The iGaming industry has seen exponential growth in recent years (with $72,17B revenue in 2022 vs. $97,71B expected by the end of 2024), with influencer marketing playing a pivotal role in this success. As the majority of iGaming brands continuously acquire influencer traffic, it is obvious that choosing the right influencer can make or break your success. Having over 10 years of expertise in iGaming influencer marketing, in this article I will guide you on how to ensure you’re making the best choice for your iGaming brand.

Understand Your Audience 

Before diving into the pool of potential influencers, think over and get a clear understanding of your target audience. Who are these people? What’s their age? Interests? Are you aiming to attract casual gamers or high-stakes players? These insights will guide you in selecting an influencer whose followers align with your target market. For instance, if your audience consists of young adults interested in esports, an influencer who streams popular competitive games could be an ideal match.

Define Your Brand Goals

Setting clear, measurable and achievable goals is fundamental to the success of your influencer marketing campaign. Why? Because your goals will influence the type of influencer you choose and help in measuring the campaign’s success (and ensuring a good ROI, for sure).

I recommend using the SMART goals framework – it will help you be precise in what you want to achieve. For instance, the goal may look like: “Increase of the brand’s social media engagement by 25% among gen Z’s and millennials aged 22-35 in the US who are interested in iGaming within six months by collaborating with 15 influencers who each have 50,000 to 150,000 followers”.

Proceed to Search 

Typically, there are two ways to identify influencers to collaborate with: a manual search or using specialized tools. The latter will save you time and effort.

When evaluating potential influencers, key metrics such as reach, engagement rate, and audience demographics should be at the forefront. Analytical platforms can provide detailed insights into these metrics to help you make informed decisions. At the same time, there are a couple of things to consider. 

Firstly, it’s important to note that not all influencers are suitable for promoting gambling. I recommend looking for influencers who have already successfully promoted iGaming products as they know how to create quality content. Additionally, their audience is potentially interested in betting and easy money. 

Secondly, attracting influencer traffic in the iGaming industry faces several regulatory restrictions that are often difficult to navigate. For instance, if you aim to target Tier 1 markets and search influencers from this geo, you should know that there is a very small percentage of streamers and influencers willing to work with gambling brands that do not have a local license. Therefore, targeting Tier 1 can be a challenging task even for experienced managers. Why? These influencers have high-quality channels that attract the very target audience that many other brands are interested in: a male, financially capable, and thrill-seeking audience aged 20+. Consequently, other brands are willing to pay for advertising with these influencers. This means that if gambling is not their main content, streamers are much more inclined to work with gaming products rather than risk getting a strike.

A tip: when creating content, it’s crucial to ensure that integrations are native. This helps avoid potential blocking and engages the audience more effectively.

Evaluate Influencer Content Quality and Style 

The quality and style of an influencer’s content are crucial factors to consider. The influencer’s content should resonate with your brand’s voice and values, and appeal to your target audience. Review their previous content to get insights into influencer consistency, creativity, and authenticity. For instance, if your brand promotes a fun and dynamic image, an influencer known for lively and engaging content would be a good fit.

Check Credibility and Authenticity 

It’s no secret that nowadays influencer fraud in iGaming is a growing concern, and it’s crucial to ensure both the credibility and authenticity of your chosen influencer. Even if you have used analytical tools for influencer selection, do manual checks (even twice): look beyond follower counts and scrutinize their past collaborations with other brands, their audience interactions, and feedback. Also, check the comments below the influencer’s posts to understand if they are written by real people or generated by bots. This helps ensure the account is trustworthy. 

Build a Mutually Beneficial Relationship 

A successful influencer partnership goes beyond a single campaign: long-term collaborations with influencers can significantly enhance loyalty and trust for iGaming products, leading to long-term benefits when strategized effectively. Foster good communication, set clear expectations, prepare a well-thought brief, and provide creative freedom to the influencers. 

This not only ensures the authenticity of their endorsements but also makes them more enthusiastic about promoting your brand. Don’t hesitate to ask for additional promotion on the influencer’s other social media platforms. For example, if you plan to launch on YouTube or Twitch, request that they share Instagram stories as well. At Famesters, we include this in influencer contracts to give your campaign an extra boost.

To conclude 

Choosing the right influencer for your iGaming brand requires a blend of strategic planning, thorough research, and clear communication. Drive your iGaming brand’s success through influencer marketing – 9 out of 10 brands already use creator partnerships as their core user acquisition strategy.