Before creator research begins, learn what the client wants to change, who must see the campaign, what the work can cost, and which constraints could rule out a creator. Confirm how the client will judge the result and who can approve the brief. An influencer agency client brief is ready when a researcher can use those answers to include or reject candidates without guessing.
Use the questionnaire and readiness rubric below as an illustrative operating template. They are editorial recommendations, not a regulator's required form or a document taken from an agency's client files.
Ask for answers that change the search
A client can deliver a long brand presentation and still leave the research team unable to choose a market or price range. Ask each question with a consequence in mind: what would we do differently if the answer changed?
Sprout Social's agency planning article recommends agreeing specific goals before selecting influencers and matching measurement to those goals. That principle is useful here. Its 2017 pricing figures and examples are not current planning inputs.
Send this questionnaire before the intake meeting. Ask the client to mark unknown answers and name the person who can resolve them.
| Intake area | Questions to ask | Record in the brief |
|---|---|---|
| Business decision | What should this campaign change? Which outcome takes priority if goals compete? | One primary objective and the decision the result will inform |
| Audience | Who should act? In which countries, languages and buying situations? What evidence supports this choice? | Audience definition, market boundaries and supporting research |
| Product and offer | Which product is available, where can people buy it, and when can creators receive it? | Product, offer, stock or delivery limits, launch dependencies |
| Creator fit | Which subjects and content styles suit the audience? Which exclusions are mandatory? | Required traits, preferences and reasons for exclusions |
| Work and money | What content is expected? What is the approved spend, and what must it cover? | Working deliverables and separate allowances for fees, products, shipping, agency work and media |
| Use and restrictions | Where might the client reuse content? Is paid promotion expected? Which competitor relationships matter? | Requested uses, duration, territory and exclusivity scope for later negotiation |
| Evidence | What would count as success? Who can supply each report, for what dates? | Metric, source, reporting window, data owner and known gaps |
| Decisions | Who approves the brief, shortlist, spend and claims? Who resolves disagreements? | Named decision owners and response deadlines |
Do not accept “premium creators” as a selection rule. Ask for examples and the reason each fits. Is the client asking for production quality, subject expertise, a particular audience, or familiarity with the product category? Those answers lead to different searches.
Keep preferences separate from exclusions. A preference for studio photography should not silently remove creators who demonstrate the product well in ordinary settings. Ask the client to explain any exclusion that the researcher cannot apply consistently.
For budget, distinguish an approved ceiling from a hoped-for outcome. Do not backsolve a guaranteed number of creators from unconfirmed rates. Once the work is defined, use the guide to price agency work from its actual scope.
Attach evidence and record its limits
Ask for the smallest set of materials that can settle the intake decisions:
- Audience research with its source, date and market.
- Product information and the evidence behind proposed claims.
- Previous campaign reports with metric definitions and reporting periods.
- Examples of suitable and unsuitable content, each with a reason.
- A list of existing creator relationships and relevant commitments.
Treat a previous report as evidence about that campaign. Record whether paid distribution, a different offer or another market limits its use as a comparison. Leave unavailable audience or performance data marked unknown. Do not fill gaps with a confident-looking estimate.
Agree how the agency will receive client-owned account data. Record the account, purpose, required role, person granting access and removal date. Keep passwords out of the intake document.
For example, YouTube channel permissions let a client grant access without sharing its Google Account. Viewer (Limited) excludes revenue data, so it may be unsuitable when that data is part of the agreed task. YouTube also says channel permissions do not support YouTube APIs. A Studio invitation therefore does not prove that an automated reporting connection will work.
That example concerns the client's channel. It does not grant access to prospective creators' private reports. If the shortlist depends on creator-supplied evidence, record when you will request it and how you will label candidates whose evidence remains unverified.
Assign claims and legal questions before they shape selection
Ask which markets the campaign will reach and who reviews advertising claims, disclosures, proposed rights and data handling for those markets. Send unresolved questions to a qualified reviewer. This intake process does not replace legal advice or a creator agreement.
For campaigns affecting US consumers, the FTC's influencer guidance covers material connections such as payment and free products. It also says creators cannot describe experience with an untried product or make claims requiring proof the advertiser lacks. The FTC notes that US law can apply to posts from abroad when effects on US consumers are reasonably foreseeable.
Those points create concrete intake questions. Is there time for product use before an endorsement? Does the client have support for the proposed claim? Who will review the disclosure plan? If a required message lacks evidence, record it as blocked rather than searching for someone willing to say it.
Use a readiness rubric with blocking conditions
Avoid a total score that lets several completed fields hide one missing decision. Apply these three states to each intake area. This is a recommended agency control, not a platform rule.
| State | Meaning | Research action |
|---|---|---|
| Ready | The answer is specific, approved and usable for selection | Research within the agreed boundary |
| Conditional | An owner has accepted a written assumption, with a deadline and limited effect | Do only the research that remains valid if the answer changes |
| Blocked | The missing answer could change candidate eligibility, affordability or the campaign's permitted message | Pause affected research and request the decision |
Treat an undefined primary objective, target market, spending boundary or final approver as a blocker to a full shortlist. A missing claim decision blocks research that depends on that claim. An undecided accent color usually does not.
A conditional start needs a stated limit. “Explore English-language cooking creators; do not rank by audience country until the market decision” is usable. “Start looking while we work it out” gives the researcher no boundary.
Turn a missing answer into a decision request
Consider this hypothetical intake. A cookware client wants a US creator shortlist for a product launch. The audience, spending ceiling and approver are confirmed. The draft message says the pan is safer than competitors, but the client has supplied no supporting evidence.
The agency records the comparative claim as blocked. It asks the client's qualified reviewer to approve supported wording or remove the comparison. With written client approval, researchers can explore creators who demonstrate cooking techniques without relying on that claim. They cannot present those creators as ready for the original message.
The decision log needs only five fields: unresolved question, affected work, decision owner, due date and accepted interim limit. When the answer arrives, update the brief and tell the researcher which selection criteria changed.
Have the named client approver accept a dated brief before releasing the full search. Keep creator-facing instructions for the later creator brief. Then use the approved intake to build a defensible shortlist, with every unresolved condition visible beside the research task.
