Best Practices for Managing Content Creators

What’s been my experience working with brands? That’s what I talked about with Aubree Schaefer when Sprout Social, Inc. came to Boston earlier this fall. 💡 I was excited because conversations about creators' experiences with brands often gravitate toward the negative. Lucky for me, my experience has been mostly positive across the different creator chapters I’ve had. Every creator’s experience is different, and what counts as a “good” or “bad” varies. But as I look as my own experience as a creator and being on the other end of influencer programs as a marketer, here's are some of the ways brands can create build relationships with their creator painters. 1️⃣ Pay Fairly & Transparently Compensation can fluctuate based on the market, but paying creators fairly for what is being asked and being transparent about how you are valuing them, whether it is for their content, audience, or time, goes a long way. 2️⃣ Pay on Time, Every Time Long or late payments can mean missed bills for creators. If creators are meeting your deadlines, the least you can do is pay on time. I once had a brand partner pay me minutes after posting, and that alone made me want to work with them again and even do it at a lower rate because of how fast they pay. 3️⃣ Respect Creative Expertise If you are hiring a creator, it is usually because they bring something unique. Do not strip that away by over-directing. Provide guidance, but let them figure out how to bring it to life. 4️⃣ Streamline Communication & Approvals Nothing is worse than a messy feedback loop. Assign a single point of contact, set clear expectations around revisions, and respond promptly with approvals. 5️⃣ Offer Long-Term Partnership Opportunities Long-term partnerships provide creators with financial stability and offer brands more cost-effective deals. Even more importantly, they encourage creators to be genuinely invested in your success. 6️⃣ Be Clear About Usage Rights Unclear usage terms are a major source of friction. Make sure creators understand how you plan to use their content so they can price accordingly and avoid situations where their content is used in ways they didn’t agree to. 7️⃣ Share Performance Data and Insights ost creators never see the backend results of their campaigns. Some brands hesitate to share sales or performance data because it might give creators leverage, but data sharing should go both ways. 8️⃣ Invest in the Development of Creator Partners Brands can offer creators a lot beyond money, including access to executives, resources, and additional partnership opportunities that align with their goals. Finding ways to help creators grow encourages them to invest back into your brand. For me, this offer is the ability to partner with brands on content, but also to speak at events, such as the case with Sprout. What is missing? What would you add to this list?

We scaled our client's creator program 10x while reducing management costs by 62%. Here's the counterintuitive approach that made it possible. Many companies struggle to scale their creator programs efficiently. Overhiring internally and increasing costs. Or. Downsizing and lacking specialized resources. The secret? Hire an experienced agency and leverage a scalable system and the right tech stack. Here's the framework we used to go from 10 to 1.7k+ creators in 12 mo: 1. Standardize onboarding: Create a frictionless opt-in process 2. Automate communication: Use tools to schedule regular check-ins and updates, reducing manual outreach 3. Implement tiered support: Offer different incentive levels based on creator performance and needs 4. Develop a knowledge base: Build a comprehensive resource center for creators to find answers on their own 5. Leverage peer-to-peer support: Foster a community where experienced creators can help newcomers 6. Use program data: Implement analytics to identify top performers and optimize resource allocation 7. Streamline content review: Create clear briefing guidelines and use social-listening AI-assisted tools to speed up the monitoring process The right tools make this system possible. Here's the tech stack we used: - Creator discovery via Meta, TikTok & YouTube APIs - Creator management platform(s) - Automated email sequences - Community management software - Analytics dashboard via AirTable - AI-powered social listening - Knowledge base software - Task management system By implementing this framework and leveraging these tools, we're able to manage 1.7k+ creators with a team of 5 - Account director - Creative strategist - Community manager - Recruitment coordinator - Marketing ops & email coordinator The impact? Millions of monthly impressions and mid-six to seven figures in tracked sales (every month). If you're hitting a wall with your creator program, it's time to rethink your approach. Scale smarter, not harder.

