Influencer Marketing Is Broken — Here’s the Fix

In this episode, Jordan West sits down with Yash Chavan, Founder & CEO of Saral, to break down why 99% of e-commerce brands are doing influencer marketing completely wrong — and how to fix it by building an owned creator community instead of relying on rented audiences.They dive deep into:The shift from paid → earned → owned mediaWhy owning your influencer/creator community is the ultimate growth moatThe Predictable Influence Pyramid — seeding, affiliates, and top-tier partnershipsHow creators are the new “geese” that lay golden eggs (and why most brands kill the goose)Why attribution is broken & how to measure halo effectsHow Saral vets fake followers and tracks real performanceThe future of social commerce: TikTok Shop, Walmart Live, Amazon LiveWhen brands should offer creators equityWhere AI fits into influencer marketing (and what it can’t replace)If you’re a DTC founder or marketer looking to scale without relying only on paid ads, this episode is a masterclass in building repeatable, predictable, creator-led growth.Love this episode? Explore more interviews with top founders & CEOs 👇:https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAZH9F3eONKsuZvt58ysaZua1D4ZKdMuo&si=m86_J_RYdHSN_I_l=============================== 🔗 - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-west-marketer/🐦 - Twitter: https://twitter.com/jordantwestecom