Behind the Scenes - How Selection Works!

The answer may be a little surprising!

Most of the time, selections are made by the Hummingbirds team on behalf of the brand.

This article is here to give you clarity into how that process works - not so you can optimize it, but so you can better understand what’s happening and how to interpret outcomes.

For the majority of campaigns, selection is led by Hummingbirds HQ.

• Approximately 80–85% of the time, our team manages creator selection on behalf of the brand.

• Brands partner with us to help identify creators who align with their goals, audience, and campaign vision.

• Rather than reviewing sometimes hundreds of interested creators themselves, brands rely on our team to guide the process.

This allows brands to focus on strategy and creative direction - while we handle the details of matching creators thoughtfully and fairly.

In some cases - roughly 15–20% of the time - brands take a more active role in reviewing creators.

Even then, the process is collaborative.

Brands may highlight creators they’re especially excited about, while Hummingbirds continues to guide the overall selection.

This is because our team has visibility into things brands have less clarity on, such as:

• Long-term creator reliability

• Communication patterns

• Past campaign experience

• Requirement follow-through

• Overall partnership history

That broader perspective helps ensure stronger matches for both creators and brands.

Selections don’t always happen all at once. For most campaigns we review creators and make selections over roughly a week, often in batches.

Because of this, not being selected immediately does not mean you are a backup choice - it usually just means the review is still underway.

Our goal is to build a well-balanced group of creators aligned with the campaign’s goals.

Expressing interest early can be helpful, as campaigns close once enough qualified creators have applied.

You will only receive a text notification if you are selected. Be sure to check your campaign dashboard for updates on if you were not selected for a campaign - which is a completely normal part of the process.

Short answer: no - and it can actually hurt your chances.

If we become aware that a creator has reached out to a brand directly about a campaign on the Hummingbirds platform, that creator will not be selected for that campaign.

This is part of our terms and conditions, which ask creators not to contact brands directly for campaigns hosted on Hummingbirds.

This rule is not because brands don’t want to hear from creators.

In fact, brands that work with Hummingbirds deeply value partnering with creators - especially smaller and mid-sized creators. That’s exactly why they’re here!

Many brands join Hummingbirds because they:

• Want to work with real, everyday creators

• Care about authenticity and trust with audiences

• Are excited to collaborate with creators they might not otherwise have access to

The challenge isn’t desire - it’s capacity.

Most brands:

• Operate with small teams

• Manage many competing priorities

• Don’t have the bandwidth to respond to one-to-one outreach from every interested creator

• Aren’t equipped to fairly review large volumes of direct messages or emails

That’s why they partner with Hummingbirds.

Our role is to:

• Manage the full selection process

• Handle volume in a fair and organized way

• Protect brands’ time and creators’ opportunities

• Ensure smaller creators still get meaningful access to campaigns

Direct outreach bypasses that structure and can unintentionally create confusion or uneven experiences - which is why we ask creators not to do it.

If you’re excited about a campaign or have questions:

• Use your Bird Blurb/Pitch to clearly express your interest and fit

• Reach out to the Hummingbirds team with questions

• Trust that brands are reviewing creators through the process they intentionally chose

We’re here to advocate for strong matches and make sure creators are set up for success - without putting extra pressure on brand teams.

Selection outcomes can vary based on timing, fit, and volume. Not being selected is common and rarely personal. Focus on what you can control and keep building momentum over time. We have a course about this in The Charm called "Campaign Selection 101." Campaign selection is a matching process, not a scorecard. Some campaigns prioritize new creators, others returning ones. Some are designed for a specific life stage, purchasing behavior, or audience type.