Latest / Social Media Marketing with Fexingo: Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Platform Strategy / How Brands Use Social Media for Influencer Gifting Without Paying
Transcript
- Lucas: So you've probably seen this happen — you're scrolling Instagram and a creator you follow casually mentions a product, shows it on their desk, maybe does a little unboxing. No 'paid partnership' tag, no #ad. Just... a thing they have. Luna: Right, and it feels different. Less scripted. Lucas: Exactly. That's the magic of influencer gifting — brands sending free products to creators without paying for a post in return. No legal obligation, just the hope that the creator likes it enough to share organically. And when it works, the earned media value can be enormous. Luna: I'm curious about the numbers. What kind of return are brands actually seeing? Lucas: I was looking at a case study from a skincare brand called Dieux — they're relatively small, but they ran a gifting program last year where they sent samples to about 50 micro influencers. The total cost, including product and shipping, was under three thousand dollars. The earned media value — impressions, reach, if you'd bought that exposure as ads — came out to over two hundred thousand dollars. That's a massive multiplier. Luna: Wow. And that's not even accounting for the trust factor. An organic post from someone who genuinely likes the product is way more persuasive than a paid ad. Lucas: That's the whole thesis. And it's not new — Glossier basically built their early brand on this model. They'd send free products to beauty bloggers, no strings attached, and the resulting content drove their growth. Gymshark did the same with fitness influencers. But what's interesting is how many brands still get it wrong. Luna: What's the most common mistake? Lucas: The 'spray and pray' approach. Brands buy a list of influencer emails, send the same generic package to everyone, and hope for the best. But if the product doesn't align with the creator's niche or aesthetic, it's just clutter. A tech reviewer doesn't care about a face serum. A food blogger doesn't need a laptop stand. You have to be surgical. Luna: So it's about fit over volume. And also personalization — if you can include a handwritten note or a custom element, that seems to boost the odds of a post. Lucas: Yeah. And there's a growing trend of brands using data to personalize at scale. For example, a fashion brand might analyze a creator's past posts to identify their color palette, then send items in those colors. It's labor intensive, but the conversion rate on those gifts is way higher. Luna: One thing I wonder about — does this only work for physical products? What if you're a SaaS company or a service business? You can't exactly mail a software subscription in a box. Lucas: That's a great question. It's harder, but not impossible. Some SaaS brands gift premium subscriptions to influencers in their space — like a project management tool giving a free year to productivity YouTubers. Or a design platform like Canva gives Canva Pro to graphic design creators. The unboxing moment is different, but the principle is the same: give them access, let them experience value, and hope they share it. Luna: And for service businesses, maybe you gift a free consultation or a workshop slot. A financial planner could offer a free session to a personal finance blogger. That's a service gift. Lucas: Exactly. And it still generates content — a blog post about '5 things I learned from a financial planner' feels authentic. So the model definitely extends beyond physical goods. Luna: If these marketing conversations have sparked something you've actually used in your own strategy, that's exactly the kind of listener feedback that keeps this show ad-free and focused on substance. We're only able to do that because of listeners who chip in at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, but if the show's been helpful, that's the best way to keep it going. Lucas: Yeah, and it really does make a difference. Every contribution helps us avoid having to run sponsor breaks. So if you've gotten value from episodes like this one, we appreciate the support. Luna: Okay, back to gifting. Lucas, you mentioned metrics — what should brands actually track to know if their gifting program is working? Lucas: The big one is earned media value, or EMV. That's the dollar equivalent of the exposure you got, calculated by multiplying impressions by your estimated CPM. But you also want to track post rate — what percentage of gifted creators actually post. Industry averages are around 30 to 40 percent for well-targeted programs. If yours is lower, you're either picking the wrong people or sending the wrong product. Luna: And you can go deeper. Track engagement on those posts — likes, comments, saves. Compare the cost per engagement of a gifted post versus a paid ad. Often the gifted post wins hands down. Lucas: Right. And one underused metric is conversion lift — using unique promo codes or UTM links to see if the gifted post actually drove sales. Not all brands bother, but it's the most direct way to measure ROI. Luna: I've also seen brands build entire ambassador programs from gifted creators. Once someone posts organically and gets good results, you can invite them into a longer-term relationship with affiliate codes or future gifting. It's a pipeline. Lucas: That's the smart play. Start with a one-time gift, let the creator opt in by posting, then formalize the relationship. It's lower risk than signing contracts upfront. Luna: One thing that's tricky is the legal side. Even if there's no payment, the FTC still requires disclosure if there's a material connection — like receiving free product. So creators should still tag #gifted or #thanksfortheproduct. Brands need to educate them. Lucas: Absolutely. If a creator posts without disclosure, both the brand and the creator can get in trouble. It's better to include a note in the package saying 'if you decide to post, please disclose that you received this as a gift.' Luna: And what about B2B? Can gifting work in a professional context? Lucas: Yeah, I've seen it done well. A software company I know sent high-end notebooks and a personalized onboarding guide to a few LinkedIn thought leaders. They posted about the onboarding experience, not the notebook. That generated leads. Luna: So the gift can be a conversation starter, not the focus. That's a subtle but important distinction. Lucas: Exactly. The product or service is still the hero, but the gift creates a touchpoint. And because it's not a paid partnership, the creator's recommendation carries more weight. Luna: Alright, so what should a brand do if they want to start a gifting program tomorrow? Give me a step-by-step. Lucas: First, define your goal. Is it brand awareness, sales, or content creation? That changes who you target. Second, find 20 to 30 creators who are a natural fit — not just by follower count, but by content style and audience. Third, personalize the gift — include a note explaining why you chose them. Fourth, track everything with a simple spreadsheet or a tool like Aspire or GRIN. And fifth, follow up after a couple weeks — not to ask for a post, but just to check if they liked the product. Luna: Don't ask for the post. That's key. The whole point is that it's unsolicited. Lucas: Right. If you ask, it becomes a transaction. You lose the authenticity. The best gifting programs feel like a genuine gesture, not a marketing tactic. Luna: I think that's the real insight here. Gifting works when it's generous, not calculated. The ROI comes from treating creators like people, not distribution channels. Lucas: Yeah. And when you do it right, you get content that money can't buy — because it's not bought. It's earned.