Gifted Influencer Marketing

Gifted campaigns send product instead of a fee. Done carelessly that reads as asking people to work for free, and the good creators decline. Done well it is the most efficient influencer model there is — and it is the one Terrier has run at the largest scale, across food and drink, beauty, homeware and pet brands.

When gifting works, and when it does not

Gifting works when the product is genuinely desirable, has a clear retail value, and is something the creator would plausibly use anyway. A £90 skincare set, a case of craft beer, a piece of homeware — those are real value to the right person. It works badly for low-value items, for anything requiring significant production effort from the creator, and when you want control over the posting date and the script. At that point you are asking for paid work and should pay for it.

What we actually do

We build target lists from the creator’s audience fit rather than follower count, then run outreach at volume with personalisation that survives it — the difference between a 5% and a 30% acceptance rate is almost entirely in the first two lines. Vetting covers audience authenticity, past brand work, and engagement quality rather than engagement rate alone.

Then the logistics, which is the part that quietly sinks gifted campaigns: seeding, tracking who received what, chasing without nagging, and handling the proportion who never post. We manage the whole pipeline and report on the conversion from seeded to posted, because that ratio is the real efficiency measure of a gifted programme.

Compliance

Gifted product is a commercial relationship under ASA and CAP rules even though no money changes hands, and it must be disclosed — #ad or #gifted, prominently, not buried in a caption. We brief every creator on disclosure, check posts on publication, and keep records of what was agreed. Brands, not just creators, carry responsibility here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do gifted posts need to be labelled as ads?

Yes. Under ASA and CAP rules, sending free product in expectation of coverage creates a commercial relationship that must be disclosed clearly and prominently — typically #ad or #gifted at the start of the caption, not hidden among other hashtags. This applies whether or not you controlled the content.

What percentage of gifted creators actually post?

It varies with product desirability and how well the outreach was targeted, and honest reporting tracks it rather than hiding it. A well-run campaign converts a healthy majority of seeded creators into posts; a poorly targeted one can waste most of the stock. We report seeded-to-posted as a headline number precisely because it is where gifted campaigns succeed or fail.

Can we control what they say?

Only loosely, and that is the trade. Gifting buys goodwill, not a deliverable, so you can supply talking points and must-avoid claims but cannot demand approval, a fixed script or a guaranteed date. If you need those, the campaign should be paid.

Is gifted or paid better value?

Gifted is far more cost-efficient per post and works well for awareness and volume of authentic coverage. Paid gives you control, guaranteed delivery, usage rights and the ability to brief precisely. Most of the programmes we run are hybrid: gifting for reach and discovery, paid for the hero creators whose content will also be used in advertising.

What does a gifted campaign cost if the product is free?

You pay for the product and the management — sourcing, vetting, outreach, seeding logistics, chasing, compliance checking and reporting — plus postage, which is not trivial at volume. Influencer retainers start at £1,000 per month, and the product and shipping sit on top.