The New Rules of Influencer Marketing for Wineries

For a long time, I wasn’t particularly supportive of influencer marketing for wineries. To me, it seemed that influencers were often more focused on building their own brands than on genuinely advocating for the companies they partnered with. And while I still think there’s truth to this—many influencers do prioritize their own visibility over a brand’s success—I’ve come to recognize how much the landscape has changed. Social media algorithms have made it harder and harder for small brands, especially those in regulated industries like alcohol, to reach new customers organically. Without paid ads or influencer partnerships, cutting through the noise has become a near-impossible task.

In this new environment, influencer marketing can be a valuable way to get your brand in front of targeted audiences. But for alcohol beverage brands, it’s not as straightforward as sending out a product and hoping for a positive post. There are real challenges and risks involved, especially around affiliate marketing and regulatory guidelines. The following article dives into the evolving dynamics of influencer marketing, with a special focus on the unique considerations for wine sellers.

How Influencer Marketing Has Evolved for Wine Brands

In its early days, influencer marketing for wineries relied heavily on costly celebrity endorsements. Today, social media has opened up new pathways for brands, as ordinary users with strong followings—often in niche communities—have become influential in their own right. Wine brands are using these “micro” and “nano” influencers to reach more engaged, relevant audiences and to create highly targeted campaigns.

This evolution means that wine brands can now refine their approach, focusing on authentic storytelling and niche audience engagement. However, the regulatory risks are just as present as ever. Meeting Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) guidelines while ensuring brand safety requires vigilance in everything from targeting to messaging. One misstep and the repercussions can include hefty fines and serious brand damage.

Before diving in to influencer marketing, it’s essential that any alcohol seller weigh compliance against marketing, making precise choices about partnerships, audience targeting, and responsible communication.

WE ARE NOT LAWYERS.

Be sure to seek legal advice when drafting influencer contracts and require a thorough review process for all influencer content.

Common Approaches for Influencer Partnerships in Wine Marketing

As brands move away from mega-influencers in favor of community-centric micro- and nano-influencers, alcohol brands should be taking note. Micro-influencers (10K–100K followers) and nano-influencers (1K–10K followers) offer high engagement and closer connections with their audiences. For wine brands, these smaller influencers can reach niche, adult-focused communities in a more controlled and authentic way.

Long-Term Partnerships Over One-Off Deals

Lifestyle brands are increasingly shifting toward long-term partnerships with influencers who genuinely align with brand values, allowing them to incorporate the brand more naturally into their content. Long-term ambassadorships offer wine brands the chance to reinforce responsible drinking messages consistently. These partnerships allow influencers to integrate the brand into their routines and lifestyle authentically. By choosing influencers who align with the brand’s values, alcohol brands can ensure that their products are promoted with an emphasis on responsible enjoyment.

Product Seeding

Sending complimentary products to influencers allows alcohol brands to build organic content while ensuring influencers understand and enjoy the product before promoting it. Alcohol brands must use verified age-gated methods when delivering products and ensure influencers disclose the partnership clearly to comply with the FTC and TTB. Influencers should avoid content that suggests excessive consumption and should incorporate messages about responsible drinking.

Co-Created Content or Account Takeovers

It’s not uncommon for brands to allow influencers to take over their social accounts temporarily, offering a fresh voice and reaching new audiences. However, for takeovers and co-created content, alcohol brands need to ensure all messaging aligns with responsible drinking guidelines. Influencers involved in takeovers should use clear disclosures and emphasize the brand’s commitment to responsible enjoyment.

Affiliate Marketing and Discount Codes with Transparent Disclosure

Affiliate marketing can be an effective way for alcohol brands to get in front of new audiences, but it carries specific and extreme risks. For one, influencers need to clearly disclose affiliate links or codes to comply with FTC guidelines, which require transparency around sponsored content. The TTB also restricts certain messaging around alcohol, meaning that brands must be careful with how affiliate-linked promotions are communicated.

To ensure compliance, alcohol brands should draft strict disclosure guidelines for influencers, outlining not only how to disclose but also how to communicate responsibly. Affiliates should avoid making health-related claims or portraying alcohol as enhancing social or emotional states. In the alcohol space, it’s essential to prioritize transparency and responsible messaging over short-term sales boosts.

Event-Based Campaigns and Live Streaming

The rise of live streaming and social commerce has allowed brands to host interactive events, such as virtual tastings or cocktail-making sessions. For compliance, these events must be restricted to viewers over 21, often through platform settings or registration requirements. Influencers can demonstrate product uses in real-time, answer questions, and provide responsible drinking messages, blending entertainment with education.

