Influencer campaign KPIs
For people who have to account for a campaign and want to know which numbers mean something.
In short
Metrics are agreed before the start and chosen against the campaign goal, not picked afterwards to fit the result. Every number in a report should carry a measurement period and a source. A combined total with no split by channel and period is not a result - it is a number that cannot be verified.
- Published:
- Updated:
- Author and publisher:
- Rokmates
Metrics follow the goal
| Goal | Primary metrics | What NOT to treat as the goal |
|---|---|---|
| Awareness | Reach, views, number of publications, share of target group in the audience. | Conversion - awareness material is not there to deliver it. |
| Engagement | Reactions, comments, saves, shares, watch time. | Views alone - they grow regardless of material quality. |
| Traffic and action | Clicks, visits from a code or link, cost per action. | Reach - it can be bought more cheaply elsewhere. |
| Sales or installs | Attributed conversions, cost of acquisition, the channel’s share of the path. | Reactions - they do not map linearly onto purchase. |
A campaign with one goal and two metrics can be accounted for. A campaign with five goals cannot - there will always be a number that came out well.
Numbers that mislead
- Total views across platforms - different platforms count a view differently, so the total has no unit.
- Reach quoted without a period - "42M views" with no timeframe does not say whether that is a week or two years.
- Engagement rate calculated against followers when the material mostly reached non-followers.
- Advertising value equivalency - derived from assumptions, not from measurement.
- The result of one record-breaking piece presented as the campaign average.
This is not a theoretical list. Each of these appears in campaign summaries, and each can shift the assessment of a project by an order of magnitude.
What a report should contain
- The metrics agreed before the start, in the same wording as the contract.
- The result for each metric with its measurement period and source.
- A split by creator and platform, not only a total.
- The pieces that landed above and below expectations, with a hypothesis for why.
- Operational conclusions for the next project - what to repeat and what not to.
A report without the last point is a summary, not a report. Numbers without a conclusion do not change the next campaign.
Our rule on publishing numbers
We do not publish combined totals or results without context - including in the material on this site. Every campaign result comes with its measurement period and the project it refers to.
The same rule applies in reverse: if a number has no owner, period and source, it does not go into a report or a deck.
Frequently asked questions
How do you attribute sales to a creator campaign?
Through dedicated codes, parameterised links and period comparison, while accepting deliberately that part of the effect will stay unattributed. Creator campaigns also work where measurement does not reach, and saying so is more honest than forcing the model to close.
How long after publication should results be measured?
It depends on the platform and format. Short-form material on TikTok collects most of its reach in the first days; a YouTube piece can keep growing for months. The measurement period is set before the start and quoted with every number.
Can campaigns be compared with each other?
Only with the same metrics, the same measurement period and a similar format. Comparing an awareness campaign with a conversion one by view count says nothing about which was more effective.
Related services
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