Campaign Launch Checklist
Six phases from objective-setting to close, the operational checklist that prevents the failures good creative can't fix.
Most campaign failures trace back to something on this list being skipped, not to bad creative. Work through it in order; each phase depends on the one before it.
Phase 1, Before you contact any creator
- Single primary objective agreed and written down
- Budget confirmed, including whether it covers usage rights and agency fees
- Brief completed in full, every field, no blanks
- Tracking set up: discount codes generated, UTM links built, landing page live and tested
- Baseline metrics recorded, you cannot demonstrate lift without a before
- Internal approver named, with a committed maximum turnaround time
- Break-even maths done, you know what ROAS this campaign needs to justify itself
Phase 2, Creator selection
- Longlist built against the brief's audience criteria, not follower count
- Each shortlisted creator vetted for audience authenticity
- Rates benchmarked against tier, niche and engagement bands
- Competitor conflicts and existing exclusivity checked
- Mix balanced, avoid concentrating the whole budget in one tier or one creator
- At least one creator included as a deliberate test outside your usual profile
Phase 3, Contracting
- Deliverables, counts, formats and live dates fixed in writing
- Usage rights and duration explicitly stated
- Exclusivity terms agreed and compensated if broad
- Revision rounds capped, with a rate beyond the cap
- Payment terms and triggers agreed, ideally escrow-backed rather than post-delivery invoicing
- Disclosure requirements specified per ASCI guidelines
- Kill fee agreed for brand-side cancellation after production starts
- TDS treatment confirmed, and barter values logged if applicable
Phase 4, Production
- Scripts or concepts reviewed against the "must not say" list
- Claims checked for substantiation, anything about efficacy, health or results needs evidence you can supply
- Drafts approved within the committed turnaround (this is your obligation, not the creator's problem)
- Disclosure present and correctly placed in every asset
- Links and codes tested in the actual draft, not just in theory
- Creative freedom respected, resist rewriting the creator's hook into brand language
Phase 5, Live
- All content live on agreed dates and formats
- Tracking confirmed firing correctly within the first few hours
- Early performance monitored, if something is clearly underperforming in the first 24–48 hours there may still be time to adjust the rest of the campaign
- Comments monitored for questions the brand should answer directly
- Content saved and archived if you hold usage rights
- Creators supported, answer their questions quickly while content is live
Phase 6, Close
- Insights collected from every creator (screenshots or platform data)
- Performance measured against the single objective from Phase 1
- Results compared to baseline, not just reported in absolute numbers
- Break-even ROAS compared against actual, did this campaign genuinely pay?
- Creators paid on the agreed timeline. Late payment is the fastest way to lose access to good creators, and creator networks talk
- Learnings documented: which tier, niche, format and hook actually worked
- Top performers flagged for repeat work, repeat creators negotiate less and perform better
Why phase one matters more than the rest
Almost every expensive campaign failure originates before a single creator is contacted. A campaign with two competing objectives, no baseline recorded and untested tracking cannot be rescued by good creative or good creators, the measurement was broken before anything went live.
| Phase 1 step skipped | What it costs later |
|---|---|
| No single objective | Content that serves neither awareness nor conversion well |
| Tracking not tested | No reliable attribution, and no way to reconstruct it afterwards |
| No baseline recorded | You can report numbers but cannot demonstrate lift |
| No approval turnaround committed | Timeline slips land on creators and damage relationships |
| No break-even calculated | You won't know whether the campaign actually paid |
Who owns what
Campaigns stall most often at approvals, so assigning ownership explicitly before launch is worth the five minutes it takes. At minimum, name one person accountable for creative approval with a committed turnaround, one for tracking and measurement setup, and one for creator communication throughout.
Frequently asked questions
What are the steps to run an influencer marketing campaign?
Six phases: prepare (objective, budget, brief, tracking, baseline), select (longlist, vetting, rate benchmarking), contract (deliverables, rights, payment terms, disclosure), produce (script review, claim substantiation, approvals), live (monitoring, early performance checks), and close (insights, measurement against baseline, payment, documented learnings).
What should you do before contacting influencers?
Agree a single objective, confirm budget including usage rights, complete the brief with no blank fields, set up tracking and test it, record baseline metrics, name an internal approver with a committed turnaround, and calculate the break-even ROAS this campaign needs to justify itself.
How quickly should brands pay influencers after a campaign?
On the agreed timeline, without exception. Late payment is the fastest way to lose access to good creators, and creator networks share this information. Escrow-backed release tied to deliverables going live removes the issue entirely.
How long does an influencer campaign take to run?
Realistically four to eight weeks from brief to reporting for a multi-creator campaign, roughly one to two weeks for creator selection and contracting, two to three for production and approvals, one to two live, and one for measurement. Compressed timelines usually cost more, since rush turnaround carries a premium.
What are the most common influencer campaign mistakes?
Setting multiple primary objectives, leaving usage rights until after pricing, not committing to an approval turnaround, failing to record a baseline before launch, and reporting reach and engagement without checking against break-even ROAS.
When should you measure influencer campaign results?
Continuously during the campaign, not only afterwards. Checking performance in the first 24 to 48 hours leaves time to adjust the remainder, whereas a purely post-campaign report tells you what went wrong when nothing can be done about it.
Plan, vet and measure the campaign
Influencer Marketing ROI Calculator
Model reach, clicks, orders, CPA, ROAS and true gross-profit return before you commit budget — built to tell you when a campaign will not work.
Open →Campaign Brief Template
The nine sections a complete influencer brief needs, the fields most brands leave blank, and what that omission costs them.
Open →Influencer Vetting Checklist
What to check before signing a creator, ordered by how much each signal actually predicts outcomes — not by how easy it is to measure.
Open →Stop calculating. Start running campaigns.
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