A good influencer campaign is not “find creator, send product, wait for post”. The work before publication usually determines whether the content feels natural, whether the brand has the rights it needs and whether anyone can measure the result afterwards.
1. Start with the job, not the influencer
Decide whether you need awareness, content, traffic, sales or a potential long-term ambassador. IAB UK's creator-marketing guidance stresses the importance of choosing creator relationships that make sense for the brand rather than treating creator marketing as one generic channel.
Source:IAB UK – Creator Connections.
2. Find people who fit the job
Look beyond followers: audience, sport, geography, content quality, on-camera ability, previous partnerships and whether the person can credibly use the product. Use our athlete database as a starting point.
3. Write a brief that gives direction, not a script
Specify the objective, mandatory product facts, claims to avoid, deliverables, format, deadline and CTA. Leave room for the creator's own language. If every creator sounds like the brand manager, you have probably over-written the brief.
4. Define what you are actually buying
Separate production from publication, usage rights, editing rights, paid amplification, exclusivity and event attendance. A £500 Reel published organically is a different product from the same Reel licensed for six months of paid advertising.
5. Agree the fee and performance model
Use fixed fees, affiliate commission, gifting or a hybrid according to the objective. For UK nano and micro benchmarks, see our UK influencer rates guide.
6. Put the important terms in writing
Deliverables, dates, approval rounds, payment, licensing, cancellation, exclusivity and disclosure responsibilities should not live across five DMs.
7. Make the ad obvious
ASA/CAP guidance says influencer advertising needs to be obviously identifiable. Its current advice generally expects a prominent upfront “Ad” label where content is advertising; a tag or discount code alone is not enough.
Source:ASA/CAP, Recognising ads: Social media and influencer marketing.
8. Keep approval focused
Check facts, mandatory claims, product presentation, disclosure and technical quality. Do not edit every creator into the same person.
9. Report against the original objective
Collect creator-level results, not only campaign averages. Reach, engagement, clicks, sales and paid-media performance answer different questions.
10. Treat the first campaign as a test for the second
The best outcome may be discovering who you want to work with again. Strong creators can become recurring partners or ambassadors rather than forcing the brand to restart recruitment every month.
Next: build a brand ambassador programme or learn how to measure influencer marketing properly.
