How Hailey Bieber's Influencer Strategy Made Rhode Worth $1 Billion

Rhode launched in June 2022 with just three products. By May 2025, it was acquired by e.l.f. Beauty for $1 billion. By September 2025, its first day at Sephora generated $10 million in sales. It's a record that surpassed both Fenty Beauty and Rare Beauty’s retail debuts.

Traditional advertising didn't build this. Influencer marketing did. Rhode built a creator-first distribution model where influencers became the primary channel. And their influencer marketing strategy is executed with a level of intentionality that most brands, regardless of budget, can adapt.

In this breakdown, we look at four things Rhode does particularly well with influencer marketing, and what any brand can take from each one.

Launching in a New Market With Influencers

When Rhode launched in Australia through MECCA (the country's biggest beauty retailer), they collaborated with influencers to spread the word about it.

The first thing they did was host a launch event where they invited local influencers. Hailey Bieber flew out for it too, which naturally made it an event no creator was going to skip.

But getting influencers in the room is only half the job. Rhode is launching a brand, not promoting Hailey Bieber. So they made sure the event itself was worth posting about on its own.

The space was themed as a "Rhode Bakery" and looked great on camera. The food was served in Rhode-branded boxes. This gave creators a visually rich environment to film and photograph. Rhode turned 50+ local influencers into a coordinated launch campaign where each one announced Rhode's arrival to their own audience, in their own voice, on the same day.

And then came the finishing touch. Every attendee took home a giant, oversized blue goodie bag. Comically large, aesthetically clean, the kind of thing you can't NOT photograph.

What made the blue box in the hands of influencers an effective marketing tool?

Without it, every creator would have posted something different. Different angles of the event, different food shots, different moments with Hailey. The content would have been scattered.

The blue box gave every single post a common visual thread. So when someone scrolling Instagram saw one post with a giant blue Rhode box, then another, then another from a completely different creator, it started to register. Rhode is here. That repetition across dozens of different accounts created a kind of awareness that no single post could have achieved on its own.

If you look at the Instagram grid, almost all the influencer posts were carousels, not single photos. While we can't confirm Rhode gave an influencer brief for this, the pattern is too consistent to be coincidental.

And the strategy is smart because carousels get more reach on Instagram because users can swipe through multiple images, which counts as additional engagement and signals the algorithm to push the post further.

This doesn't work without planning

None of this happened by accident. Rhode's team likely thought through every step. Who to invite, what the space should look like, what creators take home, and what to comment after posts go live.

Influencer marketing doesn't work when you just get creators on board and hope they post something good. It works when the brand also puts in the work at every stage. Brand has to think about every influencer touchpoint, and engineer the process from inviting, gifting, to posting.

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Running influencer marketing without the chaos

Running an influencer program like how Rhode involves a lot of moving parts. Finding the right creators, reaching out, shipping products, tracking who posted, following up with people who didn't. And doing all of that consistently, week after week.

We built SARAL to make that part easier. It puts discovery, outreach, gifting, and performance tracking in one place so you're not juggling five different tools and a spreadsheet.

‍Watch a 5-min walkthrough to see how it works.

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Takeaways for your brand

👉 For major launches, get your key people in the room with creators. If you're launching a new product or entering a new market, don't just send gifts to creators and hope for the best. Invite your top creators to an event where they can meet your founder or key team members in person. That face-to-face interaction turns them into a strong brand advocate, and you'll get content without chasing influencers for unboxing videos.

👉 Plan the influencer experience end to end, not just the invite. Think about what happens before, during, and after the event. What do creators see when they walk in? What do they leave with, and what does your team do once posts start going live? Every one of these is a chance to shape the content.

👉 Give every creator the same visual anchor. When 50 different people post 50 different things, the message gets diluted. But when there's one consistent element across every post, like Rhode's blue box, it compounds. People scrolling start noticing a pattern, and that's when awareness kicks in.

👉 Brief your creators, even if it's subtle. You don't need to hand them a script. But if you want carousels, tell them. If you want them to tag a specific account, say so. A light brief keeps the content feeling organic while still giving you some control over format and reach.

The Gifting Strategy: Designed to Be Filmed, Not Just Delivered

On average, an influencer gets 10-15 gift packages from brands in a month. Maybe they film and post 5 of those. Rhode’s package probably gets filmed every time.

Search “Rhode PR unboxing” on TikTok, and you’ll see what I mean:

There are hundreds of these videos. Creators are filming Rhode unboxings because the packages are genuinely exciting to open. They’re designed as content-generation tools. The unboxing IS the marketing.

Want authentic UGC like Rhode? Stop hiring actors.

