A great creator program is more than a list of names in a spreadsheet; it’s a systematic engine for generating authentic content and predictable growth. Scaling from 10 to 100+ active partners is less about raw effort and more about building the right machine. Here’s how you can do it.
- Systematize, Don't Improvise. The biggest mistake brands make is trying to scale a manual process. As the hosts of Ecommerce Playbook pointed out, trying to manage 100 influencers with spreadsheets leads to chaos, missed follow-ups, and wasted time. The first step is to treat it like a system, not a side hustle. This means investing in a Creator Relationship Management (CRM) platform to manage your pipeline, automate outreach, track communication, and handle product shipments. It’s the infrastructure that makes scaling possible.
- Build a High-Volume Seeding Funnel. To get 100 active partners, you need to contact many more. On an episode of The Bottom Line: Ecommerce Tactics for Profitable Growth, the team detailed a process of reaching out to 500 micro-influencers at once. The focus should be on product seeding as your primary acquisition channel. As Matt Bertulli explained on another episode, his team seeds thousands of creators a month. Not all of them will post, but a high-volume approach fills the top of your funnel and ensures a steady stream of new partners and content.
- Automate Outreach, Not Relationships. Scaling outreach requires automation, but you don’t want to sound like a robot. William Gasner mentioned on Ecommerce Coffee Break that you can use tools for automated DMs and email sequences to manage the volume. The key is to avoid generic, spammy messages. Create a few personalized templates for different creator segments (e.g., based on their niche, follower size, or past brand work) so the outreach feels relevant. This balances efficiency with the personal touch that, as creator Fiona Frills discussed on Honest Ecommerce, is essential for building real partnerships.
- Follow the 70/30 Rule for Your Roster. Once you have a growing community, you need to allocate your resources wisely. Lily Comba shared a brilliant framework on The Bottom Line: dedicate 70% of your time and budget to nurturing your top-performing, proven partners. The other 30% should be used for testing and onboarding new creators. This model, which she used to manage a $1M+ budget, provides stability and deepens relationships with your best advocates while ensuring you’re always discovering new talent.
- Turn Your Creator Content Into a Paid Ads Pipeline. The value of a creator program isn't just in organic posts; it's in the authentic user-generated content you can repurpose for paid advertising. Secure usage rights from your creators, which was part of the tactical walkthrough on The Bottom Line. Then, feed that steady stream of content into your campaigns for Meta Ads. As Dr. Jonathan Snow explained on Ecommerce Coffee Break, modern ad platforms are hungry for a high volume of creative, and a scaled creator program is the most effective way to produce it.
The most common pitfall is trying to apply a one-size-fits-all approach to compensation, communication, and relationship management. To truly scale, you have to build tiers and systems that allow for both mass outreach and personalized, high-touch partnerships.
