Setting Influencer Marketing Goals, KPIs, and Campaign Briefs

Translate business goals into influencer KPIs

Influencer marketing works best when you start with a business outcome and then choose the smallest set of measurable signals (KPIs) that prove you are moving toward that outcome. A common mistake is to pick “engagement” as the goal and only later ask what it did for revenue or pipeline. Instead, map: Business goal → campaign objective → KPI(s) → tracking method → decision rule.

Step-by-step: build a KPI ladder

• Step 1: Name the business goal (examples: increase qualified traffic to a product page, generate trial sign-ups, drive first-time purchases, reduce CAC, increase repeat purchase rate).
• Step 2: Choose one primary campaign objective (awareness, consideration, conversion, retention). Pick one primary objective to avoid conflicting creative and measurement.
• Step 3: Select 1–2 primary KPIs that directly reflect the objective, plus 2–3 secondary diagnostics (to explain why performance is high/low).
• Step 4: Define the measurement window (e.g., 7 days post-posting for traffic, 14–30 days for conversions depending on sales cycle).
• Step 5: Set a target and a decision rule (e.g., “If CAC ≤ $40 at 14 days, scale; if CAC is $40–$55, iterate offer/landing page; if CAC > $55, pause and re-test creators/creative”).

Common business goals and the KPIs that fit

Awareness is about exposure and attention. Use reach, impressions, video views, and watch time to quantify how many people saw the content and whether they actually paid attention.

Consideration is about intent signals. Use saves, profile visits, link clicks, and click-through rate (CTR) to measure whether people want to learn more.

Conversion is about completed actions. Use conversion rate (CVR), cost per acquisition (CAC), ROAS, and coupon redemptions to measure efficiency and revenue impact.

Incremental lift is about what happened because of the campaign (not just what was tracked). Use lift methods when you want to prove causality (e.g., “Did influencer content create additional sales beyond baseline?”).

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Define KPIs clearly (so everyone measures the same thing)

Awareness KPIs

• Reach: unique accounts exposed to the content. Useful for estimating audience coverage.
• Impressions: total times content was shown (includes repeats). Useful for frequency.
• Video views: platform-defined view count (be explicit: 3-second views vs. 2-second vs. “plays”).
• Watch time: total minutes/seconds watched; often a better “attention” metric than views alone.

Consideration KPIs

• Saves: strong intent signal for “I want this later,” especially for tutorials, recipes, routines, and product comparisons.
• CTR: clicks / impressions. Use when you have a clear next step (landing page, quiz, waitlist).

Conversion and efficiency KPIs

• Conversion rate (CVR): conversions / sessions (or clicks). Define the denominator consistently (sessions is usually more stable than clicks).
• CAC: total campaign cost / number of new customers acquired. Decide whether “cost” includes product seeding, agency fees, and creator whitelisting spend.
• ROAS: revenue attributed to campaign / campaign cost. Decide whether revenue is gross or net and whether it includes repeat purchases.

Incremental lift (causal impact)

Incremental lift estimates the additional outcome caused by the campaign compared to what would have happened anyway. It is especially important when influencer content drives “dark social” effects (people see content, then later search or buy without clicking).

• Geo lift: run the campaign in selected regions and compare to control regions.
• Holdout lift: keep a portion of audience unexposed (where possible) and compare outcomes.
• Time-based lift: compare pre/post while controlling for seasonality and other campaigns (weaker than geo/holdout but sometimes practical).

KPI-to-tracking-method table

Examples of measurable goals (with tracking built in)

Awareness goal examples

• Reach goal: “Achieve 250,000 unique reach across 8 creators in 14 days, with at least 60% of reach in the 18–34 segment (platform demo reporting).”
• Attention goal: “Generate 20,000 minutes of watch time on product demo videos, with average watch time ≥ 6 seconds on 15-second assets.”

Consideration goal examples

• Traffic goal: “Drive 12,000 product page sessions to /product-x from influencer UTMs during the campaign window, with CTR ≥ 0.8% on link-enabled posts.”
• Intent goal: “Earn 1,500 saves across tutorial posts (measured via creator analytics screenshots) to build retargeting audiences and content library.”

Conversion goal examples

• Trackable sign-ups: “Generate 900 trial sign-ups using a dedicated landing page and UTMs, with CVR ≥ 12% and CAC ≤ $35 (14-day window).”
• Coupon redemptions: “Achieve 300 first-time purchases using unique creator coupon codes, with AOV ≥ $55 and ROAS ≥ 2.5 (30-day window).”
• Incremental lift goal: “Demonstrate ≥ 8% incremental lift in new customer orders in test geos vs. matched controls during weeks 3–4 of the campaign.”

Build the campaign brief (the document that prevents misalignment)

A campaign brief is a single source of truth that aligns internal stakeholders and creators on what success looks like, what must be said, what must not be said, and how content gets approved. The brief should be short enough to read quickly, but specific enough to reduce revisions.

