The biggest mistake brands make tracking influencer ROI is measuring vanity metrics because they're easy to get, not because they matter. Likes and reach tell you almost nothing about revenue impact.
A more useful stack: unique discount codes or trackable links per creator, UTM parameters on every link shared, and a clear cost-per-acquisition comparison against your other paid channels. For UGC specifically, the relevant metric isn't the creator's organic performance at all — it's how the content performs once it's running as a paid ad, regardless of who made it.
Set the tracking up before content goes live, not after someone asks for a report. Retrofitting attribution after the fact is where most of the "we can't tell if this is working" frustration comes from.
