A Complete Guide To Creators & Influencers For Meta Ads

Aug 22, 2025

Dive into the dynamics of on-screen talent as the podcast dissects the roles of actors, creators, authorities, and celebrities in advertising. Discover how to craft effective partnerships with creators, optimizing payment strategies based on customer value. Learn the secrets to managing creator relationships with clarity while respecting their creative freedom. Plus, explore the role of AI in enhancing customer engagement and the risks of relying on celebrity endorsements for early-stage brands. It's a comprehensive guide to marketing mastery!

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INSIGHT

Actors Are Scripted Performers

Actors are people paid to deliver full, word-for-word scripts naturally on camera.
Use low-cost actors for short social ads where acting, not influence, is the deliverable.

INSIGHT

Creators Deliver Finished Content

Creators make finished, algorithm-optimized, edited videos rather than raw takes.
Brief creators with talking points and offers, don't hand them full scripts to preserve creative value.

ADVICE

Use The ~5% Creator Pricing Heuristic

Price creator-whitelisting deals around ~5% of planned ad spend as a heuristic for ROI alignment.
Pay more only when customer LTV justifies higher creator costs.

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RICHPANEL

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Hiring “influencers” is not a single play—it’s four different jobs with four different outcomes.

In this episode Andrew breaks down a clear framework for on-screen ad talent: actors (scripted delivery), creators (algorithm-savvy editors who deliver finished ads), authorities (trusted endorsers who bridge efficacy/credibility gaps), and celebrities (brand-equity plays that rarely win in direct response).

You’ll learn:

- When to script an actor vs brief a creator, and how to structure both so performance doesn’t depend on luck

- A practical pricing heuristic for creator partnerships (the “~5% of planned ad spend” rule of thumb) and where it breaks

- When whitelisting adds leverage—and when it doesn’t

- How to use authorities to validate claims in categories like health, performance, or technical products

- Why most early-stage brands should avoid big celebrity contracts (and the two exceptions: deep integration or licensed co-brands)

- A simple audit to categorize your current roster, upgrade contracts, and operationalize briefing, asset handoff, and off-boarding

If you’re navigating margin pressure, uneven ROAS, or confusion about creator pricing and deliverables, this gives you a decision tree you can hand to your team today. Expect fewer dead-end tests, cleaner processes, and ad dollars aligned to the right kind of talent for your goal.

CHAPTER TITLES:

00:01_37 - Building An Influencer Program at AJF Growth

00:02:58 - Hiring Actors For Ad Creatives

00:07:49 - Let Creators Do What They DO BEST, CREATE!

00:10:59 - What Is Whitelisting Relationships?

00:17:24 - Communicating With Your Creator Partner

00:23:42 - Allowing Your Influencer To Be The Authoritative Voice

00:27:16 - Building Trust With An Audience

00:28:57 - Sources of Credibility

00:34:29 - Do Celebrities Help Sell Products?

00:39:15 - Would I advise to contract with Celebrities?

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