Josh Durham launched Aligned Progress Administration, an influencer advertising and marketing company, in 2020. He says the influencer trade has advanced from the halcyon days a decade in the past when affiliate-based creators may generate 5x returns.
Influencer advertising and marketing circa 2025, in line with Josh, is a long-term play. Success will depend on high quality merchandise, engaged creator audiences, and content material that helps a number of channels.
In our latest dialog (his second on the podcast), he and I mentioned the necessities for scalable, high-performing influencer packages.
Our whole audio is embedded under. The transcript is edited for size and readability.
Eric Bandholz: Inform us about your self.
Josh Durham: I’m the founding father of Aligned Progress Administration. We handle influencer partnerships for ecommerce manufacturers similar to HexClad cookware, Ridge wallets, PopSockets cellphone instances, and Divi hair care. Some shoppers have already got influencer packages; others are ranging from scratch. Our focus is constructing scalable influencer programs, both working them ourselves or serving to in-house groups.
Influencer advertising and marketing isn’t prefer it was in 2015, when a submit would simply generate a 5x return from affiliate commissions. It’s laborious at this time to inspire these creators to work on an affiliate foundation. We usually provide free merchandise or, in some instances, mounted charges.
Right this moment, it’s extra about attain, belief, and content material creation that helps paid social, e-mail, and different channels. The aim is to construct consciousness and credibility, strengthening your general advertising and marketing.
A well-aligned creator with an engaged viewers provides credibility. Whether or not seeing your product used authentically in content material or having a number of creators supporting your model, that affect drives conversions in methods conventional adverts can’t.
We give attention to creators’ outreach, opt-in charges, submit frequency, and common views. For instance, with HexClad we constructed this system over three years and generated 400 million natural impressions. That got here from creators who genuinely favored the product and posted constantly, generally over years.
Excessive-value merchandise assist. HexClad has Gordon Ramsay because the face of the model, and the standard is top-tier. It’s simple to combine into the merchandise in his recipe movies. Creators use the pans naturally of their content material. Many are cooking at dwelling, possibly way of life creators cooking for his or her household and arising with new recipes utilizing a HexClad merchandise. It’s not solely an advert, however then they’re utilizing it, and on common, 3 times per creator. Even 50,000 common views per video compound over time.
Bandholz: What’s the direct income affect from influencers, usually?
Durham: We’ve seen excessive ROAS when utilizing influencer content material in adverts. We’ve handed over top-performing influencer content material to paid social groups. That content material, particularly when it feels natural, performs exceptionally properly.
We’ve additionally seen over $1 million in income tied on to influencer advertising and marketing from post-purchase surveys. However it is advisable make investments for six to 12 months to see the outcomes. Influencer advertising and marketing isn’t a short-term play.
Affiliate hyperlinks can nonetheless work, particularly on Instagram Tales, the place direct-response performs higher. Nonetheless, Tales have a restricted attain. For lasting content material and virality, Instagram Reels or TikToks are higher. That’s the place you see longer shelf life and natural development.
Bandholz: Can gifting merchandise to creators work for lower-priced objects?
Durham: Undoubtedly. We’ve labored with many lower-priced merchandise, similar to PopSockets. They have already got substantial model fairness, which helps, nevertheless it comes right down to having a differentiated, fascinating product.
In case your product feels generic — simply one other moisturizer, for instance — creators gained’t be excited to submit. But when it’s novel, superbly packaged, or has an awesome story, it’s going to drive opt-ins and content material. A product that stands out will generate extra posts, views, and traction. We should pay influencers cash (versus free merchandise), however that’s after thorough testing.
Bandholz: What measurement influencer viewers do you usually work with?
Durham: We often goal creators with 10,000 to 100,000 followers for gifting. We like to check a variety — smaller audiences (10,000 to twenty,000 followers) are sometimes very engaged.
For male-targeted manufacturers, utilizing feminine creators with engaged male audiences, like girlfriends or spouses looking for their companions, will be efficient. There are fewer high quality male creators, they usually’re costly. So it’s about testing totally different viewers segments, growing product worth within the gifting package deal, and adjusting deliverables or artistic rights to enhance opt-ins and posting charges.
Bandholz: Do you tackle smaller manufacturers as shoppers?
Durham: Sure. For manufacturers beneath $10 million in annual income, it’s usually smarter to run influencer packages in-house. So we created a coaching product primarily based on our inside processes. We use it to coach their crew — social media managers, influencer leads, and even digital assistants.
We offer our customary working procedures, construct a customized technique, and help their crew by way of Slack and technique calls. The aim is to assist them reward 100 creators in 90 days. That builds natural attain and a content material library, which they will use in social media adverts. It’s a cheap method to scale with out hiring a full company.
Bandholz: Who’s the best individual to handle an in-house influencer program?
Durham: Somebody who understands social media and content material creation — often on the social or artistic crew who can handle outreach, gifting, and relationships. The individual must be organized and capable of talk with creators successfully.
Working an influencer program isn’t simply outreach — it’s relationship constructing, content material monitoring, negotiating utilization rights, and reporting. However with the suitable programs and help, a small inside crew can run a strong program that drives actual outcomes.
Bandholz: The place can people get in contact with you?
Durham: AlignedGrowthManagement.com, or shoot me a direct message on X — @JoshJDurham.
