Broken communication doesn’t just waste time—it breaks trust.

Last week, 68 % of marketers admitted their comms bottlenecks are damaging creator relationships.

The constant back-and-forth. The missed details. The moments where no one’s quite sure what’s supposed to happen next. It all adds up.

You can’t always control how others communicate, but you can stop being the one who slows things down.

Slow approvals? Fuzzy briefs? Outreach that gets ignored? That’s on us.

Let’s fix it.

Fix #1: Pre-approve everything you can (yes, even the “obvious” stuff)

Nothing kills momentum faster than scrambling for approvals after your brief has already left your outbox. One moment you’re high-fiving yourself over the perfect creator; the next, you’re back in your inbox with Legal (“Can we whitelist the content?”), Finance (“Is €2k within budget or is it €1.8?”), and the brand lead (“Are we okay with product-only for the first post?”).

Noor Ahmed’s suggestion? Go on a “Will anyone veto this?” tour before you type a single DM. Get sign-offs across three buckets:

• Money – fee brackets, gifting limits
  

• Rights – whitelisting, paid ads, repurposing window
  

• Red lines – mandatory hashtags, forbidden topics, hard deadlines

Lock those in once, write them down, and your negotiations with creators will go much faster.

Fix #2: Prioritise clarity from the start

The brief is where your whole collaboration begins. It sets the tone, defines what “done” looks like, and can build trust —or break it.

So why are creators still missing stuff?
Why are marketers still screaming “It’s in the brief!” into emotional-support pillows?

If someone doesn’t see something, doesn’t remember something, or misunderstands something… the brief didn’t do its job. Not fully. That doesn’t make you a bad marketer. But it does mean there’s room to communicate more clearly.

You already know the questions you’ll get. So answer them —before they’re asked.

How to make your comms clearer

• Be exhaustive up front
  You’re not writing a novel. You’re writing a working document. That means: no burying the lead.
  
  Use BLUF: Bottom Line Up Front.
  The essential info (what’s due, when it’s due, and what can’t be skipped) should be at the top of the section. Supporting details should come after.
  
  Put the important info first, so the reader (let’s be honest, skimmer) isn’t hunting for it.
  

• Show instructions in context
  Explain what to do and why it matters. For example:

  
  Disclosure & tags
  Why: Required by law + builds audience trust
  Do: Start the caption with #ad and tag @OurBrand in the first sentence

• Show, then tell
  Add a simple example under every rule.
   Bad: “Link in bio. #gifted.”
   Good: “Link in bio. #ad | Use code CREATOR15 for 15 % off.”

The brief isn’t the place to be subtle. If you’ve said something 12 times before, say it a 13th. If it matters, make it unmissable.

Fix #3: Make sure your brief makes sense to a stranger

Sometimes the problem isn’t what’s in the brief —it’s how it’s written. If someone new joined your team and opened it, would they know what to do next without calling you?

That’s your test.

It’s not about dumbing things down. It’s about formatting for someone skimming with 3 % battery and 10 mind tabs open. A good brief is clear and well-structured. It guides the reader’s eyes. It prioritises what matters. It’s not a wall of text.

Before you send a brief, ask yourself:

• Are all dates written out in full? (“15 July 2025”)

• Does every deliverable start with an action verb?

• Can someone new find all must-include tags and codes in 10 seconds?

• Is it obvious what happens next, and who owns it?

• Does the formatting help the eye, or fight it?

If any answer is “no,” you might need to write or restructure. (Definitely one of those two) Add headings. Use spacing. Isolate key points. Bold the important parts.

Run a blind read
Hand the brief to a teammate who’s not on the project. Give them 60 seconds to skim. Ask them to tell you what’s happening and what they’d do next. If they stumble, your creator will too.

A great brief doesn’t need a Slack thread to explain it. It works on its own, and creators actually want to use it.

Bonus fix: Don’t let your outreach be the bottleneck

If your first message doesn’t land, creators won’t say yes. Or they won’t reply at all. That’s a communication breakdown, too. And the good news? You control it.

If you want to go even deeper into fixing the first impression —your outreach— we’ve got something for you.

Join us next week for “How to stay personal at scale.”

A casual, live 45-minute session with: Marit Tiesema (Sr. KOL & Ambassador Specialist, Loop Earplugs) + Simone Partner (Modash)

You’ll learn:

• The hybrid model – how to create templates that feel personal but take minutes, not hours

• Writing with psychological intent – tiny copy shifts that lift reply & activation rates

• Sharper segmentation – use-case-based workflows that track smarter

• Fail fast, fail cheap – a low-risk sprint method for testing new channels

Bring your questions. Steal Marit’s systems.
👉 RSVP here

Can’t make it? Register anyway, and we’ll send you the replay. 

See you in the next issue of ROI!
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.