FROM OUR BLOG

FROM OUR BLOG

FROM OUR BLOG

Influencer Gifting vs. Seeding: What's the difference?

Sep 30, 2024

In today’s eCommerce landscape, influencer and creator marketing have become essential tools for brands looking to expand their reach and engage with target audiences. A successful campaign often begins with selecting the right individuals to collaborate with, but the next crucial step is getting your product into their hands. 

While seeding is simply sending a product and expecting nothing in return, gifting is more transactional in nature: I give you a product and you post.

In marketers speak, seeding is for Awareness and gifting is for Activation.

What is Seeding?

If your primary objective is to generate a high volume of tags, mentions, and posts, seeding is the way to go. Seeding involves sending your products to a large group of creators—often hundreds or even thousands—in the hopes of earning organic content. The idea is to flood the market with your products, getting them in front of as many eyes as possible.

This method is effective for increasing brand awareness and social media impressions, as creators who receive your products are likely to share them with their followers. Additionally, the content they produce can often be repurposed as user-generated content (UGC), adding further value to the campaign. However, the key to a successful seeding campaign is to do it at scale and track performance closely.

It should also be noted that this is a good vehicle to get product feedback for new brands. Sending your product for free gives you the opportunity to ask if they liked it or not, and if not, why?

When to Use Gifting

Gifting is more transactional in nature, and therefore more personalized. Brands often go the extra mile with custom packaging, handwritten notes, and products tailored to the influencer’s preferences. The hope here is that influencers post the unboxing experience and even provide their affiliate link to their followers to drive sales.

Seeding vs. Gifting: Which Should You Choose?

Both seeding and gifting have their place in a well-rounded influencer marketing strategy, but the choice depends on your goals:

  • Choose seeding if you're looking to cast a wide net, increase brand awareness, generate UGC for your site/socials, and get product feedback.

  • Choose gifting if your focus is on deepening relationships with influencers, driving conversions, and generating high-quality, branded content.

What is the easiest way to send influencers my product?

Influencer Gift Form! Say good bye to manually entering influencer orders, instead, just send them a link! This allows you to scale an influencer gifting or seeding program.

In today’s eCommerce landscape, influencer and creator marketing have become essential tools for brands looking to expand their reach and engage with target audiences. A successful campaign often begins with selecting the right individuals to collaborate with, but the next crucial step is getting your product into their hands. 

While seeding is simply sending a product and expecting nothing in return, gifting is more transactional in nature: I give you a product and you post.

In marketers speak, seeding is for Awareness and gifting is for Activation.

What is Seeding?

If your primary objective is to generate a high volume of tags, mentions, and posts, seeding is the way to go. Seeding involves sending your products to a large group of creators—often hundreds or even thousands—in the hopes of earning organic content. The idea is to flood the market with your products, getting them in front of as many eyes as possible.

This method is effective for increasing brand awareness and social media impressions, as creators who receive your products are likely to share them with their followers. Additionally, the content they produce can often be repurposed as user-generated content (UGC), adding further value to the campaign. However, the key to a successful seeding campaign is to do it at scale and track performance closely.

It should also be noted that this is a good vehicle to get product feedback for new brands. Sending your product for free gives you the opportunity to ask if they liked it or not, and if not, why?

When to Use Gifting

Gifting is more transactional in nature, and therefore more personalized. Brands often go the extra mile with custom packaging, handwritten notes, and products tailored to the influencer’s preferences. The hope here is that influencers post the unboxing experience and even provide their affiliate link to their followers to drive sales.

Seeding vs. Gifting: Which Should You Choose?

Both seeding and gifting have their place in a well-rounded influencer marketing strategy, but the choice depends on your goals:

  • Choose seeding if you're looking to cast a wide net, increase brand awareness, generate UGC for your site/socials, and get product feedback.

  • Choose gifting if your focus is on deepening relationships with influencers, driving conversions, and generating high-quality, branded content.

What is the easiest way to send influencers my product?

Influencer Gift Form! Say good bye to manually entering influencer orders, instead, just send them a link! This allows you to scale an influencer gifting or seeding program.