Real-world examples of types of influencer marketing campaigns that actually work

When marketers think of influencer marketing, they usually picture sponsored posts: a creator talks about a product in a feed post, Story, Reel, Short, or TikTok. That format still works, but the best examples of types of influencer marketing campaigns in this category have evolved beyond a single one-off shoutout.

Modern sponsored content campaigns usually:

• Run across multiple posts and formats (e.g., TikTok + Instagram Reels + Stories)
• Include some form of creator-led storytelling or challenge
• Lean heavily on short-form video rather than static images

A good example of this is the way skincare brands now brief creators. Instead of “hold the product and smile,” they ask for a before/after routine, a “day in the life,” or a problem/solution narrative. According to a 2023 report from the Influencer Marketing Hub, short-form video remains one of the highest-performing formats for engagement and conversions.

Real example:

• A mid-market haircare brand partners with 50 mid-tier creators (50k–250k followers) on TikTok and Instagram.
• Each creator posts a 30–60 second “hair transformation” video plus a follow-up Q&A Story.
• Creators receive a custom discount code and affiliate link.
• The brand then whitelists the best-performing posts as paid ads.

This kind of sponsored content isn’t flashy, but it’s the backbone of most influencer strategies—and it scales nicely once you know which creators and formats convert.

2. Product seeding and gifting campaigns with measurable outcomes

Product seeding (sending free product with no guaranteed content) used to be a spray-and-pray tactic. In 2024, the strongest examples of types of influencer marketing campaigns in this lane look more like structured experiments than random mailers.

Rather than shipping hundreds of boxes and hoping for the best, top brands:

• Pre-qualify creators based on audience fit and past engagement
• Ask for soft opt-in (creators confirm they’re open to receiving product)
• Track resulting posts, saves, and clicks with unique links or codes

Real example:

• A DTC supplement brand builds a list of 300 micro-influencers on TikTok and Instagram who already talk about sleep, stress, or wellness.
• They send a personalized email asking if the creator wants to try a 30-day sleep protocol (product + habit guide), with no obligation to post.
• About 45% opt in. Of those, roughly one-third end up posting at least once.
• The brand tracks which creators drive traffic and then upgrades the best performers into paid partnerships.

This is one of the best examples of a low-risk test for newer brands: you pay only for product and shipping, then invest cash later where you see traction.

For health-adjacent products (e.g., supplements, wellness tools), it’s smart to stay current on regulatory expectations and consumer trust issues. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration provides guidance on health claims and labeling at FDA.gov, which marketers should understand before briefing creators.

3. Long-term ambassador programs: turning creators into brand “staff”

If sponsored posts are the sprint, ambassador programs are the marathon. Instead of one-off posts, creators sign on for multi-month or year-long collaborations. Some of the best examples of types of influencer marketing campaigns right now are ambassador programs that treat creators like partners, not billboards.

Ambassador programs typically include:

• A fixed monthly content commitment (e.g., 2 TikToks + 4 Stories + 1 newsletter mention)
• Early access to launches or product development input
• Performance incentives (affiliate commissions, bonuses for hitting sales or signup targets)

Real example:

• A fitness apparel brand recruits 100 micro and mid-tier creators who regularly post workouts.
• Ambassadors receive a monthly product stipend, a commission on tracked sales, and first access to new collections.
• They’re invited to quarterly feedback calls to discuss fit, colors, and styles.
• Over 12 months, ambassadors create hundreds of organic-feeling posts, and the brand repurposes top content in email, paid social, and on-site PDPs.

This structure builds consistency and trust. When a creator talks about a brand for months, their audience stops seeing it as a random ad and starts seeing it as part of the creator’s identity.

From a performance standpoint, ambassador programs are often where you’ll see the highest ROAS, because you’re optimizing around known performers rather than constantly testing new people.

4. Affiliate and performance-driven influencer campaigns

Affiliate-style influencer programs tie compensation directly to clicks, signups, or sales. These are some of the most data-friendly examples of types of influencer marketing campaigns, because you can see exactly who drives revenue.

