7 Strategies to Learn From OSEA’s Influencer Program

OSEA, a skincare brand, crossed $100M in revenue in 2025. And instead of relying on splashy one-off moments or big brand stunts, the brand shows up on social feeds in a quieter but more consistent way.

At any given time, thousands of creators are posting about OSEA. The hashtag #oseapartner keeps growing. What’s notable is that this is run by a relatively small influencer team of 4-5 folks.

This didn’t happen by accident.

OSEA built systems that attract the right influencers, give them reasons to keep posting, and plug influencer marketing into real sales moments.

This breakdown looks at the specific choices behind that system and what any DTC brand can borrow, even without OSEA’s scale or budget.

Attracts inbound creator interest with a dedicated landing page

Instead of relying only on cold outreach to influencers, OSEA makes it easy for creators to come to them.

They have an influencer program landing page that explains who the program is for, what creators get, how it works, and what’s expected.

Here's why it is useful:

• This means influencer outreach isn’t the only engine running. Inbound interest becomes a steady source of new creators, while the team can focus its time on relationships that are more likely to last.
• It reduces overwhelm on the team. When creators apply on their own, the brand isn’t starting from zero every time. A lot of the filtering has already happened before anyone on the team replies.
• The creators who apply are already interested. They don’t need much convincing or back-and-forth. They’ve read the criteria, they understand the structure, and they’ve opted in, knowing what kind of program this is.

Creating an influencer application page

If you want a page like OSEA’s but don’t want to involve design or engineering, tools like SARAL make this easy.

You can set up a branded influencer application page quickly, explain your program, and start collecting creator applications in one place. Everything creators need to know is visible upfront, and applications come in already structured.

Takeaways for you

• Spend 30 minutes creating a basic influencer program page or Notion doc that explains who the program is for, what creators get, and how it works. Link to it in your brand's bio.
• If you already have an influencer program page, write one sentence that says who this is not for (for example, “This is for creators who post consistently, not one-off promos”). That single line does a lot of filtering.

Positions the program as a community, not an affiliate offer

OSEA doesn’t call its influencer program an affiliate program. They give it a name: The Seaweed Society.

That one choice changes how the program is perceived. It feels closer to joining a group than signing up for commissions. Saying “I’m part of OSEA’s Seaweed Society” carries more identity than “I’m an affiliate.”

This framing also does filtering.

Creators who are only chasing quick payouts are less likely to feel drawn to a “society.” Creators who care about alignment, longevity, and being associated with the brand are more likely to apply.

This community-first positioning shows up in other high-performing programs, too. Dan Stevenson, who leads influencer marketing at Spacegoods, described why they intentionally moved away from transactional language and toward community framing:

“We wanted to build a bigger community around the brand rather than just getting as much product out the door as possible. It’s much easier to maintain and reactivate relationships you already have than constantly find new ones. When affiliates interact with each other and show up repeatedly, it creates a halo effect. From the outside, it looks like people genuinely like the product, not like they’re being paid to post once and disappear.”

Takeaways for you:

• Rename your influencer or affiliate program. Pick a name that sounds like a group someone joins, not a payout someone signs up for.
• Use that name consistently across your landing page, outreach, and creator conversations so the positioning sticks and attracts the right kind of partners.

Sets expectations from the start

OSEA has a “How it works” section on their influencer program landing page.

Nothing here is optimized for speed or scale. Instead, it filters for intent.

The follower requirement

OSEA sets a minimum follower count that sits in the middle. It’s not so low that anyone can join, and not so high that only polished, full-time influencers qualify. At this stage, most creators are posting regularly and trying to grow. That’s the group OSEA is targeting — creators who are dedicated, but still building.

The education step

Before promoting anything, creators are expected to go through a short product and brand education flow. This sets the tone early. OSEA wants creators to understand what they’re talking about, not just drop links.

It also filters out people looking for quick wins. If someone isn’t willing to spend time learning the product, they probably weren’t going to be a good long-term partner anyway.

How commission and bonuses are framed

OSEA doesn’t stop at “earn X% commission.” They clearly mention bonuses for high-performing affiliates. That small detail matters. It shows creators that performance is tracked and effort doesn’t go unnoticed.

Tiered influencer program

OSEA’s influencer program uses a tiered structure. Creators join at a starting commission and perks level, and as they drive more sales, those benefits increase. Higher tiers come with better commissions and added access, which gives creators a clear reason to stay engaged over time.

A tiered setup gives creators a reason to keep posting without you having to constantly chase them. You may still nudge them about the next level, but you’re not repeatedly asking them to “post more.” The motivation shifts from reminders to aspiration. They're also more loyal to your brand since there's always an upside to constantly driving better results.

