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Influencers and brands have been working together for years now, leveraging the power of social media platforms to drive marketing success.
Influencer Whitelisting is a powerful strategy among platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, that allows brands and creators to work together, enabling influencers to run ads on behalf of brands. This method not only enhances authenticity but also uses advanced targeting techniques which have been shown to improve ROAS (Return On Ad Spend) by 1.5 to 2 times.
In this guide we’ll explore everything related to whitelisting and how to include it in your influencer campaign efforts!
Influencer whitelisting is when brands run paid ads from an influencer’s account, instead of using their own brand account.
This strategy allows brands to use the influencer’s name, voice and audience credibility while controlling the creative process behind an ad.
Typically traditional influencer marketing happens when creators post content about a brand, a post they previously agreed on but the control over creativity, timing, audience and exact message is under the influencer's sight.
Influencer whitelisting is when the brand not only partners with the influencer and agrees upon a specific content post but also gathers access to the influencer’s account to manage that post.
This strategy allow brand to:
This approach blends the authenticity and trust of influencer content with the precision and scalability of paid social advertising.
Whitelisting on Instagram offers benefits to both brands and influencers:
Influencer whitelisting is the best of both worlds: organic and paid media. This mix strengthens credibility and authenticity of both the brand and the creator.
The possibility to leverage an influencer’s tone, style and trustworthiness for your campaign is why most bands are including whitelisting into their marketing efforts. By collaborating with influencers and sharing content from their handle they can create persuasive content that makes people want to see more.
Influencers posts have higher engagement than brand posts. This is why creators work harder on building loyal bonds with their community. Partnering with the right influencers can save time and allow your brand to directly speak towards an interested audience, guaranteeing higher performing content.
People are more likely to interact with content that looks native and comes from their favorite creator, rather than a brand account.
By re-using creator’s content, brands don’t need to spend time and money, both valuable efforts, into creating scripts, shooting schedules, editing and more.
With ad permissions in place, brands can tweak the copy, change CTAs, or A/B test different versions while maintaining the influencer’s identity.
Brands get access to all the data about the creator’s audience. They can create different groups, like Lookalike Audiences (LAL’s), or re-target people that sometimes showed interest on a particular post to try and get their attention once more.
Whitelisting may seem like something made from brand benefit, however those creators looking to grow their community or looking for ways to make money out of their content can highly benefit from this kind of partnership too.
Whenever a brand boosts an influencer post, the creator’s profile benefits from expanded visibility. New followers may appear as more interactions make their way to increasing the account engagement rate. You can try our free engagement rate calculator for better insights!
This partnership opens up a new source of income. Not only can creators make money from the original arrangement, they can also earn through the extended use of their material or affiliate links tied to a specific ad.
Even though brands get a say in the copies and CTA, influencers hold the power to keep their content true to themselves as that is what the brands are looking for in seeking authenticity and organic feel.
Successful whitelisting campaigns often lead to repeat collaborations and long-term ambassadorships. Not only strengthening your relations with brands but also opening up new revenue streams.
What the brands gather about a specific audience can be shared with the influencer to help understand what is working better and how to keep pursuing that kind of content for better outcomes.
Influencer whitelisting is a win-win. Brands gain authentic ad content with measurable results. Influencers enjoy wider reach, more earnings, and better partnerships.
Influencer whitelisting and content licensing can be often confused and brands get mixed up. However, there are 2 different strategies to leverage creator’s content on social media paid campaigns.
While whitelisting gives brands temporary access to run ads directly through an influencer’s account, content licensing allows brands to repurpose the creators’ content on the brand’s own social media channels.
Not sure which strategy best fits your brand and campaign? Here’s how you should use each one of them:
Whitelisting is basically a partnership between brand and creator. As in any other agreement, there are specific terms and conditions each end has to obey.
In this particular scenario, it’s not only about granting permission to use content, it involves both technical access to your platform and creative control over the creative pieces.
A simple step-by-step breakdown of whitelisting and how to set it up would be something like:
In order to be able to run ads from an influencer’s account, the brand needs official authorization.
Whitelisting is most commonly used in Facebook and Instagram, where meta’s platform allows influencers to grant advertising permissions to brands in a secure and easy way.
Influencers can grant access to Meta Business Manager in order to allow the brand to:
All this without the need of sharing log in credentials. Everything is managed through Meta’s built in tools.
Influencers can provide a “Sparks Ad Code" for a specific video. Later, brands use this code in TikTok Ads Manager in order to boost the post directly from the creator’s profile.
All this without the need of sharing log in credentials. No account access is needed.
On YouTube whitelisting does not have specific tools, it works more like an outside partnership. Creators can:
Not full whitelisting, but still allows monetization and visibility using creator content.
On X, whitelisting does not have specific tools like in Meta or TikTok. However, influencers can:
Not full whitelisting, but still allows monetization and visibility using creator content.
Once the permission is granted, brands get to make the creative calls, always making sure not to lose the influencer’s voice and style in the process. Brands can:
The brand N7USA was promoting its new Future Renew skincare combo. The brand partnered up with Elizabeth Banks, actress and influencer, to expand the reach of the campaign.
The video shared by the brand and Elizabeth was the same, as well as the hashtags and the copy’s idea, varying a few tweaks. However, Elizabeth’s content performs a lot better!
