The Pennock Knockdown EP 38 Influencer Strategy 101: From Gifting to Whitelisting with Maggie Dwyer of CO-ANU
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Is influencer marketing just about sending out free product and hoping for a post? Or is it a scalable, data-driven revenue channel?
In this episode of The Pennock Knockdown, Nikki sits down with Maggie Dwyer, Influencer Director and Founder of CO-ANU, to debunk common myths in the creator economy and outline exactly how beauty and fragrance brands should be allocating their budget in 2026.
Maggie shares her fascinating journey from working internally at the breakout haircare brand Fable & Mane—where she supported their massive launches into Sephora US and Boots UK—to building her own agency dedicated to the nuances of beauty and fragrance marketing. Together, Nikki and Maggie peel back the curtain on what it actually takes to run a successful influencer division, moving beyond vanity metrics to discuss real ROI, whitelisting strategies, and the operational timelines required to make a splash during Q4.
The "Gifting" Myth & Managing Expectations
One of the biggest friction points in the industry today is the disconnect between brand expectations and creator reality. Maggie discusses the "education gap" she faces with new clients who assume sending a PR package guarantees a review. She explains why "gifting" is a valid strategy for relationship building but a poor strategy for guaranteed awareness. If you want control over the narrative, the timeline, and the deliverables, you have to move from a "hope strategy" to a "paid collaboration" model.
Storytelling for "Faceless" Brands
Not every brand has a charismatic founder ready to hop on TikTok and tell their story. So, what do you do if your brand is more corporate or legacy? Maggie highlights her work with Ghost Fragrances, a brand that successfully utilized creators to pivot their messaging during a "restage" and vegan reformulation. She explains how influencers can act as the "face" and voice of the brand, lending credibility and human connection to products that might otherwise feel distant or purely commercial.
The 60/40 Budget Rule: Organic vs. Paid
Perhaps the most tactical takeaway from this episode is the discussion on budgeting. How small is "too small"? Maggie argues that while you can work with 50K budgets, the real magic happens when Influencer Marketing and Paid Media are not siloed.
She breaks down her ideal split for emerging brands: 40% of the budget goes to the creators (production/fees), and 60% goes to Paid Media. This allows the agency to take that high-performing creator content and "whitelist" it (run ads directly from the creator’s handle). This "Spark Ad" approach often outperforms brand-led ads because it feels native to the feed, leveraging the trust the creator has already built with their audience.
Timelines & The "Always-On" Engine
If you are planning a holiday launch in November, when should you start briefing creators? Maggie’s answer: Three months prior, minimum.
She distinguishes between two core strategies brands need to master:
Always-On: This is your volume play. Daily posts on TikTok and Instagram to keep the algorithm fed and maintain "share of voice."
Campaign Spikes: These are strategic, high-budget moments (like a new product drop) that require deeper storytelling and perhaps celebrity or top-tier macro-influencers.
Maggie warns against the "one-and-done" approach, advocating instead for long-term ambassadorships. It takes time to find a creator whose audience actually converts for your specific SKU, but once identified, locking them in for a 6-12 month partnership drives significantly higher LTV than sporadic posts.
In this episode, we cover:
00:00 Intro & Origin Story: Maggie’s transition from Fable & Mane to founding CO-ANU.
02:30 The Entry Point: How brands with different budget levels can start (Gifting vs. Paid Collaborations).
03:48 The Agency Advantage: Why a "Rolodex" of pre-vetted relationships beats cold outreach on Fiverr or Upwork.
05:21 Strategy Deep Dive: The difference between "Always On" daily content and "Campaign" spikes.
06:43 Ambassadors vs. One-Offs: Why long-term relationships yield better data and better sales.
07:52 The "Faceless" Brand Solution: How to use creators to tell your story if you don't have a visible founder (feat. Ghost Fragrances).
09:23 The Conversion Fallacy: Why expecting immediate sales from a brand awareness campaign is a recipe for disappointment.
10:45 Planning for Q4: The 3-month rule for briefing and execution.
11:26 The Golden Ratio: The 60/40 budget split between Paid Media and Influencer Fees.
12:42 Whitelisting 101: The technical strategy of running ads behind creator handles for maximum ROI.
14:01 Data Visibility: The challenges of measuring success for retail-first brands vs. pure DTC sites.
14:54 Career Advice: Maggie's tips for Gen Z looking to break into the beauty marketing world.
Guest: Maggie Dwyer Agency: CO-ANU
Ready to scale your DTC Beauty Brand? For more insights on growing your female-led beauty or lifestyle brand, or to inquire about our Paid Media services, visit pennock.co.