Influencer marketing has become a major part of most successful brand marketing strategies. By collaborating with creators who have established trust and authority within their niches, brands can amplify their reach and authenticity. To harness the full potential of influencer partnerships, it’s essential to understand the various types of influencer marketing campaigns you can include in your influencer marketing strategy. Each offers unique advantages tailored to specific marketing objectives.
Types of Influencer Marketing Campaigns
1. Sponsored Content
Sponsored content is the traditional type of influencer marketing campaign that most people think of when they hear the word influencer. This kind of campaign is highly effective, offering a direct and impactful way for brands to connect with target audiences. Brands partner with influencers and compensate them to create and publish content that highlights the brand’s products or services. Influencers can incorporate key messages and a strong call to action (CTA) in their content. They also need to include FTC-compliant disclosures and any necessary platform disclosure tools in their posts.
The more freedom you give influencers to create sponsored content that feels natural and authentic, matching the style and tone of the organic content on their feeds, sponsored content will feel less like an ad and more like a recommendation from a friend. This is when sponsored content is most effective.
2. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing can be a great type of influencer marketing campaign for a performance-driven brand. Influencers will use personalized links or discount codes, and receive a commission for each purchase they drive. This model is especially effective for e-commerce brands looking to scale results through trusted, authentic recommendations. Brands will need to set up an affiliate system, use a platform like Commission Junction, or use a social platform system like TikTok Shop to track order attribution and commissions.
For affiliate marketing to be successful, you need to engage influencers who have trained their audience to purchase.
3. Product Gifting Campaigns
Product gifting is a relationship-building tactic where brands send free products to influencers in the hopes of sparking authentic content. There’s no requirement to post, but sometimes influencers will still create a quick social post if they are truly excited about the product and brand. This strategy can work well in visually driven spaces like beauty, fashion, and food, where gifted items can seamlessly become part of an influencer’s everyday content.
At Sway, we recommend inviting influencers to opt into receiving a sample box and providing a small payment for those who do post to increase participation.
4. Brand Ambassadors
Brand ambassador influencer campaigns are all about building long-term, meaningful partnerships between influencers and brands. Instead of one-off posts, ambassadors consistently represent a brand over time, often becoming a recognizable and trusted face within their community. This ongoing relationship creates deeper audience engagement, as followers come to see the ambassador’s support as genuine and rooted in real experience.
By investing in long-term influencer relationships, brands not only gain ongoing exposure but also benefit from a consistent voice that reinforces their values and messaging over time.
5. Giveaways & Contests
Partnering with influencers to run giveaways or contests can still be a fun and engaging way to boost visibility and connect with new audiences—but it’s important to note that these campaigns aren’t quite as impactful as they once were. With so many giveaways flooding social media, today’s audiences are more cautious and selective when presented with the opportunity to enter a giveaway.
That said, influencer-led giveaways can still deliver results. The key is to keep the entry process simple and the prize relevant and valuable to the target audience. Overly complicated rules or underwhelming rewards can lead to low participation and minimal ROI. While giveaways may no longer guarantee explosive growth, they can still play a role in broader influencer strategies—especially when the goal is to build buzz, drive awareness, and foster a sense of community among followers.
6. Influencer Events
Bringing influencers together in person for events like product launches, pop-ups, or store openings is a great way to create excitement and amplify a brand’s message. These experiences not only make influencers feel like valued insiders, but they also give them plenty of content to share with their audiences before, during, and after the event.
Whether it’s behind-the-scenes sneak peeks, real-time posts, or post-event recaps, influencer coverage can help extend the event’s impact well beyond the guest list. Plus, face-to-face interactions at these events open the door for stronger, more authentic relationships between brands and creators.
7. A New Spin on UGC
User-generated content (UGC) has long been a go-to for brands looking to tap into authentic, real-world enthusiasm from customers and followers. While organic UGC can be powerful, there is unpredictability in relying on it for your social calendar, because you can not guarantee the quality and not all consumers will give brands the right to use their content.
This is where Creator Generated Content (CGC) comes in as a smart, strategic alternative. By partnering with creators and paying them to produce high-quality, influencer-style, brand-aligned content, you get all the authenticity of UGC with the added benefit of control and consistency. CGC ensures you receive polished, ready-to-use photo and video assets that match your vision and marketing needs. This approach not only saves time but also guarantees you’re working with content you can confidently repurpose across social, email, websites, ads, and more.
If you’re looking to blend credibility with creative quality, CGC offers the best of both worlds.
Choosing the Right Types of Influencer Marketing Campaigns for Your Brand
Selecting the appropriate influencer marketing campaign type depends on your brand’s objectives, target audience, and resources. Consider the following factors:
- Objective: Are you aiming to increase brand awareness, drive sales, or build long-term relationships?
- Audience: What platforms does your target audience frequent, and which influencers resonate with them?
- Resources: Do you have the capacity to manage long-term partnerships, or would short-term collaborations be more feasible? Do you need an influencer marketing agency to help you streamline and execute campaigns without a heavy lift from your team?
By aligning the type of influencer marketing campaign with your goals and audience, you can maximize the effectiveness of your influencer marketing efforts.
Influencer marketing offers a diverse array of campaign types, each with its unique advantages. By understanding these options and strategically selecting the ones that align with your brand’s objectives, you can create impactful campaigns that resonate with your audience and drive meaningful results. Remember, authenticity and transparency are key to building trust and fostering lasting relationships with both influencers and consumers.