Affiliate campaigns usually involve:

• Unique links or UTM codes per creator
• Custom discount codes for the creator’s audience
• Dashboards where creators can track their own performance

Real example:

• A fintech app targeting Gen Z invests in TikTok creators who talk about budgeting and side hustles.
• Creators are paid a modest flat fee plus a higher-than-normal bounty for each funded account.
• The brand uses a tiered structure: higher commission rates unlock after certain thresholds.
• Over time, the brand narrows its roster to the 20% of creators driving 80% of signups.

This structure is particularly effective in subscription, SaaS, or financial services, where lifetime value is high and you can afford to pay more per conversion.

If your product touches money, health, or safety, make sure your influencer claims line up with regulatory guidelines. The Federal Trade Commission’s endorsement guides at FTC.gov are required reading for any marketer running performance-based influencer campaigns.

5. Co-creation and product collaboration campaigns

Some of the most memorable examples of types of influencer marketing campaigns involve creators going beyond promotion to co-create the product itself. Think limited-edition drops, co-branded collections, or creator-designed flavors.

These collaborations work well because:

• The creator has genuine skin in the game
• The product feels like a natural extension of the creator’s brand
• Audiences get a time-limited reason to buy now

Real example:

• A beverage company partners with a popular wellness YouTuber to develop a new flavor.
• The creator documents the process: flavor testing, packaging design, launch prep.
• On launch week, the creator posts a series of videos plus a live Q&A.
• The drop sells out in days, driven largely by the creator’s audience and email list.

Another example of this approach is common in beauty: a brand teams up with a makeup artist on a palette or shade range. The creator’s expertise and audience insights inform product decisions, leading to something that actually solves problems their followers talk about.

These collaborations blur the line between influencer and entrepreneur—and when they work, they create outsized buzz compared with a standard sponcon campaign.

6. UGC-style influencer campaigns for paid media and landing pages

User-generated content (UGC) has become its own industry, and many brands now run campaigns where influencers or creators are briefed specifically to produce ad-ready content rather than post on their own channels.

These campaigns are some of the most practical examples of types of influencer marketing campaigns for brands that:

• Struggle to produce enough creative for paid social
• Want authentic-looking ads without overloading their in-house team
• Care more about conversion than reach on the creator’s profile

Real example:

• A telehealth startup hires 20 creators to film testimonial-style videos about their experience using the service.
• Most of the content never appears on the creators’ own pages.
• Instead, the brand runs the videos as Meta and TikTok ads, A/B testing hooks, scripts, and lengths.
• The startup also embeds the highest-converting clips on landing pages and in email sequences.

If your product sits in health or medical territory—even light-touch categories like sleep aids or over-the-counter remedies—cross-check creator scripts with evidence-based information from sites like the National Institutes of Health at NIH.gov. That helps avoid exaggerated claims and keeps your brand on the right side of regulators.

7. Challenge, hashtag, and trend-jacking campaigns

Short-form video platforms reward participation in trends. Some of the best examples of types of influencer marketing campaigns on TikTok and Instagram Reels are built around a simple repeatable format that creators can copy: a sound, a transition, a dance, or a “before/after” reveal.

These campaigns work when:

• The concept is simple enough for hundreds of people to replicate
• The brand seeds the trend with the right mix of large and mid-tier creators
• There’s a clear tie back to the product or message

Real example:

• A home organization brand launches a “30-second reset” challenge on TikTok.
• They pay 30 creators to post their own 30-second tidy-up using the brand’s storage products.
• The challenge hashtag is easy to remember and appears in every caption.
• Viewers are encouraged to stitch or duet the videos with their own 30-second reset.

This is one of the best examples of how to use influencer marketing for awareness and UGC at scale. The brand gets a wave of content, much of it unpaid, and can later reach out to top-performing participants to license their videos for ads.

8. Event-based and experiential influencer campaigns

Events—virtual or in-person—can anchor some standout examples of types of influencer marketing campaigns, especially for launches or rebrands. Instead of a flat “here’s a new product” post, creators bring their audiences along for the experience.

