Heretic, the indie perfume brand founded by Douglas Little, doubled its revenue by partnering with unexpected cultural figures rather than chasing mainstream celebrity endorsements, according to Glossy. The brand collaborated with the niche podcast "Las Culturistas," cult filmmaker John Waters, and other B-side pop culture entities — people and properties with devoted but smaller audiences — instead of competing for the same influencers every beauty brand pursues.

Little structured each collaboration around shared values and aesthetic alignment, not follower count. The "Las Culturistas" partnership, for example, produced a limited-edition scent tied to the podcast's specific cultural references and inside jokes. The John Waters collaboration leaned into his transgressive aesthetic, creating a fragrance that matched his brand of refined subversion. Each release was positioned as a cultural artifact for fans of that specific figure, not a mass-market play. The result: high conversion rates among small, engaged audiences who already trusted the collaborator.

The mechanism works because B-side collaborations carry lower licensing costs and higher trust density. A cult podcast or filmmaker charges a fraction of what a mainstream celebrity demands, but their audience converts at rates celebrities cannot match. When John Waters endorses a scent, his fans assume it reflects his actual taste. When a generic influencer posts a paid fragrance ad, the audience assumes nothing. Heretic's collaborations functioned as editorial recommendations embedded in products, not advertisements. The brand also avoided the saturation problem: competing for the same influencer as fifty other beauty brands dilutes message clarity. Partnering with a figure no one else is courting creates a clear, uncontested association.

The steal for a small physical-product brand starts with identifying your niche's cultural B-sides — the podcasters, writers, artists, or local figures your target customer already follows and trusts. Reach out directly with a simple trade: a co-designed limited edition of your product in exchange for their authentic endorsement to their audience. Structure the deal as a $500-$2,000 flat fee or a rev-share on units sold through a custom discount code. Co-design the product variation with them — a colorway, scent, packaging detail, or label that references their work or inside jokes with their audience. Produce a small batch (50-200 units) to start. Let them announce it to their audience as something they made with you, not something they are paid to promote. The key is the collaborator must genuinely use and like your product category, and their audience must be a tight match for your customer. A soap brand partners with a niche design blogger. A candle brand works with a regional book club host. A hot sauce brand collaborates with a local food writer. The tighter and smaller the audience, the higher the conversion rate and the lower the cost.

This is not influencer marketing. It is co-creation with people who have already done the cultural work of building trust in a specific community. The product becomes proof of the collaboration, not a vehicle for an ad.