Influencer Marketing: Curated Content vs. Traditional Sponsored Content
Businesses are always looking for new and innovative ways to connect with their target audience. Curated influencer posts and traditional sponsored influencer posts are two distinct strategies that have become popular in the influencer marketing industry to accomplish this. Because both strategies have their own distinct advantages and disadvantages, it is crucial that brands consider which strategy best aligns with their objectives and will result in the desired outcome.
Curated Content
Curated posts involve an influencer creating content that seamlessly blends the brand’s product with the influencer’s personal aesthetic and style. TikTok user @UptownWithEllyB’s TikTok showcasing how to assemble a perfect Valentine’s Day basket is a great example of sponsored curated content. Elly includes multiple products and highlights the benefits of each item, which she does in almost every other TikTok whether she is talking about makeup, skincare products, or clothes. The Valentine’s Day post is sponsored by Macy’s, but anyone watching the video would have a difficult time differentiating the sponsored curated post from the type of content Elly posts every day.
This approach maintains the influencer’s current content style while simultaneously partnering with a brand to showcase a product and connecting with her audience in the authentic way the audience is used to.
Instead of using a brand’s strict guidelines or an overly commercial approach, brands can utilize the trust influencers have built with their audiences by letting influencers use their voice, aesthetic, and style to share the product or service with their audience. This authenticity can encourage audiences to buy the curated product, as followers are more likely to purchase a product they view as a personal recommendation from the influencer. Curated posts often result in influencer content that feels less promotional and commercial and more like an organic post by the influencer, which can be extremely effective in capturing the attention of the influencer’s audience without coming across as calculated or commercial as traditional sponsored content.
Traditional Sponsored Content
On the other hand, traditional sponsored influencer posts follow a much more structured approach to content creation and marketing. Foodie Tribe influencer Dolphia Arnstein partnered with GOYA to highlight their Holiday Coquito Kit with a traditionally sponsored Instagram Reel, in which brands provide influencers with specific visual and messaging guidelines and content requirements, with the intention of the influencer creating standardized content showcasing the brand’s products or services. Traditional sponsored posts allow content to maintain a consistent brand message and aesthetic regardless of how many or what type of influencers the brand works with, which is ideal for brands who are looking to create immediately recognizable content across campaigns.
Despite the differences between these two approaches, successful influencer marketing campaigns will work with the influencer to strike a balance between curated and traditionally sponsored content. Brands should carefully consider their demographic, campaign objectives, and the product or service being promoted when deciding which strategy to utilize for their campaigns. In some cases, a combination of both methods within the same campaign may prove to be the most effective, allowing for a diverse and well-rounded approach to a brand’s marketing strategy.
Whether a brand chooses to use curated influencer posts or traditional sponsored influencer posts, the key to success lies in the influencer’s ability to build genuine connections and trust with their audience and deliver content that aligns with the social media experience desired by their audiences. Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of curated content and traditionally sponsored content allows brands and influencers to create truly impactful posts that align with the brand's campaign objectives and deliver the desired results.
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