake #2 Failure to read the room
Campaigns following hard discounted periods are failing, and I learned that it's better to pause influencer activities and save the budget.
Sometimes, the failure isn't about the campaign itself but about when it occurs. Timing can make or break performance.
What to do instead: Think like your customers. Are they still recovering from holiday shopping? Are they holding off until payday? Plan the right influencer campaigns for the right moments.
It makes more sense to run brand awareness campaigns in the months leading up to big discounted periods. This way, you’re always top of mind. As this marketer suggested, you may even want to pause influencer activities directly after big discounted periods.
Mistake #3 Failure to plan for chaos
I had a campaign fail because we were not prepared, and in turn, our creators were not prepared. We knew we wanted a campaign for that quarter, so we figured out the best dates and sent initial communications. We ended up not having the product out on time, so for half the campaign, our creators did not have adequate products to successfully drive sales or make content.”
If there’s one thing you need to prepare for in influencer marketing, it’s to expect the unexpected. It’s not uncommon for delays to happen for various reasons.
What to do instead: Planning is crucial. Setting influencers up for success starts long before launch day. You need to build realistic timelines.
Always allow more time than you think you'll need. Delays can and will happen, whether due to shipping issues, late product arrivals, or influencers missing deadlines.
Build in buffer days, stay overly communicative with influencers, and include flexibility in your contracts.
If something does go wrong, lean into it creatively. For instance, if influencers don't receive the product on time, you could ask them to create content about the anticipation. We all know what it’s like waiting for a product to arrive.
Mistake #4 Failure to go beyond pretty
I thought that one influencer was perfect for us even if the price rate was really high. Sadly, she made only 1 sale. I think about it all the time because I was sure that she should resonate with our brand because of her lovely content. So I understand that people only like beautiful content to see, but it doesn't lead them to buy.
This is a pretty (see what I did there?) common mistake. We're only human—we love visually appealing content. But as every marketer learns sooner or later, pretty doesn't always equal sales.
Compare the perfectly curated content of a typical travel influencer with that of a mom who rarely posts travel content but shares an emotional, once-in-a-lifetime family trip. Her genuine excitement might not be polished or professional, but it has real emotional resonance.
Georgia Humphries (formerly at Tourlane, now at Stanley 1913) had exactly this experience. Instead of defaulting to traditional travel influencers, she found that everyday creators—like that mom—resonated more deeply with their audience:
“[The audience who follows travel influencers] want to be constantly inspired by beautiful pictures and beautiful destinations. But they don’t have the purchasing want or need.”
Pretty is good, but emotional resonance is what drives us to act.
What to do instead: Focus on the emotional connection a creator has with their audience rather than aesthetics alone. Look for evidence of genuine influence and engagement in the comment section.
Flying solo?
Join my colleague Maris on Wednesday, March 26, 2025, for a special roundtable designed just for you. Because running influencer marketing alone doesn’t mean doing it all by yourself.
Artūrs Zāģeris (Hackmotion) and Michael Todner (Gear4music) will share practical tips on:
How to scale your outreach without losing your mind
Ways to save time during influencer onboarding
How to increase activation of affiliates and get them to actually post
What not to spend your time on
This is your chance to hang out, ask questions, and share your experiences with other solo influencer marketers.
P.S. If you sign up but can’t make it, we’ll send you a replay.
Handpicked job openings
e.l.f beauty is looking for an Influencer Manager in New York, USA. This is a hybrid role.
Béis is looking for an Influencer Marketing Manager in Los Angeles, U.S. This is a remote-first role with residency in Los Angeles.
Asos.com is looking for an Influencer Marketing Lead in London, UK. This is a hybrid role.
Sony is looking for a Senior influencer Partnerships Brand Manager in London, UK. This is another hybrid role.
Lush Cosmetics is looking for an Influencer Relations Manager in Berlin, Germany.
📌A NOTE ABOUT WHAT YOU JUST READ
The tips in this newsletter might not be right for your specific case. Use good judgment when deciding whether to take advice from the internet—even mine. My team and I survey & interview influencer marketers whose advice and observations come from their direct experience. ROI is meant for you to connect the dots and be inspired or challenged to think about your influencer marketing in a way you haven’t before.