How Gusto reached 23.6 million small business owners through authentic creator marketing

In this case study

1

14 of the 17 creators cast were already Gusto customers before the campaign began. impact.com's social listening tools found creators already talking about Gusto organically — meaning the endorsements were discovered, not manufactured.

2

Creators focused their in-feed content on personal stories and product benefits, keeping promotional details in captions and Stories only. This kept content evergreen long after tax season ended, compounding value over time.

3

Seven creators cross-posted across Instagram and TikTok, more than doubling influencer reach. A paid amplification strategy on both platforms pushed impressions well beyond the original 3.5 million target.

Gusto helps nearly 400,000 small and medium-sized businesses run payroll, benefits, and HR. To reach new SMB owners at the exact moment tax season made switching tools impossible to ignore, impact.com helped Gusto recruit real customers as creators — not influencers playing a role. The result: a campaign that far exceeded their goals.

By shifting their creator mix from broad reach to authentic peer advocacy, Gusto saw:

  • 23.6M impressions — 6.8x goal
  • 3.7M influencer reach — 2.2x goal
  • 225K link clicks — 1.8x goal

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