Avoiding the Regulatory Minefield

Alcohol marketing requires careful adherence to FTC and TTB content guidelines. The FTC mandates visible disclosures for partnerships, and the TTB prohibits any suggestion that alcohol consumption leads to health benefits or exaggerated social status.

Brands should make compliance an integral part of their influencer agreements. This means providing influencers with clear guidelines on messaging and responsible drinking, as well as prohibiting content that shows excessive consumption or links alcohol to success or attractiveness. When in doubt, it’s always better to err on the side of responsible promotion.

Below are key considerations that should be emphasized in influencer partnerships:

Monitoring and Moderating User-Generated Content (UGC)

Alcohol brands that encourage UGC must actively moderate it to ensure compliance. This means avoiding reposting or resharing UGC that may imply irresponsible drinking or reach underage audiences. Any UGC campaign should include disclaimers on responsible consumption.

Age-Restricted Content and Targeting

As platforms like TikTok and Instagram continue to skew younger, age-gating content is an absolute must. In the U.S., alcohol advertising materials can only appear in media where the advertiser reasonably expects that 71.6% of the audience is 21 or older, and influencer content is advertising. This requirement means that age verification and careful influencer vetting are crucial before launching campaigns. Despite recent updates to permit alcohol advertising, some brands have opted to avoid TikTok entirely, cautious of the challenges of verifying an adult audience.

Transparency and Disclosure Requirements

Both the FTC and TTB require influencers to clearly disclose sponsored content. Brands must instruct influencers to use clear phrases such as “#Sponsored” or “#Ad” in a prominent position, and brands should monitor content for compliance.

Content Restrictions and Responsible Messaging

Alcohol brands must avoid content that depicts excessive drinking or suggests health benefits from alcohol consumption. Influencers should avoid any language that implies alcohol consumption leads to success, attractiveness, or enhanced confidence. Responsible drinking messages should be incorporated into posts, especially during event-based campaigns or live-streaming sessions.

Platform-Specific Guidelines

Each social media platform has specific guidelines for alcohol advertising. For instance, Facebook and Instagram require alcohol-related content to be age-gated. Alcohol brands should work closely with platform representatives to stay updated on platform policies.

Key Metrics for Influencer Campaigns

Gone are the days when likes and follower counts were enough to gauge effectiveness; today, influencer marketing is a data-driven endeavor, with brands diving deep into insights that reveal real impact on engagement, sales, and brand alignment. These evolved metrics provide a clear view into both the return on investment and the regulatory soundness of influencer partnerships, enabling alcohol brands to build profitable campaigns in a competitive landscape.

Engagement Rate

This metric measures audience interaction with influencer content, including likes, comments, and shares. Higher engagement often signifies a loyal, invested audience, which can be more valuable than sheer follower count.

Conversion Rate and ROI

Direct conversions measure how influencer content leads to actual purchases, making it a core metric for DTC brands. Unique discount codes, UTM links, and affiliate links help brands attribute sales to specific influencers, providing a clear view of ROI.

Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)

CPA calculates the cost of acquiring a new customer through an influencer campaign. This metric is particularly important for performance-based partnerships, allowing brands to compare the effectiveness of different influencers or content formats.

Content Longevity

Some influencer content, such as tutorials or reviews, continues to generate engagement well beyond the initial posting. Tracking the longevity of influencer content helps brands understand the lasting impact of campaigns, especially when compared to short-lived traditional ads.

Avoiding Common Pitfalls in Influencer Marketing

Despite its growing ease and effectiveness, influencer marketing still comes with several common pitfalls that can hinder campaign success. So along with compliance and influencer criteria, wine brands need to consider the following:

Authenticity

With audiences growing skeptical of endorsements, wine brands should seek influencers who genuinely align with their values. Prioritizing influencers whose personal brand resonates with the wine seller’s ethos ensures a more believable partnership.

Content Saturation

Influencer content can quickly become overwhelming for audiences. Brands are adapting by encouraging influencers to create content that blends seamlessly with organic posts, making promotions feel more natural.

Data Privacy and Platform Changes

As data privacy rules evolve, brands may need to adapt by relying on organic engagement and direct feedback from audiences. Keeping campaigns focused on high-engagement influencers can offset the limitations of ad tracking.

Embracing the New Rules of Influencer Marketing

So, here we are. I’ll finally admit that influencer marketing isn’t just a passing trend anymore. But we also know it’s not as simple as handing over a bottle and hoping for the best. Today’s influencer marketing requires a thoughtful, strategic approach: building relationships that feel genuine, respecting regulations, and focusing on real results rather than just follower counts.

If you’re feeling that all of this sounds like a lot to juggle (and let’s be honest, it is), we get it. When you’re ready to navigate the complexities of influencer marketing with confidence, we’re here to help make it all a bit simpler—and a lot more impactful.