3 Common Mistakes Influencers Make When Working With Brands (and How to Avoid Them)
Collaborating with brands is an exciting milestone for any influencer—it’s a chance to monetise your platform and build valuable partnerships. But, if you’re not careful, a few missteps can hold you back or even harm your brand.
Alongside managing our roster of influencers, we also support aspiring creators by refining their content strategy, helping them secure paid collaborations, and providing expert guidance through our Influence to Income 1:1 sessions.
Here are the most common mistakes we see people make:
1️⃣ Making Ads Overly Promotional
We know it sounds back to front, you’re being paid to promote, but the best-performing ads feel organic and authentic. Think of it as a genuine recommendation to a friend rather than a hard sell. The more it blends with your usual content, the more trust it builds with your audience.
Pro tip: Ask yourself, “Would I share this even if I wasn’t being paid?” If the answer is yes, you’re on the right track.
2️⃣ Focusing Too Much on the Wrong Numbers
Follower count? Not as important as you think. Brands care far more about stats that prove your influence, like story link clicks.
If there’s one metric to focus on improving, it’s your story views and link clicks —because it directly shows how your content drives action.
We teach our proven strategies and tactics in our Influence to Income strategy sessions.
3️⃣ Saying Yes to Misaligned Collaborations
It can be tempting to say yes to every paid opportunity, especially early on. But when a collaboration doesn’t align with your personal brand or values, it’s often obvious to your audience—and those ads tend to underperform.
Working with brands that doesn’t resonate with your audience can chip away at the trust you’ve built with your followers and that could cost you more opportunities (and income!) in the long run.
Pro tip: Before agreeing to a collaboration, ask yourself:
Does this product or service align with my values?
Would I use or recommend this outside of the partnership?
Will this resonate with my audience?
If the answer is “no,” it’s okay to pass. Saying no to the wrong fit leaves room for the right opportunities to come your way.
We’d love to hear from you…
What challenges are you facing when it comes to brand collaborations? We’d love to hear your thoughts or questions— our DM’s are always open (@oactalentuk)
If you’re looking for tailored advice to up your collaboration game, check out our Influence to Income 1:1 sessions for personalised support with influencer strategy and brand partnerships.
