Eight steps to a micro influencer marketing reporting dashboard

What to take away

The usual mistake is building the dashboard before agreeing which decisions it must support, so it reports everything and answers nothing.
Write down the decisions first, then work back to metrics, sources and refresh cadence.
Keep platform metrics (reach, views, engagement) separate from commercial metrics (sales, sign-ups, margin).
Store disclosure evidence, creative approvals and spend together, because ASA and Meta rules both require it.
Test the dashboard on one live campaign before rolling it out to every creator.

Why do most micro influencer marketing dashboards fail?

They start with data. A team connects every platform, pulls every metric and presents a wall of numbers nobody acts on.

Start with the decision instead. Ask what changes if the dashboard shows a creator underperforming. If the answer is nothing, that metric does not belong.

The parent guide to measurement and reporting sets out the framework this dashboard slots into.

How do you choose the metrics before building?

List the decisions first, then the metrics that inform them. Renewing a creator needs cost per acquisition and content quality, not total likes.

Metric Layers by Decision

Delivery

Renewal: Posts published
Spend: Spend
Quality: Brief

Engagement

Renewal: Saves, comments
Spend: Views
Quality: Content quality

Commercial

Renewal: CPA, sign-ups
Spend: Sales
Quality: Sign-ups

Group metrics into three layers: delivery, engagement and commercial. Delivery covers posts published and spend. Engagement covers views, saves and comments. Commercial covers sales and sign-ups.

Label every illustrative figure. A creator charging £400 for a post that drives 20 sign-ups works out at £20 per sign-up: a labelled example, not a benchmark.

Which steps should you follow in order?

Write down the five decisions the dashboard must support, with the person who owns each one.
List the metrics that inform those decisions and delete everything else.
Identify the source for each metric: platform API, affiliate link, discount code or CRM.
Agree a refresh cadencedaily for spend, weekly for engagement, monthly for commercial outcomes.
Build the creator record first, including fees, brief, disclosure status and content links.
Add the delivery and engagement layer, then the commercial layer, keeping them visually separate.
Test against one live campaign and check whether each decision can actually be made.
Document definitions, owners and update rules before wider rollout.

How do you handle disclosure and creative evidence?

Disclosure is not a reporting afterthought. Store the approved caption, the disclosure label used and the date it went live against each creator record.

The ASA resource library provides guidance for influencers and brands on making ads recognisable. Keep dated evidence rather than a screenshot taken weeks later.

Meta's branded content policies set out its rules for influencer partnerships. Check them before you approve a post, not after.

For video campaigns, the IAB UK principles for digital video creative best practice are worth reading alongside the creative brief.

How do you present the numbers without misleading anyone?

Show ranges, not single points. A creator with three posts has too little data for a confident average, so show the raw numbers and the count.

Separate paid from organic reach. If a post is boosted, the paid reach belongs in a different column.

State the date and source of every figure. A dashboard showing "48,000 views" with no date or platform is unusable six weeks later.

What should you review each month?

Review whether the decisions were made, whether the metrics still match them and whether any creator record is missing disclosure evidence.

The article on common measurement mistakes explains why dashboards drift once they enter routine use, and how to catch it early.

Retire metrics nobody has used for a month. Dashboards grow by default unless someone prunes them.

Common questions

How many metrics should a micro influencer dashboard show?

Fewer than most teams expect. If the dashboard supports five decisions, it rarely needs more than fifteen metrics across the three layers.

Can I build this in a spreadsheet?

Yes, for a pilot. A creator tab, a delivery tab and a commercial tab will handle a first campaign and force you to define terms properly.

How often should the numbers refresh?

Match the cadence to the decision. Spend needs daily checks during a live campaign, while commercial outcomes can wait for a monthly review.

Do I need consent to report on creator content?

You need permission to reuse creator content in your own reporting. Agree that in the contract before the campaign starts.