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, manual shipping. But Patricia, founder of Tan Madonnas, figured out a better way to scale her brand using gifting and product seeding. Here's her exact strategy.
Why influencer gifting still works
A lot of brands are skeptical of influencer marketing these days. But for small brands building organic awareness, Patricia says 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. We look for creators who align with our vibe and genuinely love what we send. That authenticity comes through." She treats gifting as a discovery and relationship-building channel, not a transactional ad buy.
How she finds creators
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)
- People already creating in the self-care, wellness, or lifestyle space
She keeps a running spreadsheet of creators she spots while scrolling, which makes it easy to batch outreach later.
From chaos to one link
Before switching tools, Patricia managed gifting manually — DMs and emails for addresses, hoping creators chose the right product and variant, with no real system for tracking. It worked at first, but once she hit 10+ influencers a month, it became chaos.
Now she uses Influencer Gift Form: she sends creators a simple link, they enter their info and choose a free product, and everything lands in Shopify as a draft order ready to fulfill. "It saves me hours of back-and-forth every week — and it makes it way easier for the influencer too. Honestly, it just makes us look more legit. The creators take it more seriously, and they're more likely to post because the experience is smooth." She recently ran her biggest seeding campaign ever — solo.
Run your biggest seeding campaign — solo
One branded link → creators pick a product and enter details → a tracked $0 Shopify order is created automatically. No spreadsheets, no enterprise contract.
Takeaways
- 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.
- Treat gifting as relationship-building, not a one-off ad buy.
Want the full method? Read the product seeding guide or how to find micro influencers.
Gift creators without the headaches
Send free products to creators with one branded link — no spreadsheets, no back-and-forth DMs. Free to install.
Install Influencer Gift Form →