Influencer Marketing That Converts | Matt Hoklutubbe (Entertainment Partnerships)

“Content creators are more than distribution...They add to the creative scope of your campaign.”

Watch now on YouTube.

Matt Hoklotubbe is a film producer and runs entertainment partnerships at Influential, the world’s largest influencer marketing company. With a network of over 3.5 million creators, Matt helps bridge the gap between filmmakers and influencers. His dual experience as a film producer and marketer gives him a unique perspective on how independent filmmakers can leverage influencer marketing for their projects.

In our conversation, we discuss:

• The difference between influencers and creators—and why it matters

• How to analyze your audience and create targeted campaigns

• Tips for working with influencers to promote independent films

• The importance of paid media in boosting influencer content

• Points of friction in conversion campaigns

Key Takeaways:

1. There’s a difference between influencers and creators: "[Creators] are like independent movie marketers—they bring their own vision."

   1. Influencers: A catch-all term for digital content creators who integrate brands into their daily lives in an organic way.

   2. Creators: Original storytellers who develop unique concepts tailored to their audience.

      1. For filmmakers, creators can act as collaborators who know how to engage their followers authentically.

      2. Often will pitch ideas more aligned with their audience than traditional ads.

2. Analyze your audience (two groups):

   1. Known audience: The core group you know will show up (e.g., fans of a specific genre or actor).

   2. Growth audience(s): Overlapping affinities or untapped demographics (e.g., culturally specific or geographically targeted groups).

   3. If you are working with an agency like Influential, to determine these audiences they will incorporate social listening, looking at similar films, geo-specific insights, etc.

3. Educational vs. entertainment content (two broad content categories):

   1. Educational content: think reviews, teases of the storyline, highlighting the hook (especially for true stories), etc.

   2. Entertainment content: think concepts that adapt your film’s themes into familiar formats:

      1. Known audience example: a show about a deli works with creators who already reach the target audience to incorporate ideas from the show into the influencer’s world.

      2. Growth audience example: a comedy show about a haunted b&b works with creators who own cottages to write sketches envisioning their space as haunted in order to reach a broader audience who this show might appeal to.

   3. Myth: An influencer ad can seem inauthentic. In actuality their fans are often excited that the influencer they follow has gotten the opportunity to do branded content and it leads comments like, “so happy you’re doing film & tv.”

4. Use paid media. Boost content:

   1. You can buy off of a CPM (cost per mille or cost per thousand impressions) model so you’ll know how many impressions you’ll get for your investments.

   2. Paid media allows you to target specific demographics beyond an influencer’s organic reach, increasing conversion rates.

   3. Always allocate a portion of your budget for boosting influencer posts (especially on platforms like TikTok) to avoid being hamstrung by any platform throttling.

5. Test and iterate your campaigns: "Don’t spray and pray”

   1. Start with small-scale tests to gauge audience response before scaling up.

   2. Monitor performance data closely and adjust targeting, messaging, or creative strategies based on results.

   3. Work with agencies that provide clear metrics on campaign performance to maximize ROI.

What do you think?

Where to Find Matt Hoklotubbe:

• Website: influential.co

• Email: sales@influential.co

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-hoklotubbe-62650216/

In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Introduction and Matt’s background

(01:10) Difference between influencers and creators

(03:30) Working with brands and studios

(05:22) The role of influencers in movie marketing

(07:03) Day-to-day activities when working on entertainment partnerships

(09:15) Creators are independent marketers

(10:25) Examples of successful influencer campaigns

(15:20) Why Influencer content feels authentic even when it’s an ad

(16:52) Trends in audience purchasing behavior

(21:24) Tips for independent filmmakers

(24:20) Closing thoughts and where to find Matt

Referenced:

• National CineMedia: https://www.ncm.com/

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