Creator seeding that gets posts, not just parcels.
Most seeding programmes measure what they send. We measure what comes back. This is the nine stage process we use to run seeding and gifting across Europe, North America and Australia, and the checks that decide who gets a parcel.
The problem with most seeding
Seeding programmes tend to report the parcels they send. It's an easy number to grow, and it says almost nothing about what the brand gets back. In the programmes we review, a large share of the creators contacted never receive a package, and post rates drift down when nobody tracks what happens after delivery.
The fix wasn't more parcels. It was a process where every creator moves through the same stages, every step is logged and the target is posts, not sends.
Nine stages, left to right
Each creator is a row in one tracker, and the columns follow the stages in order, so the row reads as that creator's history.
- Source. Inbound requests, people already engaging with the brand's posts, platform search tools and creators other brands have seeded.
- Vet. Audience, recency, brand work and content quality checked and recorded.
- Approve. The client says yes, no or change, and picks the products.
- Outreach. A message in the market's language, with two follow ups on day 3 and day 7, then the creator is closed.
- Opt in. One form for terms, address, size and usage rights.
- Send. Shipped within three working days, with tracking logged.
- Content. One post within 14 days of delivery, tagged and labelled #ad.
- Results. Each post scored on views, engagement rate and content quality.
- Roster. Strong creators move up, weak ones stay on the first tier and those who don't post aren't seeded again.
Vet before the client sees them
Follower counts are easy to inflate and say little about who's watching. These are the checks we run, with the pass marks we suggest as a starting point.
| Check | Suggested pass mark |
|---|---|
| Real audience | Authentic audience score of 70 or more |
| Audience in market | 50% or more |
| Recent activity | Posted in the last 30 days |
| Brand work | Any in the past year |
| Follower band | Set for each client |
| Content quality | Above our creative threshold |
Two tiers, earned
New creators start on Tier 1, a product sent direct through Amazon gifting with a brief by message. It's fast, and shipping inside each market means no international postage. Creators who post on time move up to Tier 2, a designed PR box with a printed brief and a note. Premium products go only to creators with a track record.
When a post performs well, we ask for image rights and test it as a paid partnership ad. Creators who ask for payment move to the paid influencer budget, so seeding becomes the shortlist for paid work.
Opt in, then the clock starts
Outreach ends with an opt in, not just an address. The creator agrees to the terms, the usage rights and one post within 14 days, labelled as an ad in line with the ASA and CMA guide in the UK and the FTC's rules in the US. Addresses go in a restricted file and are deleted after delivery.
Delivery sets the post by date. A thank you message and the brief go out on delivery, with reminders on day 7 and day 12. Posts that tag the brand are picked up automatically through the platforms' own data, and each one is checked for the #ad label before it counts. On day 21 an unposted creator is closed.
- Measure posts, not parcels
- One tracker, nine stages, every step logged
- Vet creators before the client sees them
- Make the opt in clear, then start a 14 day clock
Set targets that track content
A target of so many packages a month rewards sending. Pair it with a posts target and the whole programme starts optimising for content. It also shows the real work. At a one in three conversion from contact to send, ten packages in a market each month means around thirty contacts, so outreach needs planning, not just budget.
We run this process through Freak Creators in Freak Lab, and our influencer team runs seeding, gifting and paid campaigns together.
Sources
- Influencers' guide to making clear that ads are ads, ASA and CMA
- Disclosures 101 for social media influencers, Federal Trade Commission
Questions clients ask us.
What is creator seeding?
Creator seeding is sending products to creators who have opted in to try them and post about them. Unlike a paid campaign there's usually no fee, so it's a cost effective way to build reach and content, and to find creators worth paying later.
Do seeded posts need an #ad label?
If a creator has agreed to post in return for the product, it's an ad and needs to be labelled clearly. In the UK that's covered by the ASA and CMA guidance, and in the US by the FTC's disclosure rules.
How do you vet creators for seeding?
We check an authentic audience score of 70 or more, at least half the audience in the target market, a post in the last 30 days, recent brand work, the follower band set for the client and the quality of their content.
How do you get more creators to post?
Ask for an opt in with clear terms before anything ships, send fast, start a 14 day clock on delivery with reminders on day 7 and day 12 and track every creator in one place. Measuring posts, not parcels, changes the behaviour of the whole programme.
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