Campaign Strategy
Part of Finding creators who fit a brand
Evaluating creator content beyond follower counts
Review ordinary and sponsored posts for relevance, clarity, genuine experience and comparable results before choosing a creator.
To evaluate a creator’s content, inspect what their posts help viewers understand, whether the claims are credible, and whether the proposed format suits your brief. Follower count describes account size only; it cannot replace reading the work or checking comparable post results.
Sample ordinary and sponsored work
Choose recent posts in the format you might commission, plus ordinary posts on the same subject. Include a quieter post and one that attracted attention, so a single standout does not define your impression. Note the dates and what the creator was trying to do in each piece. A short product reveal and a detailed explanation serve different viewer questions.
Watch or read each post as a customer would. Is the product visible enough to understand? Does the creator show how they reached an opinion, or merely deliver a claim?
Can a viewer tell what was experienced firsthand and what came from the brand’s product information? A confident presentation is useful only when the underlying statement can be supported.
For Australian promotions, check the complete impression: visuals, spoken words, on-screen text, caption and destination. The ACCC says businesses must avoid false or misleading claims in social media advertising.
Its PhotobookShop case highlights the need to disclose when an influencer has been paid, including with gifted products, and concerns about substantive edits that removed negative content. A proposed collaboration should allow the creator to keep relevant qualifications.
Judge the explanation against the customer question
Apply the same questions to every candidate considered for the brief:
| Examine | Useful question | Caution |
|---|---|---|
| Relevance | Does the post address the intended buyer’s problem? | Topic overlap alone does not mean the creator can answer your brief. |
| Evidence in the post | Is a demonstration or opinion grounded in something the creator actually did? | Polished editing can conceal missing context. |
| Clarity | Could a viewer understand the main point without knowing the brand already? | A memorable hook may still leave the decision unanswered. |
| Audience response | Are viewers asking relevant questions, and are answers careful? | A few comments do not describe the whole audience. |
| Commercial work | Does the sponsored piece retain the creator’s normal voice and make the relationship clear? | A good ordinary post does not guarantee a good sponsored one. |
Do not turn these observations into a universal engagement score. Record the specific post that supports each judgement and the concern you would raise with the creator.
If a candidate regularly explains product trade-offs, ask how they would handle a limitation in your own offer. Do not assume they will do so.
Put performance figures in their proper place
Request recent post-level results for the format under consideration, with the period measured. Ask for the metric’s name; do not accept a screenshot with its label cropped out. Compare like with like where possible.
Avoid reading a low comment count as failure or a busy thread as proof of purchase intent. Comments can identify questions to answer, but content quality needs a separate editorial judgement. If relevant performance data is missing, keep the uncertainty visible in the selection record.
Try the proposed piece on paper
Give each promising creator the same audience question and ask for an angle in their own words. For example, a hypothetical compact desk brief might ask how a renter would judge its footprint before ordering.
One creator may propose a room demonstration with dimensions; another may offer a room makeover with no usable size information. The first idea better answers that brief, regardless of which account has more followers. The example is a planning exercise, not a test result.
Finish with a short decision: the content strength you saw, the exact post showing it, the claim or disclosure issue to resolve, and the format you would commission. If the creator’s best work cannot answer this customer’s question honestly, keep looking.
