Norfolk Southern set out to elevate its social presence by humanizing a historically industrial brand through authentic, creator-led storytelling. The objective was to test whether micro-influencers, trusted voices with deep credibility inside railfan and enthusiast communities, could drive higher engagement, stronger sentiment, and more meaningful connections than traditional brand content alone.
Rather than pursuing reach at scale, the strategy prioritized relevance and trust. The campaign aimed to:
Build a blueprint for authentic, social-first rail storytelling
Establish Norfolk Southern as an industry first-mover in creator partnerships
Increase engagement rates and watch time across social platforms
Capture content from the audience’s perspective while maintaining brand integrity
All creators selected had fewer than 100K followers at the time of launch and were chosen for their passion for rail culture, strong content quality, geographic diversity across Norfolk Southern’s 22-state footprint, and proven engagement within niche communities. The pilot program was designed not just to test performance, but to create a scalable model for future creator collaboration.
Norfolk Southern partnered with broadhead to launch a first-of-its-kind micro-creator pilot that integrated three rail enthusiasts as content partners rather than traditional influencers. These creators were not polished lifestyle influencers — they were genuine railfans with established credibility and tight-knit audiences.
To bring the program to life, broadhead developed a comprehensive onboarding process, including creator education, content guidelines, usage rights, and exclusivity agreements. Each creator delivered a base set of Instagram and Facebook Reels or carousels, along with raw footage for Norfolk Southern to repurpose across owned and paid channels. Bonus content allowed flexibility for organic storytelling moments as they emerged.
The creative approach emphasized narrative-led content over scenic visuals alone. Creators shared personal stories tied to rail heritage, economic impact, and everyday moments on the rails — content that felt native to their feeds while subtly reinforcing Norfolk Southern’s role in communities nationwide.
Because these creators were not professional influencers, hands-on coaching was essential. The broadhead team provided ongoing guidance around process, pacing, brand safety, and best practices — ensuring content stayed authentic without sacrificing clarity or consistency.
The campaign rolled out in multiple flights from May through August, allowing the team to refine creative direction in real time. Later flights consistently outperformed earlier ones, validating the program’s learning-forward structure and demonstrating that creator performance sharpened with iteration.
The micro-creator pilot exceeded benchmarks across every major performance metric, proving the power of authentic voices over traditional brand-first content.
Across 13 published creator posts, the program generated 786,395 total views and a 6.54% average engagement rate — a +292% lift over the 1.67% benchmark. Total watch time reached 31 days and 18 hours, indicating strong viewer retention and storytelling impact.
Content drove thousands of saves and shares, signaling emotional resonance and peer-to-peer value within enthusiast communities. One top collaborative Reel surpassed 108,000 views, demonstrating that micro-creators could deliver breakout performance when paired with the right story.
Beyond metrics, the campaign succeeded in redefining how Norfolk Southern shows up on social. Creators became dual-use assets — fueling both credibility within niche communities and scalable reach through repurposing on owned channels. The success of the pilot directly led to the expansion of the program into Phase 2, cementing micro-influencers as a core component of Norfolk Southern’s long-term social strategy.
