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Open Collabs: Create Assignments Influencers Can Apply To

Attract new talent by creating open collaboration opportunities

Updated this week

Open Collabs let you create assignment opportunities that any influencer can discover and apply to. Instead of inviting specific influencers one by one, you can share a public link and let interested creators come to you.

This is perfect for:

  • Open casting calls for campaigns

  • Attracting new influencer talent

  • Product seeding programs with limited spots

  • Campaigns where you want diverse applicants to choose from


What Makes a Collab Different from a Regular Assignment?

Regular Assignment

Open Collab

You invite specific influencers

Influencers find and apply to you

Private to invited creators

Shareable public link

"Invited" tab shows pending invites

"Interested" tab shows applicants

Influencers accept or decline your invite

You accept or decline their application

Creating a Collab Assignment

Creating a collab works just like creating a regular assignment, with one extra step in the Advanced settings.

Step 1: Navigate to your Campaign and click Assignments in the sidebar.

Step 2: Click Create Assignment.

Step 3: Fill in your assignment details:

  • Title - Give your collab a clear, compelling name

  • Cover Image - Use a landscape-oriented image for best results

  • Description - Explain the opportunity, requirements, and what you're looking for

  • End Date (optional) - When should the campaign wrap up?

  • Files - Add any PDFs, brand guidelines, product images, or reference materials

Step 4: Toggle Open Collab Assignment to ON.

Step 5: Optionally, set a Participants Limit.

  • Leave blank for unlimited applicants

  • Enter a number (e.g., "10") to automatically close applications once you've accepted that many influencers

Screenshot of the assignment form with the Advanced accordion section expanded, showing the Collab toggle and Participants Limit field

Step 6: Click Create Assignment.

Your collab is now live and ready to share.


Sharing Your Collab Link

Once your collab is created, you'll see a Share Collab Link button instead of the usual "Invite Influencers" button.

Screenshot of the assignment view showing the "Share Collab Link" button with the copy icon


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Click Share Collab Link to copy the URL to your clipboard. You can share this link anywhere:

  • Post it on your brand's social media

  • Include it in email newsletters

  • Add it to your website's "Work With Us" page

  • Share in creator communities and forums

  • Send directly to influencers you'd like to apply

When influencers click the link, they'll see your assignment details and can express interest with one click.


How Influencers Apply

When an influencer visits your collab link:

  1. They see your assignment details, including the cover image, description, and end date

  2. They click "I'm interested" to apply

  3. If they're new to InfluenceKit, they'll create a free account

  4. Their application appears in your Interested tab


Reviewing Interested Influencers

As influencers apply, you can review them all in one place.

Step 1: Open your collab assignment.

Step 2: Click the Interested tab.

For each applicant, you can see:

  • Profile picture and username

  • Follower counts broken down by platform (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, etc.)

  • Bio/description from their profile

  • Comments - any messages they've sent

  • Notes - add private notes only your team can see

Step 3: Click an influencer's name to view their full profile and any previous work they've done.

Organizing Applicants

Use reactions to categorize and prioritize applicants:

  • Click the reaction button on an applicant's card

  • Use the pin reaction to keep top candidates at the top of the list

  • Add other reactions to create your own tagging system


Accepting or Declining Applicants

Once you've reviewed an applicant, you can accept or decline them.

To accept an influencer:

  1. Click on the applicant's name to open their detail page

  2. Review their profile, follower stats, and any past deliverables

  3. Click Accept

Screenshot of the influencer detail page with Accept button highlighted

What happens when you accept:

  • The influencer receives an email notification

  • They move from the "Interested" tab to the "Accepted" tab

  • They can now add deliverables to the assignment

  • You can communicate via comments

  • A campaign event is created in their calendar

To decline an influencer:

  1. Click on the applicant's name

  2. Click Decline

The influencer will be notified and removed from your applicant list.

Tip: You can leave internal notes on any applicant before making a decision. These notes are only visible to your team, not the influencer.


Managing Accepted Influencers

Once influencers are accepted, they appear in the Accepted tab and work just like any other assignment.

From here, you can:

  • Add checklists with tasks and milestones for influencers to complete

  • View deliverables they submit (posts, stories, videos, etc.)

  • Track metrics like impressions, engagement, and reach

  • Leave comments to communicate with the influencer

  • Export a CSV of all accepted influencers and their stats


Using Participant Limits

Participant limits let you cap the number of influencers who can join your collab. This is useful when you have:

  • A fixed number of product samples to send

  • A specific budget for a set number of creators

  • Limited campaign spots

How it works:

  1. When creating or editing your collab, set a number in the Participants Limit field

  2. As you accept influencers, the count tracks toward your limit

  3. Once you've accepted that many influencers, the collab automatically closes

  4. New influencers can no longer apply (they'll see the collab as "Closed")

Tip: Existing applicants in your "Interested" tab remain visible even after the limit is reached. You can still review and decline them, or increase your limit if you want to accept more.

To remove the limit, edit the assignment and clear the Participants Limit field.


Collab Assignment Workflow Summary

Here's the typical workflow for running an open collab:

  1. Create your collab assignment with Collab? toggled on

  2. Share the collab link on social media, email, or your website

  3. Review applications as they come in via the Interested tab

  4. Accept the influencers you want to work with

  5. Manage accepted influencers just like regular assignments

  6. Track deliverables and campaign performance


Frequently Asked Questions

Can influencers see other applicants?
No. Influencers can only see their own application status, not other applicants.

What if I want to invite a specific influencer to a collab?
Share the collab link directly with them. They'll go through the same application process, and you can accept them right away.

Can I accept more influencers than my participant limit?
Once the limit is reached, you'll need to increase the limit (edit the assignment) before accepting additional applicants.

Do influencers pay anything to apply?
No. Applying to collabs is free for influencers. They create a free InfluenceKit account if they don't have one.

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