Why influencer campaign briefs are failing

For years, influencer marketing followed a familiar formula: send the product, brief the creator, approve the content, publish the post.

It worked because consumers trusted creators in a way they didn't trust brands. Their recommendations felt like they came from a friend, not an advertiser.

But the creator economy has matured, and so have audiences.

Recent research from Allure, surveying more than 140,000 readers, found customer reviews now have greater influence over purchase decisions than influencer content. That doesn't mean influencers have lost their value. It suggests something more interesting: consumers still use creators to discover products, but increasingly turn to reviews, Reddit threads and TikTok comments to decide whether they're actually worth buying.

De-influencing is mainstream

At the same time, “de-influencing” has gone mainstream. Creators are openly sharing what not to buy, questioning viral products and admitting when something isn't worth the money. UK skincare expert Caroline Hirons has built a fiercely loyal audience by being just as willing to tell followers when a product isn't worth the hype as when it is. Rather than damaging her influence, that honesty has become her biggest asset.

Consumers haven't rejected influencer marketing. They've rejected certainty.

For brands, that's an uncomfortable shift.

Many influencer campaigns are still built around control. Tight briefs, rigid messaging and multiple approval rounds are designed to minimise risk. But in trying to protect the brand, we often strip away the very thing audiences value most: independent judgement.

PR has always understood that credibility can't be scripted.

Journalists don't earn trust by repeating brand messages. Experts build authority by applying their own experience and perspective. The same now applies to creators. Their value isn't in acting as another advertising channel - it's in offering an opinion people believe is genuinely their own.

That doesn't mean brands should invite criticism for criticism's sake. It means making room for nuance.

If a skincare product works best for dry skin, let the creator say so. If a recipe suits busy families but isn't designed for experienced cooks, that's fine too. Those caveats don't weaken a recommendation - they make it more believable.

Credible or controlled endorsements?

This is where PR has an opportunity to lead. We've always understood that the most credible endorsements aren't the most controlled ones. Trust comes from giving people the freedom to speak in their own voice - not asking them to repeat ours.

For too long, success has been measured by reach, impressions and engagement. Those metrics still matter, but they don't tell us whether people actually believed what they saw.

The next generation of influencer campaigns won't be the ones with the most polished messaging. They'll be the ones confident enough to leave room for honesty.

Because consumers don't expect creators to love everything anymore.

And brands shouldn't either.

Millie Sketch is senior account director at Pangolin.