In a world where consumers are more health-conscious than ever, influencer marketing has become the secret weapon for healthy snacks and drinks brands looking to make an impact. The global healthy snacks market is booming, projected to grow at over 6% annually, and consumers are gravitating towards brands that align with their wellness goals. But here's the kicker: it's not just about pretty packaging anymore. It's about authenticity, and influencers are at the heart of this movement.
Take NutriBullet, for example. Their “Feel the Blend” campaign didn’t just showcase blenders—it made them part of influencers’ daily wellness routines. No gimmicks, no overly polished ads—just a blender, some fresh ingredients, and real-life moments. The result? An influx of consumer trust, increased brand visibility, and, of course, a smoother path to sales.
Curious about how NutriBullet pulled this off? Keep reading to discover the genius behind their influencer strategy, and learn which influencer marketing tactics are taking the healthy snacks and drinks industry by storm.
- 1. Harnessing the Power of Product Integration with Influencers
- 2. Influencer-Led Content Creation
- 3. Creating Unforgettable Unboxing Experiences
- 4. Creating a Collaborative Creator House
- 5. Collaborating with Creators to Launch Signature Products
- 6. Leveraging Game Streaming to Build Brand Engagement and Drive Sales
- Influencer Strategies That Stick
- Frequently Asked Questions
1. Harnessing the Power of Product Integration with Influencers
When it comes to healthy snacks and drinks, it’s no longer enough to just have a product in a pretty package. Consumers want more — they want to feel like your brand is a part of their daily lives. Enter product integration with influencers. This isn't just about gifting products or posting generic sponsored content. It's about weaving your products seamlessly into influencers’ real lives in a way that makes your brand feel like a natural extension of their routines.
Think of it like this: instead of a celebrity sipping your juice on camera for 10 seconds, you want influencers showcasing your product as part of their daily wellness habits, giving their followers an authentic look at how your product fits into their lifestyle. They’re not just promoting; they’re living your brand.
Let's talk about how NutriBullet used this strategy to take the leap from an infomercial icon to a respected wellness brand. The brand wasn’t just tossing out a few blenders to influencers and calling it a day. They took a more strategic, long-term approach by integrating their products into influencers' daily routines, from morning smoothies to post-workout snacks.
Instead of the usual "here’s a blender, now tell your followers how great it is," FINN Partners helped NutriBullet craft an influencer strategy where their blenders became a key part of influencers' everyday wellness lives. From fitness experts to lifestyle bloggers, these influencers weren’t just talking about NutriBullet’s newest products — they were showing their audiences how NutriBullet was woven into their actual routines: prepping healthy snacks, creating energizing drinks, or even making quick meals for busy mornings.
This type of integration meant more than just product placement; it positioned NutriBullet as a trusted ally in influencers' health journeys. Influencers weren’t just endorsing the brand—they were becoming spokespeople for a lifestyle, making NutriBullet feel less like a one-time purchase and more like a wellness investment.
The campaign also included partnerships with key media outlets and affiliate programs, which helped further solidify NutriBullet’s place in the wellness space, expanding their reach far beyond basic influencer posts.
By securing over 2 billion media impressions across outlets like Good Housekeeping, Shape, CNN, and Forbes, the campaign cemented NutriBullet’s transformation from a product to a lifestyle brand.
Key Takeaway: Integrate Your Product Into Influencers’ Daily Lives
So, how can you apply this to your healthy snack and drink brand? Focus on influencer product integration that feels authentic. Work with influencers who genuinely align with your brand's values and who can showcase your products in the context of their real, daily routines.
Whether it’s a nutritionist showing how your drink is part of their post-workout recovery, or a busy mom using your healthy snack as a quick lunch, make sure your brand becomes a trusted tool in their wellness toolkit. It's about creating a relationship with influencers that feels less like a transaction and more like a partnership for better living.
2. Influencer-Led Content Creation
When you're building a brand in the crowded world of healthy snacks and drinks, it’s not enough to just partner with influencers for the occasional post. To truly build a loyal following, you need to take it a step further and turn influencers into ongoing brand ambassadors — creators who live your brand, create content around it, and become the face of your social media channels.
This method allows your brand to break through the noise and foster an authentic, organic connection with your audience.
The beauty of this strategy lies in its ability to align content creation with an influencer’s unique style, resulting in more genuine, engaging material that resonates deeply with their audience. It's about giving the creator the reins to curate and share content that feels authentic while still showcasing your product in a natural, relatable way.
Olipop’s approach is the perfect case study for influencer-led content creation. Early on, the brand was experimenting with external agencies to create content, but the results were underwhelming. Despite spending hefty sums on professional content production, their videos garnered minimal engagement, and their follower count stagnated.
