Case study · Women’s Fashion · US

Silk & Salt: a creator program that paid for itself2.5times

A women’s fashion brand that wanted a creator community, not a one-off campaign. Gifting plus commission across about 1,100 creators, returning 2.5x through affiliate sales.

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See the results

Instagram+ TikTok

~1,100creators

2.5xreturn

100sof ad-ready posts

1 year+ of continuous collaboration

At a glance

The Silk & Salt case studyin 60 seconds

Silk & Salt, a US women’s fashion brand, wanted real awareness and a community of creators around the brand without paying flat fees. Over more than a year with Sharksfluence, about 1,100 nano and micro creators joined a gifting-plus-commission program on Instagram and TikTok. It returned 2.5x on spend through affiliate sales alone, and left the brand with hundreds of content pieces it could reuse in ads.

Usama Dawood, CMO and Co-Founder of Sharksfluence

Written by Usama Dawood

CMO and Co-Founder, Sharksfluence · Updated 9 Nov 2026

Key facts

Client: Silk & Salt, women’s fashion
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Markets: United States
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Program: Kiwabi, Japanese scalp-care and haircare brand
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Platform: Instagram and TikTok
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Duration: More than a year of continuous collaboration
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Creators: About 1,100 nano and micro influencers
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Content: Lifestyle posts, reviews, unboxings and reels
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Creator pay: Gifted product plus affiliate commission, no flat fees
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Results: 2.5x return on spend through affiliate sales; hundreds of content pieces reusable in ads
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The results

The numbers behindSilk & Salt

2.5x

Return on spend through affiliate sales

~1,100

Nano and micro influencers in the program

100s

Content pieces reusable in ads

1 yr+

Of continuous collaboration

Source:Sharksfluence program records for Silk & Salt, more than a year of the program. Return measured on affiliate sales only.

The story

How we grewSilk & Salt

01 · The challenge

Where they were

Silk & Salt sells women’s fashion to a US audience that lives on Instagram and TikTok. The founder wanted two things at once: real awareness, and a community of creators around the brand. Paying flat fees at that scale was out of the question, and a one-off campaign would never build a community.

02 · The approach

What we decided

We built the program on volume and commission instead of fees. We worked with nano and micro creators chosen for engagement and the strength of their communities, gifted product with clear creative briefs so lifestyle posts, reviews, unboxings and reels stayed on-voice, and gave every creator an affiliate link. When creators asked for upfront payment, we showed them what other affiliates were actually earning on commission.

03 · The result

What happened

Over more than a year, around 1,100 creators joined the program. It returned 2.5x on spend through affiliate sales alone, and left the brand with hundreds of content pieces it could repurpose into ads.

Key takeaways

What madeSilk & Saltwork

Commission instead of flat fees.

Every creator got gifted product and an affiliate link, so the program paid its own way: 2.5x return on spend through affiliate sales alone.

Nano and micro creators, chosen for engagement.

Creators were picked for engagement and the strength of their communities, not reach, which is how a fashion brand built a community of about 1,100.

Show creators the real affiliate earnings.

When creators asked to be paid upfront, we showed them what other affiliates were actually earning on commission, instead of breaking the model.

Omri Tal, Founder of Silk & Salt — Omri Tal
Founder, Silk & Salt

FAQ

Questions aboutthis program

Straight answers on cost, content and fit, from the team that ran it.

How did Silk & Salt work with 1,100 creators without flat fees?

Every creator got gifted product and an affiliate link, and earned commission on the sales they drove. The program returned 2.5x on spend through affiliate sales alone.

What kind of creators were in the program?

Nano and micro creators on Instagram and TikTok, chosen for engagement and the strength of their communities rather than follower counts.

What did the creators post?

Lifestyle posts, reviews, unboxings and reels. Clear creative briefs kept every post on-voice, and the brand ended up with hundreds of content pieces it could reuse in ads.

What happened when a creator asked to be paid upfront?

We showed them what other affiliates in the program were actually earning on commission, so the gifting-plus-commission model held at scale.

Could this work for my brand?

It fits D2C brands doing $500K to $5M a year that want a creator community and affiliate sales rather than a one-off campaign. Book a free 30-minute strategy call and we will tell you honestly whether it fits.

Want results like Silk & Salt’s?

Get the program that runsSilk & Salt’s creator community

Our Embedded Program puts a dedicated Sharksfluence manager inside your team, running outreach, gifting, affiliate links and briefs from your own accounts, every working day.

2.5xreturn on spend for Silk & Salt through affiliate sales, from about 1,100 creators

What your manager does

Designs campaign strategy with your team

Finds, vets and reaches out to creators and affiliates

Handles negotiations, contracts and shipping

Tracks content, approvals and delivery

Builds your affiliate and ambassador community

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