TL;DR:

• Only 8% of creators secure recurring brand partnerships, while 31% of brands actively seek to work with the same creators year after year
• 70% of leading brands now prioritize ongoing creator partnerships over one-time deals, and 82% are working with smaller, more strategic creator rosters
• The key to repeat partnerships is what you do after the campaign ends: send performance recaps, stay visible, and explicitly express interest in future collaborations
• Use tools like Mavely to track your partnership history and position yourself as the organized, reliable creator brands want on their annual roster

Here’s a stat that might surprise you: 31% of brands say they work with the same creators for holiday campaigns year after year, while only 8% of creators report having those recurring partnerships.

That gap represents a huge opportunity sitting right in front of you.

Think about it: while most creators are starting fresh with new partnerships every season, a small group of creators are getting invited back automatically. They’re already on the calendar, they’re already trusted, and they’re already set up for success before the holiday rush even begins.

The gap between these two numbers isn’t random. Brands are actively seeking long-term creator partnerships, with 70% of leading brands now prioritizing ongoing relationships over one-time deals. At the same time, 82% of brands are working strategically with smaller creator rosters, focusing on fewer than 20 creators per campaign. The message is clear: brands want depth, not volume.

So what are the 8% of creators who land these partnerships doing differently? And more importantly, how can you become one of them? Here are five steps to transform your one-time brand deals into partnerships that come back year after year.

Step 1: Understand what brands really want from recurring partnerships

Let’s start with what brands actually want in 2026. The data tells a clear story: brands are moving away from the campaign-to-campaign approach and building annual rosters of trusted creators.

70% of leading brands now prioritize ongoing creator partnerships over one-off activations. This shift represents a fundamental change in how brands approach influencer marketing. Rather than treating creator collaborations like media buys that start and end with a single campaign, brands are investing in relationships that strengthen over time.

Even more telling, 82% of brands work strategically with fewer than 20 creators per campaign. The sweet spot appears to be 10-19 creators, with 29% of brands identifying this as their optimal range. Another 26% work with 5-9 creators, and 27% partner with just 1-4 creators per activation. What all these numbers point to is a prioritization of quality over quantity.

For brands generating over $500 million in revenue, ambassador programs have become their most successful tactic. These aren’t just marketing campaigns but revenue infrastructure built on sustained creator relationships.

From a brand’s perspective, working with a proven creator means they already know your audience converts, they’ve seen you deliver on time, and they understand you get their product. The heaviest lift in any creator partnership happens at the beginning. Brand education takes time. When you engage in ongoing partnerships, each campaign builds on the last. Content quality improves as you internalize brand voice and develop authentic product expertise. Your audience deepens their trust through repeated exposure rather than isolated touchpoints.

By showing brands you’re thinking beyond a single campaign from day one, you can stand out as a preferred creator to work with in future campaigns. You’re not just another activation on their spreadsheet. You’re part of their annual strategy.

Step 2: Send a post-campaign recap (and make it count)

The difference between a one-time deal and a recurring partnership often comes down to what you do after the campaign wraps. This is where the compounding effect of ongoing partnerships begins.

Brands will remember the creator who made their reporting easier. If a specific post overperformed or you got great feedback from your audience, share it. Show them you were paying attention and that you care about results. This documentation becomes increasingly valuable as brands build their annual rosters and evaluate which creators delivered consistent performance.

This is your chance to stand out. A quick recap message can make a lasting impression. Keep it simple: highlight 2-3 of your best-performing posts, include any notable metrics (saves, shares, comments that show purchase intent), and express genuine appreciation for the partnership. For brands evaluating their creator relationships for next year’s campaigns, this single email could be the difference between “thanks for your work” and “we’d love to have you back next season.”

When brands are narrowing their focus to work with fewer, more strategic creators, the ones who proactively demonstrate their value through thoughtful recaps will always rise to the top of that shortlist.

Step 3: Stay visible between campaigns

Your relationship with a brand shouldn’t go silent the moment a campaign ends. As brands shift toward always-on creator strategies, staying visible keeps you top of mind when they’re planning their next round of partnerships.

Interestingly, 38% of brands with budgets under $10,000 maintain an always-on approach to influencer campaigns. This matters because it shows that sustained creator presence isn’t reserved for enterprise brands with massive budgets. It’s becoming standard practice across all program sizes.

What does staying visible look like in practice? It means engaging with their content, sharing relevant updates when appropriate, and keeping the door open. A simple “loved your new launch” comment or a story share here and there keeps you connected in a genuine way. You’re demonstrating the kind of authentic brand affinity that makes you valuable beyond a contractual obligation.

