The 3 models

1) Traditional influencer marketing (fixed-fee, upfront)

·       You pay creators upfront for posts.

·       Tracking is often incomplete (codes, links, attribution tools, then debate).

Incentive: the creator gets paid whether it converts or not.

Your risk: you pay first, then hope.

2) Paid ads (Meta, TikTok, Google)

·       You pay per impression or click.

·       Performance depends on creative freshness, offer strength, funnel quality.

Incentive: the platform gets paid per delivery.

Your risk: fatigue and rising CPMs push CAC up over time.

3) Linkfluencer (Shop - Post - Earn)

·       Real customers buy first.

·       They post authentic UGC.

·       They earn cashback based on impact and quality signals.

·       Brands pay for verified sales plus measurable social lift, not just content posted.

Incentive: payout is tied to outcomes and quality.

Your risk: reduced, because the loop starts with purchase and tracking.

Typical ROAS ranges

Traditional influencer marketing (fixed fee)

·       Low: 0.5x to 1.5x

·       Average: 1.5x to 3x

·       Best (rare): 3x to 6x

Why it caps: you are buying reach and content, not guaranteed sales.

Paid ads

·       Low: 0.8x to 2x

·       Average: 2x to 4x

·       Best: 4x to 8x (when creative, offer, and funnel are excellent)

Why it drops: CPM inflation, creative fatigue, and declining trust dynamics.

Linkfluencer (Shop - Post - Earn)

Direct ROAS (tracked sales):

·       Low: 2x to 4x

·       Average: 4x to 8x

·       Best: 8x to 15x+

Total ROAS (sales plus UGC compounding effect):

·       Average: 6x to 12x

·       Best: 12x to 25x+ (when the loop becomes a niche trend)

Why Linkfluencer can beat both channels

1) The loop is conversion-first, not reach-first

Traditional influencer marketing is: Pay, Post, Hope.

Linkfluencer flips the sequence: Buy, Post, Earn, More buyers.

When the purchase happens first, the content becomes proof, not persuasion.

2) Social feeds are increasingly interest-first

The platform shift is that distribution is increasingly algorithmic discovery, not just friends and followers. Meta has pointed to a decline in the share of time spent on friend content on Facebook and Instagram, and has discussed the move toward discovery and entertainment experiences.

3) You scale supply with customers, not negotiations

With classic influencer programs, you might activate 10 to 30 creators per campaign. With Linkfluencer, you can activate hundreds of real buyers, because you are not limited by sponsorship negotiations and creator booking.

4) You control quality using a dynamic reward engine

Not all creators should earn the same. Linkfluencer uses dynamic cashback tied to quality signals (Social Score), and brands can set eligibility thresholds and caps. This protects brand image while keeping ROAS predictable.

5) You can also win conversion by reducing friction with web-to-app flows

If your buyers convert in apps (or your funnel relies on app experiences), deep linking matters. AppsFlyer has reported strong growth in web-to-app conversions and highlights deep linking as a performance lever for owned media. That is the logic behind SmartLinks in Linkfluencer: reduce friction, route users into the right native app destination when possible, and improve continuity for tracking and conversion.

The ROAS math brands should use

A) Direct ROAS (tracked sales)

Direct ROAS = Attributed Revenue / Total Spend

Total Spend typically includes:

·       Cashback pool paid to shoppers-creators

·       Linkfluencer platform fee

·       Any optional boosts (creative, whitelisting, etc.)

B) Total ROAS (tracked sales plus compounding)

Total ROAS adds the value created by UGC that becomes reusable distribution. A practical way to estimate compounding without vanity math is to track incremental signals during the pilot (branded search lift, new visitors, assisted conversions, retargeting audience growth), and assign conservative value rules agreed upfront (for example, only count assisted conversions within X days, only count new-to-file customers).

A quick example (why brands like this model)

If a brand invests €10,000 into rewards plus platform fees:

·       Conservative: €30,000 sales, 3x ROAS

·       Strong: €60,000 sales, 6x ROAS

·       Breakout loop: €120,000 sales, 12x ROAS

And the brand keeps the UGC for retargeting creatives, PDP and homepage social proof, email and CRM, and organic posts. So you are not buying content, you are buying sales plus a content engine.

Who this works best for (fastest path to results)

Linkfluencer tends to pilot fastest with brands that have:

·       Consumer categories where UGC drives discovery (beauty, fashion, wellness, food, lifestyle)

·       Frequent launches or seasonal drops

·       An existing paid social budget (so they can reuse UGC immediately)

·       A clear AOV and margin picture (so ROAS targets can be set on day one)