WE SPENT >$1 MILLION SPONSORING CREATORS. HERE'S WHAT WE LEARNED ABOUT B2B INFLUENCER MARKETING

Summary from the TLDR Marketing newsletter

Ahrefs invested over $1M in creator sponsorships and found that offering free, low-friction tools helped expand its audience beyond traditional SEO targets. Building a strong brand reputation was key to attracting quality partnerships, requiring proactive vetting and transparent communication. Rather than relying on surface-level metrics, it's important to assess engagement and traffic to avoid inflated numbers. Personalized, concise outreach through email or LinkedIn also proved most effective for making initial connections.