What happens when you archive a creator, and how to bring them back
Summary
When a creator's status is Archived, GRIN blocks actions on that contact. Nothing is lost, but the creator behaves as if they were read only until you return their status to Active.
Description
Brands usually notice this as a set of small failures that seem unrelated at first. Actions on the creator do not go through, content cannot be added to them manually, and the expiration dates on their discount codes stop updating. Creators sometimes notice it from their side instead and write in asking why their links or codes stopped working.
Cause
The creator's status is Archived. GRIN treats an archived contact as inactive and blocks actions on it. Archiving also pauses link tracking and discount code tracking for that creator, which is why the codes stop picking up new expiration dates. Archiving an activation archives the creators associated with that activation, so a creator can end up archived without anyone having archived them one by one.
Resolution
- Open the creator's contact record and check their status. If it reads Archived, that is your answer.
- Change the creator's status from Archived back to Active.
- Retry the action that failed. Once the creator is Active again, actions on the contact are allowed, content can be added manually, and link and code tracking resume.
- If several creators went inactive at the same time, check whether an activation they shared was archived recently. Restoring the creators individually is still the fix, but knowing the trigger prevents it from happening again.
Prefer archiving over deleting. Archiving is reversible, and a deleted contact cannot be recovered.
If you are the creator and not the brand
Creators cannot change their own status in GRIN. If your links, codes, or Live Site stopped working and the brand you work with confirms your record was archived, ask the brand to set your status back to Active. GRIN support cannot change your status on the brand's behalf.