Rare Beauty’s Proposed Influencer Strategy
Influencer marketing is most effective when it is rooted in strategy rather than trend. As discussed in Module 6, successful influencer campaigns require clearly defined objectives, thoughtful creator alignment, and measurable performance tracking. For a brand like Rare Beauty, which centers its identity around authenticity and emotional connection, influencer partnerships must feel intentional and values-driven as well.
Rare Beauty positions itself as more than a cosmetics brand. It emphasizes self-acceptance, mental health awareness, and redefining traditional beauty standards. Because of this, influencer selection must prioritize audience alignment and credibility over follower count alone.
To evaluate potential collaborators, I used Social Cat to analyze engagement rates across platforms. After testing multiple influencer tools, Social Cat provided the clearest and most accessible performance metrics for comparison, without having a business account myself.
Influencer Selection
Spencer Barbosa
Spencer has 12.6M followers on TikTok and 3M on Instagram. Her content focuses on body positivity, confidence, and embracing individuality, which are all themes that directly reflect Rare Beauty’s brand values.
TikTok Engagement Rate: 2.33%
Instagram Engagement Rate: 9.53%
While her TikTok engagement is moderate relative to her scale, her Instagram engagement is strong for a creator with over one million followers. This suggests a highly connected audience on Instagram, making it a strong platform for narrative-driven content.
TikTok
Erika Titus
Erika has 4M TikTok followers and 658K Instagram followers. She frequently creates beauty-focused content, experiments with makeup products, and integrates confidence messaging into her videos.
TikTok Engagement Rate: 9.70%
Instagram Engagement Rate: 9%
Her engagement rates across both platforms indicate an active and responsive audience. This positions her well for both awareness and engagement-driven objectives.
TikTok
Campaign & Collaboration Strategy
Primary Objective: Brand awareness and engagement
Secondary Objective: Trackable conversions
The campaign would focus on emotionally resonant content first, with performance measurement integrated through limited-time promo codes unique to each creator. The format could include:
TikTok “Get Ready With Me” videos featuring Rare Beauty products
Instagram Reels demonstrating everyday product use
Creator-specific promo codes (ex: SPENCER20, ERIKA20)
Allowing both influencers creative flexibility ensures authenticity, which research consistently identifies as critical to campaign performance.
Performance Measurement
Instagram Insights and TikTok analytics will measure visibility and engagement, while promo code usage will provide direct revenue attribution. Success will be evaluated through a combination of awareness and conversion metrics:
Awareness Metrics
Reach and impressions
Engagement rate
Saves and shares
Earned Media Value (EMV)
Conversion Metrics
Promo code redemptions
Conversion rate
Revenue attributed to each creator
One important consideration is that engagement does not automatically translate into conversions. A post may generate high interaction and significantly increase brand awareness, yet result in modest direct sales. Engagement reflects resonance and audience connection; conversions reflect action. Both are valuable, but they serve different strategic purposes.
Challenges and Considerations
Attribution remains a primary challenge in influencer marketing. Consumers often encounter influencer content but convert later through a different channel. To account for this, Rare Beauty should monitor overall traffic trends, branded search lift, and sales increases during campaign windows.
Ultimately, influencer campaign success should be evaluated in relation to its initial objective. For Rare Beauty, a campaign centered on authenticity and awareness must be measured by balancing emotional impact with quantifiable results.
Hey, I’m Ashley!
I am a graphic & interactive designer passionate about creating purposeful, fun, and engaging design. Whether it’s a brand identity, a responsive website, or a social media campaign, I love connecting ideas with strategy to make work that’s not only beautiful, but effective.
