Get your business seen with local creators.

What is a local content creator?

A local creator is someone in your city (or nearby) who shares places, restaurants, salons or shops on Instagram or TikTok. Their followers often live in the same area as you — and trust them like a friend.

• Small accounts (1,000 to 10,000 followers): Very close to their audience, often in your city. Great for a first try, usually in exchange for a meal or a treatment.
• Mid-size accounts (10,000 to 50,000 followers): More reach, while staying credible and local.
• Larger local accounts (50,000 to 500,000 followers): Lots of visibility, but more selective and sometimes paid.
• Very large accounts (500,000+): Often too broad for a neighbourhood business. Less useful day to day.

For most local businesses, small and mid-size local accounts work best: their followers are nearby and actually listen to their tips.

Why is this useful for you?

People trust an Instagram recommendation more than a classic ad. For a restaurant, salon or shop, here’s what changes:

1. Word of mouth, online: When someone your customers follow recommends your place, it really makes people want to visit.
2. Local discovery: Local creators help their audience find good spots nearby — where flyers alone no longer do the job.
3. Content that lasts: A video can keep introducing your business weeks after it’s posted. And you can reshare it on your own channels.

How does it work in practice?

The most common setup: you offer a meal, a treatment or a product. In return, the creator visits and posts a video or stories. No extra cash needed — ideal to start.

Sometimes you add a small payment if you want more specific content or a more in-demand creator. That’s optional.

With Kontnu, you publish what you offer. Creators in your city apply. You choose who comes. You gain visibility and content — without managing it all alone.

What to spell out clearly

Your offer is what the creator reads before applying. The clearer it is, the smoother the visit. Cover:

• Who you are: Your business in 2–3 sentences. What makes you unique?
• What you want: More customers? Showcase a new menu? Fill weekday tables?
• What you offer: The meal, treatment or product included. Be specific (for how many people, what value).
• What you expect back: For example: 1 Instagram video + 3 stories, posted within a week.
• Mentions to include: Your Instagram/TikTok account to tag, and #ad / #partnership if needed.
• What you’d rather avoid: An overly “ad-like” tone, sensitive topics, etc.

What not to do

Avoid: dictating every word, a rigid ad script, or controlling every line. Followers spot fake content instantly — and it performs worse.

What works: give a direction (“show your experience with us”, “say what you liked”) and let the creator speak in their own words.

Simple rule: if your offer sounds like a TV ad, simplify. Talk about experience and feeling.

Offer examples that work

Common mistakes

• Too vague: “Talk about us” with no guidance
• Too strict: dictating every word and blocking any freedom
• Forgetting practical details: where to mention you? When to post?
• Not specifying how many posts you expect
• Offering too little for the work asked

What actually matters?

Not every creator fits every business. Here’s what to look at:

1. Do people really react?
   Look at likes and comments versus follower count. Frequent real reactions = a healthy audience.
   • Great sign: lots of real comments under posts
   • Good sign: regular likes and questions in comments
   • Average: few reactions despite many followers
   • Caution: many followers, almost no real comments
2. Are their followers near you?
   A creator may live in your city but have followers elsewhere. On Kontnu, you can already see if they’re active in your area.
3. Does their world match yours?
   A restaurant and a food creator: yes. A salon and a beauty creator: yes. A restaurant and someone who only talks gaming: less of a fit.
4. Photo and video quality
   Look at their recent posts. Would you be happy for that look to represent your business?
5. Authenticity
   Do comments look real? Be wary of accounts with thousands of followers but only generic “Nice!” comments.

Quick check before you accept

Before saying yes, take 2 minutes:

• Their last 6–12 posts: do style and quality feel right?
• A few comments: do they look real and varied?
• Their bio: do they mention your city or region?
• Have they filmed similar restaurants / salons / shops before?
• Do followers actually react to their videos?

What to offer in return?

To start, an exchange (meal, treatment or product for a post) is often simplest. You test with little risk.

Once you’ve found creators who work well, you can sometimes add a small payment on top.

In practice: small accounts → often the exchange alone (or €50–200); mid-size → sometimes €200–500 + the exchange. It depends on what you ask for.

Prepare the visit well

How you welcome the creator affects the quality of the video. A few simple gestures:

Do:

• Pick a quieter moment if you can (avoid peak rush)
• Tell your team a creator is coming to film
• Tidy the space and lighting a bit if possible
• Welcome them warmly, like an important guest
• Answer questions about your business and specialties

Avoid:

• Leaving them waiting with no explanation
• Imposing a minute-by-minute schedule
• Controlling every shot
• Talking about them to other customers without their okay

Keep communication simple

A few common-sense rules so things go smoothly:

Avoid: chasing every 24 hours, demanding to see the video before posting, criticising every creative choice.

What works: confirm the day before, say thank you after the visit, and wait for the agreed deadline before following up.

Reusing the content later

Usually the creator owns their video. You can often reshare it on your channels while tagging them. For anything else (paid ads, website, flyer), ask for permission.

1. In your offer: Say if you’d like to reuse the content elsewhere.
2. Without special permission: Reshare their post on your socials and credit them.
3. With their permission: Use it in ads, on your website, in an email or on a flyer.
4. For broader use: It’s fair to offer something extra if you reuse the content a lot.

On Kontnu, the rules are clarified for collaborations done through the platform.

What to check after a post?

No need to be an expert. Watch for these concrete signs:

• How many people saw the video? (ask the creator)
• Are there likes, comments, shares?
• Did people tag or mention you afterwards?
• Did you gain followers on your account?
• More foot traffic? Ask new customers: “How did you find us?”
• If you used a promo code for the visit: was it used?
• More bookings or orders in the following days?

How to read these signs

Results aren’t always instant. Here’s a simple way to understand them:

1. Views:
   Lots of people saw your business. 10,000 local views is already great for a neighbourhood spot.
2. Reactions:
   Comments like “I have to try this!” are a strong signal.
3. New followers:
   If your account grows after the video, people wanted to learn more.
4. In-store visits:
   Train your team to ask new customers how they found you.
5. Over time:
   A customer who came via a creator may return and tell friends. The effect often continues after the first visit.

Is it worth it?

To see if a collaboration paid off, simply compare what it cost you with what it brought in:

In short:

Concrete example:

• Cost: meal offered (about €80) + a bit of your time
• Result: +15 new bookings in the following 2 weeks
• Average spend: €45 → 15 × €45 = €675
• Result: €675 − €80 = about €595 benefit

It’s not a perfect calculation, but it’s enough to see if it’s worth it — and often, it is.

Keep going and build relationships

One visit can create a spike. Welcoming 1–2 creators a month is what builds lasting awareness.

Signs it’s working especially well:

• Comments like “I have to try this!”
• More visits or bookings in the 2–3 days after the video
• The creator comes back and talks about you again

When 2 or 3 creators work well for you, invite them back regularly. A local ambassador who mentions you often has more impact than one-off visits with strangers.