What does an influencer marketing manager do? 8 core responsibilities & 40+ hour breakdown

A detailed look at what fills an influencer marketer's 40-hour week

by
Beth Owens

Table of contents

• The case for hiring a dedicated influencer marketer
• What does a full-time influencer marketing manager actually do?
• 8 influencer marketing responsibilities—broken down
• 5 signs you need a dedicated influencer marketing hire
• Bottom line hiring considerations
• How Superfiliate can help with your influencer marketing hiring needs

If you're short on time

• Influencer marketing roles fill 40+ hours weekly across 8 distinct responsibilities. From creator relationship management to performance analysis, successful programs require dedicated ownership that scales with program growth.
• It's serious relationship-building work. Daily creator communications, strategic partnerships, commission tracking, and cross-team collaboration require dedicated expertise that cannot be handled as a "side project."
• Use our audit resource to assess if you need a dedicated hire: Download our "Day in the Life of an Influencer Marketer" checklist to identify gaps in your current program and determine when it's time to make your first influencer marketing hire.

“What does an influencer marketer actually do for 40 hours a week?”

You're far from alone in asking this. It's a question that Superfiliate gets from brands all the time, especially when their creator program is young.

An influencer marketing manager is responsible for sourcing, managing, and optimizing creator partnerships to drive measurable growth and ROI. They handle daily communication with creators, campaign execution, performance tracking, and long-term creator program strategy.

By the time you finish this post, you'll understand why influencer marketing is a full-time role at any brand who is serious about building revenue-driving creator programs and partnership marketing strategies.

The case for hiring a dedicated influencer marketer

When your creator program is just getting started, it feels like a manageable side project for your social team, CMO, or even a founder themselves.
A few hours spent juggling spreadsheets to manage gifting, creator outreach, and affiliate links/discount codes—easy enough to fit into someone's workflow, right?
But here's what business leaders overlook: As the momentum builds, so does the complexity. More creators means more deliverables, and more performance metrics to track and make sense of.

This leaves a founder trying to handle creator communications on top of an endless to-do list, and response times start slowing down.
Your social coordinator is struggling to motivate creators to drive sales, so revenue drops off.
Your CMO doesn't have hours every week to dedicate to sourcing, and program growth stagnates.

Expert Input

“If you or someone on the team is already dedicating time to influencer marketing in general, you should be thinking about bringing on your first hire.”

What does a full-time influencer marketing manager actually do?

So, what are the responsibilities that make up an influencer marketer's role? How much effort should go into sourcing creators versus planning influencer campaigns and affiliate partnerships, for example?

Recommended monthly breakdown of influencer marketing tasks

• Creator Relationship Management
• Creator Sourcing & Vetting
• Performance Analysis & Reporting
• Campaign Planning & Execution
• Affiliate Program Management
• Cross-Team Collaboration
• Strategic Planning
• Administrative Tasks

A full-time influencer marketing manager divides their time across eight core responsibilities:

• Creator Relationship Management (25-30%): The largest time investment goes to daily communication, milestone celebrations, and maintaining personal connections with creators.
• Creator Sourcing & Vetting (20-22%): Time-intensive process of identifying and evaluating potential creators.
• Performance Analysis & Reporting (15-18%): Tracking metrics to turn into actionable insights for reporting.
• Campaign Planning & Execution (12-15%): Creating and managing campaigns aligned with brand goals.
• Affiliate Program Management (10-12%): Oversees the logistics of affiliate partnerships.
• Cross-Team Collaboration (8-10%): Coordinating across departments for cohesive campaigns.
• Strategic Planning (6-8%): Long-term strategy development for influencer marketing.
• Administrative Tasks (4-6%): Handling contracts, payments, and tools used for influencer marketing.

8 influencer marketing responsibilities—broken down

Creator Relationship Management

This is about maintaining effective communication with creators and ensuring they are engaged and satisfied.

Creator Sourcing & Vetting

Includes identifying potential creators to partner with and understanding their performance metrics.

Performance Analysis & Reporting

Involves analyzing performance data to inform decisions and strategies for the influencer program.

Campaign Planning & Execution

Focuses on creating campaigns that align with the brand's strategic objectives, including budget and deliverables.

Affiliate Program Management

Managing the technical aspects of the affiliate program to ensure it runs smoothly.

Cross-Team Collaboration

Coordinating with social media and marketing teams to align messaging and strategies.

Strategic Planning

Involves aligning influencer marketing goals with the larger brand strategy and developing KPIs.

Administrative Tasks

Managing logistical elements including payments, contracts, and performance tracking tools.

5 signs you need a dedicated influencer marketing hire

1. Influencer marketing tasks are creeping into daily workloads.
2. You're not acting on opportunities to optimize your creator program.
3. Creators are asking for better communication or support.
4. Your affiliate program is growing but lacks hygiene management.
5. Cross-team communication keeps breaking down.

Bottom line hiring considerations

• Cost-benefit reality: A skilled influencer marketer scales programs and partnerships.
• It's not as risky as you think: The cost of hiring is a modest investment for potential growth.
• Dedicated ownership equals investment: An influencer marketer is committed to the success of the program.

How Superfiliate can help with your influencer marketing hiring needs

Check out our "Day in the Life of an Influencer Marketer" audit tool to see if your program needs a dedicated influencer hire.

This checklist will help identify gaps in your current strategy that could be filled by bringing on a dedicated influencer marketer.

SuperMatch is here to help you connect with top talent in the influencer and affiliate marketing space for your hiring needs.