A creator brand-safety review should use declared criteria, dated evidence, human judgment, and an escalation path. The score should support a decision, not disguise subjective risk as objective truth.
Follower count and a quick visual scan cannot answer whether a creator fits the campaign. Teams need to review current content patterns, category conflicts, disclosure behavior, production reliability, and the specific claims or markets in scope.
Do not collect sensitive personal information that is irrelevant to the work. Apply the same job-related criteria consistently and involve qualified reviewers when a regulated product, legal question, or safety concern appears.
Weight the factors that matter to this campaign
| Criterion | Illustrative weight | Evidence to review |
|---|---|---|
| Audience and topic fit | 25 points | Recent content themes and audience relevance |
| Content quality | 20 points | Format consistency and production capability |
| Disclosure practice | 15 points | Visible handling of material connections |
| Category conflicts | 15 points | Recent and scheduled competing partnerships |
| Operational reliability | 15 points | Communication, deadlines, revision history |
| Escalation risk | 10 points | Claims, safety, market, or stakeholder concerns |
Use scores to structure review, not automate approval
An illustrative review might produce 22 + 17 + 12 + 13 + 11 + 7 = 82 out of 100. That number is not a universal pass mark. The team should also define non-scoring escalation triggers, such as an unresolved rights issue or a prohibited claim.
Verify disclosure behavior in context
The FTC says creators should disclose material brand relationships and should not assume audiences already know about the connection.[1]
TikTok states that content promoting a brand, product, or service must use its commercial content disclosure setting, while YouTube requires creators to declare paid promotions in video details.[2][3]
Platform settings are part of the evidence, not the whole review. The content and disclosure still need to make sense for the audience, market, and campaign.
Record the decision and its expiry
- Date the evidence window and keep links or screenshots allowed by policy.
- Name the reviewer and any specialist escalation.
- Document conflicts, mitigations, and unresolved questions.
- Set a recheck date for long-running or renewed partnerships.
- Keep the creator's score separate from campaign-specific restrictions.
Sources & References
- [1] FTC — Disclosures 101 for Social Media InfluencersOfficial guidance on material connections and audience-facing disclosures.↗
- [2] TikTok One PoliciesOfficial TikTok policy index describing the commercial content disclosure setting for branded content.↗
- [3] YouTube — Paid product placements, sponsorships and endorsementsOfficial instructions for declaring paid promotions on YouTube.↗