Influencer Marketing · Campaign Optimization
Optimizing Influencer Matrix for Higher Engagement
From aspirational professionals to relatable micro-influencers — a data-driven pivot that doubled engagement
Project Length
Q3–Q4 2025
6 months
Client
Duet
Influencer Marketing
My Role
Marketing Consultant
Freelance · Strategy & Campaign
Engagement Type
Freelance Consulting
Strategy & Execution Support
Background
Duet is a Hong Kong–based social app ("Meet People You Resonate With") expanding into the US market. The team had traction in Asia but no playbook for US influencer marketing — unfamiliar with creator pricing, audience behavior, and what content formats actually convert.
I joined as a freelance marketing consultant to research the landscape, build a budget-aligned influencer strategy, and help execute a campaign that could validate Duet's US growth model.
Overview
Duet's original influencer play — polished content from high-end professionals — looked great but didn't convert. I pivoted the strategy to micro-influencers and student KOCs, cutting CPE by 40% while more than doubling engagement.
Goal: Find the right creator mix for Duet's US launch — higher engagement, lower CAC, within budget.
Discover
The Original Plan
Duet launched with "High-End Professionals" — polished creators with aspirational lifestyles. The bet: premium content quality would drive downloads.
It Didn't Work
In the US market, users see social apps as peers, not status symbols. The aspirational content created an invisible wall — viewers watched but never felt "this is for me." CPE stayed high, engagement stayed flat.
Baseline Performance (High-End Influencers)
Low Engagement
Likes and comments per view below industry benchmarks despite high production quality.
No Product-Market Fit in Content
Aspirational content didn't match Duet's core value proposition — genuine connection over status.
Define
The Pivot
I dug into competitor campaigns, KOC pricing tiers, and comment sentiment across similar social apps. The signal was consistent: for social-discovery products, relatable creators outperform aspirational ones on every engagement metric.
The Aha Moment
While analyzing a competitor's campus campaign, I noticed student-created "day in my life" posts had 3–4× the comment rate of polished brand spots — and the top comment was always "What app is this?" That's when I knew KOCs were the channel.
Why students? Product-market fit. Duet's matching algorithm is built around shared interests — a use case that maps perfectly to campus social life. Students aren't just cheaper creators; they're the actual target user, which makes their content inherently authentic.
From this research I built a selection framework I call the "ARC Model":
Authenticity
Does the creator's content feel genuine? Would you believe they actually use the product?
Relatability
Does the audience see themselves in this creator's life — dorms, study groups, daily routines?
Community
Does the creator spark conversation? High reply rates signal a real community, not just passive followers.
High-End Professionals
Aspirational · High CPE · Low engagement
Student KOCs & Micro-Influencers
Relatable · Low CPE · 2.5× engagement
Influencer Content
Real creator content from micro-influencers and student KOCs — swipe to explore
Develop
Campaign Execution
Applied the ARC Model to recruit, brief, and launch a new creator cohort — then tracked performance to optimize spend in real time.
ARC-Based Selection
Scored every creator candidate on Authenticity, Relatability, and Community engagement — replacing the old "follower count + production quality" filter.
Creator Recruitment
Recruited 12+ student and micro-influencer KOCs across US campuses, briefed on "day in my life" formats that naturally integrate Duet.
- Phased Budget: Started small, validated CPE, then scaled spend on top performers
- Content Guardrails: Provided loose briefs (dorm life, study routines, friend hangouts) — not scripts — to preserve authenticity
- Performance Tracking: Monitored CPE, comment sentiment, and install-intent signals weekly to reallocate budget
Deliver
Results
Before vs. After
Validated Persona
Student KOC content 2.5× engagement rate vs. high-end professionals. Comments shifted from passive to "What app is this?"
Budget Efficiency
40% lower CPE means more engagements per dollar — and higher install-intent signals that indirectly reduce CAC.
Reusable Framework
The ARC Model and phased-budget playbook are now Duet's standard for all future influencer campaigns.
Install-Intent Lift
Comment sentiment analysis showed a clear increase in download inquiries and "link in bio" clicks.
"Libin's strategy gave us a clear, budget-friendly path into the US market. The ARC framework turned a scattered influencer approach into a repeatable system — and the engagement numbers proved it."
— Duet Marketing Team
Impact
Delivered a validated influencer growth model for Duet's US expansion: the ARC selection framework, a phased-budget playbook, and proof that authenticity outperforms aspiration for social-discovery products. The model is now Duet's standard for all influencer campaigns going forward.