Global Influencer Marketing
Korean creator collaboration, step by step
Written for a brand outside Korea contacting a creator inside Korea: three types of collaboration, a 6-10 week schedule from first message to published post, four things to check before shipping, what to settle on disclosure, reuse and language, four brief fields, and a seven-field results sheet.
A collaboration with a Korean creator takes roughly 6 to 10 weeks from the first message to the published post. This article is written for a brand outside Korea contacting a creator inside Korea — the opposite direction from a Korean company looking for creators abroad, and what you settle in advance is different. Cross-border shipping and the way disclosure is written in Korea take up about half the schedule. Creator — a person who posts their own video, photos and writing on their own account.
What kinds of collaboration are there?
Three. They differ in what changes hands and in who decides on the post.
| Type | What changes hands | Who decides on the post |
|---|---|---|
| Product only — influencer seeding | The product and a one-page note | The person who receives it — whether, when, and what to say |
| Paid collaboration | The product and a production fee | Both sides write it down in advance — number of posts, date, required points |
| Ongoing collaboration | Several months of product and fees at once | The period and number of posts are set once, at the start |
Mixing them is normal. You send the product to several people, then move to a paid collaboration with the two or three who actually posted. Even when only the product was sent, the fact that it was received free of charge is written into the post in Korea — regardless of whether money changed hands.
How many weeks does it take from contact to publishing?
The figures below are calendar weeks. Shipping and replies stop at weekends, so counting in working days makes it look shorter.
| Stage | What happens | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Shortlist · first contact | Pick accounts, find the contact route, send the first message | 1–2 weeks |
| Reply · agreeing terms | Put the number of posts, dates, disclosure, reuse and fee on one page | 1–2 weeks |
| Shipping · customs | International shipping and clearance, including confirming the recipient | 1–3 weeks |
| Production · draft check | Filming and editing, one look at the draft | 2–3 weeks |
| Publishing | It goes up on the agreed day | 1 week |
Treat no reply as the default, and list 3 to 5 times as many candidates as the number of people you want to work with. Korea has two national holidays a year that run for several days, and the dates move each year. Shipping and replies both stop that week, so add 2 weeks if your publishing date falls near one.
What do you need when shipping the product to Korea?
This is where the schedule stalls most often. Check four things before you ship.
- The recipient's clearance ID — an individual in Korea receiving a parcel from abroad enters one more identifier alongside the name and address. You have to ask the creator for it, and some are reluctant to share it. In that case, send everything to one address inside Korea and split it into domestic parcels from there.
- Who pays the charges — if the recipient is asked for tax or a delivery fee at the door, the collaboration goes wrong right there. Ship on terms where the sender pays, and write it that way on the waybill.
- Paperwork that changes with the item — the documents required, and how many units you may send at once, depend on what you are shipping. Check the customs authority's guidance for that item before you ship.
- A one-page Korean note in the box — product name, size, order of use, the disclosure line and a contact, written in Korean. The point is that the recipient does not have to ask again.
What do you settle on disclosure, reuse and language?
Settle it before the first message goes out. Being able to answer on the spot when terms are asked is what lets you agree in one round.
| To settle | What you write down | If you leave it blank |
|---|---|---|
| Disclosure line | One line that makes the paid relationship recognisable — decide the wording and its position, in Korean | Everyone words it differently, and fixing it means posting again |
| Reuse | Where the content is used again and for how long — your own store site, product pages, paid placements | Even a good result cannot be used again, so it is made a second time |
| Language | Which language is used for contact, request sheet and draft check, and who translates | The draft comes back different from the request sheet and checks multiply |
| Contact hours | The hours in which both sides can reply, in Korean time | You get one exchange a day and the schedule slips |
Write the disclosure the way it is done in Korea, not the way it is done at home. The standards for wording and placement are published by the responsible authority and do change, so check the current version before you start and copy the agreed line straight into the request sheet.
What fields go in the brief?
Brief — the one-page request sheet that says what you would like made. The fields are much the same in any country; four of them are filled in anew when it goes to Korea.
| Field | What you write | If you leave it blank |
|---|---|---|
| Product name in Korean script | Keep the Latin spelling or transliterate it — either way, fix one form | The name differs from post to post and searches do not gather |
| Disclosure line | The exact line to put in the post, written out in Korean | Everyone words it differently |
| Wording to avoid | Claims stated as certain, and comparisons with other products | You end up raising it after the draft arrives |
| One line on where to buy | Where it can be bought in Korea today — if nowhere yet, say so | There is nowhere to go after watching, and the response stops |
Fill in the third field in particular. A sentence used without trouble at home sometimes has to be reworded in Korea. Raised after the draft arrives, it means filming again; written in the brief, it changes one sentence.
Where do you record the results?
One sheet, one line per collaboration. Seven fields are enough.
- Account name and type — product only, paid, ongoing
- What was sent and what it cost
- Publishing date and the address of the post
- Saves, shares and comments the day after and 7 days after
- Visits that arrived in that period
- Whether you hold the original file, and whether reuse is allowed
- Do it again — yes, no, on hold
Fix two moments for writing it down: the day after publishing, and 7 days after. The numbers barely move after that. Ask for the original file right after publishing — if the post comes down, the reuse goes with it. Candidates for the second round are picked from this sheet rather than searched for again.
What to do today
Open an empty document and write three lines first — the disclosure line in Korean, where and for how long you will reuse the content, and who pays the shipping charges. With those three lines you can paste them straight into the first message, and no one has to wait a day when terms are asked. 30 minutes is enough.
