How can you measure and evaluate the results of your influencer marketing campaign?
An influencer campaign has been launched, content creators have posted, and the live streams are over. Now what? How can you tell if it really worked?
This is where many brands can go wrong. Either they settle for looking at the number of views and tell themselves that’s good enough, or they try to apply the same metrics to all platforms and draw the wrong conclusions. Measuring an influencer campaign is a skill in itself. The right metrics vary depending on the platform, the objective, and the stage of the campaign. In this article, we’ll walk you through the complete process: the KPIs to track by platform, how to build clear reports, and how to interpret the results to optimize your future campaigns.
Step 1: Define your campaign goal before choosing your metrics
Before measuring anything, the question to ask is simple: what was this campaign supposed to achieve? A brand awareness goal isn’t measured using the same metrics as a conversion goal. Confusing the two is a surefire way to misinterpret your results and fail to manage your campaign in line with the brand’s needs. The three main objectives of an influencer campaign and their associated metrics:
- For brand awareness campaigns, we will primarily measure impressions, reach, views, and average CPM
- To measure engagement, we will focus primarily on interactions such as likes, comments, shares, and engagement rates
- For a conversion goal, we will primarily track clicks, installs and downloads, sales, and redeemed promo codes
The same content creator can generate excellent brand awareness results but disappointing conversion results—or vice versa. That’s why the objective must be clear from the outset, not after the campaign has launched.
Step 2: Choose KPIs by platform
Each platform has its own key metrics. Comparing them directly is a common pitfall. Here’s how to prioritize them.
Twitch
- Average CCV ( Concurrent Viewers): the number of people watching the stream at the same time during the livestream
- Peak CCV: peak viewership reached; useful for measuring moments of high visibility
- Live views: typically a multiple of the average CCV multiplied by the number of hours streamed, a calculation that takes into account several parameters specific to each campaign
- Viewing time: how long viewers stayed tuned to the stream
- Clicks on tracked links: a direct conversion metric
Please note that the Twitch VODs (Video on Demand) also generate views after the live stream ends. These views are not included in the CCV but contribute to the campaign’s overall reach.
YouTube
- Views (≥ 30 seconds or a click on the video)
- Retention rate: the point at which viewers drop off—crucial for determining whether the integration was viewed all the way through
- CTR (Click-Through Rate): click-through rate on the thumbnail
- Clicks in the description: to your website, product page, or store
- Comments: Qualified engagement signal
- QR Code Scan: Displayed on screen during the integration or as an end card, it allows for precise tracking of the visits generated by each creator
- Impressions: number of times the content was viewed
- Reach: number of unique people reached
- Engagement rate: (likes + comments + shares + reposts + saves) / reach × 100
- Swipe up / Link in bio: direct conversions from Stories
- Saves: a strong indicator of interest in the content
TikTok
- Views ( viewed for at least 1 second)
- Completion rate: the percentage of viewers who watch the video all the way to the end, a key metric for the TikTok algorithm
- Engagement rate: likes, comments, and shares relative to views, reposts, and saves
- Link clicks: available via TikTok Shop or the bio
- Shares: a measure of organic virality
Step 3: Metrics that apply across all platforms
Beyond the metrics specific to each platform, certain indicators allow you to compare the overall effectiveness of your campaign
CPM (Cost Per Thousand Impressions)
CPM allows you to compare the cost of visibility across different creators or platforms. Note: On Twitch, CPM should be calculated based on converted live views, not gross live views.
CPM = (Total cost / Number of impressions) × 1,000
The engagement rate
It measures the quality of the interaction between the creator and their audience. A high engagement rate indicates an active and responsive community.
Engagement rate = (Total interactions / Reach) × 100
It’s worth noting that a good engagement rate varies depending on the platform and the creator’s size. Mid-tier creators generally have higher engagement rates than mega-influencers, precisely because their audience is smaller and more engaged.
The conversion rate
If you have set up a tracking system (UTM link, promo code, pixel), you can calculate the conversion rate directly.
Conversion rate = (Number of conversions / Number of clicks) × 100
For example: For Marvel Strike Force, our hybrid YouTube + Twitch campaign achieved a conversion rate of 25%, well above industry standards for a mobile launch. This is a clear indicator of the campaign’s performance.
Key performance indicators specific to video game campaigns
For game publishers, there are two additional metrics that are often more revealing than raw installs:
- Number of downloads: the direct conversion metric for a launch campaign. It is tracked by creator if each streamer has their own tracked link or promo code.
- D7 Retention or the 7-day retention rate (D7): the percentage of players who downloaded the game and are still playing 7 days after installation. This is the KPI most closely monitored by publishers, as it measures the quality of acquired players, not just their volume.
D7 Retention Rate = (Active Players on Day 7 / Players Who Installed) × 100
It’s worth noting that a good D7 depends on the game genre: industry benchmarks range from 25% to 40% for a casual mobile game, and 15% to 25% for a more demanding title. The audience reached through gaming influence tends to have higher D7s than that reached through traditional advertising, precisely because it is pre-qualified by the creator’s context.
Step 4: What Good Data Reporting Should Include
Effective influencer campaign reporting is more than just a list of numbers. It should explain what happened, why it happened, and what lessons can be learned for the future.
