Present a creator shortlist as a decision page: one recommendation, a comparison of three candidates, and the conditions that could change your recommendation. Link to evidence behind each claim. Put detailed creator quotes and negotiation terms in a separate, access-controlled annex for authorized reviewers. A client should be able to choose a direction without opening every profile screenshot.
The template below is illustrative. It uses fictional candidates and hypothetical campaign details, not an agency's operating documents or actual creator terms.
Define the choice before showing the creators
Open the presentation with the decision the client needs to make. For example:
Choose one creator for a UK kitchen-storage demonstration in November. Prioritize a clear explanation of the product in a small kitchen. Approve a preferred candidate for negotiation; this meeting does not book the creator.
Add the agreed budget ceiling, deliverables, publication window and intended content use. Keep these conditions visible beside the comparison. Otherwise, someone may prefer a creator for a format or usage right that the agency has never priced.
If the brief still has competing objectives, resolve them with the client before ranking candidates. Use the client intake brief to settle the audience, scope and constraints.
Modash's profile-assessment guide discusses campaign requirements, previous content and audience fit. Those are useful inputs. For a client presentation, turn each input into a reason to choose, a limitation or an unanswered question. Avoid reproducing the full research file on slides.
Use one comparison table with a reason to choose each candidate
Here is a completed hypothetical example. The brief requires one original demonstration video on the creator's own channel. Paid advertising use is outside this comparison and would need separate review.
| Decision field | Candidate A | Candidate B | Candidate C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proposed role | Detailed small-kitchen demonstration | Highly visual storage reveal | Alternative for a later launch |
| Evidence reviewed | Three public tutorials explain storage choices step by step | Three public reveal videos show clear before-and-after layouts | Two public demonstrations use a similar room size |
| Audience evidence | Creator-supplied report includes a reporting period and UK audience breakdown | Tool estimate only; native report requested | Supplied report is older than the agreed research window |
| Creative tradeoff | Strong explanation; less emphasis on visual styling | Strong visual opening; product explanation needs discussion | Relevant setting; weaker evidence of current audience fit |
| Availability | Creator indicated November interest; no slot reserved | Awaiting reply | Creator indicated December availability only |
| Commercial status | Within ceiling for quoted scope; quote validity still to confirm | Agency estimate only; no creator quote | Within ceiling for December scope; November unavailable |
| Recommendation | Preferred, subject to scope and date confirmation | Reserve, subject to audience evidence and quote | Exclude from November; reconsider only if timing changes |
In a live presentation, replace the descriptions with linked evidence records. Each record should name the source, capture date, reporting period where relevant, and any missing context. A thumbnail can help the client recognize a piece of content. It should not carry the whole argument.
Keep three kinds of statements separate:
- Observed: a linked video includes a product demonstration.
- Supplied or estimated: an audience figure came from a creator report or a named tool.
- Agency judgment: that demonstration style suits the brief.
Do not convert a tool estimate into a platform-confirmed fact. Do not call a creator-supplied report independently verified unless the agency completed that verification. If two candidates have different reporting periods or metric definitions, mark the numbers as non-comparable rather than ranking them together.
The UK regulator's data-minimisation guidance also addresses opinions. It says records should identify opinions and retain enough context to interpret them. For consequential shortlist judgments, record who made the assessment, when, and which evidence informed it.
Explain what would change the recommendation
A recommendation should survive a question about its assumptions. In the example, Candidate A leads because the brief prioritizes explanation and November timing. Candidate B becomes a stronger option if the client prioritizes a visual reveal, and the outstanding evidence and quote support selection.
Show the client a conditional recommendation in ordinary language:
Proceed with Candidate A if the creator confirms the November window and the quoted scope stays within the approved ceiling. If either condition fails, return with Candidate B's evidence and quote before making a commitment. Candidate C only returns to consideration if the launch moves to December.
That statement explains the tradeoff without pretending to predict campaign results. Past work can support a creative-fit judgment. It does not establish future sales or a guaranteed delivery date.
Use explicit availability labels such as awaiting reply, interest expressed, date proposed, or booked under the agreed process. Include the last confirmation date and owner. Avoid a green availability mark that merges all these states. See client approval deadlines when the shortlist decision must connect to a booking schedule.
Give commercial reviewers access without circulating every term
Separate the client decision page from the restricted commercial annex. This is an operational recommendation, not a claim that all creator rates carry identical legal restrictions.
The decision page needs the cost comparison that the client is authorized to see, the priced scope and unresolved conditions. Where permitted, include the exact comparable total. Otherwise, give an authorized budget status and route the authorized approver to the detailed quote. Never hide a cost that the approver needs to assess.
Keep itemized quotes, negotiation history, contract drafts and private contact details in the annex. Check confidentiality commitments and the intended recipients before sharing. Remove unrelated addresses, bank details and other creators' terms from supporting material.
For agencies subject to UK GDPR, the ICO's guidance requires personal data to match the purpose and remain limited to what is necessary. The page currently carries a notice that it is under review following legislative changes. Ask a qualified privacy or legal reviewer about the applicable jurisdiction and contractual restrictions. This template does not resolve those questions.
For a Google Drive workflow, use named recipients and Restricted general access for the annex. Assign viewer or commenter access according to the review task. Google's sharing documentation explains these controls and warns that My Drive files inherit parent-folder permissions. A file inside a broadly shared folder cannot receive less access through a file-level setting alone.
Place the annex in an appropriately restricted location, then check who can open it. Google also documents controls for editor sharing and viewer or commenter download, print and copy options. Review those settings; do not treat them as permission to distribute confidential material. Keep restricted terms out of speaker notes, hidden slides and comments in the general deck.
For a wider review of recipient boundaries, use the guide to keeping creator data separated across agency clients.
End the meeting with a decision note
Use this completed hypothetical note as the model:
Shortlist decision, 30 September 2026. The client marketing lead selected Candidate A for negotiation. The client accepts a less styled presentation in exchange for a clearer product explanation. Selection depends on written date and scope confirmation within the approved ceiling. The agency account lead owns that check. Candidate B remains the reserve; the agency must obtain audience evidence and a quote before requesting approval. No creator booking or paid-use authorization follows from this shortlist decision.
Send the note with the version of the comparison the client reviewed. Name any unresolved question and its owner. Before the agency contacts the preferred creator with a commitment, confirm that the decision conditions are satisfied and the authorized approver has reviewed the terms.
