Originally published by SheSpeaks CEO, Aliza Freud, in Forbes on June 22, 2026

Retail media has become one of the fastest-growing channels in marketing. As brands continue increasing investments in retail media networks, much of the conversation has focused on targeting, measurement and media placements.

Those things matter. But in my experience, one of the biggest drivers of retail media performance is often overlooked: the content itself.

Shoppers don’t suddenly become interested in a product when they land on a retailer website. Many purchase decisions begin much earlier through creator content, reviews, recommendations and social media.

As influencer marketing and retail media continue to converge, here are four ways brands can make their content work harder throughout the shopper journey.

1. Start with audience motivations, not demographics.

Demographics can tell you who your audience is. They don’t always tell you why they buy.

One of the most effective ways I’ve found to improve campaign performance is to understand the motivations, frustrations and needs driving purchase behavior.

For example, one company we worked with was looking to generate interest around its shaving products over the summer time. We developed three need states:

• Need State 1: “Sensitive skin girlies.” The creative concept/hook focused on a sensitive skin shaving routine and emphasized product ingredients and blade quality.

• Need State 2: Booked and busy. The creative concept/hook was a week in the life (gym, office, girls’ night out). It emphasized a convenient and trusted shaving outcome.

• Need State 3: Summer vacation traveler. The creative concept/hook for this one focused on prepping for vacation and “everything shower” essentials. It emphasized a smooth shave and luxe experience.

By creating three distinct “need states”/core need/problem, we were able to have different creative messaging and find distinct audiences to appeal for each need state. This allowed us to achieve significantly better click-through rates and conversions versus benchmark.

Today, marketers have access to an abundance of consumer signals, from product reviews to online communities. These insights can reveal opportunities that traditional audience targeting alone may miss.

Before building creative, spend time understanding what problem your audience is trying to solve.

2. Build creative around personas, not products.

Many campaigns start with the product message. Instead, consider starting with the audience mindset.

For example, the same product may appeal to a busy parent, an enthusiast or a trend-focused shopper for entirely different reasons. Creating unique content for each audience often drives stronger engagement than trying to create one message that works for everyone.

We’ve seen this approach to content generate 80% increases year over year on media results. Why?

Consumers don’t buy products. They buy solutions, outcomes and experience.

3. Optimize content throughout the funnel.

One mistake I often see brands make is expecting a single piece of content to accomplish everything. The content that drives awareness is not always the content that drives conversion.

Awareness-stage content should focus on storytelling and relatability. Consideration-stage content should introduce stronger product differentiation. Purchase-stage content should make the case for why a shopper should act now.

Small creative adjustments can significantly improve performance at different stages of the funnel.

4. Think beyond social media.

Too often, influencer content is treated as a social media asset. The reality is that high-performing creator content can often be repurposed across retail media placements, retailer search experiences, product detail pages, brand shops and category pages.

This creates a more consistent shopper experience, while also helping brands maximize the return on their content investment.

The best creator content shouldn’t live in one place. It should support the entire path to purchase.

Final Thoughts

As retail media continues to mature, I believe the most successful brands will be those that stop viewing influencer marketing and retail media as separate disciplines.

Both are ultimately trying to accomplish the same thing: connect with shoppers in relevant ways that drive action.

The brands that win will be the ones that pair strong audience understanding with content designed to meet shoppers wherever they are in the journey.

Interested in learning more for your brand? Please fill out this short form to get in touch or email Missy.Tiller@shespeaks.com directly.