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Influencer Pre-Launch Content

Put your product in the hands of creators your audience already trusts — before or at launch — and let them show it in their own words. A recommendation from someone people follow arrives with trust no ad can buy.

Cost
$$
Time to results
Weeks
Difficulty
Medium
Best for
B2C
0/7

Proof first

7 companies already did this.

Influencer results are often reported by agencies, not the brands. We only use figures from the companies, their founders or reputable press.

Deep dives

Two case studies, start to finish.

Stanley — let a creator take the first order

Stanley · 2019

Creator as stockist · 5,000 cups sold out

What they built: The Buy Guide's blog and social channels

What they didStanley's Quencher cup launched in 2016 to little attention. In 2019 the founders of The Buy Guide, a Utah shopping blog, pushed Stanley to keep making it. Stanley offered them a wholesale order to sell to their own audience. They bought 5,000 cups, and they sold out within days.

Why it workedA creator with a loyal audience proved demand with her own money before the brand committed. Stanley's new president then treated The Buy Guide as a partner for new colour launches. CNBC reports revenue went from $73M in 2019 to $402M in 2022.

Copy thisFind the creator who already loves your product and give them a real stake — first stock, a wholesale deal or a co-designed release.

Gymshark — send it to your heroes

Gymshark · 2013

Seed your customers' heroes · £30K in half an hour

What they built: free gear for fitness YouTubers, then a booth at BodyPower

What they didBen Francis sent Gymshark clothes to the fitness YouTubers he looked up to. Forbes reports some were paid as little as $500 a month to wear it in videos. In 2013 Gymshark took a booth at the BodyPower expo in Birmingham, where those creators drew crowds.

Why it workedThe creators were the customers' own role models, and the expo turned online reach into one big moment. Francis says the business went from about £300 a day to £30,000 in the first half hour the site was live after the show (founder-reported).

Copy thisPick creators your customers already look up to — not the biggest names — then give them a reason to show up together.

The guide

7 steps, each anchored to a real example.

Tick each step off as you go. Your progress is saved in this browser.

Step 1 · ~2 hours

List 30 creators your buyers already follow

Ignore follower counts at first. Look for creators whose audience is your buyer, who get real comments, and who already talk about your problem. Small and specific beats big and broad.

YouTube searchModashInstagram

How Gymshark did this step

"All my heroes were YouTubers, so I'd send them products."

Exact quote — see source

Gymshark started by sending clothes to the fitness YouTubers its founder admired — the people his customers watched every day.

Source [3] ↓

Step 2 · ~1 week

Send the product with no strings attached

Ship it with a personal note and no posting requirement. Creators who like it will talk about it. Free products still count as payment under US (FTC) and UK (ASA) rules, so ask anyone who posts to label it clearly.

Shopify CollabsPersonal noteTracking links

How Daniel Wellington did this step

Illustration

Daniel Wellington skipped traditional ads and gave watches to social-media personalities. Bloomberg reported $70M in revenue for 2014.

Source [4] ↓

Step 3 · ~1 hour / week

Give your best creators a real stake

When someone clearly loves the product, offer more than a freebie: first access, a wholesale deal, an affiliate rate, or a product designed with them.

Affiliate linksWholesale termsShopify

How Stanley did this step

Illustration

Stanley let The Buy Guide buy 5,000 Quencher cups at wholesale to sell to its readers. They sold out within days, and the blog became a launch partner.

Source [1] ↓

Step 4 · ~1 day

Open a small ambassador programme

A one-page application, a private group, early access and a clear role. Choose fans who create content, not just fans with big followings.

TypeformSlack / DiscordNotion

How Notion did this step

Ambassador
Moderator
Member

Illustration

Notion launched its ambassador programme with a single form shared on Twitter. About 1,000 people applied in the first few weeks.

Source [10] ↓

Step 5 · ~2 weeks

Plan one launch moment together

Agree a date when creators post, go live or show up in person. A shared moment turns many small posts into one wave people notice.

Shared calendarCreator briefEvent booth

How Gymshark did this step

Illustration

Gymshark brought its creators to the BodyPower expo. Francis says sales went from about £300 a day to £30,000 in the first half hour after the show (founder-reported).

Source [2] ↓

Step 6 · ~Ongoing

Or become the creator yourself

If you can write, film or post, build an audience in your niche before the product exists. Then launch to people who already trust you.

BlogNewsletterYouTube

How Glossier did this step

SUBJECT LINE

Illustration

Emily Weiss ran the beauty blog Into the Gloss for years before launching Glossier. By 2016 the blog had 1.5 million unique monthly page views, and one Glossier lipstick had a waitlist of more than 18,000.

