Latest / Influencer Marketing with Fexingo: Creators, Sponsorships, and Modern Endorsement Deals / Why Influencers Are Now Doing Their Own Creative Testing
Transcript
- Lucas: So I was looking at some of Emma Chamberlain's recent brand deal decks, and there's something new in there that caught my eye. Luna: Oh, what's that? She's always been pretty transparent about her process. Lucas: She's now including a section called 'validated creative insights' — basically, before she even pitches a brand, she's running A/B tests on the ad concepts herself, with her own audience, and then presenting the winning version to the sponsor. Luna: Wait, so she's doing the creative testing ahead of time, at her own cost, and then selling brands on the data-backed version? Lucas: Exactly. And she's not alone. I've seen this from MrBeast's team, from some of the bigger creators in the beauty space, even from a few mid-tier finance influencers. They're essentially acting as their own media buyers — testing hooks, formats, even specific thumbnail colors — before the brand ever sees the concept. Luna: That's a big shift. Traditionally, the brand would provide the creative brief, the influencer would produce content, and then maybe you'd do some post-campaign analysis. But pre-testing flips the risk. Lucas: Right. The influencer absorbs the upfront cost of testing — which can be a few hundred to a few thousand dollars depending on the scope — but in exchange, they can command a premium because they're de-risking the brand's spend. I've seen rates bump by 20 to 30 percent for creators who come with validated creative. Luna: So how does the testing actually work? Is it like a traditional split test on YouTube or Instagram? Lucas: It varies by platform. For a YouTube integration, a creator might upload two versions of a sponsored segment to a private channel or a small test audience — think a 15-second hook variation — and track retention rates. For Instagram, they might run two versions of an ad in Stories with different opening lines, measuring swipe-up rates or completion. The key is they're using their own organic audience as the test panel, not a brand's target demographic. Luna: And that's actually more valuable in some ways, because it's a real, engaged audience, not a survey panel. Lucas: Exactly. One creator I spoke with — a tech reviewer with about 500,000 subscribers — told me he tested three different opening analogies for a VPN sponsorship. One was 'like a secret tunnel,' one was 'like a bodyguard for your data,' and one was 'like a invisibility cloak.' The invisibility cloak version had a 12 percent higher retention rate in the first 30 seconds. He sold that concept to the brand for a 15 percent premium. Luna: That's a concrete number. And the brand gets a ad that's already proven to hold attention. It's a win-win. Lucas: It is, but it also raises questions about who owns that test data. If a creator tests a concept for one brand, can they reuse that insight for a competitor? Some contracts are starting to address that. Luna: Interesting. I've heard of creators building 'creative insight libraries' — a repository of what types of hooks, visuals, and calls to action work best for their audience. They can then pitch that as a value-add to multiple brands, as long as they're not direct competitors. Lucas: Right. And some are even licensing those insights. There's a creator in the fitness space who sells a 'creative validation report' alongside her sponsorship — basically a document showing which messaging angles resonate most with her audience. Brands pay extra for that report, and she retains ownership of the underlying data. Luna: So it's almost like the influencer becomes a mini media agency. They're not just the talent; they're the strategist and the testing lab. Lucas: Exactly. And this is filtering down to smaller creators too. Tools like Splin or VidIQ now offer lightweight A/B testing features for sponsored content. A creator with 20,000 followers can test two versions of a TikTok hook for fifty dollars and come to a brand with data. Luna: That democratizes the approach. But I wonder — does it change the creative relationship? If the data says one thing but the creator's intuition says another, who wins? Lucas: That's the tension. Some creators worry that testing everything will homogenize their content. But the smart ones use testing to inform, not dictate. They'll test three creative directions, pick the winner, but then add their own twist. It's about giving the brand confidence without losing the creator's voice. Luna: Right. And brands seem to love it. I saw a survey from influencer marketing platform CreatorIQ that said 68 percent of brand marketers are more likely to work with an influencer who provides pre-campaign testing data. Lucas: That number tracks. And it's leading to a new metric in the industry: 'validated creative premium' — the percentage above standard rate that a creator can command when they bring tested concepts. Luna: I wonder if that will eventually become table stakes. If everyone starts doing it, then the premium disappears. Lucas: Possibly. But I think the differentiation will shift to the quality of the testing methodology. A creator who tests across multiple platforms, with statistically significant sample sizes, and can show not just engagement lift but actual conversion lift — that's a different tier. Luna: Conversion lift is harder to measure for influencers, especially if they're not using trackable links or promo codes. Lucas: True, but some are getting creative. I've seen influencers set up micro-sites with two different landing pages for the same product, then drive traffic to each from the two ad versions. They can then tell the brand, 'Version A drove 30 percent more sign-ups than Version B.' That's powerful. Luna: Yeah, that's a level of sophistication that used to be reserved for direct-response marketers. It's impressive. Lucas: And it's spreading fast. I talked to a creator management agency that now requires all their top-tier talent to have a testing framework in place before they'll negotiate a seven-figure deal. They see it as a non-negotiable. Luna: That makes sense. In a world where brands are tightening budgets, anything that reduces risk is going to be valued. Lucas: Exactly. And that's actually part of why we keep these conversations going on the show — to surface these shifts before they become standard practice. Luna: Yeah, and speaking of that, we should mention that we keep the podcast ad-free because we think this kind of specific, actionable insight is more useful without interruption. Lucas: Right. So if you've found value in episodes like this — maybe you've even tested some of these ideas yourself — the way to keep it going is simple. You can support the show at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. That's it. No tiers, no perks, just knowing the ad-free model stays intact. Luna: And we really appreciate that. It lets us drill into details like creative testing without worrying about fitting in a sponsorship segment. Lucas: Exactly. So back to that tech reviewer I mentioned — he also told me that the testing process changed how he thinks about his own content, not just sponsorships. He now applies the same A/B testing to his organic videos. Luna: That's interesting. So the spillover effect is that influencers become better creators overall because they're constantly iterating based on data. Lucas: Absolutely. One beauty creator I follow tests her makeup tutorial thumbnails — different color palettes, different expressions — before posting. She found that a 'before and after' thumbnail with a surprised expression outperformed a serene one by 40 percent in click-through rate. That applies to both organic and sponsored content. Luna: So the line between organic and paid testing blurs. The same data informs both. Lucas: Right. And that's actually a key point for brands: when they partner with a creator who tests systematically, they're not just getting a one-off ad. They're getting a creator who is constantly optimizing their content strategy, which means the sponsored content benefits from that ongoing learning. Luna: So it's like a rising tide lifts all boats. The creator's entire channel becomes more engaging, and sponsors get better placement within that ecosystem. Lucas: Exactly. And I think we'll see more brands specifically seeking out creators who have a track record of testing. It might become a checkbox in the request for proposal: 'Do you conduct pre-campaign creative testing?' Luna: I could see that. And if that happens, the creators who don't test will be at a disadvantage — unless they can offer something else, like a uniquely loyal audience that doesn't respond to typical testing. Lucas: That's a good counterpoint. Not every audience responds the same way. A highly niche community might have a very specific taste that testing could actually miss if the sample size is too small. So the methodology matters. Luna: Right. So we're not saying testing is a magic bullet. But it's a tool that's becoming more common and more valued. Lucas: Exactly. And as with any tool, it's about how you use it. The best creators will combine data with instinct, not replace one with the other. Luna: Well said. I think that's a good note to end on. Next episode, we'll look at how influencers are starting to do their own media buying for programmatic ads. Lucas: That's a good one. See you then.