-
Skip the mega-influencers for now; go local/micro with tight tracking and performance terms.
For a regional food brand, broad national reach is wasteful. Prioritize creators in your delivery region or grocery/recipe niches whose audience matches your stores. Structure deals around performance: unique codes, UTMs, region-specific landing pages, and a store locator or Instacart link. Price off recent average views, not followers. As a rule of thumb, aim to stay under ~$0.03 per TikTok view and ~$0.05 per IG Reel view, with extra fees only for usage rights, whitelisting, or exclusivity. Ask for 30-day performance data screenshots before signing. Get a TikTok handle live with 10–15 test posts, a pixel, and Spark Ads access so you can amplify high performers with geo-targeting.
Non-negotiables: clear brief, reshoot clause, deadlines, FTC disclosure, 30–90 day content rights, and a kill fee. For workflow, start with Modash for vetting, Grin or Aspire for outreach/payments, and Path Social to keep your IG growing organically between pushes.
Bottom line: start micro and regional, measure hard, then scale.