Step-by-step: assemble the brief

• 1) Objective: one sentence describing the outcome and the primary KPI. Example: “Drive qualified traffic to Product X landing page and generate trial sign-ups.”
• 2) Target audience: define who the content is for and what they care about (pain points, motivations, context of use). Include exclusions if relevant (e.g., “not for existing customers”).
• 3) Key message: 1–3 bullet points that must come through. Keep them benefit-led, not feature dumps.
• 4) Offer: what the audience gets (discount, free trial, bundle, bonus). Include terms (expiry, eligibility) and the exact CTA.
• 5) Content requirements: deliverables, formats, length, hooks, talking points, required shots, and where links/codes go.
• 6) Compliance requirements: disclosure rules (e.g., “#ad”), claim restrictions, usage rights, and platform-specific requirements.
• 7) Brand do’s/don’ts: tone, visual style, words to avoid, competitor mentions, sensitive topics, and accessibility requirements (captions, on-screen text limits).
• 8) Timelines: key dates for concept, draft, revisions, posting window, and reporting.
• 9) Approval workflow: who approves what, how many revision rounds, and what happens if deadlines slip.

Reusable campaign brief template

CAMPAIGN NAME: [e.g., Product X Trial Push - Q2]  VERSION/DATE: [YYYY-MM-DD]  OWNER: [Name]  BUDGET: [$]  MARKET(S): [US/UK/etc.]  POSTING WINDOW: [dates]  ATTRIBUTION WINDOW: [e.g., 14 days]  PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: [Awareness/Consideration/Conversion/Retention]  PRIMARY KPI + TARGET: [e.g., 900 trial sign-ups; CAC ≤ $35]  SECONDARY KPIs: [e.g., CTR ≥ 0.8%, 12,000 product page sessions, watch time ≥ 6s avg]  TRACKING SETUP: - Landing page URL: [https://...] - UTM convention: utm_source=[creator] utm_medium=influencer utm_campaign=[campaign] utm_content=[asset] - Creator code(s): [CODECREATOR1, CODECREATOR2] - Pixel/events: [view_content, sign_up, purchase] - Reporting due date: [date]  TARGET AUDIENCE: - Who: [demographics + psychographics] - Pain points: [1-3 bullets] - Desired outcome: [1-2 bullets] - Exclusions: [if any]  KEY MESSAGE (must include): 1) [Primary benefit] 2) [Differentiator/proof] 3) [Objection handling]  OFFER + CTA: - Offer: [e.g., 14-day free trial + bonus template pack] - Terms: [eligibility, expiry, limits] - CTA wording: [exact phrase to say/write] - Link/code placement: [bio link, pinned comment, story sticker, etc.]  DELIVERABLES: - Format(s): [Reel/TikTok/YouTube Short/Story/Static] - Quantity: [#] - Length: [e.g., 20-35s] - Posting requirements: [tag @brand, include link, pin comment] - Raw files/whitelisting: [yes/no; duration; platforms]  CREATIVE GUIDANCE: - Concept directions: [2-3 options] - Required talking points: [bullets] - Required visuals: [product shots, before/after, app screen] - What to avoid: [bullets] - Accessibility: [captions required, avoid flashing, etc.]  COMPLIANCE: - Disclosure: [#ad, Paid partnership label] - Claims: [approved claims only; no medical/financial promises] - Usage rights: [organic only / paid usage for X days]  BRAND DO’S/DON’TS: - Do: [tone, words, style] - Don’t: [competitors, sensitive topics, prohibited phrases]  APPROVAL WORKFLOW: - Concept approval: [who] by [date] - First draft review: [who] within [X] business days - Revisions allowed: [# rounds] - Final approval: [who] by [date] - Posting confirmation: creator sends link within [X] hours  REPORTING REQUIREMENTS (creator provides): - Screenshot/export of: reach, impressions, views, watch time, saves, clicks (if available) - Post URL(s) + posting time - Notes: top comments/questions, audience feedback

How to write content requirements that improve performance (without over-scripting)

Specify outcomes, not exact scripts

Creators perform best when they can use their own voice. Your brief should define non-negotiables (claims, CTA, offer terms, required shots) and leave room for creator-led storytelling.

• Non-negotiable example: “Mention the 14-day free trial and show the onboarding screen.”
• Flexible example: “Explain how you’d use it in your routine; choose one pain point you genuinely relate to.”

Include a “hook + proof + CTA” structure

• Hook: first 1–2 seconds (problem, surprising result, bold statement).
• Proof: demo, side-by-side, screen recording, or personal results (only if compliant).
• CTA: one clear next step (click link, use code, sign up).

Set targets that match the funnel stage

Targets should be realistic for the objective. For example, a top-of-funnel awareness push may deliver strong reach and watch time but weak last-click ROAS. Conversely, a conversion push with a strong offer may have lower reach but higher CVR and better CAC.

Practical method: choose benchmarks and adjust

• Start with internal baselines: your typical landing page CVR, average order value, and paid social CTR (if you have it).
• Adjust for influencer context: influencer traffic can be colder or warmer depending on creator trust and content format.
• Plan for iteration: set a “test” target for the first wave and a “scale” target for wave two (after you learn which hooks and creators work).

Approval workflow that prevents delays

Slow approvals can ruin timing-sensitive campaigns. Define the workflow in the brief so creators know exactly what to send and when.

• Use a two-stage approval: (1) concept outline (fast), (2) final cut (detailed). Avoid frame-by-frame micromanagement unless compliance requires it.
• Set response SLAs: e.g., “Brand responds within 2 business days; if no response, content is considered approved.” (Only use this if your organization can support it.)
• Limit revision rounds: e.g., “Up to 2 revision rounds; additional revisions billed at $X.”
• Centralize feedback: one doc or one approver to avoid conflicting notes.