How to get influencers to promote your product

Why a creator would post at all

A gifted creator owes you nothing. They post when the product is something their audience wants to see, it looks good on camera, and they actually like it. Every step below is about making those three things true before the box ships, not about pressure after.

Be ready for most creators not to post. In Traackr’s 2023 survey of 305 marketers, 61% said fewer than half of the creators who receive a product end up posting. Plan your numbers around that, and the program still works.

1. Find creators who already fit

The creators most likely to post about your product are the ones already posting about products like it. You can find them by hand, without a paid database:

• Start with people who know you. Look at who tags your brand, comments on your posts, or is a repeat customer with a public account. Check your Shopify orders for names you recognise.
• Search the problem, not the product. On TikTok, Instagram and YouTube Shorts, search what your customer types: “dry scalp”, “gym snacks”, “sensitive skin routine”. Save the creators who show products in their videos.
• Follow the trail. When you find one good creator, look at who comments on their videos and who they collaborate with. Similar creators cluster.
• Look next door. See which creators post about brands that sit next to yours (a cleanser brand if you sell moisturizer), and who they show alongside it.

A two-minute check before you add someone

• Their last 10 videos include products, and not only paid ones.
• Comments read like real people asking real questions, not a wall of emoji.
• Their views are steady across recent posts, not one hit and nothing else.
• They live where you ship, and their audience seems to as well.
• They’d have a reason to use your product: the right skin type, diet, routine.

Don’t chase follower counts. Small creators who review your category every week are often the best first sends. See nano influencers for why, and use the engagement rate calculator to compare creators of different sizes.

2. Ask before you send

A surprise box is easy to ignore. A short message asking whether they’d like the product does three things: it filters out people who don’t want it, it gets you the right address and shade, and it turns a parcel into a conversation. Keep it short and personal.

Hi {name}, I’m {your name} from {brand}. Your video on {specific video} is why I’m writing: {one line on what you liked}. We make {product}, and I think it fits your {routine/use}. Could I send you one to try? It’s a gift, no obligation to post. If you’d like it, just reply with your address and {shade/size/flavor}. {your name}

• Name a real video. It proves you looked, and it’s the line they’ll remember.
• Say it’s a gift with no obligation. Then mean it.
• Send from a person. Replies should land with someone who answers.
• DM if they don’t list an email. Many creators put a contact email in their bio; use it when it’s there.

More versions, from the first hello to the thank you, are in our gifting email templates.

3. Send something worth filming

• Full-size, not samples. A full product is a real gift and lasts long enough to review honestly.
• One hero product. A box of eight things gets a haul video at best. One product gets a review.
• Packaging that opens well on camera. It doesn’t need to be expensive. It needs to look intentional.
• A handwritten note. Two or three lines: thanks, what it’s for, and how to reach you.
• A small card with the basics: how to use it, your handle, and a friendly line about disclosure.

On cost, work out what one kit costs you to make, pack and ship before you pick how many to send. The influencer marketing budget post shows how.

4. Make posting easy

A gift isn’t a brief, so don’t send talking points or deadlines. You can still remove the friction:

• Put your exact handle on the card, for each platform, so tagging is one tap.
• Say in one sentence what the product does and who it’s for. That’s what they’ll repeat.
• Tell them the honest timeline: “Most people notice a difference after two weeks.” It stops a review after day one.
• Give a discount code for their audience if you want one. It also lets you count sales later.
• Remind them to disclose. The FTC’s guide for influencers says free products are a material connection, and that in a video “the disclosure should be in the video and not just in the description”. Our disclosure guide has wording that’s easy to say.

5. Time it right

Creators plan content ahead, and some products need days or weeks of use before an honest review. Aim for arrival two to three weeks before you want posts: a launch, a season, a sale. Send a short message with the tracking link the day it ships, so they know it’s coming.

6. Follow up once

Around two weeks after delivery, send one warm check-in: did it arrive, how are they finding it? Don’t mention a post. Make “no” easy.

Hi {name}, just checking the {product} made it to you okay. Would love to hear what you think once you’ve tried it. No pressure at all. {your name}

Before you send it, check whether they already posted. Creators often show a product without tagging you, so search their recent TikToks, Reels and Shorts for the product itself, not just your handle. If they posted untagged, thank them first and ask for the tag as a favor.

7. What to do about creators who don’t post

• Check it arrived. Some “ghosting” is a parcel that went to an old address or sat at a depot.
• Wait about 30 days from delivery before you close it out.
• Don’t ask for the product back, and don’t chase twice. Creators talk to each other.
• After two gifts with no post and no reply, leave them off the next send. That’s a fit signal, not a judgment.

The full playbook is in when a gifted creator doesn’t post.

8. Pay the ones who proved themselves

Gifting is how you find the creators worth paying. A creator who posted unpaid, made a good video and got steady views is a far safer paid post than a stranger with a big following. When you’re ready, price the post from their typical views with the influencer rate calculator, write a short brief, and agree the deliverables in writing. The whole ladder is in our influencer marketing strategy.

Mistakes that lower your post rate

• Sending to reach, not fit. A big creator who never shows products like yours rarely starts with yours.
• Turning the gift into a brief. Deadlines and required hashtags make a gift feel like unpaid work.
• A generic message. “Hey babe, love your content!” reads like a template, because it is.
• Counting only tags. You’ll write off creators who posted and lose your best relationships.
• No record. Without a roster you re-send to non-posters and forget the people who loved you. Start with the free tracking spreadsheet.