The 7 KPIs That Instantly Tell You If Your Influencer Campaign Is Working
Discover the key performance indicators every brand should track to measure the true success of their influencer marketing campaigns. From engagement to conversions and beyond!
Influencer marketing is no longer just a branding play — it’s a performance channel. But here’s the problem: too many brands are running influencer campaigns without knowing how to measure success. If you’re still tracking likes and crossing your fingers, you’re flying blind.
To really understand if your influencer campaign is working (and to justify your budget), you need to watch the right metrics — the ones that speak to actual impact. Here are the 7 KPIs that instantly reveal whether your campaign is delivering real results.
1. Engagement Rate (But Don’t Stop at Likes)
Why it matters: Engagement shows how actively an influencer’s audience is responding — but surface-level likes aren’t enough.
What to track:
Comments, shares, saves
Clicks on links or tags
Engagement as a % of followers or reach
Pro Tip: A high follower count means nothing if engagement is low. A micro-influencer with 5%+ engagement often outperforms a mega-influencer with 0.5%.
2. Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Why it matters: Clicks are intent. If people aren’t clicking the link in bio or your tagged product, you’ve lost them at hello.
What to track:
Link in bio clicks
Swipe-up (or tap-through) rates on Stories/Reels
UTM-tracked landing page visits
Tool tip: Use Bitly or UTM codes for every influencer link to isolate traffic sources.
3. Conversion Rate
Why it matters: This is the golden KPI — it tells you how many people took action (bought something, signed up, downloaded).
What to track:
Sales from influencer-specific codes or links
Email signups
App downloads or trials
Formula: Conversions ÷ Link Clicks = Conversion Rate
Benchmark: Influencer campaigns typically convert between 1–5%, depending on the product and offer.
4. Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)
Why it matters: Even if conversions are rolling in, you need to know if you’re paying too much to get them.
What to track:
Total campaign spend ÷ number of conversions
If your CPA is lower than your average paid media spend, your influencer campaign is winning.
5. Earned Media Value (EMV)
Why it matters: EMV shows how much your campaign would’ve cost if you paid for the same exposure through ads or media.
What to track:
Total engagement × platform-specific value multipliers
Media impressions × CPM equivalents
EMV gives your CMO a number they understand. And it often surprises them (in a good way).
6. Follower Growth (But Only If It’s Qualified)
Why it matters: Gaining new followers from an influencer collab is great — if those followers match your target audience.
What to track:
Net new followers during campaign window
Audience quality (location, interests, age range)
Engagement of new followers over 30 days
Avoid vanity growth — 1,000 engaged followers > 10,000 ghost followers.
7. Sentiment Analysis
Why it matters: Not all engagement is good. You need to know how people feel about the content and your brand.
What to track:
Comment sentiment (positive, neutral, negative)
DMs, brand mentions, Reddit chatter
Customer support volume linked to influencer activity
Use tools like Brandwatch or Hootsuite Insights to track sentiment at scale. We at BBM have our own internal AI programs to run sentiment analysis for your videos.
Final Thoughts: Measure What Matters
Influencer campaigns can be incredibly powerful — but only if you're tracking more than vanity metrics. Focus on conversion, cost-efficiency, and audience quality to understand what’s actually working.