I’m sorry to keep bringing this up; 68 % of marketers say communication bottlenecks damage their creator relationships. Not just slowing things down. Not just causing a little friction. Damaging the relationship.

I keep bringing this up because influencer marketing is built on relationships. So, if we want to succeed and actually scale our programs, we need to figure this out.

The problem is, it’s not an easy fix. Because it’s rarely one big failure that causes the breakdown. It’s the slow build-up. The four different apps creators (and you) have to check. The slightly confusing brief. The feedback that never came. The task that had no clear next step.

It’s easy to miss, because we’re so focused on getting our part done. The contract is signed. The budget’s approved. The brief gets sent. Our links are linked, the discount codes are coding. And then we assume everything’s clear. That the creator is fine. That things are moving — because we’re moving. On to the next creator, the next brief, the next email.

But just because we’re ticking things off doesn’t mean we’re building a relationship that leads to good work.

So, here are three more ways you can fix your influencer comms.

Fix #1: Pick your channels and stick to them

It always starts out fine.

Then, one email turns into a WhatsApp reply. Then they send you a quick update on Instagram. You follow up in Slack. And suddenly you're pasting usage rights into a DM at 9 p.m., wondering how this became your life.

You probably didn’t mean to make it chaotic. It just kind of… happened?

But you’re the marketer. You’re the one who has to set the tone for how creators communicate with you. And you’ve got to make it simpler.

Greta Zacchetti thinks about it like this:  

• One formal channel – for contracts, briefs, and anything legal. Usually email.

• One fast channel – for nudges and check-ins and GIFs.  WhatsApp, Slack, iMessage. Pro tip: Pick one.

• One human channel – for things that need tone, nuance, or a little face-to-face energy. A call. A voice note. Something real-time.

And then? You tell them. Literally: “Here’s how we’ll talk, and what goes where.”

It’s confusing when feedback lives in four different places. It’s exhausting.

And it makes it harder for all of us to do good work when we’re so busy trying to find the work.

Fix #2: Pick up the phone

Sometimes the easiest way to move a project forward is to stop typing and start talking.

Yes, yes — I know. Nobody wants another meeting. If my FYP is to be believed, we’re all slack-gremlin hybrids now.

But when something feels a bit off, or someone’s confused and not saying it directly, or you're about to write your third paragraph explaining the same thing… it’s probably time to get on a call.

A short one. A 15-minute “clarity call” after the brief goes out works wonders, according to Kat LaFata. 

Not because you’re repeating the whole doc, but because tone is easier to read out loud. Because they can ask questions in the moment. Because it gives you a chance to hear how they’re thinking about the collaboration. And yes, because it builds trust.

In 15-minutes you can:

• walk through the key points

• confirm deliverables and dates

• align on next steps (who’s doing what, and by when)

• and answer any questions while you’ve got their full attention

And no, it doesn’t need to be every time. But if an email thread starts spiraling, or you're writing “Just to clarify” for the fourth time, or things are getting tense?

Get on a call.

Fix #3: Treat creator communication like sales

Sales has a bad reputation among marketers. We think they’re too aggressive, and they think we’re too soft. Yet, we can learn so much from each other.

Take this one, for example: salespeople never end a call without a next step. They confirm the follow-up, the next date, the next decision because if they don’t, everything stalls.

Be honest now. When was the last time you wrote, “Let me know if you have any questions :)” and peaced out of that conversation?

(I think I did it last week when asking for feedback in Slack. Bad Eleni.)

If there is no next step, no one knows who is meant to move next, so they don’t.
And then a week later, you’re following up with a creator like, “Just checking in on this…”

The fix is simple, according to Matheus Ribeiro:

Most of your messages need a next step.

For example:

• Can you send the draft by Friday?

• All that’s left is for you to sign the contract. Once you do, I’ll send over the brief..

• Next step: You’re waiting to get the product. I’ll follow up on Tuesday to see what you think. 

Not a big, formal thing. Just clarity: what happens next, who owns it, and when…to keep the train moving. 

Bonus fix: Share what’s working (and get paid for it!)

Every issue of ROI is built on stuff that comes from marketers like you. We collect all this knowledge through surveys we run about once a month.

We ask what’s working, what’s slowing you down, and how you accidentally made a mess of that one campaign. We use those answers to shape this newsletter, our blog, YouTube channel, and everything else we share.

We pay you for your time, too. (It’s not life-changing money. But it’s enough to treat yourself to more than 10 coffees a month.)

Want to help us all get better?

🫱🫱 Apply to join our survey group

Handpicked job openings

• Cos is looking for an Influencer Assistant in London, England.

• MPB is looking for an Influencer Marketing Manager in Brighton, England.

• Ffern is looking for a Head of Influencer Marketing in London, England.

• Hero Cosmetics is looking for an Influencer Associate Manager in New York, USA. This role is hybrid.

• Fresh is looking for a Director of Global Influencer Strategy in New York, USA. The role is hybrid.

The OOO Haul

I read your automatic out-of-office replies. Yep, all of them. I love to see what this little community is up to. It's become a weird ritual for me, so I thought I’d share with all of you. Last week, ROI subscribers were everywhere.

Here’s what you’re up to, according to your out-of-office messages:

• Holidaying in Barbados

• Getting married (My biggest congrats!)

• On set for photo shoots

• At the Seafood Expo in Barcelona 🐠

• At the London Coffee Festival

• Enjoying the Portuguese summer

• On maternity leave (a few of you)

• Doing jury duty (two of you??)

• On “official tour” (??? unclear, but go off)

• At the San Isidro Festival in Madrid

• Cycling 400km in Taiwan as part of Hospitality Rides 2025 (very cool

• Out sick (about 15 of you. Feel better soon!)

If you’re around next week, see you here, same time, same place!
Eleni Zoe xx
Marketing @ Modash. Say hi on LinkedIn or visit Modash.

📌A NOTE ABOUT WHAT YOU JUST READ

The tips in this newsletter might not be right for your specific case. Use good judgment when deciding whether to take advice from the internet—even mine. My team and I survey & interview influencer marketers whose advice and observations come from their direct experience. ROI is meant for you to connect the dots and be inspired or challenged to think about your influencer marketing in a way you haven’t before.