How Frederica Built a 200-Influencer Program Driving 25% of Revenue with UpPromote

Frederica is a Portugal-based beauty and wellness brand founded by Vanessa, one of the country’s top health and lifestyle influencers, with over 600,000 Instagram followers.

They began as a personal project: Vanessa made melatonin-infused sleeping gummies to fix her own sleep, and her audience’s interest quickly turned that into a full business.

The brand has since expanded into hair health, skin tanning, and menstrual pain, growing well beyond their first product.

Why did Frederica turn to UpPromote for influencer marketing?

As Frederica grew, they faced a familiar tension: expanding their reach without drifting from their origins. Vanessa’s bond with her audience had always been a strength.

Influencer marketing felt like the natural next step, a way to keep that connection alive through a larger network of trusted voices.

But managing all those partnerships by hand got difficult. Frederica brought in UpPromote to organize their roster of influencers and follow their results, giving them room to scale.

How does Frederica leverage their CEO’s influence to recruit influencers?

Frederica’s biggest recruiting asset is their founder. The team leans on Vanessa’s name to reach influencers and has built a network of around 200 active influencers, all based in Portugal.

That local focus is deliberate: Portuguese influencers introduce the products to exactly the audience Frederica wants to reach.

Because our CEO is an influencer, we use her name a lot. That’s easier to reach big influencers. For those who aren’t responding to us, our CEO even gets in contact with them.

Giovanna Barione, Marketing Team Lead at Frederica

That founder-led outreach gives Frederica a head start most brands don’t have.

How does Frederica keep their influencer team high-quality?

Frederica recruits for quality, not volume, then holds influencers to clear standards from day one.

A three-month trial tied to sales targets

Every new influencer starts on a three-month contract. If they don’t hit sales targets in that window, they’re removed from the program, and Frederica is upfront about these terms before anyone joins.

We have a three-month contract. So after three months, their performance is analyzed. If it’s under a certain number, they get fired.

Giovanna Barione, Marketing Team Lead at Frederica

The trial keeps the roster focused on influencers who actually drive sales.

Clear posting rules, tracked in real time

Influencers must post at least one Instagram story a week and one feed post a month, tagging the brand each time, and the team reviews activity weekly.

UpPromote’s real-time tracking and analytics give Frederica visibility into each influencer’s clicks, referrals, and commissions, so they can spot top performers and catch underperformance early.

That data turns vague expectations into measurable standards.

How does Frederica build strong relationships with their influencers?

Beyond targets, Frederica invests in the relationship themself, through steady communication and in-person events.

Stay in constant communication

Frederica keeps in regular contact with their influencers, answering questions and concerns as they arise. The closer the relationship, the better influencers understand and promote the products.

UpPromote also lets brands stay connected through bulk emails or an in-app chat to share updates, launches, and promotions.

We like to create a good connection with the influencers and talk with them if they have any doubts or questions, or if they want to grow in this process with us

Joana Pedro, Influencer Marketing Specialist at Frederica

That openness keeps influencers engaged well past their first post.

Host in-person events

The brand also hosts events to deepen those bonds, mixing giveaways, product demos, and knowledge-sharing about their niche.

This year, we’ve already held two events for influencers… We treated influencers to a spa day and gifted them nail & hair products. The second event was a fitness class.

Giovanna Barione, Marketing Team Lead at Frederica

These gatherings turn a transactional program into a community.

How does Frederica equip influencers to promote?

Frederica lets each influencer promote with either an affiliate link or a coupon code. Coupons do most of the work: the majority of the brand’s referrals come from influencers sharing their codes.

For example, influencer Rafaela Figueiredo (65K+ followers) promoted the brand’s “Gummies to Tan” on her feed with an exclusive coupon code, which UpPromote tracks and credits to her.

UpPromote can also auto-assign coupon codes to new affiliates the moment they join, and lets merchants create custom codes for specific affiliates. However an influencer promotes, every referral is tracked.

That flexibility lets each influencer lead with whatever converts best for their audience.

What results has Frederica achieved?

In under a year of affiliate marketing with UpPromote, Frederica’s program has become a major channel.

The program now drives up to 25% of overall revenue, with an influencer team that has grown to 200 members.

The brand isn’t stopping there. They have set a bold goal of driving 50% of total sales through affiliate marketing.

This year, we’ve already held two events for influencers… We treated influencers to a spa day and gifted them nail & hair products. The second event was a fitness class.

Beatriz Patachão, Influencer Marketing Specialist at Frederica

You need to know your brand very well to find affiliates who are the right fit… you must build strong relationships with your affiliates. Make them feel like they are part of your community