Was dead set against influencer marketing until it saved my client's bacon last fall

I used to roll my eyes at brands paying influencers to post their stuff. It felt fake and wasteful. But last September, I had a client selling a niche gardening tool and traditional ads got us nowhere. After 3 months of zero ROI, I bit the bullet and paid a 30k follower gardening YouTuber $400 for a 2 minute demo. That video alone drove 150 sales in one week. It totally changed my mind. Anyone else have a channel that surprised them?

2 comments

2 Comments

wells.morgan12d ago

Bet the trust from a real demo mattered way more than we give it credit for.

matthewperry12d ago

That demo at that specific trade show back in 2017 is still the most honest pitch I ever saw. Watching the guy fumble through the setup and actually admit the bugs in front of everyone made me trust the whole team instantly. It was like, finally someone being real about building something instead of pretending everything is perfect. That kind of vulnerability builds a foundation no polished video could ever replace. You're totally right, that raw trust is worth way more than people realize.