Source [5] ↓

Step 7 · ~Monthly

Measure demand, not hype

Give every creator their own code or link and watch repeat purchases, not just launch-week sales. A loud launch can hide a product people don't buy twice.

Unique codesUTM linksShopify analytics

How PRIME did this step

Illustration

PRIME's founders claimed about $250M in first-year sales. Two years later its UK business's turnover had fallen from £112.2M to £32.8M.

Source [8] ↓

Before you start

Pros & cons.

Works in your favour

  • Trust transfers from creator to product
  • You can start with gifting — little cash up front
  • Creators make content you can reuse (with permission)
  • Reaches audiences that ignore ads
  • Early feedback from people with taste and reach

Go in with eyes open

  • Hard to measure before you have sales
  • Hype can fade fast if the product doesn't earn repeat buys
  • You can't control what creators say — or whether they post at all
  • Disclosure rules apply even to free products
  • Big names are expensive and often the wrong fit

Make it yours

Three ways to run it.

The Gymshark model

Seed your customers' heroes

Send product to the creators your buyers look up to, then bring them together for a moment. Best for consumer brands with a clear identity.

The Stanley model

Creator as stockist

Let a trusted creator buy and sell your product to their audience. Best when you have stock and a creator who already loves it.

The Glossier model

Become the creator

Build the audience yourself first, then launch to it. Best when the founder can write, film or teach.

Copy and paste

Templates & resources.

Gifting message

personal, short, no strings

Hi {name},

I've followed your {videos/posts} on {topic} for a while — {one specific thing you liked}.

I'm launching {product}, which {what it does}. I'd love to send you one, no strings attached. If you like it, great; if you don't, I'd honestly love to know why.

Where should I send it?
{Your name}, founder of {product}

One-page creator brief

give context, not a script

PRODUCT: {name} — {one line}
WHO IT'S FOR: {buyer}
WHY YOU: {why their audience fits}

WHAT WE'D LOVE: your honest take, in your own style.
TIMING: {launch date} (optional)
YOUR LINK / CODE: {unique link} · {CODE}

PLEASE: label it as an ad or gifted, at the start of the post or video — required by FTC (US) and ASA (UK) rules.
CONTACT: {name} · {email}

Ambassador application

modeled on Notion's one-form launch

1. Name and where you post (links)
2. How do you use {product or problem} today?
3. Who would you share it with?
4. Something you've made that you're proud of (link)
5. What would you want from us? (early access / swag / a say in the roadmap)

From the showcase

Be the first founder featured here.

The famous examples above are proof it works. The next founder reading this wants proof it works for someone like them — that could be you.

Used “Influencer Pre-Launch Content”? Submit your product →

Discussion

Tried this? Tell us how it went.

Share a result, ask a question, or say what you'd do differently. The next founder to try this will thank you.

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Receipts

Sources & references.

Last reviewed

  1. 1.
    How a 40-ounce cup turned Stanley into a $750 million a year business (opens in a new tab)

    CNBC Make It, 2023

  2. 2.
    Ben Francis: "We made more money in half an hour than in the entire history of the business" (opens in a new tab)

    The Gentleman's Journal

  3. 3.
    Gymshark founder Ben Francis's rise (influencer pay, revenue) (opens in a new tab)

    Forbes Australia, 2023

  4. 4.
    How to build a $200M business selling cheap watches (Daniel Wellington) (opens in a new tab)

    Bloomberg, via InvestmentNews, 2015

  5. 5.
    Emily Weiss on Into the Gloss and Glossier (opens in a new tab)

    The Fader, 2016

  6. 6.
    Glossier's revenue passed $100 million in 2018 (opens in a new tab)

    Index Ventures, 2019

  7. 7.
    PRIME's first-year sales and 2023 projection (opens in a new tab)

    Front Office Sports, 2023

  8. 8.
    PRIME Hydration's UK turnover falls to £32.8m (opens in a new tab)

    Grocery Gazette, 2025

  9. 9.
    Feastables' 2024 profit of more than $20 million (opens in a new tab)

    Fortune, 2025

  10. 10.
    How Notion does marketing: community, influencers and growth (opens in a new tab)

    First Round Review

  11. 11.
    Disclosures 101 for social media influencers (opens in a new tab)

    US Federal Trade Commission

  12. 12.
    Influencers' guide to making clear that ads are ads (opens in a new tab)

    UK Advertising Standards Authority

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