What 200 Influencer Collaborations Taught Me

What 200 Influencer Collaborations Taught Me

There was a time when everyone in the digital marketing space kept saying the same thing collaborate with influencers and your brand will grow. I decided to test this belief for my brand, YELLOW BLOOM , and over time collaborated with close to 200 influencers. The expectation was that this would help with visibility and user-generated content that could support long-term brand building.
The reality was very different. While a few influencers were professional and delivered content on time, many did not. Some delayed posting for weeks/ Months, some stopped responding after receiving the product, and some kept postponing with different reasons. In the end, actual content came from only about 70 to 80 influencers.
Even where content was posted, it did not last. Several posts were deleted, brand tags were removed, and some influencers unfollowed the brand. The expected benefit of sustained UGC never happened. Follower growth was minimal, engagement did not improve meaningfully, and there was no real business impact.
This experience made me realise that influencer marketing and UGC are not universal solutions. They may work for certain brands, but they are often oversold. What matters more is testing strategies based on your own business reality rather than following popular narratives.
I tried. I tested. And I consciously chose to shut it down.
Now, when someone asks me about influencer marketing, I just smile and give a very witty reply. 

www.yellowbloom.in