A CEO tried to embarrass me in front of his entire team with this 1 hard question: "When has it NOT worked out with a client?" For context, I flew to this tech company's office to pitch their entire c-suite on why they should work with Creator Match 🧩 to help build their creator program Here's what I told them: 1. The brand hired the creator for their voice, then silenced it. Sounds like an ad. Performs like one too. If it looks like a press release, it dies in the feed. Fix: Brief the outcome, not the execution. Hire the voice, then trust it. 2. The brand started the campaign without knowing what winning looked like. We were given unclear objectives so we didn't know what success actually looked like. Fix: Lock your north star before you brief a single creator. If you can't define success in one sentence, you're not ready to run the campaign. 3. The brand treated the creator like an on-call vendor. Rushed briefs produce rushed content. Every time. Fix: Build a 2-week minimum buffer into every campaign timeline. Protect the creator's process and you protect your results. 4. The brand let too many people have a say after the deal was done. New stakeholders mid-campaign is one of the fastest ways to kill the whole thing. Fix: Designate one decision-maker on the brand side. One point of contact. Full stop. 5. The brand launched a creator campaign on the same day as their product. This one is the most avoidable mistake I see. Your creators are in your ICP. If your product has bugs, they'll feel every friction point. And they'll talk about it. Fix: Separate your product launch from your creator campaign by at least 2 weeks. Let the product breathe first. - The brands that win at creator marketing treat it like a partnership. The creators that win push back when something isn't right. Both sides have to show up. And for context, a few weeks after that presentation, we officially partnered with that brand. Transparency and authenticity are always the winning strategy. Don't pretend like everything is perfect. Nobody believes it, and nobody trusts it. *** 🔔 Follow me AJ Eckstein 🧩 for more content on entrepreneurship, B2B Creator Marketing, and Brand strategies

Speaking business and artist - this is one of the hardest parts of working in the creator economy. All day, we talk about ROAS, KPIs, SLAs, etc., and then we have to translate this for an artist (i.e., a creator) to carry out an action. This is not an easy thing to do! Before I send anything over to a creator (or most people, for that matter), I ask myself if my eight-year-old daughter could understand this brief if she read it. If the answer is yes, you've done your job well. If not, go back and simplify. 90% of the issues I see in campaigns today stem from simple communication errors and not stepping out of our shoes and into someone else's to ensure the message is clear. A few examples: 🗓 Timelines: We know when content is going to go live - we have a busy schedule and hit timelines. In the mind of an artist, time is subjective. When communicating, make sure you build in a few days' buffer. Content is due Friday? Ask for it on Tuesday... you'll most likely get it on Friday 🙃 (I know this doesn't apply to everyone, don't come at me hehe). 🗝 KPIs: Instead of saying, "Our primary KPI is to have an above industry standard CTR and ER," you can say, "We're looking for big wins here with your content - drive as many link clicks as possible and ensure the content is engaging to increase likes, comments, and shares." This helps break it down easier. Avoid acronyms! 👥 Audience: "We have contextualized your audience to know that they behave in X, Y, and Z ways - so make sure your content does A, B, C." Instead, empower them with, "You know what works well and doesn't for your audience, how do you suggest we integrate A, B, and C to ensure it is engaging and what they are looking for?" This takes a lot of time and practice. Am I missing anything? Other thoughts? LMK!

Most communities look the same from the outside. But internally, they’re a mix of very different personas. After managing thousands of creators at scale, I realised there are three groups you’ll always find in any community. Here’s a quick guide on how I learnt to identify who is who and how that changed the game for me! 📌 The Champions You recognise them instantly. They’re the ones posting consistently, advocating for your product, replying to your emails before you’ve even hit send, and saying “this program genuinely changed my life” without being asked. How I activate them: • Give them visibility (roundtables, speaker slots, exclusive features) • Collect their wins and stories regularly (a simple monthly cadence works beautifully) • Bring them into early tests or pilots so they feel like co-builders Whenever the brand or social team needed speakers, I never had to think. I already knew who would represent the platform brilliantly. Activating champions almost always led to higher-quality advocacy. I also built a VOM system, kept a monthly BCC list, and stayed intentionally close to them so I never lost momentum with this group. 📌 The Questioners This group sees some value but isn’t fully convinced yet. They want context. They show up to sessions, ask thoughtful questions, and look for that one “aha” moment. How I activate them: • Share deeper product context (case studies, capability walkthroughs, feature updates) • Track their engagement patterns so you can understand where they’re leaning • Host 1:1s or small-group sessions when needed to move them from “I’m not sure” to “count me in” Along with dashboards, I’d turn on post notifications to stay close to their on-platform activity and understand how they were progressing in real time. When done well, this cohort turns into champions fast. 📌 The Enthusiasts I like to call them curious explorers. They don’t know the product well yet but they’re excited enough to peek in. Almost like landing in a new city and signing up for a guided tour! How I activate them: • Run short onboarding sprints • Mix formats (scaled sessions, value-driven newsletters, gamified challenges) • Give them small wins that create mini “aha!” moments Once I saw consistent session attendance or challenge participation, I knew they were ready for deeper programming. This group moves KPIs the fastest when nudged with intention. I’m speaking from a platform lens, but you can absolutely tweak this for product or service communities too. The “how” becomes much easier the moment you figure out the “who.” What do you think? Would love to hear your community-building tips in the comments! 🙌 Image Credits: https://lnkd.in/dxCWC7GV #communitybuilding #creatorcommunities #programmanagement

