I’m thinking about this differently now. Instead of building a go-to-market strategy internally and then handing it to creators for execution, what if we actually involved US creators in strategy from the beginning?
The thing is, I’m not even sure what that would look like practically. Do you bring in creators for consulting? Do you co-create the entire GTM? Or is that overkill for a brand entry that’s still early-stage?
I keep coming back to the fact that creators actually understand their audiences in a way that strategy documents can’t capture. They know what sells, what feels authentic, what gets ignored. So if we’re trying to enter a market we don’t fully understand, wouldn’t it make sense to tap that knowledge earlier in the process?
But I also wonder: does involving creators early slow things down? Do you lose the ability to make strategic decisions, or does it actually speed things up because they help you avoid dead ends?
For people who’ve actually done this—brought creators into strategy planning before full launch—what was the actual ROI? Did it change your approach meaningfully? And how did you structure it so it wasn’t just endless meetings but actual strategic collaboration?
Yes, absolutely do this, and I’ll tell you why from a creator’s perspective: when brands involve us early, we actually give a damn about the outcome. It feels like collaboration instead of just being asked to execute someone else’s idea.
Here’s what changes: we’re way more honest about what will and won’t work for our audiences. We’re not just optimizing your brief; we’re helping you think through what actually resonates. I’ve been in early strategy sessions where I literally told a brand ‘your messaging won’t work, here’s why, and here’s what would work instead.’ And they listened because they’d involved me before everything was locked in.
Practically, I’d suggest: bring in 2-3 creators who are familiar with your product category and have the audience you want to reach. Give them a few hours to review your brand, market research, and initial strategy thoughts. Then have a real conversation about what feels authentic and what feels forced.
The ROI is huge because you avoid investing in campaigns that creators know won’t work. I’ve seen brands save months of bad experiments by involving creators early.
One thing though—don’t involve so many creators that you can’t make decisions. 2-3 strategic ones is better than 10. It moves faster and you actually listen.
This is a nuanced question because the answer depends on what you mean by ‘go-to-market strategy.’ If you’re talking about market positioning, messaging, and channel strategy—yes, creator input is valuable. If you’re talking about financial projections and enterprise partnerships—that’s different.
What I’ve seen work: involve creators in messaging and audience insights, but keep core strategic decisions with your team. Here’s why—creators are experts in what resonates with their followers, not necessarily in market dynamics, competitive positioning, or long-term brand strategy.
The real value comes from creator input on: (1) What messaging angles will actually land? (2) What content formats work in this market? (3) Where are the authentic entry points for your brand? Those are tactical-strategic questions where creator knowledge is invaluable.
What doesn’t work: treating creators as consultants for overall GTM. They’ll give you opinions, but those opinions are filtered through their specific audience and experience, not comprehensive market knowledge.
So structure it like this: build your core strategy (positioning, market analysis, financial model) with your team. Then pressure-test the messaging and tactics with 2-3 creators. Ask them specifically: ‘Will this land with your audience? Where would you change it? What’s the risk?’ Listen to their feedback, adjust, and move forward.
That’s collaborative but also decisive. You’re not letting strategy drift; you’re just making sure your tactics are actually credible.
I actually tested this internally with one of my clients. We ran two GTM approaches—one where we involved creators early, and one where we developed strategy internally first and then briefed creators.
Results: creator-involved GTM had 23% higher initial engagement and 31% better creator participation rate. The creators were more invested because they’d shaped the strategy. But here’s the data caveat—we only measured short-term metrics. Long-term brand health and market penetration were similar between approaches.
What this tells me: early creator involvement is great for creator partnership efficiency and initial traction. But it’s not a magic bullet for overall market entry success.
The most effective approach I’ve found: involve creators specifically for UGC strategy and messaging angles. Don’t involve them in market research, competitive analysis, or positioning—that’s where their expertise actually gaps. Use their input to refine, not to replace, your strategic thinking.
Also, timing matters. Involve them when you have something concrete to react to—a draft positioning, a messaging framework, content pillars. Involving them too early in fuzzy, open-ended conversations just wastes everyone’s time.
How far along is your strategy currently? That context would help me give more specific advice.
I love that you’re thinking about this as collaboration instead of just execution. The relationships I’ve seen work best are where everyone has input, but there’s clarity about who decides what.
Here’s how I’d structure it: involve creators in the strategy conversation around audience insights and messaging. Creators know their followers deeply—what they care about, what language resonates, what feels authentic. That’s gold. But keep them separate from strategic decisions about market positioning, pricing, or channel allocation.
Practically: have a 2-3 hour working session with creators where you walk through your market research and initial thinking. Ask them: ‘How would you explain what we do to your audience? What’s the angle that would matter to them? What would make them skeptical?’ Their answers will reshape your messaging.
Then listen. If multiple creators say the same thing doesn’t work, believe them. If they’re excited about a particular angle, that matters.
The best part of doing this? It builds trust way earlier. Creators feel heard and valued from day one, which means they’re more committed when campaigns actually launch.
Time-wise, this adds maybe 2-3 weeks to your GTM development. Worth it for the insights and relationship building.
From a founder perspective: yes, absolutely involve creators early, but be strategic about it. Here’s what I did with my European expansion.
I brought in 3 creators from the market I was entering—not to overthink everything, but to reality-check my assumptions. I had my strategy drafted, but then I had conversations with these creators about whether my approach would actually work in their market.
Turned out, I was wrong about some key things. The creators pointed out messaging angles I’d missed and warned me about competitive dynamics I hadn’t seen. That saved me from launching into a wall.
The time trade-off is minimal if you do it right. One day of conversations, maybe a follow-up session. It’s worth it.
One caveat: only involve creators you’d actually want to work with. And be honest about what you’re asking them—are you looking for consulting input, or are you vetting them as potential partners? If you’re basically interviewing them for a campaign, be transparent about that.
Do creators need to be in every strategic discussion? No. But early input? Absolutely. It’s insurance against building something that doesn’t land in the market.
Strategic perspective from the agency side: creator involvement in early GTM is powerful if you frame it right.
What I do with clients: bring 2-3 strategically selected creators into a workshop where we workshop messaging, content pillars, and go-to-market angles. Not because creators are strategists—they’re not—but because they’re the closest thing you have to a representative sample of your target audience who actually knows how to communicate.
This gives you two things: (1) real-time feedback on what will resonate, (2) early buy-in from creators who’ll then evangelize your brand launch to their networks.
The investment is maybe 5-10 hours of creator time split across 2-3 sessions. Budget-wise, that’s early money in a strategic investment.
Does it change your entire strategy? Sometimes, yes. Usually, it refines and validates it. But either way, you’re moving forward with more confidence.
The tradeoff you asked about—speed vs. quality—I’d say it’s actually faster overall. You avoid launching with messaging that doesn’t land, which means fewer campaign iterations and faster momentum.
How are you currently thinking about your initial creator outreach? Are you looking to identify specific creators for ongoing partnerships, or are you in pure strategy/research mode still?