What’s the biggest misconception brands have about partnering with content creators? As social media and influencer marketing advance from peripheral tactics to core brand-building strategies, this question becomes increasingly vital for marketing leaders.
According to recent industry research, the creator economy has expanded dramatically, with CreatorIQ reporting a 47% increase in creator partnerships spending to $79 million in 2024, generating 487 billion impressions.
Despite growth, significant communication issues persist between brands and creators. Influencer Ltd.’s research shows 64% of creators want to understand brands’ KPIs, while 57% seek clarity on their role in the broader marketing strategy. This disconnect undermines potential returns on growing investments.
To address these challenges, we asked multiple industry experts—from creator management agencies, marketing firms, and creator platforms—for their insights on the fundamental misconceptions brands bring to these partnerships.
This first installment of our three-part roundtable, featuring takes from 20 experts, examines how brands can refine their approach to leverage the connections creators have built with their audiences and maximize return on their growing creator investments.
Brands treat creators like robots. They hand over a script, expect it delivered word for word, and then wonder why it feels off. Creators aren’t actors reading a promo. They’ve built trust with their audience by being real, not by sounding like a commercial.
If you’re working with someone on their content, you need to let them create. Give the idea, the goal, the vibe – cool. But then back off and let them do it in a way that fits their voice. That’s when it actually hits.
You don’t hire a chef and then tell them how to cook. Same thing here.
The biggest misconception brands have when working with creators is thinking they’re just hiring ad space instead of a person with real influence and trust.
Creators aren’t billboards, they’re bridges. Their audience isn’t just watching, they’re listening, relating, and believing. When brands try to overly script or control the content, they lose the magic. The most effective partnerships happen when creators are empowered to speak in their own voice and connect with their audience their way. That’s what drives real conversion, not just impressions.
A common misconception is that creators can shift their schedules at a moment’s notice. We plan content calendars well in advance, not just for major partnerships but across the board, to ensure we meet deadlines. When delays happen on the brand or agency side, it’s rarely as simple as picking a new date or turning content around overnight. Creators aren’t just making videos; they’re running businesses with timelines, exclusivity windows, and overlapping commitments. Most teams understand this, but it’s been coming up more often lately — potentially because so many new faces are entering the space. A little mutual understanding goes a much longer way.
Brands think creativity runs on a stopwatch. They close a deal and immediately ask for drafts. Rushing the process kills performance. If you want content that works, give creators room to make it.
Many marketers focus on reach, impressions, and CPMs—treating creators like ad inventory. We’ve lost sight of the objective of creating influence, which comes from trusting the creator’s storytelling style, cultural credibility, and deep audience trust. Brands are missing out when they select partners based on media metrics, over-scripted creative, and strip away authenticity.
Nowadays, there are still brands that use creators’ feeds to run ads that resemble traditional TV commercials—using taglines, forced acting, obvious script reading, and strategies that don’t really match the natural storytelling of the content.
If a brand wants to appear on a creator’s feed with organic content (without boosting, on the creator’s own profile), it’s crucial to find the right balance between the creator’s usual tone and style and the brand’s guidelines. Audiences expect to see the same authentic voice from the creator on their social media profiles, not someone who suddenly switches modes just because it’s a brand partnership.
If that balance isn’t possible, then it’s probably best to use the brand’s own channels to run the campaign—so if the audiovisual piece feels too much like an ad, the campaign still feels coherent.
The biggest mistake a brand can make is treating creators like billboards.
Some brands (not all) see creators as a way to “buy impressions” and expect the same outcome they’d get from a paid media campaign. Creators aren’t static ad space; they’re storytellers, community builders, and businesses in their own right.
The real value isn’t just in reach. It’s in authentic connection, influence built on trust, and cultural relevance that can’t be bought with traditional ads.
When brands treat creators solely as distribution channels, they miss the magic. The strongest partnerships happen when creators are part of the strategy, not handed a script.
Brands often select creators based on content quality and audience fit—but that’s just the starting point. It’s equally important to evaluate how a creator ranks in platform discovery algorithms. Are they creating for discoverability? Can they drive lower CPMs through algorithmic reach? Additionally, brands should ask whether creators manage any off-platform communities, which can add valuable top- or bottom-funnel support. Strategic alignment goes beyond surface metrics—it’s about understanding true performance levers.