Your companies bureaucracy is limiting your creator communities performance and killing your bottom line. Most DTC brands only capture 1/3 of the value by only focusing on affiliate revenue. But creator communities drive full funnel performance, support brand goals, and performance goals. When you have 300+ pieces of content being posted monthly from your community: - New TOF channel that is getting your brand in front of new audiences at $2-$5 CPM - 50+ UGC/whitelisting ads you can test to scale paid media - Incremental revenue from affiliates - Halo effect, you'll see a 15% bump in amazon revenue + 70% more revenue thats captured on DTC outside of your last click attribution window. - Improved peak moments/ campaigns by having an army of creators posting about your biggest promos and marketing moments. Is your organizational structure killing your creator ROI? Creator initiatives often underperform when trapped in silos. Affiliate teams focus solely on revenue, brand teams on creative/awareness, and growth teams on conversion. This fragmented approach limits the true potential of creator partnerships. The solution? Reposition creator communities as a cross-functional asset that delivers value across multiple marketing objectives and departments. Our Process: 1. Map community benefits to key stakeholder objectives. Get everyone in a room and educate the team on the cross-functional value they are sitting on. Align creator activities with goals for brand, growth, and performance teams. 2. Establish clear measurement benchmarks. Do deep discovery on what metrics matter most to each team. Ex: New customer revenue, brand lift, CPM, impressions/engagement, and Meta CAC/ROAS. 3. Create cross-functional workflows Develop systems to leverage creator content across channels, from social media, and paid ads. This maximizes the impact of each piece of content. This can be as simple as a spreadsheet that's shared with media buying teams with links to organic creative that can be run as an ad. 4. Report on holistic ROI and share it with all teams. Make each department the hero by providing them a report on performance that supports their goals. By breaking down silos and repositioning creator communities as a value add for the entire business, brands can unlock significantly higher ROI from their partnerships. It's time to stop limiting creators to a single department and start leveraging their full potential across your organization.

ive been the creator/influencer for brands such as HubSpot, Notion, and Tracksuit and ive hired creators/influencers for my clients. most creator partnerships fail because brands and creators talk past each other. here's how to set up your next creator relationship for success (part 1 here, part 2 in the comments): I. set up the right foundations 𝟭/ 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗼 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 instead of dumping ten features that you need featured in the posts, nail the one core insight you want your creators to talk about. creators thrive with constraints, not checklists. 𝟮/ 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗱 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 "post between march 15-20" beats "post on march 17." creators know their audience rhythms. a range lets them pick when engagement peaks. 𝟯/ 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 give them the story like you're pitching a reporter. the why it matters, what makes it newsworthy to get them excited about why their audience should care. they dont have the internal context. 𝟰/ 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 / 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 / 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 "i got early access to this, here's what i found" beats "here's what the brand told me to say." exclusivity creates authenticity. 𝟱/ 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀 don't make creators guess what resonates. share 2-3 customer testimonials, case studies, or problem statements. gives them ammunition for authentic storytelling. 𝟲/ 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻 one low-stakes post lets you see their style, gauge audience reaction, and adjust the brief. cheaper than committing to 10 posts and realising the fit is wrong. part 2 in the comments (linkedin character count limit lol): II. creative control & execution III. contracts & compensation IV. measurement & optimisation == the uncomfortable truth? most creator/influencer partnerships underperform because brands give no direction or too much control. clear vision + creative freedom + contractual clarity = actual results.

