How to Run a Gifting Campaign
No fee, no escrow, and a board you move yourself. Including which wizard settings do nothing and where the address locks.
What this guide covers
What gifting actually is here
You send a free product. No fee is paid. That is the whole trade, and it shapes everything else.
| Gifting | A paid collaboration | |
|---|---|---|
| You pay | Nothing but the product | A fee, minimum $10 |
| Escrow | None. There is no money to hold | The full price is held until you approve |
| If they do not post | You have lost the product | The money returns to your wallet automatically |
| Who reviews the campaign | Our team, in its own queue | Our team |
| Plan needed | Starter or above | Any, including Free |
Because there is no escrow, the automatic refund that protects you on a paid deal does not exist here. The protection for the product itself is insurance, and that is bought at the checkout of a paid offer, not on a gifting campaign.
Building the programme
Six steps, each saved as you go. Save & exit keeps the draft.
Service
A title, and Self-serve or Managed. Managed means our team runs it by hand; nothing behaves differently in the system.
Products
At least one, from Shopify, Amazon, or typed in with a name, retail price and image.
Cadence
One-time with a total unit count, or Monthly. A start date is required; an end date is optional and blank means ongoing.
Recipients
Niches, audience size, platforms and languages, plus optional requirements like minimum engagement, 18+, disclosure and competitor exclusivity.
Shipping
One ship-from country, which must match your Shopify or Amazon address, and the countries you will ship to.
Review
Launch programme submits it. Your plan and a campaign slot are checked here.
Be honest in Ship to. Only creators in those countries are matched, so a long list you cannot actually ship to produces requests you then have to reject.
The settings that look like controls and are not
Several options on the wizard are stored but drive nothing automatically. Knowing which saves you a surprise.
| Setting | What it actually does |
|---|---|
| Total units to ship, Units per month | Used for display and ordering, as spots left. Requests are not blocked when the number is reached |
| Pause when stock runs low | Stored. Nothing acts on it |
| Roll over unused units | Stored. Nothing acts on it |
| Email me a monthly summary | Stored. Nothing sends it |
| Send tracking notifications | Stored, but there is no tracking integration for gifting |
So count your own units. If you set 50 and 80 creators request, all 80 requests arrive and you reject 30 of them, which costs you goodwill. Watch the board and set an end date when you are full.
Running the board
Every creator moves through columns, and you move most of the cards yourself.
The pipeline. One move is irreversible.
A pending request can only be accepted or rejected
You cannot drag it straight to Shipped.
You see their address once you accept
Not before. That is the point at which the exchange becomes real.
The address locks at Shipped
It is frozen as the record of where the parcel went. If you have not really shipped, move the card back to Accepted and they can change it.
Rejected is final
A rejected creator cannot be moved again. Reject only when you mean it.
Outreach is built in
Templates like Warm & friendly send through the Ainfluencer chat, linked to the campaign.
Export gives you a CSV
Everyone in the campaign except open requests.
Shipping, and the gap to plan around
There is no tracking integration for gifting. You ship it, then move the card.
Shopify fulfilment and parcel tracking apply to paid collaboration offers, not to gifting. The Send tracking notifications switch is stored but connected to nothing.
Share the tracking number with the creator in the chat and move the card to Shipped on the same day. That message is also your record of when it went, which matters if the parcel is disputed later.
Editing, pausing and the things you cannot do
Two surprises worth knowing before you launch.
| What you want | What happens |
|---|---|
| Change the products on a live programme | It goes back to Pending for re-review, so creators always see what you will really send |
| Pause the programme | There is no pause button. Set an end date in Edit, or ask us to pause it for you |
| Extend an expired programme | Moving the end date into the future sends it back to Pending |
| Delete it | Allowed with no check for gifts in transit, and it disappears for the creators too |
The review screen says you can pause or end the programme anytime. The pause half is not built yet. An end date is the control you actually have.
Inviting creators to a gifting programme
Invitations only work once the programme is approved.
Invite from search
Pick the gifting campaign first. The button then reads Request to send product.
Creators already in the campaign are skipped
You cannot double-invite someone.
They also get the grouped invitation email
Which goes out at 06:00 and 18:00 UTC.
A known broken link
The join button on the public gifting preview page does not work. Creators should find your gift in the Gifting tab of the app instead.
Filter on Address ready to ship when you search. A creator who has not saved an address cannot receive anything, and chasing one through chat is the slowest part of a gifting programme.
From an idea to a creator posting
The whole gifting loop, with the irreversible step marked.
Ready to send products instead of fees?
Build a gifting programme, or let our team run it for you.