The essential elements of reporting:
- Summary of active creators: platform, size, content type
- Raw metrics by creator: views, CCV, engagement, clicks, video links
- Aggregated campaign metrics: totals and averages
- Conversion KPIs: promo codes, app installs, sales (if trackable)
- Comparison of objectives and results: Did we meet the targets set in the brief?
- Comment Analysis: Audience Sentiment Toward Sponsored Content
- Qualitative insights: Which creators outperformed? Why? Which format worked best, and why?
- Recommendations for the next campaign (bonus)
This last point is often missing from agency reports, yet it is the one that may be most valuable to you.
What The Node adds: the impressions generated by our overlays.
Ourcampaigns incorporate animated assets displayed as overlays directly on creators’ live streams, custom-designed to match each brand’s identity. These overlays are unique: The Node is the only agency to offer them as part of its activations.
Beyond the numbers, they serve a dual purpose: to reinforce the brand’s visual identity during the designer’s campaign, and to make the experience more immersive and visually striking for the viewer. A well-executed campaign is one that leaves a lasting impression and is remembered.
When it comes to reporting, these overlays generate measurable visual impressions, regardless of whether the creator mentions them verbally: an additional level of visibility that is tangible and quantifiable—something you won’t find anywhere else.
Comment Analysis: The Underrated Qualitative KPI
Comments are a goldmine of information that most reports completely overlook. Yet they reveal what the numbers don’t: how the audience really received the message. Effective data reporting can be achieved using a simple method: collect the most relevant comments about the campaign and analyze them under three categories:
Positive reviews
Examples: "I've known about Diablo IV since the beginning, and it really got me hooked again."
Signal: The brief was well-structured, and the creator conveyed the message naturally
Neutral comments
Examples: "Great video, as usual"
Note: The campaign generated visibility but little intent. We need to work on the brief or the format.
Negative comments
Examples: "Another sponsor...", "That just doesn't suit you"
Signal: Either the creator wasn't the right choice, or the integration felt too forced. This is a valuable lesson for the next campaign.
Analyzing these comments by creator allows you to develop a reception index that complements quantitative metrics. A creator with 500,000 views and 80% negative comments about the sponsor is a poor choice for your next campaign, even if their raw numbers seemexcellent.
Step 5: The Most Common Misinterpretations
Confusing views and reach
Views count each time a video is played, including repeat views. Reach counts unique viewers. A campaign can have a lot of views but reach only a few different people.
Focusing on the big numbers without considering quality
One million views with a 0.1% engagement rate are less valuable than 100,000 views with a 5% engagement rate. Volume without quality doesn't convert.
Ignore post-campaign results
On YouTube and TikTok, views continue to pour in after publication. A report generated 48 hours after the end of the campaign may significantly underestimate the actual reach.
Comparing incomparable metrics
Twitch CCV and TikTok views don’t measure the same thing. Comparing them directly to decide how to allocate a budget is a bad decision. Use conversion tables to standardize your data.
How The Node Handles Reporting for Your Marketing Campaigns
At The Node, reporting isn’t just a formality sent out at the end of a project. It’s a management tool that’s built in from the very start.
Our proprietary platform automatically collects real-time data from creators active on Twitch and YouTube (CCV, live views, clicks, engagement rates). For other platforms, this data is manually integrated and consolidated into a single report, ensuring you always have a clear and comprehensive view of your campaign. We cross-reference this data with our internal benchmarks derived from five years of gaming campaigns to provide you not only with the numbers, but also with their interpretation.
Each campaign concludes with a structured report that answers three questions: what worked, why, and how we can do better next time.
FAQ
What are the most important KPIs for a gaming influencer campaign?
It depends on your goal. For brand awareness: average CCV on Twitch, views on YouTube and TikTok, reach on Instagram. For conversion: redeemed promo codes, tracked clicks, app installs. In any case, engagement rate is a cross-platform metric that measures the quality of interaction.
How do you track conversions from an influencer campaign?
Three main methods: custom promo codes (the simplest), UTM links that let you track the source of traffic in Google Analytics, and conversion pixels if your site supports them.
Is the number of views enough to evaluate a campaign?
No. Views measure reach, not impact. You should always cross-reference them with engagement rates and, if possible, conversion data to get a complete picture of performance.
How long after the campaign should we wait before submitting the report?
For Twitch: 72 hours after the live stream, to include immediate VOD views. For YouTube: 7 to 15 days. For TikTok: 5 to 7 days, depending on the content’s potential to go viral.
How can you compare results between Twitch and YouTube?
Metrics need to be standardized using conversion tables that adjust exposure quality based on the platform. A Twitch CCV represents significantly more active engagement than a TikTok view—comparing them on a raw basis would skew your analysis.
Conclusion
Measuring an influencer campaign is about much more than just looking at the number of views. It’s about understanding what each number really means, knowing which metrics to compare and which ones not to mix, and turning raw data into concrete decisions for your next campaigns.
This is what The Node does for every campaign: from the initial brief to the final data report, we manage every aspect of your campaigns—from your objectives and budget to the analysis of results. We provide clear, structured, and actionable reports, built on five years of gaming data and a proprietary platform that centralizes everything in real time.
