The Ultimate Guide to Product Seeding & Influencer Marketing
Coupled with influencer marketing, product seeding is proven to drive UGC and word-of-mouth. Here's how product seeding campaigns work and how to run...
Do your product seeding kits exceed creators' expectations? Nail your next round of PR packages with these ideas and examples of influencer seeding kits.
Does your brand actually stand out in a sea of seeding kits?
Because we know firsthand that creators receive PR packages from brands constantly.
(That's why we say that finding the creators is the key to product seeding. When creators know and trust your brand, they'll be delighted by their kits regardless of the presentation!)
Still, free products alone won't guarantee content from creators today. Not by a long shot.
And so anything you can do to make your product seeding kits pop is a plus.
That's why we put together this quick post where we break down:
Let’s dive in!
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Putting together a "good" influencer kit doesn't have to be an elaborate process.
We’ve seen firsthand how small details can have a big impact on PR package campaigns.
Your goal should be to make a positive, lasting impression on your recipients. A thoughtful seeding kit can result in reach, loyalty and UGC. That's the power of product seeding!
If you're serious about getting content from more influencers, you need to go beyond the bare minimum when sending PR packages. Below are three crucial pieces of a strong seeding kit.
Product packaging is make-or-break when it comes to making a good first impression.
And with product seeding and influencer marketing at large, first impressions are everything.
Creative and custom packaging can turn an ordinary unboxing into a memorable experience for influencers. Not to mention their audiences and viewers.
Just look at the constant flood of influencer unboxing videos across TikTok and Instagram. Our favorite PR boxes are the ones that catch our eyes before a product is even revealed.
When you put together your seeding kit, ask yourself: would your package make the #FYP?
Since Statusphere's product seeding platform has powered tens of thousands of shipments and 75,000+ pieces of UGC, we know what gets people posting. Details like the packaging of our StatusBoxes are easy to overlook but the effort is worth it to delight creators. Logos and colors count!
Sure, some brands can get pretty "extra" when it comes to their influencer kit packaging. This can result in amazing content but likewise requires a significant investment of time.
However, not every brand needs to reinvent the wheel with presentation. Especially since product choice is more important for your product seeding strategy.
And that leads us right to our next point!
Remember: seeding is all about getting products into creators' hands.
Picking the right products for your recipients is make-or-break for an influencer seeding kit.
No-brainer, right? However, it's easy to lose sight of product choice when you're worried about all of the other details of doing PR seeding the right way.
Product choice ultimately determines whether your creators post or not. The more excited they are about what you've sent them, the more likely they are to post and go above and beyond.
Sending one-size-fits-all influencer kits is easier for brands, sure. The tradeoff is that a uniform approach tends to yield fewer posts and less enthusiastic creators.
On the flip side, tailoring your kits to specific customer segments or demographics is a brilliant way to create a personalized experience and earn awesome content without wasting time.
And if you look at the best examples of product seeding done right, you'll notice that enthusiastic responses are front-and-center.
Sending products that match creators’ style and audience shows that you’ve done your homework and care about adding value to their content. After all, influencers won't post unless the products they receive are relevant to themselves and their audiences.
Taking a segmented approach versus sending random products increases your influencer post success rate in a big way. This highlights the value of an influencer seeding platform like Statusphere that can segment your recipients using 250+ unique, first-party data points. That means you can send products to creators at scale while still providing a personal touch.
Unlike small-scale influencer gifting campaigns, extreme personalization isn't necessary or even realistic when you're seeding 100s or 1000s of creators per month.
While sending personalized PR package notes is an awesome idea, consider other ways to make an impact on creators without writing everything out by hand.
For example, influencer seeding kits can feature instructions or notes that are tailored to creators or audience segments without being 100% customized.
It's common for brands to include a note explaining what each product does or provide context to what it's unique. Thoughtful influencer seeding kit messages can spark inspiration for content and help influencers feel confident about showing off your brand.
Crafting messages for a handful of audience segments is way more actionable than trying to customize everything one by one. Some brands will send cards that aren't necessarily tailored to specific creators but still make a positive impression.
In this PR box example (language warning!), the brand sent a note presented as a"birthday card" that was actually celebrating the brand's birthday. This grabbed the creator's attention and made for an entertaining unboxing video.
