Influencer Marketing: Dos and Don'ts
Influencer marketing dos and don'ts: pick the right creators, disclose partnerships and track results. Practical, compliant guidan...
Teaming up with the right creators can be a genuinely effective way to reach your audience, when it's done with care. Influencer marketing works because people trust recommendations from someone they already follow, but that trust is the whole point. Get it wrong and you don't just waste your budget; you can dent your reputation, or worse, land your business on the wrong side of Australia's advertising rules. The good news is that doing it properly isn't complicated. It comes down to choosing well, being upfront, and paying attention to what actually happens.
Below is a plain-English guide to the dos and don'ts of influencer marketing for Australian businesses. We've leaned into the part most guides skim over, disclosure and compliance, because in Australia, the business behind the campaign can be held responsible for misleading endorsements, not just the creator. Here's how to run partnerships you can stand behind.
Do: Pick creators for fit, not just follower count
A big audience is easy to be dazzled by, but reach on its own tells you very little. What matters is whether an influencer's followers are the sort of people you actually want to hear from you, and whether that audience is genuinely engaged rather than just large.
- Research and vet before you reach out. Look at whose values line up with yours, and whether their existing content feels authentic to the audience you're trying to reach.
- Look past the follower number. Engagement, comments and how an audience actually interacts often say more than a headline figure ever will.
- Consider a mix of sizes. Macro, micro and nano creators each suit different goals; smaller creators frequently bring tight-knit, highly engaged communities.
- Check the audience demographics fit. If their followers aren't your target market, even a great creator won't move the needle for you.
Do: Set clear objectives and give creative freedom
Know what you're actually trying to achieve before you brief anyone. Whether it's brand awareness, engagement or driving enquiries, a clear objective keeps everyone pointed the same way, and makes it possible to tell later whether it worked.
Once the goal is set, resist the urge to script every word. Influencers understand their own audience far better than you do, and heavy-handed micromanaging tends to produce stiff, obviously-paid content that no one believes. Give them the brand message and the boundaries, then trust them to say it in their own voice. Fair, honest negotiation on payment and terms helps here too, creators who feel respected produce better work and are more likely to stick around. If influencer collaborations sit within a broader plan, our social media management service can help keep the messaging consistent across your channels.
Do: Make disclosure clear, it's the law, not a nicety
This is the section to read twice. In Australia, if there's a commercial arrangement behind a post, payment, free product, a discount code, an affiliate cut, anything of value, the audience needs to be told, clearly and up front. And it's not only the creator on the hook: the Australian Consumer Law can hold your business liable for endorsements that mislead, even when someone else did the posting.
- Make disclosure obvious, not buried. A clear label like "paid partnership" or "#ad" placed where people will actually see it, not hidden at the end of a wall of hashtags.
- Keep the claims truthful. Endorsements should reflect genuine experience and shouldn't overstate what your product or service does.
- Know the rules yourself. It's worth reading the ACCC's guidance on influencer testimonials and endorsements and the rules for social media promotions before you sign anything.
- Put it in the brief. Make disclosure a written requirement, not an afterthought, so there's no confusion about expectations on either side.
Platforms increasingly build disclosure tools in, things like paid-partnership labels, and it's worth using them alongside plain-language wording. Instagram's best practices for creators is a useful starting point for the mechanics on that platform.
Do: Track results, and think long-term
A partnership isn't finished when the post goes live. Watching how it performs is how you learn what's worth repeating and what isn't.
- Agree on what you're measuring. Engagement, reach, referral traffic or enquiries, pick indicators that connect back to your original objective.
- Review honestly afterwards. Look at what the numbers tell you and feed that into the next collaboration rather than guessing.
- Use proper contracts. Spell out deliverables, timelines, payment, disclosure requirements and any exclusivity so no one is caught out later.
- Build lasting relationships. One-off posts rarely do much; ongoing partnerships tend to feel more genuine to audiences and deliver more over time.
Don't: Cut corners on the things that build trust
Most influencer marketing mistakes come from treating it as a quick transaction. Don't chase follower counts while ignoring whether the audience is real and engaged. Don't skip legal compliance or let disclosure slide, the short-term convenience isn't worth the risk to your reputation or your standing under the law. Don't ignore red flags or negative feedback about a creator, and don't leave expectations vague and hope for the best. Every one of those shortcuts undermines the trust that makes the whole approach work in the first place.
Ready to do it properly?
Influencer marketing rewards businesses that are patient, honest and clear, the right creators, transparent partnerships and a genuine eye on results. If you'd like a hand getting it right, we can help you plan campaigns that hold up to scrutiny through our social media management and managed marketing services. Let's build partnerships your audience, and your compliance team, can trust.