#245 - Growing Your Brand with Influencer Marketing with Joybyte

In this episode of the Startup CPG Podcast, host Daniel Scharff sits down with Myriah Castillo, president of Joybyte, and Val Ponce De Leon, head of influencer at Joybyte, to dig into one of the most talked-about topics in the Startup CPG Slack: influencer marketing. Not the celebrity post-and-pray version — but the strategic, scrappy, content-engine approach that actually moves the needle for early stage CPG brands.Myriah opens with a reframe that changes how you think about the whole category: stop thinking about influencers as a conversion tool and start thinking about them as a content engine. From there, she and Val walk through what a real creator-led growth strategy looks like — from nano creator gifting and first-round testing to long term ambassador relationships, content repurposing through whitelisting, and the brief that took a creator who wasn't converting to $10,000 in sales in a single weekend.They share real brand examples — including Jackson's Chips and Ice Barrel — that show what it looks like when the strategy actually works. And they get into the specifics brands at every stage need to hear: what nano and micro creators actually cost, how to set expectations from day one, when to introduce budget, and how to get the most out of every piece of content you commission.Whether you're a founder who has never run a creator campaign, a brand that tried influencer marketing and wasn't sure if it worked, or someone trying to figure out how to stretch a limited budget, this episode is the foundation you need.Listen in as they discuss: Why long term creator relationships beat one-off posts — and how to get there through a structured test and learn approach — What nano and micro influencers actually cost, what gifting can realistically get you, and how to set clear expectations from day one — How to repurpose creator content across paid media, organic social, email, and PDPs through whitelisting and collaborative posts — Why the content itself is the ROI and how to think about creators as a content engine rather than a conversion tool — The brief that actually works: how Joybyte analyzes a creator's existing content to find the storyline that will perform — How TikTok Shop differs from influencer marketing and why Joybyte treats them as two completely separate programs — What Joybyte's retainer model looks like and why they pass through creator costs directly to brands with no overhead markup — Ice Barrel and Jackson's Chips: two real examples of what it looks like when creator-led growth catches lightning in a bottleEpisode Links: Myriah Castillo – President, Joybyte LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/myriah-castillo-b646b8168/ Val Ponce De Leon – Lead Strategist, Joybyte LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-ponce-de-leon-3a962a143/ Joybyte Company LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/joybyte/ Website: https://joybyte.com/ Download the free Creator-Led Growth Playbook: https://joybyte.com/creator-led-whitepaperDon't forget to leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify if you enjoyed this episode. For potential sponsorship opportunities or to join the Startup CPG community, visit http://www.startupcpg.com.Show Links:Transcripts of each episode are available on the Transistor platform that hosts our podcast here (click on the episode and toggle to “Transcript” at the top)Join the Startup CPG Slack community (35K+ members and growing!)Follow @startupcpgVisit host Daniel's Linkedin Questions or comments about the episode? Email Daniel at [email protected] music by Super Fantastics If you’re interested in learning more about the science behind Cognizin,Head to www.cognizin.com to learn more.