Small businesses need to stop 'gifting'. If they are sending stuff and want mentioned, they need to have an agreement in place before doing so...but when influencers are charging other companies thousands for stories, they then struggle to justify their charges if they will then tag others free in exchange for relatively low cost items.
If you 'gift', especially unsolicited, it is a gift and you cannot expect anything, especially if you know the influencer involved charges for content. If it is 'solicited', unless you have a cast iron guarantee of exposure, don't send it. Influencers should be expected to be willing to pay for your items, buy them, and possibly go on to create a working relationship if they like it and want more. This idea of sending them everything for free and them crediting everyone whilst having expensive contracts with companies is naive of small businesses.
I've seen snack accounts try it on with chocolate and baking companies, etc. and thankfully a lot of them are waking up and saying they won't send free products all over the place and expect those genuinely interested to be following them already, buying from them initially and from there they can work out if there is a 'gifting' relationship worth having. These other company types need to follow. I get having a shout out from a large influencer can change things overnight for a company (look at Joe Wicks shouting out the Chocolate Smiths - their expansion has been huge since, but Joe actually bought their choc, shouted them out as he loved it), but they need to remember when they are that big and charging for content, your gifts are exactly that, gifts. Plus, there is plenty out there to show the likes of Sofa has done this to so many small businesses why would you expect to be any different.
made me think sofa must have staff caring for these alpacas because wtf. This is the most I’ve seen her off the sofa in months though.