The biggest misconception brands have when working with creators is thinking of them as ad space instead of creative partners. Most of the time, brands approach influencer marketing with rigid scripts and one-off posts, expecting creators to simply deliver impressions. But the magic of creator partnerships lies in authenticity, not control. The most impactful campaigns happen when brands trust creators to tell the story in their own voice, through content that actually resonates with their audience. Creators know what works because they’ve built loyal communities around their unique perspectives. At Mādin, that’s exactly what we strive to do—because treating creators like collaborators, not billboards, unlocks the kind of cultural relevance and engagement that brands can’t manufacture on their own.
One of the biggest misconceptions brands have is that creators need to follow a brief word-for-word. Great creators aren’t just influencers, they are storytellers, strategists, and cultural translators. When a brand hands over a hyper-scripted brief, they’re often missing out on the magic that made that creator valuable in the first place, which is their voice, their community, and their intuition for what actually performs. The best collaborations happen when brands trust creators to interpret the brief, not regurgitate it. Allow Creators to bring the vision to life in a way that feels real to their audience. That’s where the real impact (and conversion) happens.
One of the biggest misconceptions is that partnering with the largest, most well-known creator will automatically lead to campaign success. While big names can offer broad reach, they don’t always deliver the strongest impact, especially if the audience doesn’t align with the brand’s goals or values. What truly drives results is sourcing creators who are deeply connected with their communities. In many cases, smaller creators actually generate more meaningful engagement and deliver more authentic influence within specific niches. This is why at Amaze, our mission is to democratize the creator economy, empowering emerging creators with a platform that helps them build sustainable, community-driven businesses.
Over the thousands of campaigns we’ve run at CESD, it’s noticeable how when brands treat content creators like traditional media, the results rarely deliver. Instead of building a relationship with the creator and their audience, they think a heavy-handed script, controlled messaging and inflexible creative will lead to results, but they’re missing the mark. Audiences follow their favorite creators for them, not the ads. It doesn’t mean one side has to win over the other, but the process works better as a collaboration to ensure both sides create the best-performing content that still serves the brand’s vision.
The biggest misconception brands have when working with creators is that creators don’t want any guidance or involvement from the brand. While yes, creators want creative control as they know how to connect with their audiences best, they do want proper guidelines and guardrails from the brand about the campaign goals so they can execute on the campaign properly and with direction. This also minimizes any back and forth during the review period, and ensures speed of execution.
The biggest misconception is that bigger is always better. Brands often assume macro or celebrity influencers will move the needle the most, but that’s not always the case. Micro creators might have smaller followings, but they often pack a punch when it comes to trust and engagement. In fact, studies show micro influencers can deliver up to 60% higher engagement rates than their macro counterparts. Their audiences aren’t just scrolling past, they’re paying attention, commenting, and buying. At RISER, we’ve seen brands get far more traction by working with hundreds of everyday creators, rather than putting all their budget into one big-name post. It’s the digital version of word-of-mouth, but scaled. So instead of chasing reach, it’s smarter to aim for authentic influence. More voices, more touchpoints, more impact.
A lot of (especially newer) brands think creators should be thrilled just to be offered some money to make content. But creators care about their content, reputation, and relationship with their audience. Inevitably, they want to be true to themselves. And they’re not willing to throw a brand into that story for a few hundred or a thousand dollars. But brands can expect they would, just because someone at the brand would’ve personally jumped at that kind of money.
It’s not the brand’s story. You’re asking to be part of theirs. Therefore, an appreciation for creators is needed.
There is a reason that you need them. Treat them with respect, not as a performance ad. It’s not them being greedy and asking for more or pushing back on the content guidelines; it’s them having respect for themselves and the people they will reach on behalf of brands.
One of the biggest misconceptions brands have is believing creators are just “billboards with followers.” Many brands think influencer marketing is purely transactional — pay for a post, get immediate sales. But real impact happens when creators are seen as creative partners, not just ad space. Their audience trusts their voice, and forcing a scripted message often backfires. Brands that collaborate with creators on storytelling and allow them to adapt messaging in their own authentic style see much stronger engagement and long-term brand affinity. It’s about relationships, not just reach.
One of the biggest misconceptions brands still have is that creator marketing is cheap. Maybe five or ten years ago it was—but the game has changed. Today’s creators aren’t just influencers; we’re creative directors, marketing strategists, community builders, and brand storytellers. The industry has matured, and so have we. Just like any other role, experience and expertise come with a premium. I’ve been working in marketing for 12 years—that part of my brain doesn’t suddenly turn off just because I’m also positioning myself as a creator. You’re getting all of it.
