Curious how your creator marketing program stacks up against others in your industry? Whether you’re leading a global enterprise team or running solo as an influencer marketing manager, understanding creator performance benchmarks is critical.
To help you do just that, we’re excited to introduce the Creator Marketing Industry Benchmarks Calculator—a free, web-based tool that provides data-backed insights to evaluate program performance and set smarter KPIs.
What is the Benchmarks Calculator?
The calculator offers average values for 15 key creator marketing metrics based on:
- Industry (27 options)
- Region (17 global regions)
- Social Platform (5 major platforms)
- Creator Tier (4 follower size brackets)
Powered by data from over 20,000 brands and 1 million creators, our calculator helps you understand where your brand stands—and where it can go.
What can you do with the Creator Marketing Industry Benchmark Calculator?
Use the calculator to:
- Benchmark your program’s performance against peers in similar industries and regions
- Set relevant, data-driven KPIs
- Explore how different inputs affect outcomes
- Uncover performance trends by industry, region, or platform
Why these metrics matter
Measurement should align with your brand’s goals and the outcomes you're driving toward. As Michael Lambie, CreatorIQ’s Head of Global Measurement, puts it: success lies in strategic alignment with objectives, not just high numbers.
To make informed decisions, tie your KPIs to two key dimensions:
- The customer journey stage you’re targeting
- The level of decision making the metrics are meant to support
Read more about CreatorIQ’s approach to creator marketing measurement here.
Metrics fit for purpose: Marketing metrics for each stage of the customer journey
For definitions of each metric, head to the Creator Marketing Industry Benchmarks Calculator.
Top of funnel: Awareness and exposure
Key metrics:
- Impressions
- Video views
Tips:
- Partner with creators who consistently generate strong reach—not just those with large follower counts.
- Choose platforms strategically: Beauty thrives on TikTok, fashion on Instagram, and gaming on YouTube.
A note on follower counts
When you’re assessing your program and implementing goals, CreatorIQ recommends taking a content-first approach: essentially, prioritizing potential creators by the engagement quality and characteristics of their content, rather than prioritizing follower count alone. Content quality, brand suitability, and engagement should guide your creator selection process—not just follower size.
That said, creators with different following sizes typically pose different benefits:
- Powerhouse creators = more impressions
- Micro-creators = deeper engagement
Mid-funnel: Engagement and affinity
Key metrics:
- Engagements
- Engagement rate
- Earned Media Value (EMV)
Platform considerations:
- Instagram: Higher engagement rates globally
- TikTok: Viral reach potential
- Global teams: Use local market data when setting KPIs to avoid skewed results
What is Earned Media Value?
Earned Media Value (EMV) is CreatorIQ’s proprietary metric that captures how well content resonates and drives action. It’s influenced by engagement and varies across regions and platforms. Use it to assess:
- Campaign consistency
- Creator impact
- Competitive trends
For deeper insights, CreatorIQ’s EMV indices act like a Dow Jones for EMV, benchmarking your performance against the broader market. EMV indices are available within the CreatorIQ product and are often featured in our qualitative reporting to assess which brands are gaining momentum relative to their industries.
Bottom of funnel: Conversion and loyalty
Key metric: Frequency (posts per creator)
Frequency, or the average number of times creators mention your brand in a given time period, can serve as a proxy for loyalty and long-term resonance. The more a creator talks about your brand, the more likely they are to be a loyal customer and advocate—and the more likely they are to drive high engagement on branded posts. As creators want to share their enthusiasm for their favorite brands, they’re also looking to post high-performing content that drives engagement.
- Higher frequency = more likely to drive results
- Categories like sports and entertainment see the highest frequency
- Consider how frequency amplifies impressions and engagements—but watch engagement rate to ensure quality
Other conversion metrics
While not in the calculator, CreatorIQ users can track:
- Clicks
- Commerce data
- Social Media Value (SMV) – a proprietary stat comparing organic creator ROI vs. ad spend
By pairing these conversion metrics with creator marketing data, marketers are better equipped to make informed decisions on budget planning, creator payment, and more.
CreatorIQ’s commitment to smarter measurement
Today, it’s more important than ever to show the value of your creator programs and focus on what drives results. With the Creator Marketing Industry Benchmarks Calculator, we’re doubling down on our promise to make measurement accessible, accurate, and actionable.
We’re continuously refining and standardizing our metrics, adding deeper levels of integration, and providing clearer transparency—so brands of every size can confidently measure, benchmark, and optimize their creator marketing programs.
Whether you’re refining a mature program or building from scratch, we’re here to help you benchmark, plan, and grow with confidence.
Need more support? Connect with our team to explore how CreatorIQ’s tools can guide your creator marketing success.