The game-changer? Olipop decided to recruit a TikTok influencer, Sara Crane, to run their social media accounts. Crane, with a modest following of about 8,400, became not just a spokesperson, but the face of the brand. By integrating her into the daily flow of content creation — with videos where she naturally interacted with Olipop’s products — she fostered a real, relatable connection with her growing audience.
@drinkolipop Me 🤝 midday treat #olipop #drinkolipop #OLIPOP ♬ original sound - Warner Bros.
Crucially, this wasn’t just about posting influencer-produced content. Sara's regular appearances in the brand's TikTok feed created an ongoing, dynamic narrative, making followers feel like they were following along in real-time with a brand they could trust. She became a familiar face, and the brand’s personality flourished under her direction. The result? Olipop’s TikTok following exploded, leading to millions of views, viral videos, and a substantial increase in product sales.
@drinkolipop It’s 3pm somewhere🤪🥤 #olipop #drinkolipop #OLIPOP #middaypickmeup ♬ original sound - Savannah Gracey
This method of influencer-led content creation doesn’t just benefit from the authenticity of the influencer’s style but also allows for a more long-term, cohesive brand strategy that blends seamlessly with the platform’s culture. Instead of creating flashy, overly polished content, Olipop’s TikTok became a more laid-back, fun space where the products were integrated into real-life scenarios — no heavy sales pitch required.
Key Takeaway: Empower Influencers to Curate Content
If you want your healthy snack or drink brand to stand out, look beyond traditional influencer partnerships. Instead of simply posting sponsored content, empower influencers to take charge of your brand’s social media presence.
Give them the freedom to integrate your product into their everyday lives, and let their creativity flow. This fosters a deeper, more authentic connection with their audience, turning influencers into powerful, ongoing brand ambassadors. It’s not just about promoting a product — it’s about building a brand relationship that feels genuine and real.
3. Creating Unforgettable Unboxing Experiences
Let’s face it: influencer marketing isn’t just about sending out free products anymore. In a crowded space of DTC brands, especially in the healthy snacks and drinks sector, your product needs to stand out from the rest. One way to do this is by creating an unforgettable unboxing experience.
This strategy goes beyond the basics of product seeding, focusing on turning the unboxing moment into an experience that influencers can’t wait to share with their followers.
Why does this matter? Because influencers get tons of free products. But you can bet your avocado toast that if your package doesn’t have a little extra magic, it’s going to get lost in the shuffle. A memorable unboxing experience doesn’t just capture attention—it gets influencers excited to create content around your brand, leading to organic buzz that can snowball across social media.
Poppi, the prebiotic soda brand, nailed this strategy by creating a share-worthy unboxing experience that felt more like a treat than a standard product delivery. They didn’t just send a plain old box; they went all out with colorful, eye-catching packaging that immediately screamed “fun” and “fancy.” But they didn’t stop there. Poppi included thoughtful extras like stickers for influencers to decorate with, and (wait for it) comfy, branded sweatsuits that went viral on TikTok.
@amymcaveety Thank youuu! @Drink Poppi 🥤 #poppi #drinkpoppi #sodasback #poppiprobioticsoda ♬ original sound - Amy McAveety
What made this so effective? The sweatsuits weren’t just a one-off item—they became a status symbol among influencers. Videos started popping up where influencers were showing off their new Poppi gear or asking how to get one. These items weren’t just cute accessories; they became part of a larger Poppi lifestyle that influencers proudly displayed. It wasn’t just about the drinks anymore—it was about being part of a fun, inclusive brand culture.
Key Takeaway: Make Your Unboxing a Mini Event
If you want your healthy snacks or drinks brand to truly stand out, think about how you can turn every unboxing into a moment. Focus on packaging that catches the eye, and consider adding fun, personalized touches that make your product feel special.
Whether it’s branded swag, limited-edition items, or quirky accessories, make sure your box gives influencers something to get excited about—and something worth sharing.
4. Creating a Collaborative Creator House
Sometimes, influencer marketing needs a little shake-up to really get people’s attention. Enter the creator house—an influencer marketing tactic that takes influencer collaboration to the next level by bringing together multiple content creators in a shared space to create buzz around a brand.
Instead of relying on a handful of influencers posting solo, a creator house unites influencers with diverse followings to create collective, immersive experiences that produce authentic, engaging content. It’s about fostering a community of creators who, together, can amplify a message in a way that feels more real and impactful.
By bringing influencers into a physical space where they live and breathe your brand, you can break down barriers and make the brand feel integrated into their lives, creating a deeper connection with their audiences.
Squeaky Bean, a plant-based food brand, took the creator house concept and made it their own with a campaign that could easily be called the vegan reality show no one knew they needed. They set up a luxurious, multi-million-pound mansion on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset and invited seven social media influencers—both vegans and non-vegans—to spend 21 days together.