This structure also helps the brand prioritize effort. Not every creator needs the same level of attention. Top performers get more access and support. New or casual creators aren’t over-managed. The system does some of that sorting for you.

Takeaways for you

• If your program has only one level, add a second one this week. Increase the commission slightly and add one extra perk, like early access to launches or higher discount codes.
• If you already have two levels, add a third, more exclusive tier. Keep it small and invite-only. Include benefits that can’t be bought, like a call with the founder, behind-the-scenes access, or first access to limited products.
• Tie upgrades to output you care about. This can be sales, the number of posts, or consistency over time.

Gives creators a clear content direction

OSEA has two sections on the program page: best practices and content guidelines. These outline how creators should approach posting and what tends to work for the brand, so expectations are clear before anyone starts creating.

OSEA puts this on the landing page because it filters before someone opts in.

Creators see the expectations upfront and self-select. If someone doesn’t want guidance, structure, or to think about performance, they’re less likely to apply in the first place.

Takeaways for you

• Create a simple best practices and guidelines doc. Start with a rough version in a Google Doc and share it with creators, even if it’s not perfect. You can refine it over time.
• If you don’t have creator best practices written down, block 30 minutes this week. Look at your last 20–30 influencer posts and note what actually worked. List 5 things you see repeatedly (format, product, hook, caption style) and put that on your program page.

Comments on and re-shares influencer content

One thing OSEA does quietly but very consistently is show up on influencer posts after they go live.

If you look at creator content featuring OSEA, you’ll often see the brand:

Commenting with short, human replies

Reposting influencer content to their own feed or Stories.

Brand's comments aren’t big, salesy comments. It's often a short phrase. Sometimes a quick acknowledgment.

It signals to creators that their post was actually seen by the brand.

When other people engage with the post and see the brand in the comments, the post feels more credible. The creator feels more confident sharing again. And over time, that creator starts to show up as someone associated with the brand, not a one-off mention.

Takeaways for you

• Set a daily 10-minute brand engagement habit. Like, comment on, and re-share creator posts. You don't have to come up with clever phrases. Consistency matters more.
• Repost creators’ content regularly. You don’t need to repost everything. Pick 3–5 strong creator posts each week and reshare their content. Tag the creator. Let them know. This reinforces the behavior you want more of.

Influencers are part of OSEA’s sales and promotion strategy

One thing OSEA gets right is not forcing every influencer's post to sound “evergreen” or purely organic.

Those posts matter. They’re great for awareness, discovery, and long-term brand building. But they’re not the only type of content you need.

When there's a sale, an occasion, a limited-time offer, or a new gift set is released, OSEA leverages influencers to promote those. Those posts are meant to drive up sales, not just awareness.

For example, here's a post promoting a BFCM deal.

This post promotes the gift set, and gives a reason to shop with the coupon code.

And then this post below promotes the brand around Mother's Day, when people have a reason to shop for gifts.

That tells you the influencer team isn’t operating in isolation. They’re plugged into the wider marketing calendar. If the brand is pushing a sale, influencers are part of the push. This is where a lot of brands hesitate. They worry promotional posts will feel too salesy. But don't overthink. Let organic content do the top-of-funnel work, and then use clear, promotional creator posts to support the sales push.

Takeaways for you

• Don’t force every influencer post to sound organic. Use softer content to build awareness, then allow more direct, promotional posts when there’s a sale, bundle, or deadline.
• Plan influencer content around the same moments as the rest of your marketing. If email, paid ads, or the site are pushing an offer, creators should be talking about it too.
• Give creators something specific to talk about. Bundles, free gifts, spend thresholds, and time limits are easier to explain than generic product praise and lead to clearer buying decisions.

Want to run your influencer program like OSEA but don't have the bandwidth or budget?

OSEA’s influencer program works because it is structured and consistent. But building something like this takes time. It takes systems. And it usually takes more than one person.

Most teams do not have that luxury. They are running outreach, follow-ups, shipping, and tracking alongside five other marketing priorities. Things slip. Conversations stall. Good creators get missed.

This is where the right setup helps.

SARAL is built to support influencer programs end-to-end. It helps teams find the right influencers, manage conversations, stay on top of follow-ups, send products, and track what actually performs. All in one place.

If you’re building something similar and starting to feel the operational strain, that’s usually the right time to look at a system designed specifically for influencer marketing.

You can explore how SARAL supports programs like this or book a consultative demo to see if it fits your workflow.

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