Podcast Summary: Marketing Operators – The Influencer Marketing Playbook

Episode: The Influencer Marketing Playbook - with Lily Comba, Founder & CEO of Superbloom
Date: December 30, 2025
Host(s): Connor Rolain, Connor MacDonald, Cody Plofker
Guest: Lily Comba (Founder & CEO, Superbloom)

Episode Overview

This episode features a deep dive into the mechanics, evolution, and strategic impact of influencer marketing with guest Lily Comba, CEO of Superbloom. Drawing on her experience deploying over $20M in influencer spend—driving $100M+ in returns—Lily shares actionable playbooks for both brands and agencies. Topics include performance-driven influencer methodology, campaign structuring, attribution complexity, deal negotiation, platform strategy (IG vs. YouTube), measuring impact, and adapting to emerging industry trends.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Lily’s Background and the Evolution of Influencer Marketing

[04:27-06:20]

• Lily’s career began nearly a decade ago, when influencer marketing “was kind of a dirty word; being an influencer was a dirty word back then.”
• Started in business development, then at Thrive Market, pioneering a YouTube influencer program through a CPA/ROAS model—something she was trained to approach “from a performance lens.”
• At Seed Health, she managed $20M spend, returning over $100M.
  • Quote: “Spent about $20 million on influencers, but... saw a return of over 100 million.” (00:00, Lily)
• Founded Superbloom in 2023 to formalize her performance-focused approach, rejecting traditional agency rules in favor of results and flexibility.

Building and Running Performance-Based Influencer Programs

[13:05-19:31]

• Superbloom partners with DTC disruptors like Jones Road Beauty, Coop Sleep Goods, Bobby Infant Formula, and more—focusing on categories primed for innovation.
• Every client engagement is tailored to achieve relevance and measurable success—emphasizing not just reach, but CPA/ROAS-driven impact.

Services “Productized” as SKUs

• Offers blend of “traditional organic influencer,” integrated whitelisting, and UGC sourcing for both organic and paid campaigns.
• Quote: “Our approach to influencer is always through the performance lens... our key differentiator is identifying creators, negotiating deals, and briefing them so brands will see revenue conversions and really strong CPA and ROAS numbers.” (14:03, Lily)
• Briefs always include paid usage rights to maximize asset longevity and adaptability across channels.

Importance of Whitelisting & Rights

• “We are negotiating paid usage rights for every single deal that we secure… It’s baked into my influencer marketing DNA.” (17:43, Lily)
• Running whitelisting enables rapid re-deployment of influencer content as native ads (“Same day their ad launches because that efficiency and that speed is really critical for success.” [16:37, Lily])

Attribution, Measurement, and Dealing with Code Leakage

[19:31-41:46]

• For high AOV products and varying funnel lengths, Lily adapts attribution models. High AOV (but not extreme) products (e.g., $200-$250) tend to perform better in trackable ROAS-driven campaigns.
• Uses UTMs, influencer-specific links/codes, and close post-campaign reporting to triangulate true impact.
• On code leakage:
  • “If you see conversions in revenue in whatever software you’re using, compare that to the link clicks… after an influencer posts you always need to request their post-campaign insights so you can see from their true backend what happened.” (25:46, Lily)
  • To account for leakage and halo, calculates program- and influencer-level multipliers using click-to-purchase ratios.
  • Incremental impact, device changes, and delayed conversions all factor into final ROAS calculations.

Real-World Calculation Example

[36:15-39:58]

• [Case study with Jones Road] Spending $100k, returning $70k directly attributed, but estimate total return is higher with code/click multipliers.
  • Current working multiplier is about 1.4x, accounting for leakage, cross-device, delayed conversions.

Platform Strategies: Instagram vs. YouTube

[55:27-61:05]

• YouTube stands out as a scalable, data-rich, and longer-tail influencer platform.
  • “YouTube is almost like traditional media buying…Unlike Instagram there’s just way more data you can ask for to predict performance…It’s my favorite.” (55:54, Lily)
  • Key metrics for selection: average views, watch time, clickthrough, subscriber vs. non-subscriber engagement.
  • Only contracts with creators whose audience retention exceeds 25%.
  • “Any brand I know can be successful on YouTube, but if you’re also a brand that has really differentiating talking points…they can get much more messaging in a YouTube integration.” (57:13, Lily)
  • Always prioritizes integrated “sponsored segments” within key watch time windows rather than full sponsored videos.
  • Asset rights negotiated to repurpose these integrations in YouTube ads.
    • “You get the raw clip.” (60:30, Lily)
• Instagram, TikTok: Quicker “moment in the sun”—heavy focus on fresh, rapid cycles, with content rapidly losing steam after the first 24 hours (especially Stories).
  • Attribution more challenging, but can track code/link clicks effectively over shorter windows.

Deal Negotiation, Agency-Brand-Talent Dynamics

[47:19-49:59]

• Anchors negotiations in performance modeling: “Numbers don’t lie.”
  • Requests stats, models out expected clicks/conversions, and offers commission or hybrid models if forecasted performance merits (though fewer influencers accept commission-only now).
  • Win-win philosophy: “Our goal is obviously to set the brand up for success, but it’s also to set the influencer up for success.” (49:59, Lily)
  • Strong recommendations to share post-campaign performance transparently with talent for iterative improvement.

