We’ve been thinking a lot about how we work with creators, and I think most of us in this space are getting it wrong. We’re incentivizing the wrong behaviors and not building real partnerships.
The typical creator engagement model is pretty transactional: you pay someone to make content, they make it, transaction done. But the best work we’ve seen comes from situations where there’s mutual benefit and trust built up over time.
So we’re experimenting with a different model. Instead of just paying per piece, we’re bringing creators into the strategy slightly. Like, we’ll show them our product roadmap and say “what are you hearing from your audience about what they want to see?” or “what are the pain points you think we should be solving?”
We’re also being more transparent about numbers. When the UGC campaign does well, we’re celebrating that with the creator and showing them the actual data. When it doesn’t work, we’re figuring out why together instead of just moving on to the next creator.
For the bilingual angle, we’re trying something different: instead of finding separate creators in each market, we’re building partnerships with creators who naturally bridge both communities or who understand both markets. And we’re paying them accordingly, because that skill is valuable.
We’re also thinking about how creators can add value beyond just content. Like, do they have insights about what’s trending? Do they have connections to other creators we should know about? Can they collaborate with other creators we’re working with?
The risk, of course, is that this takes longer to set up and requires more relationship management. But the upside is that it’s way more sustainable for everyone involved.
I’m curious if anyone else is trying to move away from the transactional creator relationship model. What does that look like for you?
Вы трогаете то, что меня очень волнует. Мне кажется, что будущее—именно в партнерских, а не в транзакционных отношениях.
Мой подход: я знакомлю создателей с брендами, где есть настоящая синергия. Не только по числам, но по ценностям и видению. Когда создатель верит в продукт, контент совсем другой.
Что работает:
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Advisory Role—создатель не просто исполнитель, а советник. Его просят: “что ты слышишь от аудитории?” Это сразу меняет динамику.
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Profit Sharing—помимо заработной платы за контент, создатель получает бонус, если контент приносит хорошие результаты. Это выравнивает интересы.
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Co-Creation—не бриф, который бренд написал в офисе, а совместный процесс.
Для двуязычных партнерств я часто создаю двойные колаборации: создатель из России и создатель из US, которые работают как team. Они вместе разрабатывают стратегию, потом каждый адаптирует контент для своего рынка.
Есть ли у вас процесс выбора создателей? Как вы определяете, с кем можно построить парт
С точки зрения ROI это имеет смысл. Долгосрочные партнерства с создателями экономически эффективнее, чем постоянная ротация.
Данные, которые я вижу:
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Retention Cost: creator, который остается с брендом 6+ месяцев, обычно требует на 40% меньше управления и получает 25% менее дорогие ставки за контент, потому что они уже знают процесс.
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Content Quality Curve: качество контента растет в первые 3 месяца работы (потому что создатель учится), потом стабилизируется. Если вы меняете создателя каждый месяц, вы никогда не выходите на плато качества.
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ROAS Compounding: создатель, который с вами долго, понимает вашу аудиторию и ваши задачи. Его контент становится более целевым. ROAS обычно растет на 15-20% со второго-третьего месяца.
Для двуязычных партнерств еще важнее: требуется время, чтобы создатель понял культурные nuances обоих рынков. Квартал—это минимум для того, чтобы появилась настоящая ценность.
Вопрос вам: вы считаете lifetime value создателя так же тщательно, как lifetime value клиента? Потому что это должно информировать ваши решения о том, сколько инвестировать в отношения.
Спасибо за этот пост. Я как раз пытаюсь построить здоровые отношения с создателями и мне было сложно понять, как это выглядит на практике.
Одна из моих проблем: как я узнаю, готов ли создатель к более глубокому партнерству или нет? Может ли есть способ вести переговоры или это просто comes naturally?
Плюс, для двуязычного партнерства: как я управляю двумя создателями, чтобы они не конкурировали друг с другом или не ощущали, что может есть jealousy? Или это не проблема?