The biggest misconception brands still hold is that gifting products alone is an effective strategy for impactful creator partnerships. While gifting can initiate a relationship, it rarely guarantees deliverables or adherence to timelines crucial for strategic campaigns. Professional creators and brands require clear contracts outlining expectations, ensuring guaranteed content output and timely delivery.
Relying solely on gifting also complicates compliance with evolving disclosure regulations across platforms and regions. Without a formal agreement, ensuring creators meet category-specific advertising requirements becomes challenging, risking brand reputation.
Lastly, it hinders measurability. Paid partnerships allow brands to measure outcomes via contractual insights access. Without this, brands lose the ability to prove the tangible outcomes that creator-led campaigns provide. The creator economy is professional, and our partnerships must reflect that.
Creative freedom. Creators know and understand their audiences better than any brand will. Creators represent culture, and that drives relevance and resonance, which leads to performance for brands. The biggest misconception a brand can make is assuming that talent is just a vehicle for distribution; they are creative directors, trendsetters, and community leaders. Partnership should have direction from the brand, but it should be down to the creators for the creative.
Cecilia Carloni, Interview Manager at Influence Weekly and writer for NetInfluencer. Coming from beautiful Argentina, Ceci has spent years chatting with big names in the influencer world, making friends and learning insider info along the way. When she’s not deep in interviews or writing, she's enjoying life with her two daughters. Ceci’s stories give a peek behind the curtain of influencer life, sharing the real and interesting tales from her many conversations with movers and shakers in the space.
What’s the biggest misconception brands have about partnering with content creators? As social media and influencer marketing advance from peripheral tactics to core brand-building strategies, this question becomes increasingly vital for marketing leaders.
According to recent industry research, the creator economy has expanded dramatically, with CreatorIQ reporting a 47% increase in creator partnerships spending to $79 million in 2024, generating 487 billion impressions.
Despite growth, significant communication issues persist between brands and creators. Influencer Ltd.’s research shows 64% of creators want to understand brands’ KPIs, while 57% seek clarity on their role in the broader marketing strategy. This disconnect undermines potential returns on growing investments.
To address these challenges, we asked multiple industry experts—from creator management agencies, marketing firms, and creator platforms—for their insights on the fundamental misconceptions brands bring to these partnerships.
This first installment of our three-part roundtable, featuring takes from 20 experts, examines how brands can refine their approach to leverage the connections creators have built with their audiences and maximize return on their growing creator investments.
Elijah Khasabo, Co-Founder, Vidovo
Brands treat creators like robots. They hand over a script, expect it delivered word for word, and then wonder why it feels off. Creators aren’t actors reading a promo. They’ve built trust with their audience by being real, not by sounding like a commercial.
If you’re working with someone on their content, you need to let them create. Give the idea, the goal, the vibe – cool. But then back off and let them do it in a way that fits their voice. That’s when it actually hits.
You don’t hire a chef and then tell them how to cook. Same thing here.
Katelyn Rohades, Founder, enfluence
The biggest misconception brands have when working with creators is thinking they’re just hiring ad space instead of a person with real influence and trust.
Creators aren’t billboards, they’re bridges. Their audience isn’t just watching, they’re listening, relating, and believing. When brands try to overly script or control the content, they lose the magic. The most effective partnerships happen when creators are empowered to speak in their own voice and connect with their audience their way. That’s what drives real conversion, not just impressions.
Michael Curtis, Founder & CEO, Proud Management
A common misconception is that creators can shift their schedules at a moment’s notice. We plan content calendars well in advance, not just for major partnerships but across the board, to ensure we meet deadlines. When delays happen on the brand or agency side, it’s rarely as simple as picking a new date or turning content around overnight. Creators aren’t just making videos; they’re running businesses with timelines, exclusivity windows, and overlapping commitments. Most teams understand this, but it’s been coming up more often lately — potentially because so many new faces are entering the space. A little mutual understanding goes a much longer way.
Chris Ryan, Founder, Chris Ryan Marketing
Brands think creativity runs on a stopwatch. They close a deal and immediately ask for drafts. Rushing the process kills performance. If you want content that works, give creators room to make it.
