As Democratic strategists continue to unpack what went right and wrong in 2024, influencer marketing strategy is coming under the spotlight. One thing that’s clear in hindsight is that Republicans took an approach of partnering with the influencers on their platforms. See Donald Trump’s podcast appearances as an example. Democrats, on the other hand, looked to have the influencers carry a message themselves, sometimes without the benefit of interaction with the candidate they were tasked with supporting.
One bright spot on the left’s use of influencers is Sen. Tammy Baldwin’s reelect in Wisconsin. Stuart Perelmuter, founder of Good Influence, an influencer network that works with campaigns and causes on the left, singled out Baldwin’s effort, which won a narrow victory, as an example to follow.
“They saw content creators as a legitimate part of the media space and not just a box they had to check’” Perelmuter told C&E. “We’ve been working to promote Tammy for well over a year, and they let us do our work, and we worked with people who are genuinely passionate about Democrats and about Tammy Baldwin. That authenticity comes through.”
Influencer strategists this cycle had to deal with the push and pull between a desire to control the message versus giving content creators the freedom to do what their audience is there for. Perelmuter believes the benefits outweigh the risks when it comes to giving up some control to the content creator.
“Access is a starting point, but it’s only the starting point,” he said. “The value that working directly with content creators brings – the content creators who are authentically aligned and driven – is that we can bring them into the fold on messaging and objectives, making sure they have a clear understanding of where a candidate’s values and agenda align with their own, and how we can all coordinate to further those goals and win.”
He also noted that influencers who are more news producers, like YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen, didn’t get adequate consideration in campaigns’ media plans.
“You’ve got a guy like Brian Tyler Cohen, who is one of the most effective and engaged figures on the left, and he can’t get an interview with the candidate. Whereas Donald Trump and JD Vance are sitting down with Joe Rogan for three hours at a time,” he said. “ I don’t have a problem with giving access to things like interviews at all.
