You’ve probably been told to “build long-term relationships with influencers.” Honestly, you’ve probably heard it from me!

And yeah, it’s solid advice. But it’s not universal advice. (Is anything, really?)

The truth is, long-term partnerships aren’t always the right move. They don’t work for every product, every campaign, or every stage of growth. And even when they do make sense, they can still go sideways.

You can sink time, money, and energy into collabs that just... fizzle out. Quietly. Awkwardly. While you avoid making eye contact with your manager.

So let’s talk about four common mistakes you’re NOT going to make. 

Mistake #1: You commit too fast

You find a creator you’re excited about. Great content, engaged audience, perfect vibe for your brand.

And suddenly, you’re knee-deep in a 6-month contract with 37 deliverables, exclusivity clauses, and a shared Google Calendar.

All because someone told you that “long-term partnerships are the holy grail.”

Hold up.

Before you go full commitment-mode, dip your toe in commitment-phobia. Run a test. One or two posts. That’s it. 

Then watch closely:

• How does the influencer follow the brief?

• Does the audience care?

• Is working with them easy or… not. 

This isn’t just a box to check. It’s where you find out if this person could really represent your brand well.

At MUD\WTR, Danielle Murphy starts every creator off with a one-month test. If the vibes and results are good, she extends to three months. She looks at performance, audience reaction, and creative fit. Only the best of the best become long-term regulars.

Valeriia Chemerys does the same thing at Deeper Sonar. One post per month, for three months. That’s the trial. And it works — 85% of those creators go long-term, because they’ve actually proven they should.

Takeaway:
Treat long-term partnerships like something that is earned, not assumed. Test first. Stick with the best.

Mistake #2: You forget that the audience gets tired

One of the reasons long-term partnerships are our north star is that they can feel more authentic. Creators get to actually use your product. Tell a story. Build trust.

But (there’s that pesky but again), audiences have limits.

Post #1? Cool.
Post #2? Still good.
Post #5? Meh.
Post #10? “Okay I get it. You love the shampoo.”

That’s not the creator’s fault or yours. It’s just how attention works. People tune out when they see the same message from the same person too many times, especially when the content or message isn’t evolving.

Even the most thoughtful long-term partnerships can flop if you don’t keep the story fresh. 

So, how do we prevent this?

Don’t just phone it in. You don’t need 12 posts over 12 months. You need a reason to come back into someone’s life (and feed). Think seasonal spikes. Product launches. Specific moments when the audience actually wants to hear from you.

Take Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Instead of forcing year-round content, some brands bring back top-performing creators in Q4, when conversions are most likely. These aren’t random creators they found two weeks before the biggest sales period of the year. They’re proven partners who already know how to sell their product.

That’s why those posts work: The audience remembers them, the timing makes sense, and the urgency is real.

It works because it’s purposeful. Not just because it’s recurring. 

Takeaway: 
Build long-term partnerships with breathing room. Give creators new angles, new briefs, and space between campaigns. Activate them at the right moments.

Mistake #3: You stop experimenting

Once a creator partnership starts performing, it’s tempting to just… keep going. Same person, same platform, same format, same style, same message.

If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it and all that jazz, right?

Well, maybe.

Maybe what looks like a “solid long-term partnership” can actually be a rut in disguise. The content starts to blend together. The performance plateaus. And before you know it, you’re spending budget on posts that feel more like checking a box than an actual strategy.

This is where you might decide to double down on what used to work, instead of branching out.

Don’t do that. Keep testing, even when things are going well.

Bitpanda is a great example. Their influencer roster was mostly made up of crypto creators, and most of those audiences were male. So, they started testing creators in new niches—gaming, entrepreneurship, even lifestyle. It helped them unlock new pockets of growth they wouldn’t have found without testing.

Takeaway:
Set aside a portion of your budget for experimentation. Try new creators (with a trial), test different content formats, explore underused platforms, or niche communities. See what performs, and when something clicks, congratulations! Now you’re finding new growth opportunities.

Mistake #4: You assume long-term is always the right answer

When the stars align, long-term collabs can absolutely outperform one-offs.

But (and this is a big but) not every brand needs them. 

Not every product fits that model. And not every creator relationship should be turned into a recurring deal.

Some products that are bought infrequently don’t necessarily need long-term partners. Especially if your goal is customer acquisition. If a creator’s audience sees the same creator post about the same $600 cat tree 10 times a year, that’s not reinforcing the message — that’s burning them out.

In those cases, a steady rotation of one-off or short-term collabs might be the smarter play. You can go wide, reach new audiences, and keep your messaging feeling fresh. Mau Pets uses this strategy and has built credibility by being everywhere, not just with a handful of recurring faces.

My point is that nothing in marketing is the default. Long-term should be a decision. One based on your goals, your product, and how your audience buys.

Takeaway:
Zoom out. Ask yourself what you’re really trying to achieve. Do you need reach or depth? Familiarity or novelty? Recurring content or fresh introductions? Then build a partnership model that serves that. 

Handpicked job openings

• lululemon is looking for an Influencer Marketing Specialist in London, UK.  

• Michael Kors is looking for an Influencer Marketing and Community Coordinator in London, UK. 

• Clarins Group is looking for an Influencer Partnerships Manager in New York, USA. 

• Lucy in the Sky is looking for an Influencer Marketing Manager in Santa Monica, California, USA.

• Cupshe is looking for a Senior Influencer Marketing Specialist in Los Angeles, California, USA. 

See you in the next issue of ROI!
Eleni Zoe xx
Marketing @ Modash. Say hi on LinkedIn or visit Modash.

📌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.