You’ve accepted a creator into your Collabs program. What happens next? While tagged content and affiliate sales may start to roll in immediately for some creators, others will need more nurturing and time. Here are some top-level tips to help you make the most out of your creator connections.
For more information to help you get set up on Collabs, check out How To Get Started with Shopify Collabs.
Educate creators on your brand
If you’re accepting a creator into your program or sending a creator an invite, there is a good chance they know about your brand. But they might not know everything. Giving creators some high-level information at the start of your connection can help them not only promote your products but also form brand loyalty.
Below are some high level ideas on what to share:
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Info about your brand: How did it start? What are your ethos?
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Your top-selling products and what makes them stand out versus your competitors.
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What creators can expect from being an affiliate for you, including incentives and how best to communicate with you.
Encourage content
Generally it is best practice to not require creators to make content for gifting and commission-only relationships, as creators often expect payment for posts. However, many creators do love to share the gifts and samples they receive, especially when there is a commission incentive to promote said products. You can also put agreements in place with creators to guarantee a gift turns into content.
Below are some ways to encourage content creation:
Educate creators on how to talk about your products
The most effective creator content typically showcases their genuine reaction or feelings toward a product (“I like this product because …”). While giving a creator more background on the product itself may not guarantee they post about it, it may help them form stronger opinions or a deep connection with your product, which in turn may cause them to want to share more with their followers. Sharing product details like what ingredients or content your products are made of, where they are made, and how your sizing runs are all things that can help a creator feel confident about sharing your product in original content.
Give them specific tags and hashtags for sharing
Let creators know you can’t wait to see their posts go live, and tell them how to tag you so you can see and support their content. Or give them a specific hashtag to use, like #[yourbrand]ambassador, so you can not only better track their content, but also remind them it’s something you’re hoping for.
Gift enough product
If your product is reusable you can certainly gift just one item, but if your gift is one-time use or edible, your creator connections may want to try your product before they post about you. So make sure to give them multiple pieces to try and use for making content.
Create an agreement for guaranteed content
If you are looking to run a campaign where you gift products in exchange for content, make sure you reach out to the creator directly before sending them a gift to ensure you are both on the same page. Many brands decide to send a brief via email to a creator outlining what they're looking for and the incentives they are offering for a creator to post about their brand, like free products, boosted commission on the gifted products for a period of time, or more free products when posts are live. Once the creator agrees with your requirements, you can send the gift and monitor their progress.
Keeping creators engaged
Maybe you’ve already sent some initial brand info and a gift to your creator partners, but how do you encourage them to actively share your brand long term? To foster longer-term relationships with your creators, you should make them feel connected to your brand and provide them everything they need to be successful. You also want to make sure you’re standing out from other brands they may be partnering with.
Below are some engagement touch points to help you stay connected with creator partners:
Send a regular newsletter to your creator partners
Marketing isn’t just for your buyers—it can help keep creators engaged as well. Sending a regular email newsletters, whether it’s monthly, quarterly, or before big product launches, can help your creators stay informed on your brand.
Content for these newsletters could include behind the scenes of your latest brand campaign, bestselling product roundups, creator sponsorship spotlights to show them what type of content they are paying for and inspire them to emulate those creators, or even upcoming holidays that have a tie in to your products. For instance, if you’re a tea brand, let creators know that National Tea Day is coming up and how your brand plans to celebrate it, or give them tips on how to celebrate with your products.
Follow Collabs creators on their social channels
After you accept a member into your program, follow them on their social channels so you or your social team can interact with their content, especially any content about your brand. This will keep your brand top of mind and create a positive relationship. You could also add creators into a group DM chat where you can send easy updates. This allows members to engage with each other as well.
Host video calls
Invite creators to video calls to explain a new product launch, to give them a preview of a new collection, to answer product questions, or anything else that is better presented in real-time with the opportunity to ask questions.
Give out a bonus for first sales or milestones
It doesn’t have to be much (keep it proportional to the revenue of typical sales) but you can reward creators for their first affiliate sale or for reaching a milestone. For example, a tea brand could give out a branded tea mug, or a fitness brand could do a branded water bottle or hat when a creator has reached a milestone number of sales. It’s your opportunity to be fun and creative and give them something to remind them of your brand.
Send personal DMs or email outreach
Did an affiliate just get their first sale, or did a big order come through using their code? Congratulate them or thank them for sharing your brand. Has an affiliate not made any sales on their codes yet? Check-in with them and see if they need more product info or ask for feedback on the gift they redeemed. Checking in might reignite their engagement or understand why they’re not actively promoting your brand.
Offer experiences
For local creators, invite them to an event to meet them IRL. Events could include intimate dinners, first access to pop-up shopping events, or mingling with their peers.
Most importantly: Offer increased incentives for top performers.
For your top affiliates, keep them incentivized to promote your brand by increasing their commission, sending them additional gifts, or working with them on sponsored content deals. You already know they can sell and support your brand, so use them for more promotions and larger partnerships as much as you can.
In what order should I do all of this?
Sending a ton of info to a new creator partner in one go or trying to engage them in 10 different ways right off the bat may be overwhelming for both you and the creator. So be cognizant you don’t end up over doing it. But if you send educational material and gifts initially and add a couple of engagement touch points throughout the year, you can help keep your creators engaged and your brand top of mind long term.
For more information to help you get set up on Collabs, check out How to Get Started With Shopify Collabs.
