What metric can I use to work out what to pay an influencer. is it a number dictated by number of followers. How do I know if their followers are real or fake? I have low budget what offers can I give that might be appealing to influencers other than the products I sell? have you got any specific advice for Fashion Menswear?
Topic summary
Pricing Metrics:
Many brands use CPM (cost per 1,000 impressions/views) to determine influencer payment. Rates vary by follower count and industry, with fashion typically commanding higher CPMs.
Vetting Authenticity:
Check engagement rates (likes, comments, views) relative to follower count. High followers with minimal engagement may indicate fake or inactive audiences.
Low-Budget Strategies:
- Start with affiliate marketing programs where payment occurs only after sales are driven
- Offer product samples plus commission as incentives
- Keep affiliates engaged by sharing brand/product information
Practical Steps:
- Reach out directly to potential creators to discuss deliverables and their standard rates
- Use this information to negotiate or set realistic budget expectations
- Consider Shopify Collabs for creating affiliate application pages or directly inviting creators
For fashion menswear specifically, expect higher typical CPM rates compared to other categories.
Many brands use CPM or cost per 1,000 impressions (or views) to help them determine payment for sponsored content. Typical CPM rates can vary based on the creator’s content category or their number of followers. Creators with higher follower counts may ask for higher rates, and some industries like fashion, tend to pay creators higher CPM rates.
If you have a creator in mind you would like to contract, a good first step is to reach out to them to propose the deliverables you are looking for and what their typical rates are. This can help you understand what the creators you are looking to work with are typically getting paid and can help you either negotiate or understand what budget is needed.
To gauge if an influencer’s followers are real, you can often look at the engagement on their posts. Accounts with high follower counts but little to no engagement, including likes, comments, views on content may mean their followers are either fake or actively engaging with them.
To get started working with influencers with a low budget, you can begin with affiliate marketing. By offering influencers you would like to work with a free product for them to test out plus a commission offer you can often incentivize them to share your brand. With affiliate marketing you only need to pay a creator after a sale is driven. If you do decide to begin an affiliate program with influencers it’s a good idea to keep the influencers you invite or accept into your affiliate program engaged by sharing details on your brand and products. You can start an affiliate program with influencers on Shopify Collabs by creating an application page for affiliates to apply to work with your brand which you can add to your website or share on your social channels, or by directly inviting creators you want to work with. You can learn more about Collabs here: https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/collabs/merchants
Here is also a quick getting started guide that covers how Collabs works, recruiting creators/ influencers and how the affiliate management system works.