While the brand’s post only managed to get 52 likes, 2 comments and was shared once, the creator’s post far outperformed those numbers, gathering 8,983 likes, 355 comments and was shared over 146 times.
Not only were the numbers higher at the influencer’s post, so were the positive reactions from the followers. People commenting, celebrating Elizabeth’s birthday, saying how great she looks, how amazing the product combo seems, have a more positive sentiment.
This case is a clear example that when you find the right influencer for your brand and share content using their handle, those posts land with more authenticity, boosting credibility in your product, algorithm preference, and social proof.
Influencer marketing can take many shapes depending on what the brand and creator agree on. Depending on your campaign type, the goals you set and the connection you want to establish with your audience, there are different tactics you can pursue for your brand.
The brand runs ads from the influencer’s handle. It looks like it’s the creator's original post,
but it is actually the brand from behind the scenes.
Paid ads that don’t appear on the influencer’s feed but are shown to selected audiences.
A brand boosts an influencer’s organic post from their own ad account.
Whitelisting is without a doubt the most effective tactic in terms of audience perception and creative power, however it does not mean you should discard the other strategies as they can also add value to your marketing mix.
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Before launching a whitelisting campaign, or any other marketing effort involving influencers, it’s essential to have a clear and comprehensive agreement in place.
Here are the key elements to include to ensure each part, brand and creator, goes along as agreed on:
Whitelisting can be a gamechanger for your campaign. Here are the best practices to follow to make sure everything is agreed on between brand creators.
To run whitelisted ads effectively, both brands and creators rely on specific platforms to manage access, permissions and performance.
These platforms are where influencer whitelisting typically happens and where ads are managed:
The most commonly used platform for whitelisting. Influencers grant advertisers access to promote organic posts or create ads from their handle on both Facebook and Instagram.
Creators grant access to brands via the Business Manager.
TikTok offers whitelisting through its Creator Marketplace and direct access via TikTok Ads Manager so brands can boost TikToker’s content
The creator grants access directly via their TikTok account.
There are also some tools creators and brands can explore to streamline their whitelisting efforts.
There are several third-party tools that help streamline access, permissions, performance tracking, and content management. Here are the most popular ones so you can explore them and find the best fit for you and your marketing campaign.
Whitelisting partnerships are great but there may be some obstacles along the road. Being aware of potential challenges is going to help you navigate these partnerships the best way possible.
This happens more in platforms like Instagram, Facebook and TikTok that offer built in tools to run whitelisting partnerships. For an influencer granting access to their account can be quite stressful or overwhelming, sometimes maybe they don’t even fully trust the process.
How to fix this? As a brand you can provide a step-by-step guide on how to deliver the access necessary to perform the action. You can also set calls or meetings to go over it together to discuss any doubt that may come along the process.
While brands focus on high performing posts for their campaigns, influencers want to remain true to their style.
How to fix this? Set the creative direction beforehand. Explain what is the goal and give creators a say in whatever is going to be published or boosted.
Not all licensing agreements are clear on duration or distribution.
How to fix this? Have a written agreement that clearly establishes the duration of the partnership and when and where the content is going to be used by the brand. Also, discuss and write down the relevant compensations for the creator in different scenarios.
Overexposing the same content can feel repetitive and overly promotional to followers.
How to fix this? If you don’t want to change creators because you find the best match, you can rotate creatives and limit frequency. You can also repurpose posts in fresh formats, like stories or reels vs. feed.
Sometimes creators don’t have access to the metrics related to these specific posts as they share access and control to brands.
How to fix this? Share with the creator the performance and insights to keep them informed along the process, making it possible for them to suggest ideas to better address their community and also building trust for future partnerships.
Influencer whitelisting is a great marketing tactic to promote your brand on platforms like Instagram, Facebook or TikTok. Partnering with influencers brands not only get to connect on a deeper level with their target audiences, they also increase their sales opportunities and brand recognition.
As any arrangement involving two parts, success depends on clear expectations. Brands and influencers should align on creative control, content usage rights, and campaign timelines from the start to ensure a smooth and mutually beneficial collaboration.
Building trust with an audience involves consistently providing value through authentic content that aligns with personal beliefs and interests. Engaging with followers by responding to comments, sharing personal stories, and showcasing genuine experiences with products can foster a loyal, trusting community. Authenticity and transparency are key.
Long-term partnerships with influencers help build deeper relationships with both the creator and their audience. These ongoing collaborations create a sense of consistency and loyalty, making the influencer’s content feel more like a genuine recommendation rather than a one-off paid post. It can also lead to more authentic content and better performance over time.
The choice of platform depends on the brand’s target audience and campaign goals. For visual products, Instagram and TikTok are highly effective, while YouTube is great for tutorials or longer-form content. Facebook might work better for older demographics, and LinkedIn is ideal for B2B or professional campaigns. Analyzing where your audience spends time is key.
Audience engagement is crucial as it reflects the level of trust and relationship an influencer has with their followers. Highly engaged audiences are more likely to act on a creator’s recommendation, leading to better results in terms of conversions and brand awareness. Tracking likes, comments, shares, and other interactions is essential for measuring campaign success.
Influencers can monetize their content in various ways, including sponsored posts, affiliate marketing, and selling their own products. Partnerships with brands for whitelisting or ad campaigns are also profitable. Additionally, platforms like YouTube offer ad revenue through the YouTube Partner Program, and influencers can also leverage paid subscriptions or Patreon for exclusive content.
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