Gabe Gordon, CEO, Reach Agency
Many marketers focus on reach, impressions, and CPMs—treating creators like ad inventory. We’ve lost sight of the objective of creating influence, which comes from trusting the creator’s storytelling style, cultural credibility, and deep audience trust. Brands are missing out when they select partners based on media metrics, over-scripted creative, and strip away authenticity.
Pedro Garassino, Founder & CEO, BOURBON Agency
Nowadays, there are still brands that use creators’ feeds to run ads that resemble traditional TV commercials—using taglines, forced acting, obvious script reading, and strategies that don’t really match the natural storytelling of the content.
If a brand wants to appear on a creator’s feed with organic content (without boosting, on the creator’s own profile), it’s crucial to find the right balance between the creator’s usual tone and style and the brand’s guidelines. Audiences expect to see the same authentic voice from the creator on their social media profiles, not someone who suddenly switches modes just because it’s a brand partnership.
If that balance isn’t possible, then it’s probably best to use the brand’s own channels to run the campaign—so if the audiovisual piece feels too much like an ad, the campaign still feels coherent.
Benjamin Marks, Founder & CEO, Nucreator
The biggest mistake a brand can make is treating creators like billboards.
Some brands (not all) see creators as a way to “buy impressions” and expect the same outcome they’d get from a paid media campaign. Creators aren’t static ad space; they’re storytellers, community builders, and businesses in their own right.
The real value isn’t just in reach. It’s in authentic connection, influence built on trust, and cultural relevance that can’t be bought with traditional ads.
When brands treat creators solely as distribution channels, they miss the magic. The strongest partnerships happen when creators are part of the strategy, not handed a script.
Natalia Serna Jaramilo, Founder & CEO, Goldfish
Creators aren’t ad space — they’re live media. The moment brands stop dictating and start co-creating is when the magic happens.
Dan Albert, Co-Founder & Partner, 456 Growth Media
Brands often select creators based on content quality and audience fit—but that’s just the starting point. It’s equally important to evaluate how a creator ranks in platform discovery algorithms. Are they creating for discoverability? Can they drive lower CPMs through algorithmic reach? Additionally, brands should ask whether creators manage any off-platform communities, which can add valuable top- or bottom-funnel support. Strategic alignment goes beyond surface metrics—it’s about understanding true performance levers.
Dimitar Gougov, Chief Influence Officer & Partner, Mādin
The biggest misconception brands have when working with creators is thinking of them as ad space instead of creative partners. Most of the time, brands approach influencer marketing with rigid scripts and one-off posts, expecting creators to simply deliver impressions. But the magic of creator partnerships lies in authenticity, not control. The most impactful campaigns happen when brands trust creators to tell the story in their own voice, through content that actually resonates with their audience. Creators know what works because they’ve built loyal communities around their unique perspectives. At Mādin, that’s exactly what we strive to do—because treating creators like collaborators, not billboards, unlocks the kind of cultural relevance and engagement that brands can’t manufacture on their own.
Gigi Robinson, Creator Economy Expert & Speaker, Founder of Hosts of Influence
One of the biggest misconceptions brands have is that creators need to follow a brief word-for-word. Great creators aren’t just influencers, they are storytellers, strategists, and cultural translators. When a brand hands over a hyper-scripted brief, they’re often missing out on the magic that made that creator valuable in the first place, which is their voice, their community, and their intuition for what actually performs. The best collaborations happen when brands trust creators to interpret the brief, not regurgitate it. Allow Creators to bring the vision to life in a way that feels real to their audience. That’s where the real impact (and conversion) happens.
Aaron Day, CEO, Amaze
One of the biggest misconceptions is that partnering with the largest, most well-known creator will automatically lead to campaign success. While big names can offer broad reach, they don’t always deliver the strongest impact, especially if the audience doesn’t align with the brand’s goals or values. What truly drives results is sourcing creators who are deeply connected with their communities. In many cases, smaller creators actually generate more meaningful engagement and deliver more authentic influence within specific niches. This is why at Amaze, our mission is to democratize the creator economy, empowering emerging creators with a platform that helps them build sustainable, community-driven businesses.
