Local creators talk.

Local creators talk.

In their captions, in their Stories, in your DMs… and honestly, what they say after they leave your business might be the most important marketing you’ll never see boosted.

When we look back at the notes creators leave after their Relay collaborations, there’s a pattern:
they almost never talk about “brand awareness” or “KPIs.”

They talk about how you made them feel.

Here are a few creator stories straight from those post-collab notes—and what they quietly tell you about running a local business in 2025.

1. “They were so ready for me”

One creator showed up at a lash studio half-expecting chaos.

Instead, she wrote:

The service was great. The atmosphere was clean and the staff was ready and knew what to do when I came in.

That’s not a line from a training manual. That’s relief.

From a creator’s POV, there’s a big difference between:

• Walking into a front desk that has no idea why you’re there,
  versus
• Being greeted with, “Hey! We’ve been expecting you. Here’s what we’re doing today…”

When the staff is prepped, the creator relaxes.
When the creator relaxes, the content gets better.
When the content gets better, your feed, reviews, and word of mouth get better.

Simple, but most places still miss it.

2. “Definitely a place I’ll come back to”

Another creator went to a fast-casual spot. Their note wasn’t about angles or lighting. It was about lunch:

Everything was fresh, flavorful, and made with care. The atmosphere was inviting, and the service made my visit even better—definitely a place I’ll return to.

That’s a creator who didn’t just “complete a deliverable.”
They found a new go-to lunch spot.

This is the sweet spot for local businesses:

• The comped visit turns into a real habit
• The “one-time” Reel turns into recurring Story mentions
• Their friends and followers start seeing your brand show up again and again, naturally

The win isn’t just the content. It’s turning a creator into a genuine regular.

3. “Cozy comfort with a twist”

One of my favorite notes came from a creator working with a sock brand (yes, socks).

They talk about their “perfect order” of cozy alpaca socks, then casually geek out over Halloween designs because, obviously, festive feet make the holiday more fun.

That might sound small, but think about what’s really happening:

• A niche product suddenly feels fun, warm, and giftable
• The creator is literally writing the script for how their audience should feel about your brand
• They’re packaging your product in a little story: comfort, personality, and a moment of joy

People don’t remember “high-quality materials.”
They remember “cozy, twisty, Halloween socks I wore all October.”

Creators are very good at turning your features into feelings.

4. “Beautifully acted, beautifully told”

We saw a creator go to a small community theatre and leave this behind:

A truly impressive community theatre experience, beautifully acted, beautifully told, and genuinely moving.

That’s not just a review. That’s validation.

Local theatre, live music, indie experiences—they often struggle with the lie in people’s heads that says, “If it’s not big-budget, it’s probably mid.”

So when a creator with an actual audience says:
No. This was real, moving, worth your time,
it resets expectations for a whole circle of people.

You can’t buy that kind of trust with a poster or a boosted event listing.
You earn it on stage—and then creators amplify it.

5. “I’ll definitely be back”

This one shows up a lot:

Super friendly staff, will definitely be going back.
I had an incredible time.
So great working with them!

It’s not complicated or poetic. It’s just honest.

What’s underneath those lines?

• Staff that treated them like a guest, not a transaction
• Clear communication before and during the visit
• No awkwardness around “what’s included” or “what do I owe?”
• Space to actually enjoy the experience, not just “get the shot and leave”

When creators feel like they’re working with a brand instead of doing work for a brand, everything changes.

What all these creator stories have in common

Looking across dozens of these notes, a few big themes show up over and over:

1. Being expected matters

Creators love when they walk in and the team is clearly ready for them.
No confusion, no “uh… who are you?” moment.

Takeaway for local businesses:
Make a simple “creator visit” checklist for your staff. Names, times, what they’re getting, who’s hosting them.

2. Atmosphere is content

Clean space. Inviting vibe. Music not killing the mood. Staff not stressed and snapping at each other in the background.

All of that ends up in:

• Their footage
• Their tone
• The words they choose in reviews and captions

You don’t need to be fancy. You just need to be intentional.

3. The product still has to deliver

Every glowing note starts from the same place:
The food really was good.
The services really were top-notch.
The show really did land.

Creators can hype, but they can’t fix a bad core experience.
The best content always sits on top of something genuinely worth talking about.

4. People remember feelings, not deals

None of these notes said:

• “What an incredible 10% off coupon!”

They said:

• “I’ll be back.”
• “This felt special.”
• “I had an amazing time.”

Discounts get them in the door.
Experience brings them back and fuels the story.

Where Relay fits into all this

Relay sits right in the middle of these worlds:

• On one side: local businesses trying to get more people in the door without burning out their team.
• On the other: local creators who actually love featuring spots they believe in.

We help with:

• Matching the right creators to your business
• Coordinating visits so your staff is prepped and ready
• Setting clear expectations around content, tags, and timing
• Collecting those creator notes and turning them into signals for what’s working

But the part you own?

That moment when the creator walks in the door and thinks,
“Oh. They were ready for me. This is going to be good.”

If you nail that, their Stories, Reels, and reviews write themselves.

And the best part: the stories they’re telling aren’t just about your brand.
They’re also about your city, your neighborhood, your people.

That’s what local marketing is supposed to feel like.