Founding Brands: How to Pilot CPC Campaigns with Creators Before Public Launch

The Founding Brands program is for brands that want to build measurable creator marketing with us—not to «try influencers» without commitment. A well-designed 4–6 week pilot produces real data (valid clicks, CPC, traffic quality) and product feedback that shapes the platform before public launch.

This article is the operational playbook: what to prepare before the discovery call, how to structure the first CPC campaign, which metrics to watch, and how to close the pilot with reporting finance accepts.

Who should join the pilot

The program prioritizes B2B or performance-oriented companies in Portugal: SaaS, tech, consulting, education, events, and services with an available marketing or growth lead. Practical criteria:

• Willingness to run at least one pilot campaign in the first 90 days
• Owner available for onboarding, briefing, and structured feedback
• Openness to reporting with CPC, valid clicks, and CSV exports
• Measurable-channel mindset—not awareness only

If you only want sponsored posts without tracking, fit is low. If you want to compare creators with the same discipline as paid media, you are in the right place.

Phase 1 — Before the campaign (week 1)

Define primary metric and destination

Pick one metric: valid click, trial, lead, or sale. Ensure a stable, mobile-friendly landing page without redirect chains. Use the 7-question brief as a checklist.

Budget and max CPC

Set campaign cap and max CPC per valid click. Founding Brands receive launch pricing and reduced platform fees—exact terms are shared on the discovery call.

Creator selection

Start with 3–6 creators in ICP-aligned niches—do not scale on day one. In B2B, fit beats followers; see how to choose B2B creators.

Phase 2 — Active campaign (weeks 2–5)

Each creator gets a unique link. Monitor valid vs invalid clicks in week one—outliers deserve a conversation before cutting budget. Minimum anti-fraud rules: IP cooldown, no attribution when paused, exportable logs.

Recommended weekly ritual

• Monday: export CSV and effective CPC per creator
• Wednesday: adjust casting or CPC if invalids exceed threshold
• Friday: qualitative notes (format, comments, fit) for renewal

Founding Brands get priority support in this phase—use it to unblock brief, analytics, or creator-matching questions.

Phase 3 — Close and decide (week 6)

Close the pilot with a report that answers: what was average CPC? Which creator to renew? How does the channel compare to paid social? The ROI guide structures the board conversation.

Share product feedback: what was missing in the dashboard, export, or invite flow? That input enters the roadmap—part of the founding value.

Mistakes that invalidate the pilot

• Ambiguous or mid-campaign primary metric changes
• Verbal brief without click rules
• Too many creators on day one—impossible to learn
• No finance stakeholder sees the CSV
• Judging the channel only by likes or screenshots

Next steps

Apply to Founding Brands, read Measurable creator marketing, and book a discovery call via contact. The pilot does not need to be perfect—it needs to be measurable.