In an era when creator marketing is no longer a trend but a trusted strategy, brands are under pressure to get creator partnerships right. But what does that mean from the creator’s point of view?
At CreatorIQ Connect Europe, we heard directly from several standout creators about what makes (or breaks) a great brand partnership. Their experiences offer a real-world look at how the landscape is shifting—where authenticity, community, and long-term vision matter way more than follower counts or canned talking points.
Here are the five biggest takeaways:
1. Authenticity begins with alignment
Creators don’t want to promote something they’ve never used or don’t believe in. In fact, according to our State of Creator Marketing 2024-2025 survey report, 84% of creators said that product quality is the No. 1 reason they’ll work with a brand. When a partnership starts from true alignment, the content is naturally more credible—and resonant with a creator’s audience.
For brands, this means recognizing and prioritizing the creators who are already loyal fans of your products for partnerships. Or, if sending a creator a new product, make sure to give them enough time to actually try the product and form their own opinions—before expecting them to post about it.
Shima Katouzian (@sheemoma on Instagram) at CreatorIQ Connect Europe
Beauty creator Shima Katouzian (@sheemoma on Instagram, 2.7M followers) says: “I love working with brands where I’ve already used their products and they reach out to me because I use their products, or when the conversation starts with actually giving me time to use the product.” Luxury creator turned brand advisor Riccardo Pozzoli (@riccardopozzoli, 350k followers) echoed this sentiment, sharing how he was a loyal Land Rover customer long before he began working with the brand—and is still an ambassador five years later.
Beyond product affinity, it’s even more important to creators to work with brands that align with their personal values overall. Snapchat star Dani DMC (@itsdanidmc on Snapchat, 115k followers) shares how she wants to “work with brands that align with my message. That's always my priority. I don't want to ever put aside my morals and values to collaborate with a brand.”
2. Creators value relationships, not just rates
Respect and relationships go a long way. Creators are real people, and they can tell when a brand treats them like a transaction versus a teammate.
Creator Riyadh Khalaf (@riyadhk, 613k followers) believes that the best partnerships occur when there’s “a real human relationship behind the business relationship.” Whether it’s jumping on a call, getting coffee, or going to happy hour, dedicating time to forming real relationships with creators beyond the campaign makes a big difference: “I get to see that you’re a person, and you get to see that I’m a person. It is invaluable to know the people that are on the other side of the wall.”
Riyadh Kalaf (@riyadhk on Instagram) at CreatorIQ Connect Europe
Plus, when creators have strong relationships with the people behind the brand, they naturally go the extra mile—turning better ideas into better content and stronger performance. “If I know and like this person I’m working with, I want the content to be a success for me and for them. I want everyone to win,” says Riyadh.
3. Creative freedom isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s essential
The best content doesn’t come from rigid briefs or restrictive brand guidelines—it comes from trust. Creators want to feel seen and respected as creative storytellers, not just as brand spokespeople. That means giving them the freedom to tell the brand’s story in their voice, with their own audience in mind. In fact, our State of Creator Marketing survey report also found that 99% of creators care about creative control in brand partnerships.
Dani revealed it’s a “dream come true” when brands trust her creative vision: “[The content] comes across more authentically when you say, ‘We trust you as the creator. We see your vision, we see the content that you create, so we're going to put it in your hands.’”
Shima also noted that when brands hold her to strict scripts, her community can tell, rendering the content less effective: “When I’m using terminology that my audience has never heard me say, they're like, ‘this is absolutely fake.’”
Dani DMC (@itsdanidmc on Snapchat) at CreatorIQ Connect Europe
Asking creators to simply echo your brand’s messaging defeats the purpose of working with these creative powerhouses in the first place—and often delivers subpar results. Don’t get us wrong, brand safety is extremely important—but it should be addressed during the creator vetting and selection process, not enforced through rigid campaign scripts. If a creator aligns with your brand’s values, bring them into the fold as a true creative partner, co-create or collaborate on the brief, and ultimately trust them to do what they do best: create.
As Riyadh puts it, “This is the beauty of the internet and content creators versus traditional mainstream media. If you can be more flexible creatively, while not damaging the overall brand, why not?”
Plus, when a creator feels trusted and empowered to execute their vision, it not only results in better content for the brand, but also leads to a better experience for the creator, opening the door to future collaborations together.
4. Long-term partnerships build loyalty among creators and their audiences
One-off campaigns rarely allow creators to hit their stride. Time and time again, creators emphasize the value of ongoing collaborations. Long-term, multi-touch partnerships lead to more authentic storytelling, stronger creative outcomes, and deeper brand loyalty—both for the creator and their audience.
“The best brand and creator partnerships happen over a long term—they’re not the one-hit wonders,” says multidisciplinary creator and creative director Balwinder Bhatla (@mrwhisper, 77.1k followers). “I think you get the best content out of those. You get to enrich your ideas each time you work with a brand.”
Jess Hunt (@jesshunt2 on Instagram) at CreatorIQ Connect Europe
REFY Co-founder Jess Hunt (@jesshunt2, 1.7M followers) shared how her experience as a creator first informed how the REFY team works with creators today: “I'm always thinking, how can I make this creator feel valued and excited? Let's not just do one piece of content with them. Let's make this a really beautiful long-term friendship.”
And now, other brands are following suit: our State of Creator Marketing report also found a 62% increase in recurring creator partnerships year-over-year, signaling that brands are increasingly playing the long game with their favorite creators.
Retaining creators maximizes both the volume and quality of content creation about your brand over a sustained time period. Top-performing brands in Earned Media Value (EMV) also boast stronger retention than their competitors.
Retention is one of the greatest indicators of long-term creator marketing success. Influencer relationships tend to appreciate in value over time, so brands that retain a large proportion of the creators they work with are well-positioned for sustainable, long term growth in EMV and other key community metrics.
5. Creators are educators—and they’re expanding beyond the feed
Today’s creators are more than content engines—they’re cultural translators, product consultants, community leaders, and expert educators. Brands that engage them beyond a single Instagram post are tapping into a much richer source of influence.
Balwinder advised brands to allow creators to “step out from behind that nine-by-16 ratio phone screen and into the real world,” and revealed that much of his recent work has actually been centered around sharing his expertise in different real-life forums, from panel discussions (like CreatorIQ Connect) and workshops to press launches and prototype testing.
Balwinder Bhatla (@mrwhisper on Instagram) at CreatorIQ Connect Europe
Shima emphasized how she loves when brands ask for—and implement—her product feedback prior to launching a new product, and Jess discussed how REFY worked closely with its community of creators and customers to test and eventually launch the brand’s first concealer.
Embed Media: Creator content
And the desire for this type of real life impact is growing: our State of Creator Marketing report found that career growth opportunities were the No. 1 driver of creator satisfaction in brand partnerships, outranking compensation.
The bottom line
Creator marketing works best when creators are treated like people, not programmatic media channels. Respect their voices and vision, prioritize long-term relationships, and bring creators into the fold of your brand. Because when creators feel like valued members of your team, their impact becomes exponentially more valuable.
To hear more from these creators, check out their CreatorIQ Connect Europe session replays!
