Campaign Strategy
Part of Influencer campaigns for new product launches
Allocating launch stock across creator posting waves
Allocate saleable launch stock by creator posting wave, set release rules for later waves, and keep creator commitments aligned with the order promise.
A product launch can have enough units for its first creator post and still run out before the next one. Decide how much saleable stock each wave can draw on before fixing its posting window. This allocation is a launch-planning choice, separate from checking whether an individual creator's product claim is accurate on the day it goes live.
Start with the units customers can order
Build the plan by product and variant, not by a whole-product total. Subtract existing orders, reservations and stock committed to other channels from the units ready for this offer. Keep incoming units separate until the business can support the advertised order and dispatch promise. If the launch is a pre-order or waitlist, plan it as that offer rather than counting expected receipts as ready stock.
Set a provisional allocation for each creator wave and any brand-owned or paid-media activity that shares the same stock. The allocation is a cap for planning, not a prediction that a post will generate a particular number of orders. The commerce owner should be able to say which channel may use unclaimed units and when.
Make the wave sequence reversible
For each wave, record its proposed date, featured variants, stock allocation, owner, booking or cancellation deadline and the point when the team will decide whether to proceed. An early wave may be used to learn demand before committing to later posts. Do not promise every creator the same launch-day availability if later waves depend on what the first one sells.
Choose a rule for moving unused stock. For example, release the next allocation only after the first wave's order and cancellation picture is clear. Conversely, if the first wave consumes more than planned, hold the later sales invitation until the offer is reset. The exact thresholds are a business decision; the rule should be written before campaign results tempt the team to reinterpret it.
| Wave decision | Check before committing the next post |
|---|---|
| Proceed | The intended variants have an agreed allocation and supportable order promise. |
| Narrow | Only specified variants or a smaller geographic offer remain supportable. |
| Change the offer | A genuine pre-order or waitlist exists and the creator can approve accurate new wording. |
| Hold | The allocation, destination or dispatch promise cannot be confirmed. |
Keep commitments and stock in one view
Put creator booking deadlines beside inventory and order updates. A post that cannot be moved may require stock to be held back from another channel; a flexible post can be delayed instead. Record who authorises either choice. If paid amplification follows an organic post, decide separately whether additional orders can be supported before increasing spend.
Give creators the confirmed offer for their wave, including the relevant product destination. The final post, page and checkout still need a close-to-publication accuracy check. The ACCC can require businesses to back up claims and may investigate false or misleading claims in social media advertising. A launch allocation does not excuse an inaccurate live claim.
After the launch, compare planned allocations with orders and unused units by wave. Use that record to make the next campaign's commitments more realistic, without treating one launch as a demand forecast for every creator.
