61% of global marketers plan to increase spend on creator content in 2026, but deciding to invest in creators is only half the battle, the real challenge is how you work with them to maximise mutual success. Effectiveness in the creator economy requires a marketer mindset shift. You can’t just treat creators like they are another supplier or pair of hands for hire.
Not long ago, creator marketing often meant handing a scripted message to a celebrity and expecting them to parrot it in a post. That approach falls flat in today’s authenticity-driven media landscape. Now, creators are diverse and deeply connected to their audiences, from mega YouTubers to niche TikTok artists. They’re not just a new channel for your message; they’re contributors who can help shape and evolve the message itself.
To unlock their full value, brands must move away from the old “pay-and-tell” model and embrace a co-creative partnership. This may require embedding a new working culture within your marketing team. The most effective brand–creator relationships treat creators as partners translating brand meaning into the language of their community. Unlike actors on a set, creators aren’t there to take rigid direction on every line and gesture. They know their followers best, what jokes will land, what references make sense and what styles spark engagement.
Here are some tips to help you set the table but allow creators to serve their audience with their own flavour of creativity.
Strategic guardrails ensure the creator’s output remains true to your brand’s identity and goals and what’s more most creators appreciate them. Articulate your brand’s purpose, key messaging points, and any non-negotiable do’s and don’ts, particularly any legal, ethical, or tonal boundaries. These guardrails act as a safety net while allowing creators room to play. The combination of flexibility and consistency encourages creators to explore new boundaries in their creative work with greater confidence. Tell them the core idea you want to get across, and your brand values, then ask them, how would you convey that in a way your audience will love?” This will make the content feel more native and deliver the engagement you need.
Try to remember why you are working with creators. It’s probably because you know authentic creator content grabs attention, builds emotional connection, and sticks in the memory, which are all critical ingredients of effective marketing, but it also needs to be timely. You may need to adjust your approval processes to match the agility of the creator economy. Trust that if you’ve chosen your creator partners well and given them clear guidance, you’ll have the confidence to approve content faster and let them react in real-time. Too many layers of sign-off not only frustrate creators but can diminish the timeliness and relevance that make creator content so powerful.
Being agile isn’t the same as having a short-term mindset. While it’s tempting to chase quick wins with one-off influencer posts, the greatest value comes from building long-term relationships with creators. It takes time for a creator to genuinely understand your brand. Once they do their integrations become smoother, their stories richer, and their audience’s trust in the partnership grows. If you invest for the long-term, creators become de facto brand ambassadors. The continued association amplifies impact, builds recognition and long-term partners are more likely to proactively bring you ideas.
Once a creator feels truly part of your brand’s inner circle, they might pitch you content angles or emerging trends that fit your strategy. The sweet spot is where the creator feels trusted, empowered and motivated. Establish upfront that it’s a two-way street where you’ll share feedback on their ideas to ensure brand fit and you will welcome their feedback on whether the brief makes sense for their audience. Creators often have sharp insights into consumer attitudes and creative trends.
A good practice is to involve creators early in the brainstorming phase of a campaign rather than just at the execution stage. Co-develop content ideas together, so there’s buy-in from the start. This collaborative planning can prevent misalignment later and makes creators feel genuinely valued. Respect their craft, their time, and their perspective. Simple gestures like ensuring timely payment, publicly crediting them for their work, or sharing performance results and saying thank you also go a long way. Don’t forget word gets around and in a crowded creator economy, top creators will gravitate towards brands who treat them well.
To explore this recipe for creator success we sat down with Rob Mayhew, creator, industry satirist, and advocate for authentic creator collaboration, to get his take on how to build meaningful connections between brands and the creator community.
Watch the full interview here.
From control to collaboration
Not long ago, creator marketing often meant handing a scripted message to a celebrity and expecting them to parrot it in a post. That approach falls flat in today’s authenticity-driven media landscape. Now, creators are diverse and deeply connected to their audiences, from mega YouTubers to niche TikTok artists. They’re not just a new channel for your message; they’re contributors who can help shape and evolve the message itself.
Creators are partners, not performers
To unlock their full value, brands must move away from the old “pay-and-tell” model and embrace a co-creative partnership. This may require embedding a new working culture within your marketing team. The most effective brand–creator relationships treat creators as partners translating brand meaning into the language of their community. Unlike actors on a set, creators aren’t there to take rigid direction on every line and gesture. They know their followers best, what jokes will land, what references make sense and what styles spark engagement. Here are some tips to help you set the table but allow creators to serve their audience with their own flavour of creativity.
Give them the ingredients but let them cook
Strategic guardrails ensure the creator’s output remains true to your brand’s identity and goals and what’s more most creators appreciate them. Articulate your brand’s purpose, key messaging points, and any non-negotiable do’s and don’ts, particularly any legal, ethical, or tonal boundaries. These guardrails act as a safety net while allowing creators room to play. The combination of flexibility and consistency encourages creators to explore new boundaries in their creative work with greater confidence. Tell them the core idea you want to get across, and your brand values, then ask them, how would you convey that in a way your audience will love?” This will make the content feel more native and deliver the engagement you need.
Bake agility into your processes
Try to remember why you are working with creators. It’s probably because you know authentic creator content grabs attention, builds emotional connection, and sticks in the memory, which are all critical ingredients of effective marketing, but it also needs to be timely. You may need to adjust your approval processes to match the agility of the creator economy. Trust that if you’ve chosen your creator partners well and given them clear guidance, you’ll have the confidence to approve content faster and let them react in real-time. Too many layers of sign-off not only frustrate creators but can diminish the timeliness and relevance that make creator content so powerful.
Nourish lasting creator relationships
Being agile isn’t the same as having a short-term mindset. While it’s tempting to chase quick wins with one-off influencer posts, the greatest value comes from building long-term relationships with creators. It takes time for a creator to genuinely understand your brand. Once they do their integrations become smoother, their stories richer, and their audience’s trust in the partnership grows. If you invest for the long-term, creators become de facto brand ambassadors. The continued association amplifies impact, builds recognition and long-term partners are more likely to proactively bring you ideas.
Find the creative autonomy sweet spot
Once a creator feels truly part of your brand’s inner circle, they might pitch you content angles or emerging trends that fit your strategy. The sweet spot is where the creator feels trusted, empowered and motivated. Establish upfront that it’s a two-way street where you’ll share feedback on their ideas to ensure brand fit and you will welcome their feedback on whether the brief makes sense for their audience. Creators often have sharp insights into consumer attitudes and creative trends.
Good preparation and respect are critical
A good practice is to involve creators early in the brainstorming phase of a campaign rather than just at the execution stage. Co-develop content ideas together, so there’s buy-in from the start. This collaborative planning can prevent misalignment later and makes creators feel genuinely valued. Respect their craft, their time, and their perspective. Simple gestures like ensuring timely payment, publicly crediting them for their work, or sharing performance results and saying thank you also go a long way. Don’t forget word gets around and in a crowded creator economy, top creators will gravitate towards brands who treat them well. To explore this recipe for creator success we sat down with Rob Mayhew, creator, industry satirist, and advocate for authentic creator collaboration, to get his take on how to build meaningful connections between brands and the creator community.
Watch the full interview here.
