Smaller creators often win.
A creator with 20,000 followers who really knows their audience can sell more than one with two million who does not.
Smaller creators cost less and reply faster. Try five of them before you pay for one big name.
Insights
Simple notes on influencer marketing.
Short and practical. No jargon, no hype. Read one in two minutes.
Write the brief on one page.
Say what the product is, the one thing you want people to remember, and what to avoid. Add a few examples you like.
Then leave room. People trust creators because they sound like themselves, not like an advert.
Put every deal in writing.
Agree the number of posts, the dates, the price, and who owns the content. A short contract avoids almost every argument.
Pay on time. Creators talk to each other, and the good ones only work with brands that pay.
Ask for ad rights from the start.
Great creator content makes great ads. But you need permission to run it as one, and it is cheaper to ask before the shoot.
Agree how long you can use it and on which platforms.
Give every creator a link and a code.
Followers and likes are nice, but sales are better. A tracking link and a discount code per creator show you who really brings customers.
Do this every time and, after three campaigns, you will know exactly who to work with again.
Start small, then scale the winners.
Run a first test with a handful of creators and a small budget. Look at what worked, and put more behind the best ones.
Big first campaigns tend to be expensive lessons. Small ones are cheap lessons.