Influencer Marketing Manager

Overview

You'll build ALSO's first influencer marketing program from the ground up. ALSO makes high-end electric bikes (the TM-B) with software-defined features and a subscription model—think connected hardware more than traditional bikes. You report to the VP of Brand, work closely with the commercial team, and own finding, managing, and measuring influencer partnerships that can move a $10K+ product.

Role Snapshot

Company Context

Stage: Early-stage (233 employees, first commercial year)

Size: 233 employees

Growth: First year building out commercial team—you're part of the initial GTM motion

Market Position: Category creator—selling premium e-bikes ($10K+) with software/subscription features in a market dominated by traditional bikes and lower-priced e-bikes

Product Reality: The TM-B is modular, connected (GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, LTE-M), has OTA updates, and includes a Connect+ subscription. It's not a commodity bike—you're selling innovation, tech, and experience to both commuters and enthusiasts.

GTM Reality

How ALSO Sells:

• Direct-to-consumer (likely through website)
• Possibly retail partnerships (unclear)
• No traditional sales team structure—this is brand-driven motion

Why Influencers Matter Here:

• High-consideration purchase ($10K+)
• Visual product that benefits from video/lifestyle content
• Need to educate market on why software-defined e-bike matters
• Competing against both traditional bikes and cheaper e-bikes

The Challenge: Most micro-influencers can't afford a $10K bike, and macro influencers may not be authentic fits. You need to find the sweet spot of reach + authenticity in cycling, tech, or lifestyle spaces.

What You'll Actually Do

Time Breakdown

Creator Sourcing (30%) | Partnership Management (25%) | Content Strategy (20%) | 
Measurement/Reporting (15%) | Internal Alignment (10%)

Key Activities

• Finding the Right Creators: You're scrolling through Instagram, TikTok, YouTube looking for bike reviewers, urban lifestyle creators, tech enthusiasts who could authentically use a premium e-bike. Most cycling influencers are traditional road/mountain bikers—you need to identify who bridges to e-bikes.
• Negotiating Partnerships: You're emailing back and forth on rates, deliverables, exclusivity. Some want $5K+ per post, some want free product + usage rights. You're figuring out what ALSO can afford and what actually drives results.
• Content Strategy: You're briefing creators on messaging (DreamRide propulsion, modular design, subscription features) without making it sound like an ad. You're pushing for authentic reviews vs scripted promos. You're deciding which features to highlight for different audiences.
• Measuring What Works: You're tracking UTM codes, promo codes, direct attribution. You're probably also dealing with softer metrics like engagement, brand lift, comment sentiment. First year means you're establishing baseline—what does "good" even look like?
• Cross-Functional Chaos: You're aligning with brand on messaging, with product on which features to showcase, with sales/commercial on whether this is driving pipeline. Lots of internal education on how influencer marketing works.

The Honest Reality

What's Hard

• No Playbook: This is year one. You're defining what success looks like, what budget is reasonable, which channels matter. Expect lots of testing, some failures.
• Attribution is Messy: Did that YouTube review drive 10 sales or 100? Hard to know with a long consideration cycle. You'll be defending your budget with imperfect data.
• Premium Product, Niche Audience: Most e-bike influencers are reviewing $2K bikes. You need creators who can authentically speak to a $10K product without alienating their audience.
• Creator Management: Influencers miss deadlines, content doesn't match brief, engagement tanks on a post you paid for. You're chasing, quality-checking, sometimes asking for re-dos.
• Building from Zero: No existing relationships, no historical data, no proven tactics. You're the experiment.

What Success Looks Like

• 3-5 Partnerships Live in 90 Days: You've signed creators, they've posted, content is authentic and on-brand
• Clear Attribution Model: You can tie influencer traffic/codes to actual sales or qualified leads
• Content Library: You have creator content that ALSO can repurpose for ads, website, social
• Program Framework: By month 6, you have a repeatable process for sourcing, onboarding, managing creators

Who You're Working With

Internal Stakeholders:

• VP of Brand (Erin Pategas): Your boss—sets brand strategy, owns budget, judges creative
• Commercial Team: Likely includes sales, partnerships, maybe retail—they want leads and revenue attribution
• Product/Engineering: They built the tech features you're trying to showcase

External Partners:

• Micro-Influencers (10K-100K followers): Affordable, authentic, but limited reach
• Macro-Influencers (100K-1M+): Expensive, broad reach, but harder to get authentic content
• Cycling/Tech Reviewers: Credible but may be skeptical of e-bikes or expensive bikes

What They Care About:

• Creators Care About: Fair pay, creative freedom, authentic fit with their audience, long-term relationships
• Internal Stakeholders Care About: ROI, brand consistency, measurable results, not wasting budget

Requirements

• Experience running influencer programs (ideally 2-4 years)—you've done this before, even if not at this scale
• Understanding of creator economy: rates, deliverables, negotiation, content rights
• Comfortable with ambiguity—no playbook, no historical data, lots of experimentation
• Creative hustler mentality—you're scrappy, resourceful, willing to test unconventional approaches
• Data-driven: You can set up tracking, measure results, adjust strategy based on what works
• Kind and collaborative—small team, first commercial year, lots of cross-functional work
• Bonus: Knowledge of cycling, e-bikes, or premium consumer hardware helps you find authentic creators