The twist? They were tasked with creating vegan meals, tackling wacky challenges, and pushing each other’s food boundaries, all while competing for big prizes and avoiding messy forfeits.
The group’s collective following—2 million-plus—meant the campaign had massive reach from the get-go. But it wasn’t just the size of the audience that made it successful. By mixing both vegan influencers (like food blogger Ella Blake) with non-vegan personalities (like @elburritomonster), Squeaky Bean created an authentic space to showcase the real journey of adopting plant-based food.
@morganmjames WAIT for the ENDING! 🤯 - this looks UNREAL!! @squeakybean #SqueakyHouse #TikTokHouse #learnontiktok ♬ original sound - Morgan M-James
Viewers got to see non-vegans experiencing the challenges and rewards of eating plant-based for three weeks, breaking down misconceptions and demonstrating how delicious and exciting vegan food can be.
This immersive, reality-show-style format allowed Squeaky Bean to push its message beyond just showing influencers eating the product—it brought them into the brand’s world, making them part of a shared, dynamic experience. The result? A campaign that didn’t just promote veganism, but invited audiences to witness the transformation of everyday people trying plant-based food in a fun, relatable way.
@squeakyhouseofficial 🌶🍌🤮 @morganmjames #taskmaster #food #vegan #omlette #funnyvideo #reaction ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey
Key Takeaway: Create a Shared Experience for Influencers to Build Authenticity
If you want to take your influencer marketing to the next level, think about creating a collaborative experience for your brand. Whether it's a creator house or a team-based content series, getting influencers to interact with your brand in a shared environment helps foster authenticity, collaboration, and deeper connections with their audiences.
5. Collaborating with Creators to Launch Signature Products
If there’s one thing that sets successful influencer marketing apart, it’s the ability to turn creators into co-creators. By collaborating with influencers not just for promotion but for actual product development, you elevate your brand’s authenticity and create a deeper connection with their audience.
When an influencer is directly involved in the creation of a product—whether it’s choosing the flavors, designing the packaging, or even shaping the messaging—it’s not just another endorsement. It becomes an extension of their own brand, which makes it far more relatable to their followers.
This strategy works especially well for healthy snacks and drinks, where consumers are looking for more than just a tasty product—they want transparency, personality, and trust. By partnering with influencers who genuinely care about the product and its quality, you create a natural bond with your target audience.
Let’s dive into how Ryan Trahan’s partnership with Joyride Sweets took the co-creation approach to the next level. Known for his quirky Penny Challenge series and massive YouTube following, Ryan Trahan didn’t just endorse Joyride’s candy—he became a key part of the product's identity. He took on the role of chief creative officer and worked directly with the brand to launch Sour Strips, a specific product within Joyride's portfolio.
Rather than promoting an existing product, Ryan helped steer the entire focus toward Sour Strips—a low-sugar, better-for-you candy—by wiping out all other products from the website and social media. This move wasn’t just a marketing gimmick; it was a bold statement about his vision and how he wanted to position the product.
By aligning his name and personality with this product, Ryan brought his followers directly into the development process, fostering a sense of ownership and excitement. And let’s not forget, Ryan’s massive YouTube channel (14.8M subscribers, no big deal) gave him a built-in platform to not only announce the brand but also demonstrate the product in his own fun, relatable way.
The launch wasn’t just about a flashy ad campaign—it was an organic extension of Ryan’s brand, making the entire process feel personal and authentic.
The product launch was a hit, and Sour Strips quickly became the centerpiece of Joyride’s offerings. Ryan’s involvement in the creative process ensured that the product felt like a natural fit for his audience, which translated to massive engagement. In the video below, Ryan tells the Joyride fans that the Sour Strips completely sold out!
@joyridesweets
important update 🚨🚨
♬ original sound - joyride sweets
Key Takeaway: Let Influencers Help Create Your Product
If you’re looking to elevate your influencer marketing strategy, consider partnering with influencers not just as promoters but as co-creators. Whether it’s designing packaging, selecting flavors, or aligning on brand messaging, giving influencers a hand in shaping the product ensures it resonates more deeply with their audience.
This approach fosters a sense of ownership and trust, turning your marketing efforts into a genuine collaboration.
6. Leveraging Game Streaming to Build Brand Engagement and Drive Sales
In today’s digital landscape, finding new and exciting ways to connect with a younger, tech-savvy audience is key. Enter game streaming. While gaming and food may not seem like an obvious pairing, integrating your brand into live gaming streams can create massive engagement, particularly when your product is positioned in a fun, interactive environment.
By working with gaming influencers on platforms like Twitch, brands can directly tap into a highly engaged, niche audience, and deliver compelling, entertaining content that drives both brand awareness and sales.
