Why Paid Collabs Struggle for Authenticity

Let’s get this out of the way: paid influencer collaborations serve a purpose. They help brands boost awareness, deliver polished content, and often allow for specific messaging that brands want to convey. However, when we talk about authenticity—the thing that truly connects influencers with their audiences—paid collaborations will always fall short compared to organic, non-paid content. Here’s why.

The Authenticity Dilemma: Money Changes Everything

Even if an influencer is a genuine fan of your brand, the moment money exchanges hands, something changes. Suddenly, what could have been a natural endorsement becomes a transaction. The influencer has to follow specific guidelines, adhere to brand messaging, and sometimes even use prescribed visuals. That structure, while understandable for brand consistency, often interferes with the raw, unscripted nature of what their followers love about them in the first place.

Paid content is always viewed with suspicion. When followers see #ad or #sponsored, they know the content is part of a marketing strategy. Even if the influencer is honest, audiences can’t help but wonder if the endorsement is genuine.

One solution for brands that value authenticity is to step back and allowing influencers to craft their message their way—even if they fumble a bit—makes for much more compelling and trustworthy content.

The Problem with Over-Polishing Influencer Content

Brands that pay for influencer collaborations often want to maintain strict control over the messaging, imagery, and delivery. While it makes sense to want your brand shown in the best light, this tight control can strip away the influencer’s voice and authenticity.

Mistakes, bloopers, and fumbles in influencer content can often create more buzz than overly polished, brand-controlled posts. Why? Because they feel real. And when influencers make errors, it invites their audience into the conversation.

Example: Food influencer @iricksnacks is known for mispronouncing recipes, most famously “Tzatziki.” Instead of this being a negative, his followers have flocked to these videos, driving millions of views as they debate the correct pronunciation. Whilst some debate whether these mistakes are to capitalise on trolls more so applaud his creations and ignore the mistakes. Either way these ‘mistakes’ are often more valuable than any brand directive because they inspire engagement, not just passive watching.

Paid Collaborations: The Pros

Now, this doesn’t mean that paid collaborations should be written off entirely. They have clear advantages, especially when you require more structured, consistent content across different influencers.

• Control: Paid collaborations allow brands to ensure their message is communicated exactly as they want it.

• Wider Reach: With paid collaborations, brands can target larger influencers or multiple influencers at once, getting their product or message in front of millions of people quickly.

• Guaranteed Deliverables: When you’re paying an influencer, you can set expectations and timelines, ensuring you get the type of content you want, when you need it.

Embrace Imperfection: It’s Good for Your Brand

Brands are often terrified of losing control, but the truth is that allowing influencers to be themselves—mistakes and all—is where real connection happens. Audiences don’t expect influencers to be perfect. It’s the imperfections that make them relatable.

So step back and let influencers handle the conversation. If they mispronounce your brand or get a product detail wrong, let it go. More often than not, their followers will jump in to correct them, sparking a dialogue that’s far more valuable than a flawless, branded message.

The Power of Non-Paid Authenticity

But when it comes to trust, nothing beats non-paid, organic influencer content. When influencers talk about a product without compensation, their audience knows it’s because they genuinely love it. That authenticity translates into higher engagement, more meaningful conversations, and often—better sales conversions.

Why Non-Paid will always be more Authentic

At Ernie, we believe in gifting products to influencers without interfering with the content. We ask for real opinions and never control the narrative. The result? Influencers create content that is raw, genuine, and in their tone of voice, driving higher engagement and creating more authentic UGC.

We’ve always advocated for hands-off influencer collaborations, where we give influencers complete freedom to share their real opinions. When we worked with an influencer for Mutti, they consistently mispronounced the brand name in their content. But rather than correcting them or stepping in, we let it roll. The result? Over 800 comments from viewers correcting the pronunciation and, more importantly, discussing the product. That kind of organic engagement is something you can’t script.

Finding a Middle Ground

At the end of the day, paid and non-paid collaborations both have their place in a brand’s strategy. But when it comes to authenticity, non-paid partnerships always feel more genuine. That doesn’t mean brands should avoid paying influencers altogether, but it does mean they should loosen the reins a little when they are working with them.

Give influencers the space to talk about your product in their own way—even if it’s not perfect.

However, if you truly want content that really does authentically connect to your audience, then non-paid collaborations will more often than not give you better results.

Want to get your product into the hands of influencers at scale?

Get in touch. info@helloernie.com.au