Vetting creators before they post

What do you check before a creator is on the launch?

1. Read the last twenty posts. You are looking for replies from the kind of person who would buy, not for other creators talking to each other.
2. Look at who they have promoted in the last quarter. A direct competitor is a conflict unless you have decided you want the argument.
3. Check whether paid posts are labeled. A history of unlabeled endorsements is a reason to walk, because your launch inherits it.
4. Ask whether they have used the product, and whether using it required a gift, a free seat, or early access. Any of those can be a material connection under the FTC guides.
5. Refuse a bundled “network” you cannot see. TLVC says the full list is shared for review depending on the package. If your package does not include the list, you are not vetting anything.
6. Keep the right to strike. A name you would not put on your own homepage does not get safer because an agency likes their reach.

Doomers’ homepage says the map step surfaces creators whose audience overlaps your customer profile, and that you get a shortlist before anything goes live so you can see the type of founders, engineers, and creators carrying the launch. “Type of” is softer than a named list. Ask for names. Their brief step says there is no copy-paste and that every paid post carries the Paid Partnership label.

TLVC’s Helena write-up says the wider layer of accounts was verified for a significant US audience. That is one published vetting criterion, and it mattered because the business result they describe was US-facing. If your buyers are elsewhere, copy the habit and change the country. The Mave write-up says the team made sure creators understood the product before they posted, and that some then bought it. Understanding is vetting. A follower count is not.

What should make you remove a name?

• They will only post a sentence you wrote, with no disclosure.
• Their recent posts are giveaways, engagement pods, or replies that are clearly automated.
• They have attacked your customers, or they sell a competing product without saying so.
• The agency cannot explain why this person, as opposed to someone with a rounder follower number.
• You would be embarrassed if a reporter asked why they were paid.