PR Boxes for Influencers: How to Plan the Packaging (UK Guide)
A PR box for influencers is a branded box of products that a brand sends to creators or press, packed to be opened on camera and talked about. Planning one comes down to seven decisions: the box style, how the products sit, whether it travels inside an outer, what the carrier allows inside, how you personalise it, how many you order and when you order.
This guide covers those decisions from the packaging side, for UK brands, founders and agencies planning PR boxes for influencers, whether for a launch or a seeding send. Choosing influencers, setting campaign goals and measuring the results are marketing questions, and they are not covered here.
Choose the box by how it will be opened
A PR box is often filmed as it is opened, so the way it opens is part of the brief. These four formats are the ones to compare.
| Format | How it opens | Sending it | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magnetic flap box | A one-piece rigid box whose front flap is held shut by magnets and lifts in one movement, like a book cover | Inside an outer for post or courier | A box meant to be kept, with a reveal in one motion |
| Lift-off lid box | A two-piece rigid box: the lid comes away and the contents are seen from above | Inside an outer for post or courier | Sets laid out to be seen at once, and deep boxes |
| Drawer box | A tray slides out of a sleeve | Inside an outer for post or courier | Small items and a slide-out reveal |
| Printed mailer box | A corrugated box with a tuck-in front, where print inside the lid is seen first | An ecommerce format that can travel on its own | Longer lists and slim letterbox sends |
A magnetic closure costs more than a lift-off lid. Our guide to what custom rigid boxes cost shows the difference on its published price list.
Our magnetic closure rigid boxes and rigid boxes with lids cover the first two formats.
Print can go inside as well as outside, so the first thing the camera sees when the lid lifts can be a message or a pattern rather than plain board.
Think about the finish under lights, too. A gloss lamination can reflect ring lights and phone torches, while matt and soft-touch finishes tend to look flatter on screen. Our explainer on print finishes covers each one.
Plan the inside around the products
Start with a list of everything going in: each item’s size and weight, and the order you want them seen. If the box is chosen before the products are measured, a set can end up squeezed in or padded out.
Inserts are cut to the product’s own dimensions, so movement inside the box is controlled. In a mixed set, give each item its own cavity, so a bottle, a jar and a small accessory stay apart. If a product changes size before the send, check the insert again.
For a rigid box, our luxury box inserts are made to fit the products in the set.
If you want a card or a smaller item seen before the main product, the insert layout decides it. Our PR mailer boxes with inserts page covers that reveal order.
Does the box need an outer to travel?
If it goes by post or courier, it usually does. A magnetic flap is held by small magnets and a lift-off lid by friction. Both keep a box neatly closed in the hand, but a drop or a squeeze in a parcel network can open them.
Royal Mail sorts parcels by machine and says this can occasionally damage packaging. Its guidance on sending fragile items recommends a robust outer box, with each fragile item surrounded by at least 5cm of cushioning and kept away from the sides.
Size the outer to the presentation box plus that cushioning. Our guide to box clearance and tolerance shows how to work out the gap.
A printed mailer is different: it is built to travel on its own, so it can be the PR box and the shipper in one. Our guide to choosing between a mailer, a shipping box and a product box explains that choice.
If the boxes are handed over at an event or delivered by hand, the outer can be left out. Whichever way they go, Royal Mail also advises writing a return address on the parcel, with your details and a phone number on a slip inside.
Before the full send, pack one box exactly as it will travel and post it to yourself. It shows how the box, the insert and the outer cope with a real journey.
Check what the carrier allows inside
PR boxes for beauty, fragrance and tech brands often carry items the post restricts. Royal Mail’s prohibited and restricted items guidelines for business customers list aerosols, alcohol, batteries, matches, nail varnish, and perfumes and aftershaves, among many others.
Royal Mail treats aerosols, nail varnish and perfumes as dangerous goods under transport legislation. A restricted item can be posted only when its packaging, volume, quantity and labelling conditions are met. Royal Mail says checking those conditions is the sender’s responsibility, and that not complying can affect a compensation claim.
For perfume, our guide to card and foam inserts sets out Royal Mail’s conditions. For drinks, see our guide to shipping glass bottles.
