I’m realizing that one of my biggest bottlenecks isn’t strategy—it’s partnership sourcing. And I’m not talking about just finding influencers (that’s easy) or agencies (also easy). I’m talking about finding the right partners who actually understand scalable collaboration.
Right now, I’m getting a ton of inbound from agencies and creators who want to “partner” with us, but maybe 1 in 20 actually seems like they’d be a real fit for what we’re building. A lot of pitches feel generic, or they’re clearly just looking for a one-off campaign fee rather than a real partnership.
On the flip side, I know there are amazing agencies and influencers out there—people who’ve successfully managed cross-market campaigns, who understand ROI beyond vanity metrics, who bring ideas to the table. I’m just not sure where to find them systematically.
I’ve been thinking there should be a way to shortcut this process—maybe through communities, shared networks, or vetting frameworks. Because right now I feel like I’m spending 70% of my time filtering noise and 30% on actual strategy.
How do you all separate the signal from the noise when you’re building your partner network? What qualities or signals do you look for in an agency or creator that tell you they’re serious about scalable work?
Mark, this is my jam! The vetting piece is honestly as important as the relationship-building, and they’re connected.
Here’s what I look for: Does the person or agency ask questions about your business before pitching? If they’re just sending you a deck about themselves, they’re not a partner—they’re a vendor. Real partners want to understand your goals, your challenges, your brand voice.
Second, I check their portfolio. Not for follower counts, but for variety. Have they worked with brands across different industries? Different markets? Can they show me a campaign that actually failed and what they learned? That tells me they’re real.
Third—and this one weeds out so many people—I do a real conversation. Not a sales call. Just a chat where I ask them about a challenging campaign they’ve worked on. How did they problem-solve? Did they push back on a brand’s bad idea? Did they suggest something better? Those conversations are gold.
Honestly, the people who make it past my vetting become my network. I don’t manage dozens of one-off relationships. I’ve got maybe 12-15 agencies and creators I actually work with regularly.
From a data perspective, I look at what partners actually report and how transparent they are.
First red flag: agencies or creators who won’t share detailed performance data. If they’re saying “trust me, it worked great” without showing you the actual metrics, that’s a pass.
Second: I check their historical performance. Not just whether campaigns performed well, but consistency. Did they have one viral success and then quiet decline? Or are they building sustainable results?
Third, I ask about their measurement methodology. Can they articulate how they track performance? Can they explain the difference between vanity metrics and business metrics? If they can’t, they’re not operating at the level of sophistication you need.
I also look for agencies and creators who’ve worked in your specific market or with similar brand profiles. Someone who’s run 50 campaigns for DTC beauty brands is more valuable to you than someone with a bigger general portfolio.
What I’ve noticed: the best partners actually disagree with us sometimes. They push back on strategy. If everyone’s always saying yes, you’re working with people who don’t have a point of view.
Real talk? I’ve built my network almost entirely through personal introductions and referrals. Cold inbound is almost always bad.
What’s worked: I go to conferences and events related to influencer marketing and UGC. Not to pitch—to listen. I meet people, ask them real questions about their work, and they tell me who I should know. That’s how I found our best partners.
I also look for people who are solving problems right now, not people selling me solutions. Someone who’s like, “Oh man, we’re struggling with cross-border content too—let me tell you what we’re trying,” is way more interesting than someone with a polished pitch.
One practical thing: I do trial projects. Small budgets, specific deliverables, short timeline. If someone crushes that, I know they’re serious. If they overpromise and underdeliver on a small project, imagine what happens at scale.
Also, I’m honest about what I’m looking for. Like, I’ll literally say, “I’m building a network of 3-4 key partners in the US. We’re looking for agencies/creators who want to do serious, ongoing work together, not one-offs.” That filters out people who just want to check a box.
Okay, practical framework from someone who’s on the other side of this vetting:
When I pitch partnerships to brands, the smart ones are asking me specific questions: How many campaigns like this have you run? What was the worst outcome? Why did that happen? Who else are you working with?
They’re also checking my references and asking to speak with past clients. That takes guts, but the best brands do it.
From my side, here’s what makes someone a good potential partner: alignment on values and timescale. A brand that’s thinking 6-12 months of partnership is different from one that wants a one-off. I only pursue the former.
I also look for brands that understand the difference between “managing campaigns” and “building relationships.” If they’re treating me like a vendor—just placing orders—it’s not fun and it’s not scalable.
Here’s my suggestion for you: when you’re vetting an agency or creator, ask them to design a small pilot campaign with you before you commit to anything. Don’t pay them (or pay them minimally), but have them really think through strategy, creative approach, measurement. See how they think. That tells you everything.
People who are serious about partnerships will want to do this because they see it as an investment in a relationship.
From a creator’s side, I can tell you what doesn’t work: when brands treat inbound from creators like it’s automatically spam. Some of my best collaborations started because I reached out with a specific idea, not a generic pitch.
BUT—I also get why you’re overwhelmed. I send maybe 2-3 real pitches a month to brands I actually want to work with, and I probably see other creators sending like 50+ generic emails.
Here’s what separates the real ones from the time-wasters (at least from my perspective):
- We’ve actually engaged with the brand’s content. We know their aesthetic, their values, what they do.
- We’re specific about why we think the partnership would work.
- We share actual performance data from past campaigns, not inflated follower counts.
I also look for creators who have a specific point of view. Like, someone who’s built a niche in “eco-friendly UGC” or “B2B content” is way more valuable than a generalist.
My advice: Do short calls with creators and agencies who pass initial screening. Ask them about their worst campaign. How they handled it tells you a lot. The ones who own their mistakes and learned from them? Keep those people close.
Strategic framework here:
First, define what “real partner” means for your specific needs. Is it someone who can scale? Someone with cross-market expertise? Someone who brings fresh ideas? Be explicit about this before you start filtering.
Second, build a tiered vetting system:
- Tier 1: Quick screening. Do they have relevant experience? Can they articulate why they’re interested in your brand specifically?
- Tier 2: Deeper conversation. Strategy discussion, reference checks, portfolio review.
- Tier 3: Pilot project. See how they actually work.
Third, be very clear about what you’re offering and what commitment level you’re looking for. A lot of noise comes from people who don’t even know what you want. If you say, “We’re looking for 2-3 agencies to do ongoing, quarterly campaigns,” you’ll get way fewer generic pitches.
One observation: most brands spend 20% of their time on partner selection and 80% managing bad partnerships that should’ve been filtered out earlier. Flip that ratio.
Also, the best partners often come from your competitors’ case studies. If Brand X did something amazing with an agency, that agency’s already proven they can execute at your level. Reference hunting works.