"Follower Count" No Longer Suffices: How Companies and Influencers Can Truly Connect

"Follower Count" No Longer Suffices: How Companies and Influencers Can Truly Connect

1. Reasons Why "Using Influencers" Has Become Difficult

A few years ago, the process for companies to find influencers was relatively straightforward. They would send a DM to someone who was in a similar genre, had a large following, and posted visually appealing content. Alternatively, they would delegate the task to an agency for casting.
However, nowadays, not only is it difficult to achieve "results" using the same approach, but there are also increasing cases where the "brand gets damaged."


There are three changes behind this.

  • Algorithm Changes: Follower count ≠ reach. The main battleground has shifted to short video recommendations, and the growth in views depends on whether the post resonates with the current context.

  • Sophistication of Viewers: The speed at which they can sniff out advertising has increased. There is also a strong backlash against stealth marketing, exaggerated expressions, and excessive hype.

  • Regulations and Compliance: The transparency of advertising and commercial transactions has become a "foundation to be protected" for both companies and creators (failing to do so can lead to more than just a backlash).


In other words, while it is easy for companies and influencers to "meet," it has become difficult for them to "align." What is needed now is not just matching, but "compatibility design."


2. There Are Three Main Routes for Companies to Find Influencers

The paths through which companies and influencers meet can be broadly categorized into the following three types.


A) Direct Negotiation (DM, Email, Form)

The speed is fast. It suits companies with short decision-making processes, as well as local businesses and small brands.
However, it requires "in-house stamina" to handle conditions negotiation, contracts, KPI setting, and material management. If the person in charge becomes exhausted, there won't be a second time.


B) Agencies and Casting Companies

They can be entrusted with mass casting, managing the risk of backlash, contract templates, and progress management.
On the other hand, proposals tend to lean towards "common packages," risking the dilution of the brand's individuality. If the agency is left to handle everything and the company's "hypothesis of winning strategies" doesn't develop, strategies won't accumulate.


C) Platforms/Matching Tools

They make searching, analyzing, and comparing easy. While they can filter based on attributes and engagement indicators, choosing solely based on numbers can lead to the problem of "beautiful posts that don't sell."
Current tools are convenient, but ultimately, a human eye to read the "context" is necessary.


Ultimately, regardless of the route, the final question is, "Can this person naturally tell our brand's story?"


3. Successful Projects Have a "Blueprint" from the Start

A common point of failure in influencer strategies is the confusion between purpose and means.

  • When awareness is the goal, but evaluation is based solely on "how many were sold with the purchase code."

  • When acquisition is the goal, but prioritizing "expressions that don't destroy the worldview" too much blurs the appeal.

  • When forming goodwill is the goal, but too much scripting increases the "advertising smell."

What is needed here is the initial "blueprint." At a minimum, the following four points should be agreed upon.

  1. Purpose: Awareness/Consideration/Acquisition/Repurchase

  2. Performance Indicators: Views, view retention, clicks, CV, store visits, etc.

  3. Freedom of Expression: What is essential to promote, and how much leeway is given in phrasing

  4. NG: Misleading expressions, comparative advertising, excessive assertions, caution areas like medical and financial


With this agreement, creators can speak confidently in "their own words." Viewers can sense this and are more likely to accept it as a "recommendation" rather than an "advertisement."


4. The True Nature of "Compatibility" Is "Contextual Consistency" Rather Than Follower Attributes

When companies choose influencers, follower attributes (age, gender, region) are, of course, important.
However, what has been determining success or failure in recent years is "contextual consistency."

  • What does the person usually get angry about, praise, and value?

  • What is the tone of the posts—polite, sharp, humorous, or investigative?

  • Do viewers have a relationship where they "trust this person's recommendation"?


For example, even with the same cosmetics, if you strongly demand "price appeal" from a creator who values worldview, it will seem unnatural. Conversely, if you let an investigative type end with "it was vaguely good," viewers won't be convinced.
"Who to ask" is actually a set with "how to have them talk."


5. Reactions on Social Media: Welcoming and Wary at the Same Time

Let's organize the trends of reactions often seen on social media (※not quotes from specific posts, but a summary of generally observable opinions).


Positive Voices (Patterns That Are Supported)

  • "If this person says it, I want to try it. I can tell they use it regularly."

  • "Even though it's an ad, they honestly say 'it might not suit everyone,' which is likable."

  • "I like that the company isn't forcing a script on them."

  • "Even though it's a project, there's a lot of information, and the comparisons are easy to understand."

What is supported are posts centered on "the viewer's benefit." Posts that provide "judgment materials" are more easily accepted, even if the conclusion is "buy it."


Negative Voices (Patterns That Are Rejected)

  • "Suddenly repeating the product name cooled me off."

  • "The mood is too different from usual."

  • "#Ad is hard to see. Is there a reason to hide it?"

  • "Weren't they promoting a different brand before?"

  • "The exaggeration is too much. 'Absolutely' and 'this is the only choice' are suspicious."

The core of the backlash is "damage to trust." It's not the advertisement itself but the attitude of hiding, lack of consistency, and exaggeration that are disliked.


6. Ten Due Diligence Items Companies Must Do (Pre-Check)

Companies that want to "enhance investment effectiveness" rather than just "avoid backlash" are more thorough in their pre-checks. Here are the ten items to check.

  1. Consistency of Past Posts (Worldview and Values)

  2. Frequency of Recent Ads (Are they exhausted from too many projects?)

  3. Distance to Viewers (Is the comment section active?)

  4. Quality of Numbers (Peaks and valleys in views, trends in saves and shares)

  5. Relationship with Competitors (Past projects, necessity of exclusivity clauses)

  6. History of Backlash (Learning from what sparked it)

  7. Brand Safety (Distance from discrimination, politics, conspiracy theories, etc.)

  8. Display and Legal (Habits of ad display, transparency of explanations)

  9. Progress Capability (Deadlines, handling revisions, material management)

  10. Secondary Use (Scope and fees for advertising reuse)


After confirming these, the focus naturally shifts from "hitting cheap and in bulk" to "hitting fewer but more effectively." As a result, it benefits the brand's long-term value.


7. Legal and Transparency: Companies Are Not "Unrelated"

Influencer strategies may appear as creator posts, but legal risks also reflect back on the company.
In particular, making it clear that something is an "advertisement" is fundamental.


In Germany, when there is compensation (money, goods, invitations, affiliate links, etc.), ad display is important, and precedents and guidelines are being established. Companies need to create a state where display rules and expression precautions are shared and maintained as an operation, rather than leaving it to the creators. Additionally, throughout the EU, there is a push to strengthen transparency in online advertising, and the transparency of ads on platforms is also a point of discussion.


Transparency may sound like a defensive topic, but it can actually be offensive.
"Properly labeled ads" are more trusted than hidden ones. Viewers dislike being underestimated the most.


8. The Future Winning Strategy: Buying "Relationships" Instead of "One-Offs"

In the future, the value of influencer marketing will shift from "spread" to "relationships." The reason is clear: while spread can be bought with ads, relationships cannot.


  • One-Offs: There is a possibility of going viral, but the reproducibility is low.

  • Continuity: Viewers understand that they "really use it," and trust becomes an asset.


What companies should invest in is not the "slots" of creators but the "trust balance" that creators have built up.
If you reduce that balance with scripts, exaggerations, or concealments, you may achieve short-term sales but will suffer in the long term.


Ultimately, the condition for companies and influencers to meet successfully is simple.
"Are they valuing the same audience (viewers)?"

That's all it comes down to.


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