To track influencer campaign performance, give every creator a unique tracked link and a unique discount code, record each post’s reach and engagement, and attribute every order, sign-up or install to the creator whose link or code produced it. Then compare cost per result across creators. Reach and likes tell you whether people saw a post; links and codes tell you whether it sold.
Which metrics matter
Match the metric to the campaign goal. One goal per campaign keeps the decision simple.
| Goal | Primary metric | Supporting metrics |
|---|---|---|
| Sales | Orders and revenue per creator | Cost per order, ROAS, average order value |
| Leads or sign-ups | Qualified leads per creator | Cost per lead, lead-to-customer rate |
| App installs | Tracked installs per creator | Cost per install, day-7 retention |
| Awareness | Reach and views | Cost per 1,000 views, branded search lift |
| Content to reuse | Approved assets | Cost per asset, ad performance when reused |
Engagement rate (likes + comments + saves + shares ÷ reach) is a useful health check on a creator’s audience, but it isn’t a business result. Use it to choose creators, not to judge campaigns.
How attribution works
- Tracked links. A unique URL per creator, with UTM parameters (e.g.
utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=influencer&utm_content=creator_handle). Captures people who click. - Discount codes. A unique code per creator. Captures people who saw the post, didn’t click, and typed the code at checkout. Codes usually catch sales that links miss, especially from Stories and video.
- Install attribution. For apps, a tracking link from your mobile measurement partner (AppsFlyer, Adjust, Branch) per creator.
- Lead forms. For services and B2B, a per-creator form or landing page.
Use links and codes together, and de-duplicate so one order isn’t counted twice.
What attribution misses: people who see a post and buy weeks later through search. Watch branded search volume and direct traffic during a campaign as a sanity check, and don’t expect last-click numbers to capture the full effect.
How to calculate influencer ROI
ROI = (Attributed revenue − Total cost) ÷ Total cost × 100
Total cost = creator fees + product sent + shipping + platform fees + team timeExample: creators drove $12,000 in tracked revenue. Fees were $3,000, product and shipping $600, platform $449. Total cost $4,049. ROI = (12,000 − 4,049) ÷ 4,049 × 100 ≈ 196%.
Use gross margin, not revenue, if your margins are thin. A campaign can show positive revenue ROI and still lose money.
How to measure ROI from UGC
When you pay for content to reuse rather than posts, measure the content where you use it: compare the ad’s cost per purchase against your best brand-made ad, and count how many assets you’d otherwise have paid a studio for.
Influencer campaign report template
| Creator | Posts | Reach | Engagement rate | Clicks | Orders | Revenue | Cost | Cost per order | Rebook? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| @creator_a | 2 | 48,000 | 4.1% | 620 | 41 | $2,460 | $500 | $12.20 | Yes |
| @creator_b | 1 | 150,000 | 1.2% | 300 | 6 | $360 | $900 | $150 | No |
Rank by cost per result. Results are often uneven across creators, and the best performers are not always the ones with the biggest following.
What influencer analytics software should do
- Automatic attribution: generate a link and code per creator and pull orders against them, without spreadsheets.
- Per-post reporting: reach, engagement, clicks and orders on the same row.
- Audience data before you book: follower location, age and authenticity, so you don’t pay for an audience in the wrong country.
- Automated reports you can share with a client or manager.
- Returns handling: an order that is returned shouldn’t count as a sale.
How GetCollab tracks it
Every creator in a GetCollab campaign gets their own tracked link and discount code, and reach, clicks and orders per post land on one dashboard. Orders can come from a CSV upload from any store (a direct Shopify sync is coming soon), leads from a hosted lead form, and installs from your measurement partner (AppsFlyer, Adjust or Branch). For affiliate programs, commissions are held for the return window you set, so returned orders don’t pay out. Growth plans add advanced performance analytics. See how it works.
For a comparison of tools by tracking approach, see our influencer marketing platforms comparison.
FAQ
What is a good ROI for influencer marketing? There’s no universal number. Compare cost per order from creators with your cost per order from paid social. If creators are cheaper, or close and also give you content to reuse, scale them.
How long should I wait before judging a campaign? Count most sales in the first 7 days after a post, but keep codes live for 30 days. Codes keep getting used after the post leaves the feed.
Are follower counts a good predictor of sales? Not on their own. Audience fit and past results predict sales better than size.