HOW TO: CONTENT CREATORS

When you hear ‘influencer’ are you already rolling your eyes and thinking of the Kardashians? Or maybe closer to home, Simone Anderson or some fresh as f*ck Gen Z kid that wasn’t alive for 9/11?  

If you are, we totally don’t blame you (and you’re probs an ageing Millennial, soz). The forever changing landscape of social media and our endless need for content has paved the way for a legit career as an influencer or content creator. Call it diminishing attention spans, anxiety or the well-executed plan of our social media overlords, we all know that influencers a.k.a content creators are an incredible opportunity for brands.  

In Aotearoa, Content creators and influencers are being snapped up constantly by brands if they know how to create a TikTok that slaps. So, if you’re in the market for some talent for a campaign or regular content creation retainer, finding one of these legends to partner with could help your brand jump onto TikTok or increase your short form video content frequency (highly recommend this FYI).  

The hardest part is where to start! Your first point of call should be The Social Agency because we have a wealth of experience with this stuff. But we aren’t about to gate keep, so here are 4 beginner steps that we recommend for working with creators.  

 

1. BUDGET 

Do not expect it to be cheap, especially if you are interested in creators who have agents, regularly work with brands or have a large following. Each creator is different, and costs vary depending on the content type, exclusivity, paid amplification, channel, agent fee and if the brand wants to reshare on their own channels.  

Costs are usually based on followers, engagement rate, reach, impressions, views and how hot the creator might be at the time. If you want someone that just competed on a reality TV show, they will be a hot commodity! This could increase their fee and reduce their availability.  

We recommend carving out a large chunk of your budget, especially if you want more than one creator. For example, one TikTok can cost anywhere from $1000 upwards, an Instagram story (3 frames) could be $500 and there are additional costs if you want the license to reshare that content organically.  

 

2. RESEARCH 

 

While it does pay to ask the kids who are popping off on socials, there are incredible tools you can take advantage of and plenty of agencies you can contact for recommendations based on your brief and budget. 

If you have reduced capacity, we recommend working with an agency like 818, Johnson & Laird, Liquorice or Born&Bred who can take your brief, deliverables and budget then recommend talent from their books. They will also provide important stats, audience stats and any other info that could be helpful when deciding, plus manage the process and reporting for the campaign period. Handy!  

If you’re keen to jump into this yourself, you’ll be doing a lot of back and forth with creators. Usually, they have contact details in their bio or you can DM (direct message) on social media platforms. If they have an agent in their bio or state No DM’s clearly, be respectful of that. 

 Using a tool like Klear (our personal fave) or another influencer marketing platform is ideal, especially if your brand will regularly be using creators as part of your strategy moving forward. Some of these tools provide statistics and demographics, along with campaign management and built-in reporting, which can be a lifesaver when doing your PCA.  

It always pays to check in with your friendly social media person about creators and influencers, we often know the tea on who isn’t so great to work with or if they’ve been assigned a red flag.  

 

3. DELIVERABLES 

We all want as much as possible, for the least amount! Once your budget has been decided, confirm what content you would like creators to make for your brand. Is it a static Instagram feed post? A TikTok that is also posted as a reel? Maybe an Instagram story post or full-on Twitch live stream.  

We’ve found that confirming your ‘Wishlist’ of deliverables along with a budget is a great place to start when negotiating a package with creators or their agents. They can provide feedback on what you can get for the budget, and you can work together from there. 

 

For example:  

   

• x1 TikTok (organic only) 
• x2 Instagram stories (min. 3 frames)  
• x1 Instagram feed post (organic only) 
   

Budget: $5000 
+ $200 worth of free product/service 
Exclusivity 3 months  

  

4. MANAGEMENT 

Like any project, clear communication and keeping track of all the moving parts is integral to success. The clearer your initial brief is, the better your chosen creator can execute their creative approach for you. Most creators love help and direction, so long as it doesn’t impede their authentic creativity or values.  

 We’ve found that having round table discussions at the beginning of a campaign helps ease the creator, along with having their back if needed, which means not changing creative last minute or taking the piss with revisions (it’s polite to do 2 revisions maximum). Remember, they know their audience and what works! 

On the other hand, if you have a creator that isn’t coming to the party, or you’ve been ghosted – fall back onto your contract if needed or move onto someone else. 

 

Well, honestly, we thought that would be 4 easy steps but it kinda turned into a novel, and this only skimming the surface! Don’t be afraid to jump into the world of content creators and influencers, it can be a wild horse but after a while, it will become tame and an easy, very rewarding part of your everyday.  

Love and appreciate your creators, in our experience they become key partners and sometimes good mates. The same goes for any agents you work with!  

 

Want to know more or spin a yarn?  Get in touch!