How to Reduce Your Ads Costs by Repurposing Influencer Content

Running ads is expensive these days. But while you can't control Meta's pricing, you can control your content costs. Photoshoots, video production, editing – that all adds up fast.

That's where influencer marketing can help.

Instead of producing expensive ad creatives from scratch, you can turn the content from your influencer partnerships into high-performing ads. Not only does this save you money, but it often converts better because it feels more authentic to your audience.

In this guide, I'll show you exactly how to transform your influencer content into ads that drive results.

Two ways to use influencer content in ads

There are two ways to use influencer content in your ads —

• Run ads through the influencer's own account
• Run ads through your brand account using influencer content

Let's look at both these methods in detail.

Whitelisting: Running ads through influencer accounts

Whitelisting is when you run ads directly from an influencer's social media account with the content they produced instead of your brand account.

Here are examples of whitelisted ads run by Athletic Greens:

Why do they work?

These ads often have lower CPMs (cost per thousand impressions) because people actually engage with them. Think about it – when's the last time you eagerly engaged with a brand's ad? But when it's coming from an influencer you follow, you're more likely to stop and pay attention.

The influencer has already built a relationship with their followers. When their audience sees an ad from them (versus your brand), they're more likely to purchase or at least add items to their cart.

How to do whitelisting?

Both you and your influencers need Facebook Business Manager accounts to get started. Once the accounts are set up, influencers can grant your brand whitelisting permissions through Business Manager. Then you can run ads directly from their account, just like how you do it from your account.

If you're planning to run ads through certain creators then include whitelisting requirements in their initial agreements. This way, creators know what to expect, and you won't face delays when it's time to run ads.

Does it cost anything extra?

Creators might charge extra for whitelisting permissions as you're using their account and reputation to run ads. Make sure to factor these additional costs into your influencer marketing budget. Even with the higher fees, it's usually worth the investment when you see the improved ad performance and lower CPMs.

Save time finding content to whitelist with SARAL

SARAL makes it easy to spot your best-performing creators through its analytics dashboard. You can quickly see which influencers are driving the most engagement and conversions, helping you make data-driven decisions about whose content to turn into ads.

Using influencer content in brand ads

Instead of creating ads from scratch, you can take your best-performing influencer content and run it as ads through your brand account. It's a smart way to use content that's already proven to work, while saving on expensive production costs.

Since influencers are pros at creating engaging content, you're leveraging their expertise to create better-performing ads.

For example, Simplynam repurposed content produced by fashion influencer Shivani Bafna. Every time a fan of Shivani saw her face in the ad, they stopped scrolling, boosting the ad's visibility and brand awareness.

How to make it happen

Start by identifying which pieces of influencer content are performing best organically. Get the rights to use this content and then run it as ads through your brand account.

When getting content rights from creators, be specific about what you need. Spell out the details like:

• Permission to edit the content
• Which platforms you can use it on
• How long you can use it (for example, "30 days from January 1 to January 30")

This helps avoid confusion later and ensures you can use the content exactly how you need to. Many brands learn this the hard way when they want to make changes to content or use it on a different platform, only to realize they don't have the right permissions.

If you don't have it in your influencer contract already, here's an email template you can send to ask for usage rights —

*Subject: Usage rights for your recent [Product Name] content

Hi [Name],

Thanks for creating awesome content for [Product Name]. We'd love to use your recent [video/post] from [date/description] in our paid ads.

Could you confirm if you're okay with us:

• Using this content in our paid social media ads
• Making small edits if needed (like length adjustments)
• Using it for the next 6 months

Just reply with a "yes" if you're good with this. Once you confirm, I'll send over a simple rights agreement for you to sign.

If you have any questions, let me know.Thanks,[Your name]*

How to use SARAL to find the best content for your ads

You don't have to scroll through social media for hours to find potential content for your ads.

SARAL's social listening feature automatically tracks and collects content where your brand is tagged. You can easily spot high-performing posts that would make great ads and even connect with the creator directly via SARAL.

