I'm working with a CPG brand on the marketing side. Small budget, so we're looking at gifting rather than paid — sending product to a bunch of nano creators in the hope they post about it. Is this approach viable at all, and what should I realistically expect?
For context on where we are: 27 creators in South Africa, primarily home cooks, filtered heavily for audience geography (all 80%+ local), content fit (cooking-primary with some lifestyle), and views-per-follower. About to send first round of outreach this weekend.
Honestly, finding the right 27 took a long time — most discovery tools either don't cover smaller creators well or surface the wrong ones for a specific niche/geography combo. Curious if anyone has a faster process for this part.
A few specific questions:
- Of creators who accept the product, what % typically actually post?
- What separates campaigns that work from ones that don't — selection, the ask, follow-up, the product itself?
- Common mistakes that kill response rates that aren't obvious from outside?
Happy to come back with results in a few weeks if there's interest.