Influencer Seeding
Sending product to the right people without a contract, done at a scale where the response rate makes sense, and tracked so you know what came back.
Overview
Seeding is sending product in the hope of coverage, with no obligation on the recipient. It is cheap per contact and unreliable per contact, which means it only works as a numbers exercise: send to enough of the right people and a predictable share will post.
What ruins it is treating it as a favour. An unsolicited package with a generic note gets thrown away. Personalised selection, a product genuinely suited to the person, and a note that does not demand anything are what move the response rate from negligible to worthwhile.
Who this is for
- Consumer brands with a physical product worth having
- Companies launching a product that benefits from being seen in use
- Teams whose gifting produces almost no coverage
How we approach influencer seeding
The specific pieces of work a typical engagement covers. Scope is agreed up front — nothing here is a surprise line item later.
Recipient selection
Chosen for genuine fit with the product rather than by follower count, which is what determines whether anything gets posted.
Package and unboxing design
Packaging designed to be filmed, since the unboxing is frequently the content. It also has to survive shipping.
Personalisation
Notes that show you know who you are writing to. Templated outreach at scale is the main reason seeding fails.
Logistics
Fulfilment, customs and tracking across markets, which is most of the operational work and all of the delays.
Follow-up
A light, non-demanding check-in. One is useful; more reads as an invoice for a gift.
Coverage tracking
Monitoring what appears, including posts that never tag you, so the response rate is a real number.
From first call to measured result
The same sequence every time, so you always know what happens next.
Build the list
Select recipients on product fit and audience relevance, sized for a realistic response rate.
Prepare
Package design, personalised notes and fulfilment set up before anything ships.
Send
Ship in waves rather than all at once, so the first wave's response can inform the rest.
Track
Monitor coverage, record response rate by recipient type, and identify who is worth a paid relationship.
Outcomes, not deliverables
A pile of artefacts isn't progress. These are the changes the work is meant to produce — and what we report against.
Low cost per placement
At a working response rate, seeding is among the cheapest routes to credible coverage available.
Content that reads as genuine
Unpaid posts carry a credibility that disclosed advertising cannot, precisely because nothing was owed.
A shortlist for paid work
Whoever posts unprompted is the obvious candidate for a paid partnership later.
A response rate you can plan against
Tracking turns seeding from a hopeful gesture into a channel with predictable arithmetic.
Common questions about Influencer Seeding
The things people ask before they get in touch. If yours is not here, ask us directly.
What response rate should we expect from seeding?
It varies hugely with product desirability and how well the list is selected, but expect most packages to produce nothing. That is normal and is why volume matters. A well-targeted campaign with a genuinely wanted product does far better than a broad send of something ordinary.
Can we ask for a post in return?
If you ask, it stops being seeding and becomes an undisclosed paid arrangement, which is a compliance problem in most markets. Send it freely, and if you want a guaranteed post, contract for one properly and disclose it.
Should we seed to large accounts?
Rarely worth it. Large creators receive a great deal of product and post almost none of it. Mid-tier and smaller creators respond far more often and their audiences trust them more.
How do we track posts that do not tag us?
Monitoring the recipient list directly rather than relying on brand mentions, combined with social listening on product names. A meaningful share of seeded coverage never tags the brand at all.
Thinking about Influencer Seeding?
Tell us what you are trying to change. If we are not the right fit we will say so, and point you somewhere better.
Looking at the wider picture?
Influencer Seeding usually sits alongside other work in Influencer & Creator Marketing. Browse the full area to see what it connects to.