The key to success with this strategy is ensuring that the product isn’t just an add-on to the stream, but is seamlessly integrated into the gameplay and the influencer's overall content.
Chobani, the beloved dairy and non-dairy product brand, took this approach to the next level with its Oatmilk Cosmic Race campaign. They partnered with Twitch influencers to promote their new Chobani® Oatmilk products, leveraging the popularity of game streaming to reach younger consumers in a fun and creative way.
The campaign revolved around a custom-built Roblox game called Chobani® Oatmilk Cosmic Race, where influencers would race through space delivering oat milk to various planets. This was more than just a product placement—it was a fully interactive experience designed to increase both brand awareness and charity donations.
The influencers, who had a strong presence on Twitch, were tasked with playing the game live and integrating Chobani’s oat milk into their streams with organic mentions and gameplay.
The campaign had multiple goals: raise awareness for Chobani’s oat milk, encourage fans to play the game on Roblox, and generate donations for Hunger Free America. By focusing on streamers who had large followings and were skilled in Roblox, Chobani ensured the campaign would feel authentic, fun, and interactive.
The influencers created 20-30 minutes of integrated advertising within their streams, showing fans that Chobani Oatmilk was part of the gameplay experience, rather than just a static advertisement.
The results were nothing short of impressive. The campaign garnered 7 million impressions and 80K views on Twitch streams alone. Additionally, the influencers’ posts on Instagram and Twitter reached an audience of over 7 million, driving 101.3K engagements and engaging viewers with the brand in a meaningful way.
Even more impressively, the streamers’ collective efforts helped Chobani reach its goal of raising $75K for charity.
Key Takeaway: Integrate Your Product into Gaming Experiences for Seamless Engagement
If you want to target a younger, gaming-savvy audience, consider integrating your product into the gaming experience rather than just placing ads around it. Collaborating with gaming influencers on platforms like Twitch allows you to seamlessly weave your product into an interactive experience that feels natural to the audience. By incorporating your brand into an immersive environment—like a custom game or in-stream challenge—you can drive not just awareness but genuine engagement. If you’re targeting an audience that’s all about gaming, then why not let them interact with your brand in a way that’s as fun as it is functional?
Influencer Strategies That Stick
Influencer marketing is a game-changer for healthy snack and drink brands, driving engagement and brand loyalty. Key strategies include seamlessly integrating products into influencers’ daily routines, empowering creators to craft authentic content, and creating standout unboxing experiences.
By adopting these tactics, brands can foster genuine connections, boost awareness, and build long-term trust with their audience. Embrace these strategies to unlock the full potential of influencer partnerships and achieve sustainable growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is influencer marketing, and how does it benefit healthy snacks and drinks brands?
Influencer marketing involves partnering with individuals who have a substantial following on social media to promote products. For healthy snacks and drinks brands, this approach enhances brand visibility, builds trust, and drives consumer engagement.
How do I identify the right influencers for my healthy snacks and drinks brand?
Seek influencers whose values align with your brand and who engage authentically with their audience. Consider factors like audience demographics, engagement rates, and content quality to ensure a good fit.
Should I collaborate with macro or micro-influencers for my products?
Micro-influencers, with smaller but highly engaged followings, often yield higher engagement rates and more targeted reach. Macro-influencers can provide broader exposure. Choose based on your campaign goals and budget.
What types of content should influencers create for my healthy snacks and drinks?
Encourage influencers to produce authentic content such as product reviews, unboxing videos, recipe integrations, or lifestyle posts that showcase your products in real-life scenarios, resonating with their audience.
How can I measure the success of my influencer marketing campaigns?
Track metrics like engagement rates, reach, website traffic, and sales conversions linked to influencer activities. Setting clear objectives and using analytics tools can help assess ROI effectively.
What are the potential risks of influencer marketing for healthy snacks and drinks brands?
Risks include partnering with influencers whose values don't align with your brand, facing negative publicity, or dealing with influencers who may not deliver as promised. It's crucial to vet influencers thoroughly and establish clear agreements.
How do I compensate influencers for their work promoting my products?
Compensation varies based on the influencer's reach, engagement, and the scope of the campaign. It can range from free products for smaller influencers to monetary payments for larger ones. Ensure that compensation aligns with the value provided.
Can influencer marketing drive direct sales for my healthy snacks and drinks?
Yes, when influencers authentically promote your products and provide their followers with compelling reasons to purchase, it can lead to increased sales. Incorporating discount codes or affiliate links can help track sales directly attributed to influencer efforts.
How do I ensure compliance with advertising regulations in influencer partnerships?
Ensure that influencers disclose sponsored content transparently, adhere to advertising standards, and do not make false claims about your products. Providing clear guidelines and educating influencers on compliance can help mitigate legal risks.