You don’t need to be in their inbox every week, though a quarterly check-in or a note when you see something relevant shows that you’re thinking about the partnership year-round. When new products launch or they share exciting company news, engage authentically. These small touchpoints add up.

Most importantly, tell them you want to work together again. A simple “I’d love to partner again for your next campaign” makes your intentions clear. Expressing interest in continuing the relationship shows you value the partnership beyond a single campaign. As brands build their preferred creator lists for ongoing collaborations, this explicit interest signals you’re ready to be part of their long-term strategy.

Step 4: Deliver in ways that make you irreplaceable

Recurring partnerships are built on consistency, reliability, and proving that you’re worth coming back to. When brands are choosing between working with 25 creators once or 15 creators multiple times throughout the year, the creators who make their jobs easier will always win.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

Deliver more than expected. If the brief asks for three posts, consider adding an extra story or a bonus piece of content. Small gestures like this signal that you’re invested in their success.

Be easy to work with. Respond quickly, meet deadlines, and communicate clearly. Your reputation matters. The creator who shows up on time, follows the brief, and stays in touch will always be top of mind when brands are planning their next campaign. With brands focusing on smaller, more strategic rosters, every interaction matters more.

Show that you understand their goals. This goes beyond posting their product. Talk about what’s working, share insights about your audience’s response, and position yourself as a partner who’s thinking strategically. When a brand sees you as someone who gets it, they’ll bring you into bigger opportunities.

The data shows that brands working with ongoing creator partners benefit from the compounding effect. Your second campaign requires significantly less management oversight than the first. Your third campaign produces stronger results as your audience recognizes sustained brand loyalty and usage rather than an isolated sponsorship. The fourth campaign and beyond operate at a level of efficiency and effectiveness that first-time collaborations structurally cannot match.

The creators who secure recurring partnerships understand something fundamental: brands are investing in reliable partnerships that deliver results over time. When you consistently prove that working with you is seamless, that your audience trusts your recommendations, and that your content drives real results, you become invaluable. That’s when brands start planning you into their annual budgets and building campaigns around what you do best.

Step 5: Track your success and use it to secure future partnerships

Having documentation of your past work is one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal. As brands build ambassador programs and transition from transactional campaigns to relationship-based strategies, organized creators with clear performance histories will have a significant advantage.

Keep a simple record of your past campaigns, results, and what worked. When it’s time to pitch for the next year, you’ll have proof of what you’ve accomplished together. This documentation becomes essential when brands are evaluating their creator rosters and deciding who to bring back for ongoing partnerships.

A few tactical moves that make a difference:

Ask for feedback after each campaign. Most creators never do this, and it shows you care about improving while giving you valuable intel on what the brand values most.

Follow up professionally. If a brand hasn’t reached out after a campaign, follow up once. A polite “Would love to work together again—let me know if there’s a fit for future campaigns” is professional and keeps the door open.

Use tools that help you stay organized. Mavely is built to help you manage ongoing brand relationships, track your campaign history, and stay organized so you’re always ready for the next opportunity. When you keep everything in one place, you can position yourself as the creator who’s prepared, professional, and ready to grow with the brands you love working with.

As brands transition to working with smaller, more strategic creator groups and building ambassador programs into their revenue infrastructure, the creators who can demonstrate consistent performance across multiple campaigns will be first in line for those coveted long-term partnerships.

Mavely helps you access and nurture these ongoing opportunities by giving you the tools to manage relationships systematically rather than starting from scratch with every brand interaction.

You’re ready to join the 8%

Right now, 8% of creators are locking in those recurring partnerships. The other 92% are just as talented and hardworking; they simply haven’t approached brand relationships with a long-term strategy yet. If you’re in that group, you can change that today.

The opportunity is enormous. With 70% of brands actively seeking ongoing partnerships and focusing on smaller, more strategic creator rosters, there’s never been a better time to position yourself as the kind of creator brands want to work with year after year.

Recurring partnerships are available to any creator who shows up consistently, delivers results, and nurtures brand relationships beyond the campaign end date.

Take a look at the brands you’ve worked with in the past year. Which ones would you want to partner with again? Reach out. Send that recap. Start building the kind of relationships that grow stronger every season.

The creators who do this are the 8% who have partnerships waiting for them every year. You’re absolutely ready to join them.

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Methodology

This research draws from Later’s 2025 State of Influencer Marketing report and 2025 Holiday Creator Marketing study, which surveyed creators from the Later Influence Database and qualified brands with over $5 million in annual revenue who run both holiday campaigns and influencer marketing programs. The studies were conducted in 2025 to understand brand approaches to creator partnerships and identify shared priorities between brands and creators.