If you want to learn how to get this kind of genuine content from creators instead of relying on fake UGC from actor marketplaces, we put together a guide on that.

It covers:

Why "fake UGC" from actor marketplaces hurts your brand more than it helps
How to get real, usable content from creators without paying production costs
What to include in a gifting brief so creators make content you can actually repurpose
How to get usage rights without making the relationship feel transactional

What makes Rhode influencer gifting packages different from the average PR mailer?

They add an experiential element

When Rhode launched their pineapple cleanser, they sent creators a branded bath bomb that concealed the actual product inside. The creators had to dissolve the bath bomb to reveal what the product even was.

This created mystery, suspense, and a genuinely entertaining unboxing moment that creators couldn’t resist filming. And it makes for a video people actually want to watch through to the end to find out what the product is.

Every launch gets its own packaging

Every time Rhode launches a new product, they redesign the entire gifting package around it. New colors, new extras, new packaging. It's never the same box with a different product dropped in.

For their summer Pocket Blush launch, everything was yellow to match the launch colors.

Look at what’s in this box. It’s not just products. There's a branded tote bag (grey, clean, the kind you’d actually carry around), a yellow Rhode pouch that matches the product line, and a branded water bottle.

Check out the packaging below for when they launched the Strawberry Glaze collection. Everything reinforces the Strawberry Glaze theme. When a creator unboxes this on camera, they don’t need to explain the product. The packaging tells the story.

This matters because when every launch looks and feels different, creators have a reason to film every single unboxing, not just their first one.

Every detail in a Rhode gifting package serves one of two purposes: it either makes the unboxing more filmable (like the bath bomb reveal or the strawberry tray) or it extends brand visibility (with things like a tote bag or a phone case) beyond the unboxing video.

Creators are now asking Rhode to be gifted

Here's where it gets interesting. When your gifting is this good, the dynamic flips. Instead of brands chasing creators, creators start chasing the brand.

We've seen TikTok posts of creators writing heartfelt emails to Rhode, hoping to get on their list. Videos about wanting Rhode gifts have thousands of likes. Getting a Rhode package has become a status thing among beauty creators.

That's the real power of this approach. Rhode's gifting program essentially markets itself. They send great packages, creators post about them, other creators see those posts and want in, and the list grows with people who are already fans.

Takeaways for your brand

👉 Before you ship anything, ask: Would this be interesting to open on camera? If not, add something. A themed container, an unusual format, a hidden reveal. One element of surprise is the difference between a package that gets filmed and one that gets ignored.

👉 Include something creators will use after the unboxing. A well-designed tote bag becomes a walking billboard for months. A cheap branded pen goes in the trash. Spend a few extra dollars on one item that lives beyond the video.

👉 Don't send the same box every time. If every launch looks the same, there's no reason for a creator to film more than one unboxing. Change the colors, change the extras, give them something new to show each time. That's what keeps creators excited for the next drop.

Tying Every Brand Trip to One Product

Rhode doesn't do generic brand trips. Every trip is built around a specific product launch, with the entire environment (from the location to the merch to the color palette) designed to reinforce that one product's story. There's a clear purpose behind each trip, not just a nice destination and a hope that creators will post about it.

Let’s look at the two biggest examples of brand trips from Rhode.

Mallorca Beach Club (for launch of Lemontini Peptide lip tint)

For the launch of the Lemontini Peptide Lip Tint in July 2025, Rhode took over Gran Folies beach club in Mallorca, Spain. Everything at the event was designed around the Lemontini product — the yellow and grey color palette, the branded inflatables shaped like Rhode lip tubes, the tote bags, and the merch table.

The inflatables are shaped like Rhode’s actual lip treatment tubes, scaled up to be impossible to miss in any photo or video. The tote bags match the product’s color scheme.

Every item on the merch table doubles as something creators will actually use and post about later. A phone case with a built-in lip tint holder is going to show up in mirror selfies for months. A disposable camera in the brand's yellow is going to end up in someone's Instagram story.

Rhode is giving gifts to influencers as well as planting their brand in content that will show up long after the trip is over.

Big Sky, Montana (launch of Caffeine Reset eye cream)

For the Caffeine Reset Eye Cream launch in February 2025, Rhode brought influencers to Big Sky Resort in Montana for the “Rhode Snow Club.” They used the same playbook they used for the lip tint launch.

The entire event was themed around the Caffeine Reset product’s color (mint green) and branding. Rhode-branded lounge chairs in their signature mint were set up on the ski slopes. Influencer rooms came pre-stocked with products and exclusive winter accessories.