Magnets have an entry of their own. Royal Mail does not allow magnetised material with a field strength of 0.418 A/m or more at 4.6 metres from the outside of the package. Other magnetised material is allowed with conditions, including soft packing at least 2cm thick around each item and the sender’s name and return address on the outer. If a magnetic box is going by Royal Mail, check how that entry applies to it.
Other carriers publish their own lists, so check the one you will use. For creators abroad, Royal Mail notes that other countries’ postal services may have different prohibitions.
Personalise without changing the box
A simple way to personalise a send is to keep one box design for the whole order and put the personal touch on a separate piece. A message card with the recipient’s name written by hand, a sticker sealing the tissue or a note tucked into the insert can all change from box to box without changing the print.
Our packaging insert cards can carry the campaign message, and a printed sleeve can carry the campaign artwork. With the campaign on the sleeve, the same box can serve a later send under a new sleeve.
Work out how many to order
Start with the confirmed list, then add spares: for a box damaged in packing or in transit, for names added late, and for your own photography and social posts.
Orders start from 100 units. If your list is shorter, plan what the rest are for, such as a later send under a new sleeve, or gifts for partners and press.
Rigid boxes are supplied made up, so a hundred of them need shelf space until packing day. A collapsible rigid box folds flat until it is built; our guide to collapsible and fixed rigid boxes compares the two.
Work back from the send date
Plan from the date the boxes must reach creators, working backwards through each stage. Production and delivery are separate steps, and your own packing and posting come after them.
| Stage | Who | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Brief and quote | You and us | Depends on how complete the brief is |
| Artwork and approval | Our designers and you | Depends on the rounds of changes |
| Production | Us | Standard production takes 6 to 8 business days after approval. |
| Delivery to you | Our courier | UK delivery usually takes around 4 to 5 business days after production is complete, depending on the delivery address and courier service. |
| Packing the boxes | You or your fulfilment partner | Your own estimate; allow more for mixed sets |
| Posting to creators | Your carrier | The service you choose |
Delivery time is additional to production. Every order is approved before bulk production. Approval may be based on a digital 3D mock-up, a video of the physical sample, or a physical production sample, depending on the order.
If the date is tight, ask about rush production when you request the quote. We confirm then whether it can be done for your order and how long it takes.
For a Christmas send, our countdown on when to order Christmas packaging sets out the ordering windows.
What to send for a quote
- The products: each item’s dimensions and weight, with photos.
- The set: what goes in each box, and the order it should be seen.
- The format: the style you have in mind, or how the box should open.
- The quantity: the confirmed list plus spares.
- The journey: posted, couriered or handed over, and whether you want an outer.
- The artwork: logos, brand files and any message for inside the lid.
- The dates: when the boxes must reach creators, and the delivery postcode.
Common mistakes
- Posting a magnetic or lift-off lid box with no outer.
- Choosing the box before measuring every product.
- Ordering one box per name, with none spare for damage or late additions.
- Packing a perfume, an aerosol or a battery without checking the carrier’s conditions.
- Leaving the return address off the outer.
- Picking a gloss finish without seeing how it looks on camera.
- Planning to the posting date with no time left to pack.
Frequently asked questions
What is a PR box for influencers?
A box of products that a brand sends to creators or journalists, often around a launch, in the hope they open it on camera and post about it. The box is part of the content, so it is designed to be seen as well as to protect what is inside.
How much does a PR box cost?
It depends on the format, the finish, any inserts and the quantity, so each send is quoted on its own specification. A magnetic closure adds to the price of a rigid box, and the outer and the postage are costs of their own.
Can I post a PR box without an outer box?
A printed mailer, yes: it is built to travel on its own. A rigid presentation box is better posted inside a shipper with cushioning, unless it is handed over in person.
How many PR boxes should I order?
Count the confirmed list, then add spares for a box damaged on the way, a name added late and your own photography. A short list still has to meet the minimum order, so plan a use for the extra boxes.
How far ahead should I order PR boxes?
Work backwards from the date the boxes must reach creators, allowing for artwork and approval, production, delivery to you, packing and posting. The production and delivery figures are in the timeline above; add your own packing time and the carrier’s posting time.