Besides, the creator still loved the card and products she got. The post went viral, too.
This example drives home why sending products to influencers can't be a one-size-fits-all affair.
Notes and packaging aside, product reveals are at the core of what delights creators and is the payoff for their videos. Reveals that "wow" recipients are a win-win for loyalty and engagement.
That's why creator matchmaking and segmentation are crucial to your influencer seeding strategy. Again, Statusphere's influencer marketing platform can ship products to creators at scale coupled with brand instructions. Our software automates the entire process based on your products and information with guaranteed delivery to creators, too.
There are so many brands out there crushing it with their influencer kits. Marketers can use all the inspiration they can get when it comes to standing out and making product seeding work.
To wrap things up, let's look at three influencer seeding kit examples and why they're effective.
Check out how Tatcha nailed their influencer kit by sending two packages to the creator below.
Needless to say, the brand manages to tick all the right boxes with packaging and presentation.
Most notable is the brand's thoughtful selection of high-value products. This shows yet again the importance not only of personalized product choices and custom boxes but also a strong value exchange.
Note how the creator can’t contain her excitement and gets legitimately emotional. This is how attention to detail can make an impression and result in amazing user-generated content.
In this influencer kit example, a #BookTok creator is ecstatic as she opens a package from Fabled Co. featuring one of her favorite authors.
The creator gushes about her love for the books, ultimately proving that the brand knew exactly who they were sending these gems to.
Listen: you can't get genuine reactions like this by sending out random products. Doing your homework and aligning your influencer kit recipients with the relevant products is crucial. Especially if you want to hype up your community and drive positive influencer product reviews.
This example brilliantly showcases how sending products that creators truly love can build strong connections and lead to future collaborations. In her review of the brand's jeans, the creator explicitly says she doesn’t have a deal with the brand.
(Spoilers: this creator actually scored an affiliate deal following this post!)
Still, this disclosure assures her audience that these are her honest, unfiltered thoughts. Her enthusiasm is infectious as she explains this kind of product seeding is her favorite way for brands to reach out.
The takeaway? Targeting your product seeding can create memorable and authentic experiences for creators and their audiences.
Greater brand loyalty, more word-of-mouth and content that sets you apart.
Sending influencer seeding kits at scale can accomplish all of the above.
But putting all of the above into action can be a major time-sink, especially when you’re juggling fulfillment and influencer spreadsheets in-house.
Brands that do product seeding at scale need an automated system that keeps up with the demands of their campaigns. That’s exactly what Statusphere's software can do.
Again, our influencer marketing platform matches brands with vetted creators programmatically to ensure that you only send products to influencers who are most likely to rave about them.
We’ve helped 400+ brands ship products to tens of thousands of creators. Statusphere’s software automates everything from matchmaking and content management to fulfillment and reporting so you can effortlessly scale your influencer seeding strategy.
Want to learn more about how our automated product seeding platform works? Get in touch with one of our experts to learn how our software can help you get products into creators' hands with guaranteed delivery.
This article was first published in February 2024. It was last updated August 19, 2024.
An influencer seeding kit is a package brands send to content creators to promote their products. These kits can range from simple to elaborate. Some seeding kits include custom packaging and products carefully curated for each recipient. For brands, the goal of a seeding kit is to create a memorable unboxing experience that results in UGC and word-of-mouth.
Depends on who you ask! These terms are all pretty much used interchangeably among marketers. That said, there are some minor distinctions if you want to get technical:
Influencer seeding campaigns often align with time-sensitive promotions such as product launches. By seeding influencers prior to a launch, brands can get a head start on building awareness. Although seeding campaigns do not result in guaranteed content, they're proven to build awareness when done at scale.
Many brands also send out PR packages to specific groups of creators for ongoing UGC. These influencer boxes are typically more customized and curated than pure seeding kits. Brands may send these monthly or quarterly depending on their bandwidth and goals. For example, a brand might send quarterly PR boxes to coincide with seasonal campaigns or new products.
Some brands also send influencer kits to creators on demand. For example, a brand might have an application for creators to receive a kit with a variety of products to try. These kits are traditionally more "one-size-fits-all" and may include sample products versus full-sized items
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