Every photo an influencer takes on this trip naturally becomes Rhode content. They don’t need to stage anything or ask creators to “please include the product.” The environment does that work for them.

Creators also documented the trip extensively, showing the branded snowmobiles, the mint-themed details, and of course, the products. Creators are genuinely excited to share an experience that was designed to be shareable.

Rhode gets a massive wave of social content tied to one product, influencers feel genuinely rewarded (not just paid), and the broader creator community gets a reason to keep making Rhode content in hopes of getting the next invite.

Takeaways for your brand

👉Not every brand can afford a beach club takeover in Mallorca. But the principle here works at any budget. Match your event environment to your product's aesthetic. That could be a local cafe, a rooftop, or even a rented studio dressed up in your brand colors.

The merch doesn't need to be expensive either. Rhode does phone cases and disposable cameras. You could do branded stickers, a custom tote, or even well-designed packaging that people want to keep. The goal isn't luxury. It's giving creators a space and props that look good enough to photograph and share without being asked.

👉 Time the trip around the launch, not after it. The content from a brand trip should hit social media right when the product becomes available to buy. If the trip content goes live weeks before or after the launch, you lose the connection between the buzz and the sale.

👉 Keep it small and invite-only. A curated dinner for 10 creators who genuinely fit your brand beats a generic event for 100. Smaller events feel more personal, the content comes out more authentic, and the creators who weren't invited start paying attention.

The 4-Step Launch Sequence

Rhode doesn't just drop a product and hope influencers pick it up. There's a sequence to how they launch, and it's the same playbook every time.

Step 1: Hailey teases it first

Before anyone knows what the product is, Hailey starts using it on camera. A GRWM video, a casual Instagram story, a behind-the-scenes clip. She doesn't announce anything. People notice, comments start asking what it is, and the speculation begins.

Step 2: Influencers get it early for "testing"

Before the product goes on the shelf, Rhode sends it to a select group of creators as part of what they call the "Rhode testing panel." The framing is smart. It's not "here's a free product, please post about it." It's "we want your feedback on this before we launch."

The creators feel like insiders because they're getting something before the public. And they post about it because it's genuinely exciting to be one of the first people to try an unreleased product. Rhode gets a wave of pre-launch content without asking anyone to promote anything.

Step 3: Gifting packages go out at launch

Once the product officially drops, Rhode sends out full PR packages to a wider group of influencers. This is the wave of unboxings, try-ons, and first impression videos that flood TikTok and Instagram around launch day.

By this point, the product already has buzz from steps 1 and 2. So when a wider group of creators start posting, it feels like confirmation of something people have been waiting for, not a cold introduction.

Step 4: Fans and consumers take over

After the influencer wave, regular customers start posting their own content. Reviews, routines, try-ons. On TikTok, #Rhode has 356,000+ posts and #RhodeSkin over 119,000. The vast majority of these aren't from influencers or the brand itself. They're from fans.

This is where the real scale happens. Rhode's influencer strategy kicks off each launch, but the organic fan content is what sustains it.

Takeaways for Your Brand

👉 Build anticipation before the launch, not just during it. Start using or teasing the product on your own channels weeks before launch. Let people ask questions and speculate. By the time you announce, there's already an audience waiting.

👉 Frame early access as involvement, not promotion. Rhode calls it a "testing panel," not a "PR list." When creators feel like they're being asked for input rather than being asked to advertise, the content comes out more genuine.

👉 Stage your launch in waves, not one blast. Don't send the product to everyone on the same day. Seed a small group first, let their content breathe, then expand to a wider group. Each wave builds on the last and makes the product feel like it's everywhere organically.

Good Strategy Means Nothing if Your Outreach Gets Ignored

Rhode makes influencer marketing look effortless because its operational infrastructure is invisible.

Behind every spontaneous creator post is a system: curated lists, sequenced outreach, relationship tracking across hundreds of partnerships, coordinated shipping, content approvals, and performance measurement.

For most teams, that operational chaos is what kills the strategy before it compounds. Managing even 50 creator relationships manually becomes unsustainable.

By 200, you need either a dedicated team or the right infrastructure.

The outreach templates help with one piece of that puzzle i.e getting creators to say yes in the first place. But if you're serious about building a Rhode-level program, you eventually need platform infrastructure that can handle the complexity without drowning your team in spreadsheets and DMs.

You can edit these to suit your brand or goal. But the basic foundation of what to say when reaching out for the first time, or following up for the third time, is there in these templates.

Download your outreach templates here for immediate tactical help, or book a SARAL demo to see how brands execute influencer programs at Rhode's scale without Rhode's team size.

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