Мне интересны конкретные примеры того, как вы структурировали такие отношения. Контракт выглядит иначе? Процесс брифинга выглядит иначе?
This is philosophically where I think the industry needs to go, and it’s also where the best margins are. Transactional relationships are race-to-the-bottom pricing. Partnership relationships build defensible economics.
What we’re implementing with forward-thinking clients:
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Creator Equity Model—smaller brands give creators actual equity or revenue share in exchange for deeper commitment. Big brands do advisory board structures with regular check-ins.
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Multi-Layered Contracts—base retainer for availability + project fees for content + performance bonus. This aligns incentives.
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Access & Transparency—creators get dashboard access to see how their content performs. No secrets. They’re stakeholders.
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Collaboration Framework—monthly or quarterly strategy sessions where creators actually shape the campaign direction.
For bilingual partnerships, the insight is that you need creators who are cultural bridges, not creators who just speak two languages. Someone who grew up in both markets, or someone who’s done significant time in both. They’re rarer but worth premium rates.
One structural thing we recommend: Instead of “creator A for market 1, creator B for market 2,” try “Creator A and B collaborate, then each adapts for their market.” This creates dialogue and often leads to better insights.
We’ve found that these deeper partnerships cost 20-30% more upfront but drive 2-3x better ROAS because the commitment is genuine.
How much of your creator budget are you currently allocating to deep partnerships vs. transactional work? That ratio tells me a lot about your growth trajectory.
This is what I actually want from brands. To be honest, I get pitched with transactional offers all the time, and they’re not interesting to me. But when a brand comes to me and says “we want to build something together,” that’s when I get excited.
Some things that signal to me that a brand is serious about partnership vs. transactional:
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They ask about my audience—not just my follower count, but like, who are they? What do they care about? This tells me the brand actually wants alignment.
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They’re flexible on content—they give me a direction, not a script. They trust my creative.
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They share results—they tell me how the content performed and celebrate wins with me.
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They introduce me to other creators—or build collaboration opportunities. It’s not me in a vacuum.
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They care about timeline/payment—quick payment, realistic timelines. This shows they understand I have business to run.
For partnership-level work, I’m way more committed. I’ll brainstorm with them, I’ll test different angles, I’ll iterate. But only if I feel like they’re actually invested in doing good work together.
For the bilingual thing: if you’re pairing creators in different markets, create an actual relationship between them. Have them talk. Let them learn from each other. Some of my best creative ideas come from conversations with creators in different markets.
Also, please don’t ask me to be your market research. That’s work. If you want insights from my audience, that’s a service, and it should be compensated separately.
Are you open to structured advisory relationships with creators where they’re regularly providing strategic input, not just making content?
You’re describing what we call the “value partnership model” vs. the “service vendor model.” The economics favor partnerships for DTC.
Here’s why: In the vendor model, you’re optimizing for cost and volume. Creators are interchangeable. In the partnership model, you’re optimizing for relationship equity and content quality. Creators are differentiated.
For DTC specifically, the partnership model works because:
- Creator’s audience familiarity with your brand compounds over time
- Creators with real stakes in your success produce subjectively better work
- Retention of good creators saves more than rotating through mediocre ones
Structurally, what works:
Tier 1 Partnerships (5-10 creators):
- Quarterly retainers
- Board-level input on strategy
- Revenue share or equity (for smaller brands)
- 12-month minimums
Tier 2 Collaborations (20-30 creators):
- Project-based with recurring expectation
- Monthly check-ins
- 3-month minimums
For bilingual scaling, the leverage is having creators who are strategic partners in each market, not just vendors. They become your de facto local marketing team.
One more insight: Creator partnerships actually reduce your marketing risk. Because they’re invested, they’ll tell you when something isn’t working and suggest better directions. You get free strategy consulting.
How are you currently evaluating creator fit for partnership vs. transactional arrangement? What signals tell you this is someone worth building a deeper relationship with?