How to review a launch with beauty influencers before signing

What to take away

A launch review for a campaign with beauty influencers is an evidence-based assessment of whether a proposed campaign or platform launch is likely to deliver what the seller says it will, carried out before money changes hands.

What a launch review covers

Run five checks in this order: the brief, creator list, rights package, measurement plan and data flows. For each, request supporting evidence, record gaps and carry them into the written decision; an unsupported claim is not an established result.

The five things worth assessing

Start with the brief. A launch brief should state the objective, the audience, the deliverable and the decision it informs. If it cannot, the review stops there.

Creator list. Check that each creator's audience and content fit the brief, rather than relying on follower counts alone. Ask for dated, platform-native audience evidence, such as Instagram Insights, TikTok Studio or YouTube Studio, and record the account, capture date, relevant audience characteristics and period covered; note any unavailable or estimated data.

Rights package. Check that the proposed agreement specifies the content and deliverables, channels, territory, usage period, paid promotion or whitelisting, exclusivity, editing and approval arrangements. Compare those rights with the planned use and record what is excluded or needs separate permission; permission to publish a post does not by itself establish permission for every later use.

Measurement plan. Tie each metric to the campaign objective, data source, reporting owner and measurement period. For any performance claim, record the channel, date, sample and method; distinguish observed results from forecasts and organic activity from paid promotion.

Data flows. Map whose data is collected or shared, for what purpose, by whom and how it is accessed and retained. Record the applicable basis under the UK GDPR and check whether PECR applies to electronic marketing or cookies in the proposed workflow.

Advertising disclosure. Check how creator content will be identified as advertising against the ASA's Influencers' guide to making clear that ads are ads and the CAP Code. Record who is responsible for checking disclosure before content is published.

For a repeatable scoring method, use the Beauty Creator Partnerships Operations and Delivery Guide before you score anything.

What sits outside the review

A launch review is not a creative critique. It is not a negotiation or a contract review; those are separate jobs with separate owners.

It also does not test the platform hands-on. Where this framework says a claim is unverified, that means no independent evidence was found, not that the claim is false. Editorial judgement fills the gap, and it should be labelled as judgement.

How to separate claims from evidence

Separate each seller statement into a claim, its supporting evidence and any assumption. Keep the source with the review, note what it covers and mark a claim unverified if the evidence cannot be checked.

Interrogate the numbers

Ask for the source behind every figure. A cost-per-result claim needs a date, a channel and a sample. If the seller cites an industry report, open it. IAB UK publishes digital advertising research and audience insights through its Insight Archive, which is a reasonable starting point for market context rather than a substitute for your own results.

Split the proposed budget into creator fees, production, usage rights, paid media and tooling. Test each line against its deliverables, channel and rights scope, and compare like-for-like proposals or your own documented campaign results rather than using advertising-platform rates as a creator-fee benchmark.

Where a number is missing, use a labelled illustrative example: a team paying £400 a month for creator tooling should record that as an assumption, not a benchmark.

Check the data groundwork

The ICO's guidance on choosing a lawful basis for marketing explains why consent, legitimate interests and soft opt-in lead to different workflows. Record the applicable basis under the UK GDPR, and check whether PECR applies to electronic marketing or cookies in the proposed workflow. A launch that touches creator contact lists or audience data needs its purpose and data flows recorded before the first email goes out.

If the workflow itself is unclear, read the beauty creator partnerships operating workflow to see where approval, payment and reporting sit.

Before and after a launch review

The table is the output. If a row cannot be completed, that is the finding.

Common questions

Is a launch review the same as due diligence?

No. Due diligence examines the counterparty's finances, ownership and compliance history. A launch review examines the campaign or product being launched. They overlap on data protection and can run in parallel, but they answer different questions and usually have different owners.

Can I run the review after signing?

You can, but the review then becomes risk management rather than procurement. Signing first weakens your position on rights, measurement and exit terms. Run at least the claims and data sections before signature.

How long should it take?

For a single-market launch, allow two to three working days of desk research plus one review meeting. Multi-market launches take longer because rights and data rules differ. The constraint is usually the seller's response time, so send evidence requests first.

What if the seller refuses to provide sources?

Record the refusal in the review and treat the claim as unverified. That is a legitimate finding, not a dead end. It tells you what you are buying: a promise, priced as though it were evidence.