What is Influencer Whitelisting? Everything You Need to Know

Have you discovered the power of influencers in digital marketing through research or by analyzing competing brands? Well, you are right; sometimes you need to be flexible to meet competing forces in the market. 

Brands and creators have leveraged partnerships to create authentic ads and build relationships. In this article, you will discover an innovative marketing strategy called influencer whitelisting. 

Let’s dive in. 

What is Influencer Whitelisting on Social Media?

Influencer whitelisting is when an influencer grants a brand partner advertising rights to their social media accounts. In other words, a brand uses an influence’s social media handles to run their ads. This means the influencer’s followers see the ads coming from his/her page. 

Influencer whitelisting is a win-win agreement for both the influencer and the brand.

 The brand uses the influencer’s social credibility to promote its products or services. Research by Forbes shows that 61% of consumers trust brands recommended by family or influencers on social media. 

By partnering with influencers, brands tap into this trust leading to better relationships with their target audience. For the influencer, their account will reach new social media demographics, and they earn money from the same. 

Why should you engage in influencer whitelisting when the brand has social media accounts and can run ads on its own? Let us explore some of the reasons why whitelisting influencers is inevitable for your brand. 

Advantages of Influencer Whitelisting 

Influencer whitelisting is a mutually beneficial agreement between influencers and brands. Some of the advantages of whitelisting influencers include:

1. Whitelisting increases a brand’s reach

Most brands spend top dollar on marketing campaigns that might not appeal to the target audience. However, influencer whitelisting allows brands to benefit from the creator’s audience. This increases the brand’s reach and optimizes sales margins. 

2. Promotes authentic engagement

Influencer whitelisting on social media allows brands to promote their products and services from the influence’s account. This makes it easier for brands to engage with new and existing audiences. 

3. Influencer whitelisting allows you to track, test, and reiterate 

Through influencer whitelisting, a brand can track an influence’s performance in a certain audience. This allows the brand to decide whether to partner with the influencer or not. 

But wait, how can I tell the difference between a brand-owned ad and a whitelisted ad? We’ve got you covered. Let us discuss that below.

Differences Between Brand-Owned and Influencer Whitelisted Ads 

When discussing influencer marketing, the first thing that comes into your mind is #sponsored posts. Such posts are made by creators to their accounts.

 On Instagram, such posts are tagged as “Paid Partnership with **** Brand” and on Facebook, they are posted as “*** Creator with Brand ****”. On YouTube, the creators mark the posts and are paid partnerships with a certain brand. 

This is influencer-generated content and owned by the brand which pays for the partnership. For instance, Jackie Aina, who has 3.48 million YouTube subscribers, posted the video below and marketed a brand’s products. 

Jackie Aina Marketing Brand Products on YouTube

In the video below, Bella Porch, a creator, made a TikTok post and tagged the brand she has partnered with.

https://www.tiktok.com/@bellapoarch/video/7418611266262027562?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7433802651350205957

On the contrary, influencer whitelisting differs from brand-owned ads; it takes partnership to the next level. Influencer whitelisting on social media allows brands to create ads and add call-to-action buttons like “Shop Now”. Brands are also able to change ad copy or edit the content. Look at the example below. 

Meta Partnership Ads: The New Dawn of Influencer Whitelisting 

Meta Partnership Ads allows advertisers to run ads with brands, creators, and other businesses. In this case, the brand and influencer accounts feature in the ad’s header which improves ranking and audience engagement for both accounts. Meta Partnership Ads were initially referred to as Branded Content Ads. 

How Do You Run Promotion Posts or Ads in Influencer Whitelisting?

Meta Partnership Ads allows the promotion of organic posts in several ways. Let us discuss some of those ways below:

 1. Paid Partnership Ads 

In paid partnership ads, a creator receives products, services, or payments in exchange for posting the social media whitelisted content for the brand. In the video below, an influencer posts a paid partnership ad with Adobe Express on Instagram. 

2. Instagram Collabs Posts

Another way to undertake influencer whitelisting is through Instagram collabs posts. In this case, the influencer and brand come together and create whitelisted posts. No compensation is made. 

3. Product Tags 

In this type of influencer whitelisting, any influencer can tag products from a brand and share them with their audience. As a brand, you can use the content to run ads provided they consent. 

4. People Tags 

At this juncture, we all agree whitelisting social media influencers comes in different forms. In people tags, influencers tag brands in their posts while explaining their experiences with your products. 

How to Launch Influencer Whitelisting Campaigns

To create a social media whitelisting campaign, the first step should be to identify the best influencers to work with. The step-by-step guide to launching an influencer whitelisting campaign is outlined below:

• Log in to Meta Business Suite. If you do not have a business account, then create one first. 
• Click Help > Go to Business Manager.

• In the left-hand menu, navigate to Users and click Partners.

• Click Add and select Give a partner access to your assets.

• Enter your partner’s business ID.

• Click Next.
• Select to give your brand access to their Assets and Permissions.
• Select the relevant Facebook Page.
• Tap the option next to Create Ads to allow advertising permissions to your brand.
• Click Save.

That is straightforward right? 

You have successfully added your favorite creator into the social media whitelisting program. 

Influencer Whitelisting Best Practices

• Work with the right influencers for your brand: Creators have different niches. As you embark on the social media whitelisting journey, find creators whose niche is like your brand products. Not sure how to find the best creators for your brand? Check out this article from our blog. 
• Build trust: As a brand, strive to secure the trust of the influencer with which you are partnering. Remain dependable and offer clear guidelines for more effective partnerships. 
• Use Influencer Relationship Management (IRM) tools: Influencer relationship management is tedious. When doing influencer whitelisting, IRM tools like GRIN IRM help you to automate tasks and track the creator’s results.  
• Communicate: Ensure effective communication between your brand and influencers. Communication breakdown can lead to the brand’s negative publicity. 

Conclusion

Influencer whitelisting on social media unlocks innovative marketing opportunities for your brand and influencers. In Influencer whitelisting, a creator grants a brand partner advertising rights to their social media accounts. Influencer whitelisting is a win-win agreement for both parties.

The brand uses the creator’s social credibility to promote their products or services.  Social media creator whitelisting leads to increased brand reach, promotes authentic engagement, and allows the brand to track, evaluate, and reiterate. 

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is influencer whitelisting?

Also known as creator licensing, influencer whitelisting is the process of granting a brand partner advertising rights to their social media accounts. When a social media user views the ad, it looks like it comes from the influencer, not the brand. 

2. How much do influencers charge for social media whitelisting?

The compensation rate for whitelisting influencers depends on several factors like:

• How long will the ad run for?
• Whether your brand will create its content or use the creator’s existing content
• The creator’s rate card. Some charge a percentage of the ad spend, usually between 1-5%

3. What is influencer whitelisting on Instagram?

Whitelisting on Instagram is the process of a brand paying an influencer to allow access to their account and run ads from it. 

4. Is influencer whitelisting necessary?

Yes. Your brand’s ad uses the creator’s social media following leading to more engaging and authentic engagement. 

5. Which platforms allow influencer whitelisting campaigns?

Influencer whitelisting campaigns are allowed in several social media platforms like:

• Facebook 
• TikTok 
• Instagram

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