How to measure YouTube influencer marketing ROI

Once a video is published, the code and web address the creator says aloud can't be changed. Do this before you send the brief:

1. 01

   Decide what counts as a result

   Orders, sign-ups, trials or email subscribers: pick one main number. Note your normal daily figure too, so you can see a change.

2. 02

   Build a tracked link for each creator

   A link with UTM parameters, described below, so your analytics can tell their visitors from everyone else's. Add a short address that redirects to it, for saying aloud.

3. 03

   Create a unique discount code

   One per creator, easy to say and spell, and valid for months rather than days.

4. 04

   Point the link at a page that matches the video

   The product they talk about, with the offer they mention, not your home page.

5. 05

   Add a question after checkout

   "How did you hear about us?", with a free-text answer, so people can name the channel.

6. 06

   Agree what the creator will share, and when

   Screenshots from YouTube Studio, or brand partner access, at 7, 30 and 90 days. Put it in the agreement.

7. 07

   Test it all

   Click the link, place a test order with the code, answer the survey, and check each one shows up in your reports.

UTM parameters are tags added to the end of a link. Analytics tools read them and report the visit under the source, medium and campaign you chose. A link for one creator might look like this:

https://example.com/grinder?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=sponsorship&utm_campaign=spring-launch&utm_content=channel-name

Links undercount. Some viewers won't click: they'll remember your name and search for it later, perhaps on another device, and that sale shows up as search or direct traffic. That's why you need a code and a survey as well.

Unique discount codes

A discount code counts buyers who typed your address or searched for you instead of clicking. Codes can end up on coupon sites, so some uses won't come from the video; a code with the creator's name in it makes that easier to spot.

Landing pages

A page for that creator's viewers, at an address that's easy to say, showing the product and offer they mentioned. It gives you a clean count of visits and a better first impression than a home page.

Post-purchase surveys

One question after checkout, "How did you hear about us?", catches buyers who used neither the link nor the code. Answers are self-reported and messy, so treat them as a rough guide and read the free text for channel names.

Each method catches buyers the others miss. Add them up, but count a buyer who clicked the link and used the code once, not twice.

You can't see a creator's analytics yourself, but they can share them. Ask for screenshots from YouTube Studio showing:

• Views and watch time for the video, at 7, 30 and 90 days.
• Average view duration and the audience retention graph, which show whether people were still watching when your segment came up.
• Audience countries and ages, to check the viewers are in places you sell to.

YouTube also lets a creator give a brand partner access to a video, which shows the brand that video's performance, including views, watch time, average view duration and audience age, gender and location. Ask whether they'll use it, and agree what you need in writing before the video goes live.

Your cost per acquisition is the fee divided by the customers you can attribute. Here's a hypothetical $1,200 integration, checked twice:

The same video looks very different at 90 days. YouTube videos don't stop at launch week: one that answers a search, such as a review in your category, can keep getting views for months, and every new viewer can still use the code. So judge at 90 days, keep the code and link working, and ask the creator to leave the link in the description.

Compare your cost per acquisition with the profit a customer brings you, not with anyone else's figure. Treat it as a floor, too: some viewers will buy without a link, a code or a survey answer, and you'll never see them. To plan the next deal from these numbers, see how much to pay YouTubers.

Nakodo helps before the video, not after it. It shows each creator's median views and engagement rate before you agree a fee, so you can set realistic expectations and check the CPM you'd be paying with the sponsorship cost calculator. It doesn't track clicks or sales; that happens in your own shop and analytics. It also emails the creators you choose on your behalf and shows where each conversation stands, and you keep a shortlist for each campaign. The full method is on how Nakodo works.