Marketing Strategy Academy with Jen Vazquez · Jen Vazquez | Pinterest Manager, Marketing Strategist + Brand Photographer

296 | Unlocking the Power of Nano-Influencers: How to Build Authentic Brand Connections with Vicky Boudreau

·24 min·1 clip

Vicky says a flight simulator campaign produced a four-time return on investment.

Jen sets the tone by welcoming Vicky Boudreau and introducing her as the co-founder and CEO of Heylist. Vicky brings both platform experience and agency experience to the conversation. She also shares the background of Bitcom, the Marcom agency she co-founded and grew over 18 years into a team of 40-plus professionals. The discussion quickly settles into nano-influencers and why they matter right now. Jen makes room for the basic question of what a nano-influencer even is. Vicky answers it in a way that keeps the topic easy to follow. The exchange stays centered on how smaller creators can still drive meaningful engagement and authenticity for brands. Vicky stresses that brands need genuine and authentic partnerships. She points out that smaller brands often already have people cheering them on. Those super cheerleaders can be found on Instagram through comments, likes, and direct messages. She describes them as the low-hanging fruit for early activation. The conversation also goes deeper on what to look for in engagement. Vicky says likes and comments alone are not enough. She wants to see the kind of conversation happening beneath a post. Questions from followers matter because they signal trust and attention. Jen agrees and helps translate that idea into a usable marketing lens. The two then compare smaller creators with celebrity-level reach. Vicky is clear that the choice depends on the goal. She does not argue that bigger influencers are bad. Instead, she treats nano-influencers as a different tier with a more grassroots function. The discussion also touches the visual side of content. Vicky says authentic photos and cell phone videos can outperform polished brand assets. She mentions testing her own account and seeing stronger engagement on more casual imagery. That point reinforces the episode's larger theme. Realness can travel farther than perfection when people are craving something believable. Jen keeps the tone warm and curious throughout. The result is a practical conversation about influence that feels human rather than hype-driven. It leaves brands with a clear invitation to look closer at the people already paying attention.

As heard by us

A clear case for nano-influencers, with authenticity and engagement carrying more weight than reach.

The piece makes a solid case for nano-influencers as a better fit for brands that cannot spend at celebrity level. It keeps the focus on people who already show up in the comments, likes, and DMs, which is the right place to start because those followers are already warm and…

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Why you'd press play

Use nano-influencers to find authentic, grassroots reach without chasing vanity metrics.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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