How Tan Madonnas Runs Influencer Gifting on Shopify Without the Headaches

How Tan Madonnas Runs Influencer Gifting on Shopify Without the Headaches

Influencer gifting can feel like a full-time job—DMs, spreadsheets, back-and-forth emails, and manual shipping. But Patricia, founder of Tan Madonnas, figured out a better way to scale her brand using influencer gifting and product seeding without burning out.

We chatted with Patricia on the Influencer Gifting podcast about her exact strategy for running a smooth, scalable gifting program as a Shopify brand. Here’s what she shared.

Why Influencer Gifting Still Works in 2025

A lot of brands are skeptical of influencer marketing these days. But Patricia explains that for small brands trying to build organic awareness, product seeding is still one of the most cost-effective tools around—if you do it right.

"When you're gifting, you're not just sending a product—you're starting a relationship," she says. "We look for creators who align with our vibe and genuinely love what we send. That authenticity comes through."

The key difference? Patricia doesn’t treat influencer gifting as a transactional ad buy. It’s a discovery and relationship-building channel that drives real word of mouth over time.

How Patricia Finds Influencers to Gift

Patricia's approach is scrappy but smart. She finds creators mostly on Instagram and TikTok, looking for:

• Micro-influencers with engaged audiences (not just high follower counts)

• Aesthetic alignment with Tan Madonnas’ brand

• People who are already creating content in the self-care, wellness, or lifestyle space

She also keeps a running spreadsheet of creators she finds while scrolling, which makes it easy to batch outreach later.

The Old Way: Manual, Time-Consuming Gifting

Before switching tools, Patricia managed influencer gifting manually:

• Instagram DMs or email to ask for their address

• Copy-pasting shipping info into Shopify

• Hoping they chose the right product and variant

• No real system for tracking what was sent or who posted

It worked at first—but once she hit 10+ influencers a month, it became chaos.

The New Way: Using Influencer Gift Form

Patricia now uses Influencer Gift Form, a Shopify app that lets her send creators a simple link. They click, enter their info, and choose a free product. Done.

"It saves me hours of back-and-forth every week," she says. "And it makes it way easier for the influencer too."

She sets up the form with:

• A welcome message that aligns with her brand

• Product options with variants

• Custom notes for packaging

Everything goes straight into Shopify as a draft order, ready to fulfill. No spreadsheets. No DMs. No friction.

Why It Feels More Professional (and Scalable)

"Honestly, it just makes us look more legit," Patricia says. "The creators take it more seriously. And they’re more likely to post because the experience is smooth."

This streamlined process also means Patricia can now gift more creators without needing more time. She recently ran her biggest seeding campaign ever—and handled it solo.

Key Takeaways for Brands on Shopify

• Don’t overthink it: Start with a list of 20 micro-influencers you like.

• Keep it easy for creators: Remove friction in the gifting process.

• Use gifting as a discovery channel: Not everyone will post, and that’s okay.

• Invest in systems: A simple form can save hours and increase conversions.

Want to Try Patricia’s Approach?

If you're a Shopify brand looking to scale your influencer gifting without spreadsheets and chaos, check out Influencer Gift Form. It’s built for scrappy founders like you who want to get product in the right hands—fast.

More Interviews Coming Soon

Follow along as we interview more founders like Patricia on how they use influencer gifting, seeding, and automation to grow their Shopify brands.

Subscribe to Influencer Gifting w/ Neil Magnuson on YouTube for the latest episodes.