Whether assembling in-house teams or hiring outside vendors, smart companies are pulling back from ego-driven Influencers in favor of true content from independent content creators.
This tactic often is not only less expensive, but — posting authentic content on your own website can create better outcomes.
Step back. When conventional TV failed to reach mass audiences in traditional numbers in the millions, marketers wondered how to get their numbers back in shape. Snap. Individuals with hundreds of thousands of followers on social media could fill that gap. The math was easy: ten Influencers with 100,000 followers brought you one million eyeballs.
Trouble is, that knee-jerk fix has raised uneasy doubts about authenticity and impact. Some professional social media personalities had gamed the system and bought “followers.” As the click numbers went soft, hard questions about efficacy popped up. While Influencers are professional social media personalities, their celebrity is the modern version of paid celebrity endorsements. In other words, borrowed interest, the flimsiest form of advocacy, influence or persuasion.
What to do?
Well, whatever happened to the solid professional writers, photographers, filmmakers and podcasters who have substantial audiences built around their shared passions?
Rather than Influencers, who are subject-matter experts in social media, true content creators are subject-matter experts in their field of passion — telling authentic stories via feature articles, films, photo essays, documentaries and other media.
Whereas influencers have channel-specific followers on TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest or other social media, creators have devoted audiences that follow their content across social and digital channels, from Instagram, YouTube and Netflix to National Geographic, NPR, BBC, The Atlantic and The New York Times.
Creator passions, likes, and affinities are the raw juice of authenticity. Their content is not branded. Influencers make their living through paid product placements and endorsements and, like the celebrity endorsements that came before them, there’s always the unspoken question.
Really??
Comparisons aside, true content is especially important for direct-to-consumer enterprise.
“Authentic content has proven its unique ability to increase awareness, drive new members and lower costs,” declares Scott Lugar, chief marketing officer at the 120-year-old AAA (American Automobile Association).
Faced with an aging audience, Lugar was looking for an innovative way to find new members. Rather than the obvious tactic of seeking out young Influencers, Lugar switched from traditional advertising to placing true content directly on his club website. Because readers are interested in the content, they stay longer and evolve a real relationship with the AAA community.
Explainer. Content creator J.R. Switchgrass and his partner Kit Whistler travel back and forth across the North American continent in “Sunshine” their egg yolk yellow 1976 VW microbus. “My personal goal is to travel every road in the country,” says Switchgrass. After studying documentary filmmaking, the twosome set out in their bus in 2011, the same year that Instagram started.
Their launch also intersected with the trend of nomadic adventuring.
“Van life has been something we have been intimately involved with,” says Switchgrass. “Being able to make comments that I actually believe in about this culture and ideas has been a wonderful symbiotic relationship.”
Switchgrass and Whistler have tens of thousands of people who follow their infinity loop across the country. “I document our life on the road,” says Switchgrass. “Kit adds the extra value to it.”
Whistler takes the unusual experience and synthesizes it into universal truths. “We share experiences of our life and illuminate human truths through that,” outlines Switchgrass. “General audiences like to enjoy a good story. Allowing that to be hosted by a brand, is a good win for everyone.”
“True content is a compelling promise for e-commerce brands,” adds Liz Dolinski, chief growth officer at sleepwear fashion brand Lunya. “We have been able to convert prospects at a higher ROI through a unique, content-first approach.”
True content even works for DTC brands pushing daily sales numbers.
“We drove a 31% higher return on ad spend,” reports one delighted DTC CEO. “We have increased our spend and continue to drive exceptional results.”
The understory here is that powerful creators can be more influential than influencers. They even can be more compelling than traditional advertising.
Liz Riden is a terrific example of the advantages of a content creator over Influencer. Based on the East Coast, Liz has her own line of leather goods, and also writes about startups and women-owned businesses. She is also a photographer, stylist, set designer, wardrobe person.
“I’m kind of a multi-hyphenate,” laughs Liz. As an entrepreneur herself, Riden’s relevancy is high. And as a creator, she offers unique benefits for both the brand and the consumer.
“The advantage to the company is that the product is something that has meaning for the content creator,” suggests Riden. “Whether that’s the company ethos, or a product that’s just phenomenal. Influencers can do that, but influencing is basically about selling the product. Content creators are more aspirational about selling the brand — and the ethos of what the brand is all about.”
True content by true creators connects with people who are seeking information relevant to their lives. When people discover stories about the things they are interested in, they dig in, stay longer and come back for more. That’s genuine connection and genuine influence.
Powerful brands don’t need influencers, they are influencers.
