Overview
If your campaign isn’t attracting as many creators as you expected, don’t worry — you’re not alone. This is one of the most common questions we hear from brands and agencies running influencer programs.
Even with a well-known brand and a strong brief, small details in your targeting or setup can significantly limit visibility and applications. Below are the most common factors that affect creator interest — and how to optimize your campaign to attract more qualified applicants.
1. Your Audience Filters Might Be Too Narrow
Creators are automatically filtered based on your targeting preferences (age, follower count, location, etc.). If your campaign has a tight age range or limited follower bracket, it could be excluding large groups of creators who would otherwise be a great fit.
Best Practices:
Broaden your age range slightly — even opening the lower end by a few years can dramatically increase the eligible pool.
Expand your follower range upward (e.g., from 500K to 1M). Many large creators apply to smaller-budget campaigns when they genuinely like the brand or product.
If your goal is high-quality content rather than massive reach, prioritize relevance over follower count.
2. Add More Context to Build Creator Confidence
Creators are selective — they want to know who they’re partnering with and what’s expected of them before applying. Campaigns that lack examples or assets tend to get fewer applications, even when the brand is well-known.
Best Practices:
Upload 2–3 brand materials (logos, product photos, lifestyle images, etc.) to make the campaign feel official and professional.
Include example content from past partnerships or mock examples to help creators visualize what success looks like.
Use the Brand Essentials section to clearly express why this collaboration is exciting — creators want to feel inspired, not just hired.
3. Be Transparent About Compensation
Creators are more likely to apply when they understand the value exchange upfront. If “Payment” is blank or vague, it can cause hesitation or confusion.
Best Practices:
Always include an opening bid or estimated range (even if it’s flexible).
Be clear about whether compensation includes a product, a flat fee, or a performance-based payment.
If you’re offering a gifted product, highlight the total retail value and emphasize what makes it special.
4. Split or Clone Campaigns by Niche
If your campaign appeals to multiple creator types (e.g., lifestyle, parenting, fashion), splitting or cloning it can dramatically improve performance.
Example:
Instead of one large campaign trying to reach everyone, create three niche versions:
“Lifestyle x [Your Brand]”
“Parenting x [Your Brand]”
“Fashion x [Your Brand]”
You can keep the same brief and budget structure, but tailor the headline, hashtags, or imagery for each audience. This helps creators self-identify quickly and improves application rates.
5. Consider Combining Similar Campaigns
If you’re running multiple campaigns that target overlapping audiences (for example, two product lines under the same brand), consider combining them into a single campaign.
Why it helps:
Increases visibility by merging audiences
Prevents duplicate applications from the same creators
Streamlines communication and selection
You can still differentiate between products within one campaign by using product options in the Payment section (e.g., creators choose which product they want to feature).
6. Calibrate Expectations with Your Goals
Finally, it’s important to align expectations with your recruitment goals. If you’re only looking to select a handful of creators, “low” application numbers may actually be completely healthy.
Ask yourself:
How many creators do we truly need for this campaign?
Are the current applications from the right audience and quality level?
If the answer is yes, your campaign might not be underperforming at all.
Quick Recap: How to Boost Creator Applications
Category | Optimization Tip |
|---|---|
Targeting | Expand age/follower ranges |
Brand Trust | Add 2–3 brand assets & example content |
Payment | Include an opening bid or budget range |
Niche Strategy | Clone campaigns for each niche |
Efficiency | Combine overlapping campaigns |
Expectation Setting | Define success by quality, not volume |
Next Steps
If you’ve adjusted your filters and assets but still aren’t seeing the desired traction, reach out to your partnrUP Customer Success Manager. They can review your setup and share benchmarking data across similar campaigns to help you calibrate your expectations and optimize your targeting.
Most campaigns that struggle to attract creators have overly narrow targeting or incomplete briefs. Try expanding your age or follower range, adding example content, and including an opening bid under Payment. Small tweaks can dramatically increase visibility and conversion.
Creators are filtered by age, location, and follower count. If your ranges are too tight (e.g., only 30–35 years old or 50K–100K followers), your eligible pool may be tiny. Broaden each range slightly to unlock a much larger set of applicants.
Yes — absolutely.
Creators apply more often when they see brand visuals and example content that show what success looks like. Add 2–3 brand materials and one content example to help them picture themselves in the campaign.
Including an opening bid or budget range helps creators quickly decide if the campaign fits their time and effort. If you’re gifting a product or service, list the estimated value and what’s included — transparency builds trust.
If your campaign targets different creator types (like lifestyle, parenting, or fashion), create separate versions for each niche.
You can reuse the same brief — just update the headline, imagery, and hashtags to make each feel personalized.
Yes, when possible.
If two campaigns target the same audience or product category, merging them increases exposure and reduces duplicate applicants. You can still differentiate products within one campaign using product options in the Payment section.
It depends on your goals.
If you only need 5–10 creators, “low” application volume might be fine — especially if the quality is high. Focus on fit and authenticity over raw numbers.