Can we pay influencers based on the number of installs they generate?

❓ “Can we pay influencers based on the number of installs or sales they generate?”

That IS the dream scenario for marketers, isn’t it?

But there’s a difference between affiliates and influencers.

Sure, in a marketer’s ideal world, influencers would only get paid for the sales or installs they generate.

But that wouldn’t be the fairest agreement.

Creating engaging, on-brand sponsored segments isn’t easy.

There’s often a long-tail and wider funnel impact in influencer marketing.

And critically, most conversions from influencer campaigns occur organically.

And most creators know that too.

Which is why even if you tried, you’d rarely get many influencers agreeing to pure performance-based payment models.

But… what if a video you’ve paid a flat fee for underperforms?

I get it. It’s a valid concern. Especially when you’re working towards strict performance goals.

3 ways to mitigate risks and maximise your returns on flat-fee collabs-

✅ Negotiate fees based on recent average views

Offer a flat-fee based on the average D30 views the influencer’s last 10-12 videos have brought in.

This keeps your CPMs in check and catered to current performance potential.

✅ Negotiate make-goods

Negotiate make-goods if the content doesn’t reach a certain number of views under a certain period.

An additional post, story, community post or something similar to boost reach and visibility.

Creators are usually open to it – after all, it’s just holding them accountable for their end of the deal and is in everyone’s best interest in the long term.

✅ Pitch hybrid deals (CPM based-deals)

Particularly useful for creators or verticals with inconsistent views across videos.

You pay the influencer a base (minimal) flat fee, regardless of whether they hit the views target or not.

For any additional for views they accrue beyond that, you pay them on a CPM basis.

That always keeps your CPMs in check, but can be a tough bargain.

But the most important thing –

If you’re struggling to see performance impact across all influencers, your payment model is rarely the sole problem.

Nail your actual offering and strategy first before worrying about things like flat-fee payments affecting performance.