Someone asked me a great question a while ago that I haven’t stopped thinking about: How do you keep optimizing for conversions when you’re also trying to leave space for creativity?

It’s a tough one. Because sometimes, the content that gets the most views isn’t actually good for business. And the more creative freedom you give, the harder it is to predict what’s going to convert. (Cue every marketer’s nervous laugh.)

I’ve been thinking about this because, honestly, everyone struggles with it.

It reminded me of something Andreea Moise said that stuck with me: Most of the time, when a brand brings her in because performance is down or CAC is too high, the root issue isn’t the creators or the content. It’s that they don’t actually know their customers.

We see the same thing at Modash. The influencer programs that don’t do well?

They’re almost always the ones without a real strategy. And if you’re not grounding that strategy in customer research, you’re basically guessing.

This issue is about going back to basics. Before you think about creator fit or content formats, make sure you have the answers to these four questions.

Question #1: Who exactly are they?

You need to know your customer’s demographics because they tell you who your influencer content is actually reaching. 

If your best customers are 35-year-olds in Austin, and the creator’s audience is mostly 22-year-olds in Berlin, you've got a targeting problem. No matter how great the content is, this audience will never buy from you. 

That’s why we start with demographics. They give us a baseline for choosing creators whose audience actually overlaps with your buyers.

How to research it 

• Post-purchase survey: Ask 3–4 quick, optional questions after checkout. Age, city, job title, household size. Enough to notice patterns over time.
  

• Customer data export: Shopify, Klaviyo, or your CRM can show you ZIP codes, repeat rates, and AOV. It’s not deep insight, but it tells you who’s buying, what they're buying, how much they're buying, and where they live. 

Then, use a tool like Modash to check if a creator’s followers match. Even the best influencer campaign won’t convert if it shows up in the wrong person’s feed.

Question #2: Why do they buy?

Demographics tell you who’s buying. Now it’s time to understand why they buy. 

Because your customers aren’t usually making decisions based on ingredient lists or product features.

They’re trying to solve something happening in their real, everyday life. Sometimes they’re practical (“I’ve run out of moisturizer!”) Sometimes, they’re emotional (“I feel yucky! Maybe a new lipstick will help!”)

Whatever the case, that’s what you’re trying to uncover: the situations in which they buy.

What pushed them to search for a product or solution in the first place? What moment made them hit “add to cart”?

Once you know that, everything gets easier. You open up a whole new pool of influencers to approach. You can stop writing “calms and hydrates sensitive skin” or “fuel your day” in briefs.

And instead, start sharing insights like:

“Many of our customers had stopped using retinol because it was too harsh. They told us this product helped them ease back into it.”
Or:
“We keep hearing that people grab a bar between Zoom calls so they don’t end up snacking on whatever’s left in the kitchen.”

That kind of detail helps a creator understand what the product really does for real people. So, they can tell their own story in a way that actually resonates.

How to research it

• Review mining: Go through your Shopify reviews, Amazon, Reddit threads, DMs, or wherever people talk. Copy the exact phrases they use. Especially the oddly specific ones. (Don’t have enough reviews yet? Look at reviews of products like yours.)

• Customer interviews: Reach out to 2–4 people who left detailed reviews and ask for a quick 15-minute call. Focus on the before: What was happening when they went looking for a solution? What made them choose you?

When your briefs reflect what customers actually experience, your creator partners stop sounding like a walking brand ad and start sounding like themselves again.

Question #3: Where do they hang out? What are they doing there?

Once you understand why someone buys, the next step is figuring out where they make that decision, and what kind of content actually nudges them forward.

Because if you don’t know what your customer is doing on a platform, you’re probably setting the wrong expectations for your creators.

That’s how you end up with a beautiful Reel that drives zero sales. Or a 90-second TikTok listing every product benefit… when your customer just wanted to laugh and scroll.

When we know which platforms our customers trust for product recommendations, and what kind of content feels native there, we’re really starting to cook.

Andreea Moise describes how this works:

Translation: If your customers are on TikTok for entertainment, don’t expect hard sales. Let it be awareness. And pick creators (and goals) accordingly.

How to research it

• Poll your customers: Ask simple questions like:
  Where did you first hear about us?
  Where do you usually look for product recommendations?
  These can live in a welcome flow, post-purchase email, or loyalty program signup.
  

• Study your data: Look at the last few collabs you ran. Where did carts spike? Which channel got the most saves or replies? This is data that tells you a story. 

The same customer might open TikTok when they’re bored, Instagram when they want to shop, and YouTube when they’re doing research. That might mean three completely different briefs—for three different creators—with three different goals.

Question #4:  Who do they trust?

Some creators make beautiful content. It gets saved. It gets shared. It might even get a few fire emojis from an engagement pod. 

But that doesn’t mean they’re influencing anyone.

There’s a big difference between a creator people watch and a creator people listen to.

Nycole Hampton said:

Some creators are brilliant for brand recall. Or paid ad creative. Or early-stage awareness.

That’s valuable. But if your goal is conversions then you need to vet for actual influence. 

Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying you should write off creators who don’t convert. I’m saying, know what job you’re hiring each creator to do.

How to research it

• Promo code testing: One of the fastest ways to check for influence. Give creators a unique code, track redemptions for a week or two, and compare.
  

• Look at what followers do, not just what they say: Are people tagging friends and asking follow-up questions in the comments? Or are the comments just heart emojis? Scroll through 10 recent posts and look for signs of real trust.

Remember: You’re not looking for someone to sell your product in one post. You’re looking for someone whose recommendation already carries weight with the people you're trying to reach.

Have you met Simone?

If you’re enjoying this newsletter, you’re going to love Modash’s YouTube channel, too. As a former influencer, former influencer marketing manager and current influencer marketing expert (phew!), Simone has seen it all from both sides.

Her most recent video on negotiating with influencers is such a good watch and I 10/10 recommend.

The Out of Office Haul

Yes, I read your automatic out-of-office replies. All of them. I love to see what this little community is up to. It's my weird ritual. Here’s what you’ve all been doing in the last two weeks.

• Lots and lots of people were out for Ascension Day!

• Someone was out for for the Swiss Music Awards! (As part of the audience, performer, promoter? It’s unclear.)

• Someone was onsite in Shanghai. Someone else was in Malta! (We’re a well traveled bunch)

• Two readers are out on paternity leave.👶👶

• Lots were out for “training”.

• Vancouver Island had an ROI visitor!

• So did Japan! I quote “Eating my body weight in ramen, chasing cherry blossom vibes and making questionabel late-night sake decisions.” 

• My favorite message? “I’m OOO right now. But don’t worry, future me will handle this.”

See you right here in two weeks (or in your out of office replies!)
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.