3 Best practices when using influencer content in ads

1— Turn to micro-influencers for more flexible, authentic ad content

It's tempting to chase big numbers and target celebrities or influencers with millions of followers for your ads. The logic seems sound: bigger reach, bigger impact, especially when you're working with a limited number of ads. But this approach often backfires.

Celebrity content typically comes with hefty price tags and complex negotiations. Even if they've already created organic content featuring your brand, securing usage rights for ads involves lengthy back-and-forth with their management teams. These negotiations often lead to premium rates that can strain your advertising budget.

That's why you should partner with micro-influencers.

Who are micro-influencers and why partner with them?

Micro-influencers are social media content creators who've built dedicated followings of typically 10,000 to 100,000 followers. But what makes them truly distinct isn't just their follower count – it's how they've earned those followers.

They've often built their following by focusing deeply on specific niches: a home cook mastering budget-friendly meals, or a tech enthusiast reviewing the latest gadgets. Their audience trusts them precisely because of this focused expertise and authentic voice.

Here's why partnering with micro-influencers is great for your ads:

• They're often happy to accept your products instead of money when you want to use their content in ads. This helps you save money, especially when you want to use their content for a long time.
• You can work with them directly - no managers or agents to slow things down. This means faster, easier deals where you can just talk straight with the creator about what you need.
• They'll actually listen to your ideas about how you want the content to look and feel. Since they're building their own name, they want to do good work that makes both you and their followers happy.

2 — Brief about your brand, products, audience, etc.

When influencers understand your brand's key messages, target audience pain points, product features, scientific backing, and the right way to use your products, they create the best content. It gives you ad-ready content that connects with the audience and drives action.

For example, Goli gives its influencers all the right info about their gummies - ingredient benefits, B12 content, specific health claims. It helps influencers then create content that shows how the product fits into daily wellness routines.

You can also share specific content angles that perform well for your brand such as —

• Before/after demonstrations
• Product comparisons with alternatives
• Specific use cases or problem-solution scenarios
• Key ingredient or feature callouts
• Common customer pain points to address

This helps get content for different stages of the customer journey, from awareness videos to conversion-focused demos.

3 — Treat creators as partners, not content machines

Most brands treat influencer content as a one-off transaction: get the content, run the ads, move on. But treating influencers like partners rather than content machines leads to better content and lower acquisition costs.

You should communicate how their content is performing. It'll help them create more of what works. For example, you can share simple metrics like "your tutorial got 2x more sales than lifestyle shots" or "unboxing videos drive the most clicks."

Let them know when you're running their content as ads. This builds trust and often makes future negotiations easier. They're also more likely to grant longer usage rights or accept product-only deals when they see you as a reliable partner.

When you're editing their content, don't edit in a way that might hurt their reputation or make the content seem something it's not. Keep edits focused on what drives results - shorter cuts for ads, brand colors, or clear call-to-actions.

Influencers who feel respected and kept in the loop are more likely to stick with your brand for long. And you'll spend less time finding and briefing new creators, and more time scaling what works with proven partners who understand your brand and audience.

Find the perfect influencer for your brand on SARAL

You don't have to waste hours scrolling through Instagram or overpay on marketplaces to find influencers.

SARAL is an all-in-one influencer marketing platform that has helped countless DTC brands find the perfect influencers.  You can filter creators by niche, location, and audience size. Simply input your criteria, and the platform generates a curated list of potential influencers.

Get your influencer content organized in one place with SARAL

For most brands, their influencer content is bleeding money.

Not because it isn't good, but because it's scattered across folders like loose change. Usage rights expire while you dig through spreadsheets. Performance data sits in another dusty corner of your drive.

Meanwhile, your best content – the stuff that could slash your customer acquisition costs – dies a quiet death in forgotten folders. And your time? It's being wasted playing detective instead of scaling what works.

This is why we built SARAL.

One place to manage everything. One tool to automate your tedious tasks.

You can use it to find influencers, track performance, manage content, stay in touch with influencers and do so much more. Whether you're working with ten creators or a hundred, SARAL helps you run things systematically, making it easy to scale your influencer program.

Let's walk through how SARAL can help your brand. Book a short, no-pressure demo here.

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