How to compare influencer marketing proposals on equal terms

When inviting proposals for a creator campaign, it is easy to choose an offer that only looks cheaper. In one proposal, a “video” means filming and publishing on the creator's profile. In another, it means a finished file for the brand, with no publication. Before assessing proposals, send everyone the same scope and ask them to identify what their response includes, what it excludes and which assumptions they have made. Only then can you compare the offers fairly.

If you work directly with creators, you can use this preparation in Blogger Bank: describe a shared brief, collect applications and choose creators yourself. Create a brand account to prepare a brief with the same requirements for every creator. The platform helps you manage collaborations; it does not assess proposals for you or replace your company's purchasing procedure.

Agree on a common baseline before considering alternatives

Suppose a kitchen accessories brand wants to show a food container being used during meal preparation. One proposal focuses on a post on the creator's profile; another offers content for the brand's ads. Both may make sense, but they answer different briefs. Do not choose between them as though price were the only difference. First decide whether you are buying access to the creator's audience, content for your own distribution, or both.

If you have not yet decided how to organise the campaign, start with the comparison of an influencer marketing agency and a platform. The choice between an individual creator and a production team is covered in UGC creator or agency. Here, we assume you have chosen your working model and are assessing responses to a specific brief, rather than commissioning a strategy.

Divide the request into a baseline scope and optional extras. The baseline must meet the need without which the campaign would serve no purpose. An additional edit or a post on another channel could be optional. Every supplier should respond to the baseline in the same format and present any suggested additions separately. An appealing bonus must not distract from a missing mandatory deliverable.

Break the “package” down into deliverables you can approve

A well-defined scope lets you establish whether delivery is complete. Instead of a general “influencer marketing package”, name the individual elements of the work. You do not need to dictate every sentence or shot to the creator. You do, however, need a shared answer to this question: what will the brand receive, and what will the audience see when the collaboration is complete?

• Production: topic, number of pieces, video format, approximate length, language and required product demonstration. Establish whether a version with a different opening means a separate edit or a new recording.
• Publication: profile and platform, post format, publication date and agreed period of availability. Specify whether the creator will publish the content or only deliver a file.
• Files for the brand: versions with or without subtitles, aspect ratios, thumbnail and delivery method. Do not assume a finished video also includes raw footage.
• Intended use: where the brand wants to use the content, for how long, in which market and whether it plans to edit it. Ask for confirmation of this scope rather than using a vague phrase such as “full rights”.
• Paid distribution: whether the order includes an advertising budget, who will run the ads and which account they will use. Permission to use a video in a particular way is not a budget for promoting it.
• Coordination: who sends the product, collects feedback, approves the version and supplies data after publication. Include the agreed revisions and deadlines for the brand's responses.

The IAB Poland tender guide, accessed on 3 November 2026, also emphasises distinguishing formats, publication channels and intended uses. Treat this list as a way to describe purchasing requirements, not as a ready-made contract. Have the person responsible for contracts check the legal wording of the agreement. This guide concerns how brands compare proposals, not public procurement rules.

A sample baseline: demonstrating a container, not any kitchen video

An illustrative brief might read: “Show a meal being prepared using our container: opening, filling and closing it. We need one vertical video in Polish, delivered as a finished file with subtitles and a version without subtitles. Publication on the creator's profile is not part of the baseline; please quote for it separately.” The quantities in this example describe a particular order, not a market standard.

Attach the product instructions, verified information, a photograph of the correct variant and a list of claims that must not be made without evidence. Enter actual dates for product delivery, the first version and feedback. Separately specify the planned use on the brand's channels and in advertising: the exact placements, period and market. Without these decisions, each candidate may assume a different scope.

Use a clear demonstration of the specified actions, compliance with the instructions, intelligible audio and delivery of all ordered versions as acceptance criteria. Do not make approval of the file depend on sales, which are also affected by the shop's offer, traffic and customer service. Assess the expected campaign outcome separately from whether the creator has completed the agreed work.

Prepare a product demonstration brief in your brand account and collect applications for the same scope. In Blogger Bank, you can review candidates' work samples, discuss arrangements and approve the result. Keep the comparison sheet in your own document; this process does not assume that the platform has an automated tender module.

One round of questions, one current version of the scope

A supplier's question often reveals a gap in the request. If someone asks whether they should also prepare a version without music, the answer may change everyone's workload. Add the clarification to the shared scope, label the version and send it to the other participants. Do not disclose anyone else's quote, ideas or contact details. You are sharing the task requirements, not the contents of a competing proposal.

Ask everyone the same short set of questions: which baseline elements are included; what is excluded; what materials the brand must supply; what could change the quote; whether the creator's availability and schedule are confirmed; and how files and publication data will be delivered. Record an unanswered point as “unconfirmed”, not “included in the price”.

If different creators may be proposed, ask suppliers to identify their suggested creator and provide a sample relevant to the task. A list of names without confirmed availability is a suggestion, not a confirmed campaign lineup. To assess craft, an existing portfolio and a discussion of the approach will usually suffice. Do not demand a finished script or a free video from every participant. If a production test is necessary, agree on payment and its terms separately.

The comparison sheet: missing information is not zero

In a spreadsheet, create a separate column for each proposal and a separate row for each deliverable. For each item, record more than a “yes”: include the scope, a reference to the proposal and any qualification. This lets another team member see where the information came from. You can copy this basic structure into your own document:

1. Version of the request, proposal date and validity period.
2. Content: quantities, formats, files and scope of revisions.
3. Publication: accounts, dates, availability and creator confirmation.
4. Brand use: channels, period, market, edits and confirmed terms.
5. Paid promotion: advertising spend separated from preparation and management.
6. Brand responsibilities, additional costs and exclusions.
7. Total for the agreed baseline, how taxes are presented, currency and payment terms.
8. Evidence of quality: a specific sample, suitability for the task and outstanding questions.

For example, proposal A includes a video and publication, but not delivery of the file for advertising; proposal B includes a file with agreed advertising use, but no publication. Do not subtract a guessed value for publication or assign a zero price to missing rights. Ask both suppliers to respond to the same baseline. If a supplier does not offer it, retain the proposal as an alternative, not as a cheaper equivalent.

Treat forecasts in the same way. “Views” without a specified channel, period and contribution from paid promotion are not a common unit of comparison. Ask for the source and assumptions behind the estimate; separate forecasts from delivery commitments. A large, unexplained promise does not make up for gaps in the scope.

The chosen proposal must translate into a clear order

First set aside responses that do not meet mandatory requirements or need clarification. Assess the rest against criteria established beforehand: creator suitability, the quality of comparable work, completeness of delivery, a feasible schedule and the total cost of the agreed baseline. Do not add a criterion after receiving proposals simply because it happens to favour your preferred presentation.

Before choosing a supplier, confirm the final scope, exclusions and the person responsible for approving the content. Keep that version with the order rather than referring people to an entire message history. Start by listing publication, files, usage and promotion as separate items. If every response still describes a different task, you need to clarify the brief, not rank the proposals.