Survey: Creators are seeking greater transparency in brand deals

Turns out, many creators want to be more than just mouthpieces. They want to be marketers.

But a recent survey from influencer marketing agency Influencer, which sampled 500 creators primarily from the UK and North America, found that there are plenty of perception gaps that exist between brands and creators, including beliefs around how involved creators can or want to be in the marketing process.

Misalignment: Contrary to popular belief, only 12% of creators produce content full-time, and that number only rises slightly to 25% among what the survey refers to as big-name creators, which means most creators are juggling various jobs. Even with their busy schedules, around two-thirds of creators said they want to learn more about brand KPIs, with more than half saying that the knowledge would help them better tailor their content strategies. Around 25% of the creators surveyed cited poor communication as a frustration that came from working with brands.

Communication gaps between brands and creators have led both parties to prioritize different things, the survey found. While both parties are focused on engagement as the No. 1 priority when it comes to KPIs, creators’ No. 2 focus is on content and creativity, which brands ranked as No. 5 behind metrics like follower growth, reach, and conversion.

License to create: In addition to communicating early in a campaign and frequently throughout, Influencer recommended that brands develop an open and jargon-free dialogue with creators, including listening to their feedback and taking their creative suggestions into consideration.

Second only to payment delays, creators cited creative constraints as a considerable pain point when working with brands. But that doesn’t mean creators want to run wild with their content. Only around one-fifth said they prefer to have complete creative license, while 58% said they wanted brand guidelines to help set creative parameters and direction, according to the survey. Better direction could ease another pain point experienced by about a third of creators, which is “unreasonable or excessive revisions” from brands, the report found.

DTR: Another disconnect between creators and brands is how long relationships should last. Nearly three-quarters of creators said they want long-term partnerships with brands, but only 54% said they had at least one.

Worth noting: Even with a looming TikTok ban deadline of April 5 (for those in the US), 72% of creators said they feel positive about the future of social platforms and content.