Event-led campaigns might include:

• Launch parties or pop-ups with invited creators
• Travel experiences or retreats
• Virtual summits, webinars, or live shopping events

Real example:

• A skincare brand opens a temporary “skin lab” pop-up in New York.
• They invite 40 creators from different niches (beauty, lifestyle, dermatology, even science communicators) for early access.
• Creators receive free facials, get behind-the-scenes access to the R&D team, and test new products.
• In return, they share Stories, Reels, and TikToks showing the experience and the brand’s testing process.

This format works especially well when you have a story that benefits from context—science, craftsmanship, or brand heritage—rather than just a pretty package.

9. B2B influencer campaigns and thought leadership partnerships

B2B marketers are finally catching up, and some of the most interesting 2024 examples of types of influencer marketing campaigns are happening in SaaS and professional services.

Instead of lifestyle creators, B2B brands partner with:

• Industry analysts and consultants
• Niche LinkedIn or YouTube educators
• Podcasters and newsletter writers with focused professional audiences

Real example:

• A cybersecurity company partners with respected security researchers and IT leaders.
• They co-create webinar series, LinkedIn Live sessions, and technical deep-dive blog posts.
• Influencers share the content with their own professional networks.
• The brand measures success via webinar registrations, demo requests, and pipeline influence rather than direct sales.

This is a different flavor of influencer marketing, but it follows the same logic: find people who already hold attention and trust, then collaborate on content that moves their audience closer to your solution.

How to choose the right type of influencer campaign for your brand

Looking across all these real examples of types of influencer marketing campaigns, patterns emerge. The “right” format depends less on what’s trendy and more on your:

• Goal: Awareness, engagement, leads, or direct sales?
• Timeline: Do you need results this quarter, or are you building a 12–18 month engine?
• Budget: Can you afford large creators, or is it smarter to build a bench of micro-influencers?
• Compliance needs: Are you in a regulated industry (health, finance, kids)? If so, your briefs and review process need to be tighter.

For example:

• If you’re launching a brand-new product and need buzz, a mix of sponsored content, challenges, and an event-based activation gives you reach and social proof.
• If you’re optimizing for ROAS, affiliate-style programs, UGC-for-ads, and ambassador relationships tend to be safer bets.

Regardless of format, the best examples include three consistent ingredients:

• Clear expectations and briefs for creators
• Transparent disclosure and compliance with local ad rules
• Measurement plans that go beyond vanity metrics

For advertising disclosures and influencer compliance in the U.S., the FTC’s guidance at FTC.gov is a reliable reference point.

FAQ: examples of types of influencer marketing campaigns

Q1. What are some simple examples of types of influencer marketing campaigns for small budgets?
For smaller brands, product seeding with micro-influencers, low-fee sponsored posts, and affiliate-based partnerships are strong starting points. A typical example of a low-budget campaign might be sending product to 50 creators who opt in, then upgrading the 5–10 who post and drive clicks into paid collaborations.

Q2. What is an example of a performance-focused influencer campaign?
A performance-focused example would be a subscription app paying creators a flat fee plus a bounty for each new subscriber using their link. The brand tracks every signup back to a specific creator and increases budget for those with the best conversion rates.

Q3. Are there examples of influencer campaigns that don’t rely on Instagram or TikTok?
Yes. In B2B especially, strong examples include LinkedIn thought leadership series, YouTube tutorial partnerships, podcast sponsorships with co-created segments, and newsletter co-branded issues. These can outperform social feeds when your audience is more professional than consumer.

Q4. How do brands in health or wellness run influencer campaigns without overpromising results?
They focus on personal experience and education rather than hard claims, and they cross-check scripts against evidence-based information from sources like the NIH (NIH.gov) or Mayo Clinic (MayoClinic.org). Creators share how they use the product, while brands avoid promising cures or guaranteed outcomes.

Q5. What are the best examples of combining multiple types of influencer marketing in one strategy?
A mature program might seed product to hundreds of micro-influencers, convert top performers into long-term ambassadors, commission UGC from them for paid ads, and then collaborate with one or two marquee creators on limited-edition product drops. The mix lets you test widely, then double down on what actually moves the needle.