As IG and TikTok creators ourselves, we’ve witnessed that the UK’s hospitality market has a limited understanding of how to use influencers properly. The result? Poor content and freebie ‘scoopers’ that deliver low to average results.
Many agencies are making big promises, but the return data is vague, and hotel teams are confused by glittery vanity metrics.
Here’s a quick starter guide to things you should be asking them:
1. What are you doing to identify creators that have an audience that’s right for us?
It’s not just about follower counts; it’s about relevance. One of the most worrying practices we see from agencies when choosing influencers/creators for brands is blinding the client with vanity metrics.
Vanity metrics – statistics that look impressive on the surface, but don’t translate to meaningful business outcomes or insights. E.g. the number of comments that are being dropped into the creators’ videos, or (in particular) the number of followers that a creator has.
The number of followers someone has means very little these days; both followers and comments can be bought and/or manipulated with behind-the-scenes pod groups.
When we are choosing creators and influencers for a client, here’s what we look for:
- How relevant is the creator’s content to your demographic and brand? If you were running a steak and grill promotion, you wouldn’t invite a vegan to the event, regardless of their follower numbers. Why would their audience care about a steak menu?
For example, we’ve seen plenty of creators invited to events only to learn that the venue doesn’t cater to them. When they address this with the agencies, they are often told they should have asked the agency in advance. Note: it’s not the creator’s job to do this. A good agency should do that work for the brand, ensuring that they invite creators who can relate to your product. - How many views are their videos getting? Rather than looking at the wider vanity metrics, dig down into something that is harder to manipulate. A creator might have 135k followers, but if their content is only bringing in (comparatively) low averages, it may be because their audience is no longer engaged (or even fake!) – regardless, they’re suspicious.
NOTE: Micro-influencers (creators with 1,000 to 100,000 followers) may have lower follower numbers, but often have more engaged and converting audiences. - What stands out in their media kit? – Most serious content creators now carry one of these. They should provide demographic data, examples of previous campaigns, and rate cards.
In summary, ensure that your PR agency selects influencers whose audience aligns with your target demographic and business goals. For instance, if you’re a boutique hotel in Edinburgh looking to attract more ‘staycation’ business, partnering with a travel influencer who focuses on Scottish getaways is more beneficial than a general travel influencer.
2. How are you measuring return on influencer visits?
This is a sensitive question because it depends on the kind of campaign you’re prepared to run with influencers. I’m going to break this down into two different segments: influencers you’re paying and influencers you’re not paying.
Paid Influencers
If you’re reaching out to an influencer with a financial offer, it gives you more flexibility in terms of what you can ask for in return. As a quick example, a few things we might request, depending on rates and campaign targets:
1) Tagged reel collaborations
2) Data from the content after an agreed time period past the live date
3) Copyright-free images
4) Blog posts with ‘do-follow’ links
We often provide the influencer with a contract. This has proved beneficial to both parties, as it sets out clear expectations.
Barter Offer Influencers
A barter offer involves your brand offering products or services to influencers in exchange for promotion, rather than a monetary payment. Over the past few years, we’ve seen a significant increase in brands receiving direct messages or emails from creators requesting such deals.
In our opinion, this is where the goalposts change in terms of what you can expect from deliverables, especially when reaching out to the influencer. From working on both sides of the coin, the general unspoken rule is that you don’t ask for a heavy set of deliverables if you’re inviting someone into your brand.
While some creators will accept these types of offers, it’s worth keeping in mind that the quality of the work you receive for a freebie tends to fall in line with the age-old saying, “You get what you pay for.” While we advise that you err on the side of caution, we also acknowledge that some creators will accept these (and create brilliant content, especially when the ‘gift’ comes with a high value).
NOTE: If an influencer approaches you for a barter deal, you usually have more flexibility to suggest deliverables. In this instance, we strongly recommend that you refer back to point 1, identify the creator with an audience that’s a good fit for you.
Vanity metrics like likes and followers may look nice, but they rarely convert on their own. Ask your agency how they track conversions, bookings, or other tangible results from influencer collaborations. Tools like UTM parameters, affiliate links, and booking codes can provide clearer insights into your return on investment (ROI).
3. Are you paying influencers?
While gifting stays or meals can be part of the deal, many professional influencers expect compensation for their work. Discuss budgets with your agency and understand the standard rates for influencers in your niche. Remember, paying for quality content can lead to better engagement and results.
As in point 1, most influencers now have media kits that highlight their rates. Many of them are really flexible about this and open to negotiation.
4. What are the restrictions that come with working with creators for free?
When influencers aren’t compensated, they might not prioritise your content or adhere strictly to guidelines. This can lead to delayed posts, off-brand messaging, or minimal exposure.
As we mentioned in point 2, there are some heavy restrictions on working with influencers for free, most understand their worth and the value of what they’re bringing to the brand (and will charge accordingly.)
Where possible, we encourage you to consider adding paid campaigns to your wider strategy. From what we’re seeing, this is still a daunting concept to most senior decision makers, but consider this – how much would you pay for a small ad in, say, The Times? A banner ad that goes out as a blanket to their users. Conversion rates for these kinds of campaigns are around 0.10%, meaning only 1 in 1,000 viewers click through. Additionally, the average cost per click (CPC) for display ads in the UK is approximately £0.48. This means that to achieve just 10 clicks, you might spend around £4.80, not accounting for the quality of those leads or subsequent conversion rates.*
In contrast, paid influencer campaigns often yield higher engagement and conversion rates, as influencers have established trust with their audiences. While the upfront costs might be higher, the return on investment can be significantly better, especially when targeting niche markets.
5. How can you guarantee deliverables?
A handshake isn’t enough. We’ve already touched on putting contracts in place, outlining the number of posts, platforms, content guidelines, and timelines. This ensures both parties are on the same page and can hold each other accountable.
When it comes to unpaid influencers that you have reached out to, this might not be an option.
It’s worth noting that, even then, we’ve seen a lot of brands chase people afterwards, a lot of this chasing involves creators that reached out for barter deals. To date, we’ve never seen a paid campaign creator fail to deliver on their workload – in fact, many of them will over-deliver and provide extras, such as B-roll photos from their visit.
Find out more about our Influencer Marketing Service.