For regional banks, advertising is fraught with some of the most stringent rules in marketing. Laws such as the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) require specific disclosures in promotions for loans, credit cards, and other financial products. Adding to these legal mandates, platforms like Facebook and Google impose “Special Ad Categories” for financial services, restricting the use of advanced targeting tools like lookalike audiences or detailed demographic segmentation.
The impact is clear: compliance-heavy messaging disrupts engagement, creativity is stifled, and marketing costs rise as cost-per-click (CPC) and cost-per-lead (CPL) escalate. For many regional banks, this combination of constraints makes reaching their ideal customers a frustrating and costly endeavor.
Props offers a transformative way for regional banks to overcome these challenges through a unique combination of creator-driven storytelling, strategic paid media promotion, and robust compliance solutions. Instead of promoting financial products directly, Props shifts the focus to authentic, lifestyle-oriented stories that resonate with audiences and inspire them.
These stories are published on the bank’s website (or a special landing page) and, critically, promoted through the creators’ social media handles. Publishing lifestyle content through creators’ handles bypasses the restrictions of “Special Ad Categories,” drives more engagement and click-throughs, and unlocks advanced targeting options. This allows banks to connect with high-intent audiences more effectively while reducing costs.
For example, rather than running a traditional ad for a home equity line of credit (HELOC), Props might collaborate with a creator to share a story about how homeowners can fund renovations—building trust and engagement without triggering compliance-heavy disclosures.
One of Props’ greatest advantages lies in its ability to sidestep disclosure requirements by avoiding direct product claims. Instead of advertisements laden with legal disclaimers, Props content centers on engaging narratives that educate and inspire. These stories provide value to audiences without overwhelming them, creating a cleaner, more effective path to engagement.
A creator might share how they used home equity to remodel their kitchen, illustrating a real-life application of financial tools while staying free from the burdens of compliance-heavy messaging. This approach not only eliminates the need for complex disclosures but also keeps content relatable and audience-focused, fostering trust and credibility.
Audiences are more likely to trust people over brands, and Props ensures this trust by selecting creators based on their expertise and storytelling ability, not their follower count. Creators are chosen for their ability to craft genuine, relatable narratives that resonate with specific audience segments.
Whether it’s a business owner sharing entrepreneurial insights or a parent discussing family finances, Props focuses on the quality of the story rather than the creator’s popularity. By publishing these stories directly on the client’s website, Props ensures that the bank owns the engagement and benefits from first-party data collection. Paid media promotion guarantees that these stories reach the most relevant audience with precision and scale.
Brand safety is paramount for financial institutions. Strict regulatory standards and a heightened need to maintain trust often prevent banks from collaborating with creators. Recognizing these challenges, Props developed Ollie—a proprietary AI-driven brand safety tool that ensures campaigns remain compliant, transparent, and aligned with institutional values.
Ollie reviews years of creator content history, continuously monitors posts in real-time, and flags potential risks using advanced AI. Its capabilities include detecting if a financial offer is being made or if financial advice is being given—two critical triggers that can complicate compliance for creators in regulated industries. By categorizing flagged content as low, medium, or high risk, Ollie empowers banks to avoid pitfalls while enabling creators to craft compelling yet compliant narratives.
This innovative approach ensures banks can confidently embrace creator storytelling, knowing that campaigns will uphold their values and meet regulatory standards. By bridging the gap between brand safety and creative freedom, Ollie empowers financial advertisers to connect authentically with audiences while navigating one of the most regulated industries in marketing.
Props has consistently delivered impressive results for its financial clients across consumer banking, mortgage lending, credit cards, secure cards, life insurance, auto insurance, and wealth management. Props takes responsibility for delivering actual, measurable business outcomes—a key reason for its rapid growth.
For regional bank CMOs, Props offers an unparalleled opportunity to navigate advertising regulations while driving measurable results. By avoiding restrictive ad categories and using creator-led storytelling, Props enables access to advanced audience targeting tools that improve reach and engagement.
Its compliance-friendly strategies reduce advertising costs and create cleaner, more effective campaigns. With Ollie’s oversight, banks can run creative campaigns confidently, knowing that regulatory standards are being met. Props’ focus on authenticity builds trust with audiences, while its full-funnel strategy ensures seamless progression from awareness to conversion.
By leveraging paid media through creators’ handles, Props ensures that each story achieves both the reach and relevance needed to deliver measurable results. For CMOs seeking to transform their marketing strategy and connect authentically with their audience, Props offers a proven path to sustainable growth and success.
_2.png)