Structuring Budgets for Influencer

[72:11–74:07]

• No one-size-fits-all spend level, but a practical minimum is ~$50k/month for meaningful results.
  • Flexibility for disruptive brands with tight budgets, but “as more and more brands are working with influencers, there has to be a minimum investment to break through.”
  • Some benchmarks: 1-2% of media mix or topline revenue, as a rule of thumb for budget sizing and experimental validity.

The Value of Relationships & Customization

[63:16-65:07]

• “Influencer is not one size fits all and your initial perception…will change… Every brand is different, so every influencer program should be different too.” (63:16, Lily)
• Lily emphasizes the importance of non-transactional relationships, collaborative troubleshooting (especially with talent managers), and ongoing iteration.
• “The success of your program is the success of your relationships.”

Building Hybrid Programs: Organic & Paid

[65:07–70:38]

• For brands with both organic reach goals and performance needs, advises hybrid programs with clear separation between organic briefs and paid briefs—potentially briefing the same influencer separately for each execution.
  • “Let them do their thing that’s organic, let them do their thing that’s more of a paid ad…don’t send one brief.” (65:07, Connor)
• Recommends carefully matching influencer content style to channel (e.g., organic recipe vs. product ad).
• Position whitelisting/boosted ads with influencers as a benefit for their brand and follower growth.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Spent about $20 million on influencers, but... saw a return of over 100 million.” (00:00, Lily)
• “Our approach to influencer is always through the performance lens... what we're really good at is identifying creators... so brands will also see revenue conversions and really strong CPA and ROAS numbers.” (14:03, Lily)
• “We are negotiating paid usage rights for every single deal that we secure because that's... it's imperative.” (17:43, Lily)
• “Influencer is a full funnel channel. It's a rising tide that lifts all boats.” (21:39, Lily)
• “If you see conversions in revenue... compare that to the link clicks… if an influencer sends you a screenshot of an IG story and they only got 27 link clicks but 300 purchases, something doesn't add up here.” (25:46, Lily)
• On experimentation: “Don't be afraid of testing, don't be afraid of making a mistake… you have to invest at some point.” (54:57, Lily)
• “YouTube is my favorite…You can predict a CPA and you can predict a ROAS with a YouTuber because you can see how many views…watch time, clickthrough, subscriber vs. non-subscriber.” (55:54 & 57:13, Lily)
• “Influencer is not one size fits all and that your initial perception…will change.” (63:16, Lily)
• “The success of your program is the success of your relationships within that program, which is inclusive of the talent managers, which is inclusive of the talent.” (64:06, Lily)
• “Let them do their thing that's organic, let them do their thing that's more of a paid ad…and don't send one brief.” (65:07, Connor)
• “Hybrid programs… briefs are different, the deliverables you book are way different…if you've got an amazing video editing squad, those six videos can be 20, you know.” (67:07, Lily)
• On budget: “There has to be a minimum investment level to break through your competitors that are doing Influencer already.” (74:07, Lily)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00 — Opening results: $20M influencer spend, $100M+ return
• 04:27 — Lily’s background, performance influencer roots
• 13:05 — Brands Superbloom serves, principles of program design
• 14:03 — Performance lens, SKUs, organic vs. paid influencer
• 17:43 — Whitelisting as a must, embedding rights in every deal
• 21:39 — Full-funnel influencer impact, structuring for performance, high-AOV challenges
• 25:46 — Attribution, code leakage, and multiplier math
• 36:15 — Numbers walk-through for multiplier calculation
• 55:54 — YouTube as an influencer channel: performance predictors, media buying logic
• 63:16 — What brands get wrong: customization, relationships, and adaptation
• 65:07 — Building hybrid (organic + paid) influencer programs
• 72:11 — Budget minimums and practical advice

Takeaways for Brands & Operators

• Performance influencer is now the gold standard: model, measure, and iterate for revenue impact—not just vanity metrics.
• Always secure usage rights for influencer content, so you can leverage it across channels—especially for timely ad launches and whitelisting.
• Attribution is messy: Develop multiplier models and regularly revisit them as leakage, device-switching, and delayed conversions shift.
• Relationships matter: Success is about transparency, post-campaign feedback (also to talent!), and rejecting purely transactional mindsets.
• YouTube is underutilized: Data-rich platform, higher CPM value, and longer tail—especially for brands with richer stories or complex products.
• Productize your influencer offerings: Define clear SKUs for services to prevent scope creep and enable systematic scaling.
• Test, learn, iterate: Don’t cling to preconceived models. Three-month test cycles, per-channel strategies, and ongoing program refinement are essential.
• Budget realistically: $50k-$100k+ monthly is a practical floor for competitive DTC influencer programs in 2025-2026.

Where to Learn More

• Follow or reach out to Lily:
  • Instagram / socials: @buysuperbloom
  • Email: lily@buysuperbloom.com
  • Website: buysuperbloom.com

Episode packed with data-driven playbooks, real numbers, and candid advice—making it a must-listen (or must-read) for any marketing leader serious about scaling influencer into a performance asset.