How to read a brand lift study in influencer marketing

Start with the study question

Confirm whether the study measures awareness, consideration or another stated survey outcome. Keep survey responses separate from recorded purchases.

Agree the question before launch and check that the report uses the planned outcome.

Check the groups and coverage

Ask how the exposed group and comparison group were formed, and how exposure was determined. Record the covered channels, market and fieldwork dates.

Read the method’s stated limitations, including possible exposure outside the measured channels. The linked Google documentation describes Google’s platform studies; it does not establish Beatly’s study procedure.

Read percentage points and relative lift together

Illustrative arithmetic, not a Beatly campaign result: if 30% of the exposed group and 25% of the control group give a positive answer, the difference is 5 percentage points. Relative lift is 20%, calculated as (30 − 25) ÷ 25.

Include both response rates and the calculation when sharing a lift figure.

Read the uncertainty and sample

Request the response counts for each group and the uncertainty around the estimate. Check the method’s requirements before interpreting a result or a subgroup.

A study with too few responses may not detect a meaningful difference. An inconclusive result does not establish that the campaign worked or that it had no effect. Keep that limitation with the reported figure.

Agree the study scope before launch

Brand lift is optional. Discuss eligibility, covered channels and cost while planning the campaign. Ask the proposed measurement team what the study can establish and what the report will contain.