Before you hire a KOL, do this math first
Whether to hire an influencer isn't a yes/no question — it's arithmetic. Before you pay, settle three things: don't pay for follower counts, compute your own ROI, and treat your existing word-of-mouth as the asset it is.
"Should I hire an influencer" isn't a yes/no question — it's arithmetic
Every so often a salesperson tells you: get one KOL to post and your place blows up. Maybe. But before you pay, I want you to settle three things first — follower count, ROI, and repeat customers.
One: don't pay for "followers"
A big account isn't an effective one. On Instagram, engagement actually falls as follower count rises: nano-influencers average around 6%+, while large accounts often drop to 1–4% (eMarketer, 2023). Worse, the bigger the account, the more inflated it tends to be — 2023 data shows up to 58.5% of million-plus influencers were involved in some degree of fraud (Statista, 2023). You pay for a million followers and may get tens of thousands of bots and a crowd that never walks into your restaurant.
Two: compute ROI — and compute your own
The internet is full of "earn US$5.20 for every US$1" average-ROI figures. Funny thing: even Influencer Marketing Hub, which popularized these numbers, says the averages are unreliable and shouldn't be used to predict (Influencer Marketing Hub). So don't trust the average — trust your numbers. What does one collaboration cost? How many parties does it bring who actually book, show up, and spend? What is one table really worth to you? Use the marketing ROI calculator to find your break-even before you sign.
Three: the word-of-mouth you already have may be worth more
This is the most overlooked asset. Nielsen's 2021 study of 40,000+ consumers (including Asia-Pacific) found 88% of people trust recommendations from someone they know more than any form of advertising. And for a local restaurant, 75% of consumers read reviews when choosing, and a business that replies to all its reviews is 41% more likely to be chosen (BrightLocal, 2024).
In other words: keeping your Google reviews strong and your regulars coming back often beats a single influencer post — more durable, and cheaper. To do that you need a system that holds onto customer data — who came, what they liked, how long since their last visit — not another wave of traffic that leaves the moment the video ends.
So does Eatsy hire influencers?
Honestly, we put budget into content and reputation that's searchable, citable by AI, and compounds — more than into one-off influencer reach. Same for you: a KOL can be dessert, not the main course. Build the compounding basics first — booking, reminders, customer data — with a 7-day, no-credit-card trial, then decide whether to spend on influencers at all.
Frequently Asked Questions
▸Should a restaurant do influencer marketing?
It can, but compute your own ROI first and don't pay for follower counts. Micro-influencers usually have higher engagement than big accounts, and word-of-mouth and regulars tend to be more durable and cheaper.
▸Micro or macro influencer — which is better?
Data shows engagement falls as follower count rises, and bigger accounts have higher fraud rates (up to 58.5% of million-plus accounts in 2023). What matters is real, local reach, not total followers.
▸How do I judge whether an influencer deal is worth it?
Compare 'value of one table x parties who actually show up' against the fee. Don't rely on the internet's average ROI numbers — even the original source says they're unreliable and shouldn't be used to predict.
▸What should a restaurant invest in instead of influencers?
Build up Google reviews and repeat customers. 88% of people trust recommendations from someone they know, and a system that holds customer data compounds over time.