3 Common Reasons Brands Fail at Influencer Marketing - And How to Fix Them
Aug 26, 2025
The influencer space is evolving. Fast.
Done right, influencer marketing is one of the most cost-effective, scalable growth channels available. Done wrong? It’s a sinkhole of wasted spend, fake engagement, and low ROI.
We’ve worked with many 8-figure UK health & wellness brands, and here are the three most common reasons why brands fail at influencer marketing + what you can do to avoid them.
You're Picking Influencers Blindly
The problem: Finding the right influencer is tough. Finding multiple aligned influencers at scale? Even tougher. Too many brands go off gut feel or surface metrics.
The fix: Build an Ideal Influencer Profile (IIP) before you start. Define the audience, tone, engagement style, and platform fit. Then, use discovery tools to filter for fit and manually vet their content — especially comments and story highlights.
Want a deeper breakdown? Check out how we source, vet, and activate influencers your customers already trust → Find Perfect-Fit Influencers At Scale
You Struggle To Maintain Authenticity
The problem: Most influencer content feels fake and scripted. This immediately kills authenticity but more importantly trust.
The fix: Start with seeding - send out products with zero expectations. Identify the influencers who genuinely love your brand, then let them lead the creative. Natural, unscripted content always outperforms premeditated scripts.
Need help choosing the right creators?
Try our → Influencer Reputation Calculator
Your Strategy Isn't Cost Efficient
The problem: Working with influencers can get expensive, and quick. Without the right strategy, we’ve seen many brands struggle to keep up with rising influencer costs.
The fix: Mix short-term seeding with long-term plays like ambassador programs or affiliate flows. Start small, test fast, and double down on what performs.
Looking to have 20+ Influencers in your roster?
→ Download our Influencer Cheatsheet
Brand Win: Fussy
When personal care brand Fussy hit a wall scaling their influencer and affiliate strategy, us at Augmentum stepped in. The result?
1600+ new customers
2500+ content assets
4M+ impressions — all within 6 months
Explore the full case study → How Fussy Grew Their Channel
Looking To Fix Your Influencer Program?
We help DTC brands turn influencer into their most predictable growth channel. Looking for the same?Let’s find out what’s not working - and how to fix it.