Eddie Pietzak, Head of Digital, CESD Talent Agency
Over the thousands of campaigns we’ve run at CESD, it’s noticeable how when brands treat content creators like traditional media, the results rarely deliver. Instead of building a relationship with the creator and their audience, they think a heavy-handed script, controlled messaging and inflexible creative will lead to results, but they’re missing the mark. Audiences follow their favorite creators for them, not the ads. It doesn’t mean one side has to win over the other, but the process works better as a collaboration to ensure both sides create the best-performing content that still serves the brand’s vision.
Brett Dashevsky, Founder, Creator Economy NYC
The biggest misconception brands have when working with creators is that creators don’t want any guidance or involvement from the brand. While yes, creators want creative control as they know how to connect with their audiences best, they do want proper guidelines and guardrails from the brand about the campaign goals so they can execute on the campaign properly and with direction. This also minimizes any back and forth during the review period, and ensures speed of execution.
Felicity Grey, Founder & Managing Director, Theory Crew & RISER
The biggest misconception is that bigger is always better. Brands often assume macro or celebrity influencers will move the needle the most, but that’s not always the case. Micro creators might have smaller followings, but they often pack a punch when it comes to trust and engagement. In fact, studies show micro influencers can deliver up to 60% higher engagement rates than their macro counterparts. Their audiences aren’t just scrolling past, they’re paying attention, commenting, and buying. At RISER, we’ve seen brands get far more traction by working with hundreds of everyday creators, rather than putting all their budget into one big-name post. It’s the digital version of word-of-mouth, but scaled. So instead of chasing reach, it’s smarter to aim for authentic influence. More voices, more touchpoints, more impact.
Jake Kitchiner, Co-Founder, ChannelCrawler
A lot of (especially newer) brands think creators should be thrilled just to be offered some money to make content. But creators care about their content, reputation, and relationship with their audience. Inevitably, they want to be true to themselves. And they’re not willing to throw a brand into that story for a few hundred or a thousand dollars. But brands can expect they would, just because someone at the brand would’ve personally jumped at that kind of money.
It’s not the brand’s story. You’re asking to be part of theirs. Therefore, an appreciation for creators is needed.
There is a reason that you need them. Treat them with respect, not as a performance ad. It’s not them being greedy and asking for more or pushing back on the content guidelines; it’s them having respect for themselves and the people they will reach on behalf of brands.
Abraham Lieberman, CEO, ClicksTalent
One of the biggest misconceptions brands have is believing creators are just “billboards with followers.” Many brands think influencer marketing is purely transactional — pay for a post, get immediate sales. But real impact happens when creators are seen as creative partners, not just ad space. Their audience trusts their voice, and forcing a scripted message often backfires. Brands that collaborate with creators on storytelling and allow them to adapt messaging in their own authentic style see much stronger engagement and long-term brand affinity. It’s about relationships, not just reach.
Jayde Powell, Social Strategist & Creatorpreneur and Founder, the em dash co
One of the biggest misconceptions brands still have is that creator marketing is cheap. Maybe five or ten years ago it was—but the game has changed. Today’s creators aren’t just influencers; we’re creative directors, marketing strategists, community builders, and brand storytellers. The industry has matured, and so have we. Just like any other role, experience and expertise come with a premium. I’ve been working in marketing for 12 years—that part of my brain doesn’t suddenly turn off just because I’m also positioning myself as a creator. You’re getting all of it.
Detch Singh, Founder & CEO, Hypetap
The biggest misconception brands still hold is that gifting products alone is an effective strategy for impactful creator partnerships. While gifting can initiate a relationship, it rarely guarantees deliverables or adherence to timelines crucial for strategic campaigns. Professional creators and brands require clear contracts outlining expectations, ensuring guaranteed content output and timely delivery.
Relying solely on gifting also complicates compliance with evolving disclosure regulations across platforms and regions. Without a formal agreement, ensuring creators meet category-specific advertising requirements becomes challenging, risking brand reputation.
Lastly, it hinders measurability. Paid partnerships allow brands to measure outcomes via contractual insights access. Without this, brands lose the ability to prove the tangible outcomes that creator-led campaigns provide. The creator economy is professional, and our partnerships must reflect that.
Benjamin Woollams, Founder & CEO, TrueRights
Creative freedom. Creators know and understand their audiences better than any brand will. Creators represent culture, and that drives relevance and resonance, which leads to performance for brands. The biggest misconception a brand can make is assuming that talent is just a vehicle for distribution; they are creative directors, trendsetters, and community leaders. Partnership should have direction from the brand, but it should be down to the creators for the creative.
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