The best marketing doesn't feel like marketing. We rebuilt our entire creator strategy around this idea. Here's our exact playbook for becoming part of the feed (instead of interrupting it)... First, forget everything you know about the typical "influencer marketing." This isn't about paying for posts and asking them to look into the camera and say “I like this”. It's about building genuine partnerships that compound over time. Let me share what actually works for us: 1. How we find aligned creators 2. Content that actually works 3. Building real partnerships 4. Scaling without losing authenticity 1. Focus on depth over reach Look for creators that are highly aligned with your brand and engaged with their audience. Then help them pick ONE product that will truly resonate. Don’t just throw your catalog at them. Specific stories > Generic promotion 2. Arm them with knowledge, not rules We send creators extensive product knowledge when we start out. But it’s not to control their message. It’s to arm them with the information, background, and assets that they need to succeed. Let them tell your story their way. 3. Trust their creative instincts That video with "poor lighting" or "bad framing"? It often outperforms our polished content. Why? Because it feels real. Like it belongs in the feed. Stuff people would watch if it was their friends or family. 4. Think long-term We don't just send a product + a brief and be done with it. We nurture the relationship: • Do monthly product sends • Share launch previews • Include them in campaign planning • Ask for their input Creators become partners. Partners become advocates. This compounds over time. But here's the challenge: Managing these deep relationships with 100+ creators? It's chaos if you’re doing it manually. Between emails, direct messages, product sends, follow-ups, asset management… It’s a huge amount of friction. And we were dropping balls daily. That's when we use SARAL - The Influencer OS to manage our creator relationships. Their platform lets us: - Build genuine relationships at scale - Track every conversation - Manage product sends - Monitor performance - Process commissions Now we can focus on what matters: Building real partnerships instead of managing spreadsheets. Remember, the future isn't about interrupting the feed. It's about becoming part of it through genuine content that feels true to the platform. #proudpartner

Forcing a creator to do something they don’t want to do will always fail. As someone who’s spent years working with talent (and been a creator myself) I can confidently say: 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘴, 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯, 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘵. The social media creator space isn’t a 9-5 job. It’s 24/7. The constant demand, the algorithm pressure, and the intense audience scrutiny mean that if a creator feels like what they’re doing is a chore rather than a passion, that spark — the very thing that made them successful in the first place — will burn out fast. I know this firsthand. When I was 17, during my junior & senior years of high school, I got completely burnt out from social media. It stopped being enjoyable, and for nearly two years, I stepped away. It felt like an obligation instead of something I loved, and that loss of joy is exactly how burnout takes root. No one wants to spend their entire life doing something they don’t enjoy. And when that happens in social media, the consequences are clear: creators quit, their mental health suffers, and their audiences can see right through it. As The Guardian recently highlighted, burnout in the creator space is at an all-time high. There’s no “pause” button on the internet, and creators can’t just call HR if they collapse from stress. When the work becomes purely transactional, rather than inspired, it becomes unsustainable. 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐭: ✨ 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞: Creators should only take on projects that match their values, voice, and personal mission. Managers should champion those choices rather than override them. ✨ 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞: Schedule intentional time off. Yes, the algorithms may punish you temporarily, but protecting long-term creativity is far more important than a short-term spike. ✨ 𝐌𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: Check in. Really check in. Don’t treat creators like content factories. Talk to them about their struggles, support their passions, and be a human before being a business partner. At the end of the day, healthy creators make better creators. Protect their inspiration, and you protect their future. ----- Read more from Dan Milmo for The Guardian US: https://lnkd.in/gdpftZ42

Most brands launch their creator partnerships backward. They focus on finding creators first, then hope the partnership works out. After connecting 100,000+ creators with brands, I've noticed a pattern: The most successful companies do the opposite. They start by understanding their best customers' content consumption habits: Which creators do they already follow? What content formats keep them watching? Which platforms drive their purchasing decisions? Only then do they seek out creators who match these patterns. The results speak for themselves: Traditional approach: 25 different creators, hoping 2-3 stick. Smart approach: 8-10 targeted creators, with 6-7 becoming long-term partners. This targeted method doesn't just save money. It creates sustainable growth because: • Creators naturally understand your audience • Content resonates from day one • Partnerships evolve into authentic relationships • Your marketing spend becomes an investment, not an experiment The creator economy is maturing. Stop treating it like a numbers game. Start treating it like what it really is: Sophisticated audience alignment. — Leo Limin