I’m evaluating whether to invest in a dedicated cross-border platform for creator partnerships or just hire someone on my team to manage direct outreach to LATAM creators.
On the surface, direct outreach seems cheaper—no platform fees, just negotiating directly with creators. But I’ve got a hunch that the reality is more complex.
When I look at the actual time investment of managing direct relationships, it starts to add up: onboarding conversations, explaining brand requirements, managing contracts and payments across different countries, dealing with timezone issues, potential miscommunications.
I’m trying to build a model that compares these two approaches, but I need real numbers. A platform with built-in workflows might have overhead costs, but it probably saves time and reduces failed campaigns.
Has anyone done this calculation? What does the actual cost breakdown look like when you factor in everything—platform fees, labor hours, failed campaigns, communication inefficiencies, payment processing?
I’m specifically interested in understanding if there’s a point of scale where one approach becomes obviously better than the other. Like, is direct outreach better for 2-3 creators, but platforms become cost-effective above, say, 10 creators per quarter?