Q4 (October-December) drives 30–40% of annual revenue for most e-shops. Q4 influencer campaigns are the most expensive and competitive of the year. If November is the first time you thought "maybe we should try some influencers", you're a month late.
Here's what to do when.
Timeline
August — research and first outreach
- Decide what you sell and to whom (whole Q4 or just Black Friday special?)
- Build a list of 30–50 potential influencers
- Send first "we're interested in Q4 collab" message — not necessarily with a concrete offer, just to find out who has slots open
September — pitch and contracts
- Pick 5–10 finalists
- Send concrete briefs, rates, required deliverables
- Lock the dates (key: when posts go live, latest content approval deadline)
- Ideally sign by end of September
October — content production
- Influencers receive products, shoot, edit
- You approve within 24–48 hours (otherwise you miss the deadline)
- Prepare discount codes, tracking links
November — campaign live
- Black Friday week is the peak (Mon Nov 24 – Mon Dec 1 typically)
- Track results daily, not at the end
- Give influencers updates: how many sales, how it's going — keeps them motivated
December — Christmas push and follow-up
- Second wave of campaigns (different creators, different products for Christmas)
- After campaign ends, send each creator final numbers and thank them
- Schedule Jan-Feb follow-up campaign for "after-Christmas"
When it's truly too late
- After Oct 15: top influencers have Q4 booked. You can find mid-tier but at inflated prices (+30–50% over normal).
- After Nov 1: what's available is what nobody asked for — usually a sign why.
- After Nov 15: forget it. Make your own content, run FB Ads, save money.
Q4 price inflation
Influencer rates go up 20–40% in Q4 vs the rest of the year. Reason is simple: demand. Same supply, 10× more brand requests.
Strategy:
1. Lock the price in September. Contract says "€300 per post", inflation can't catch you.
2. Multi-deal discount. If you pay for 3 campaigns (Oct + Nov + Dec), the influencer can give you 15% off total — they get volume certainty.
3. Avoid Black Friday week for non-BF products. If you don't run discounts, do campaigns in October or early December.
Black Friday vs Christmas — different angle
Black Friday:
- Goods under €200
- Discount = main hook
- Short decision time (people buy within days)
- Influencer format: "I shopped before BF to show what's actually worth it"
Christmas:
- Christmas gifts (broader price range)
- Image > discount (gift for a specific type of person)
- Longer decision time (3–4 weeks)
- Influencer format: "gift guide" — 5–10 products from the same category for different recipients
A brand that plans both (BF in November + Christmas in December) gets the most out of the season.
For creators: what to expect
- August-September: First inquiries arrive. If you're over 20 000 followers, ask +20% above your normal rate — Q4 deserves it.
- October: Booked. If someone offers normal rate, let them go. Top creators are reserved only for premium offers.
- November: Panic zone. Brands that started late will pay anything. If you have a free slot, ask +50% and see who pays.
- December: Christmas market — less intense than BF, but stable. Gift guides are easy collabs, often with high commission since the audience is in buying mode.
Most important: reserve a week for your own content. If you do 25 sponsored posts in Q4, your audience notices and engagement drops. 70% commercial / 30% your own is a sane balance.
For brands: closing
Q4 is a planned table. Either you arrive early with a clear menu and get a seat, or you arrive late and eat scraps for double price. August-September is the right time to start. October isn't.