Five rules for nano-influencer campaigns, from the other side of the brief

1. The final decision-maker must have seen the creator's content. The most demoralising outcome is delivering exactly your usual style and hearing "this isn't what we had in mind" — nothing changed except who was paying attention. Choosing creators whose existing content already fits the brand also protects their audience from a jarring style shift, which protects your campaign.

2. Size the contract to the creator. A nano-influencer with 2,000 followers has no lawyer. A 20-page agreement is a barrier, not a protection. A place to sign, what's required, what the payment is — if that takes more than five pages, something's wrong.

3. Make the briefing proportionate. An hour-and-a-half briefing for two posts costs the creator leave from their actual job — and quietly filters out good people who can't take the time off.

4. Name the metrics upfront. Tell creators at contract stage exactly what numbers you'll need afterwards. Some have never pulled them and need time to learn.

5. Pay properly and simply. This is the big one. Multiple forms, certified copies from the police station, original hard-copy documents, three-to-six-month waits — all standard, all indefensible. "The one thing you don't want after a campaign is the influencer posting: I did this work and six months later they still haven't paid me. That's the exact opposite of what you were trying to achieve."

Give creators the pen

Justine Nienaber, who books influencers for a living, adds the strategic layer. The market is unregulated — two creators with identical followings can quote R10,000 and R100,000, so diligence is on you. Loyalty is scarce. And the fix for both is the same: go niche, go authentic, and hand over ownership. "Rather than 'here's the brief, make it work,' say: here's the idea — how do you see it working? It's really hard to build an audience, and they've done it. They know what their audience likes." Her KFC campaign worked precisely because the creator's instincts led the format.

Try this week: audit your current influencer contract and payment flow against the five rules, and fix the worst offender before your next campaign. Then, on your next brief, replace the shot list with the idea plus the question: how would you tell this to your audience?

Written from seven years of receiving influencer briefs as AfroDaddy, alongside conversations on the South African Digital Marketing Podcast.