You’ve heard a million times about how popular influencer marketing is and how much the industry is growing. You’re almost ready to find some content creators for your next campaign. But there’s one fear holding you back: The fear of wasting money on the wrong creator.
Don’t let your fear of working with a not-so-great creator stop you from finding the right ones! There are things you can do during the creator discovery process to help you find high-quality creators who will bring you the attention and sales you’ve been waiting for.
How to recruit influencers: tips for finding your brand champions
Your next brand champion is closer than you think. Let’s talk about some of the best ways to find them.
Announce on your brand’s pages
You can make a post on your brand’s social media pages about the fact that you’re looking for influencers. Mentioning it in your email newsletter is another thing to try. You’ll probably get a bunch of responses, and it may take some time to vet them for quality.
Search hashtags
It’s easy to go on the social media sites of your choice and search hashtags related to your industry. Check out the top content for the tags you search, and look at the creators of those pieces of content. Those are people you might want to work with.
Online groups and communities
Facebook groups, LinkedIn groups, and other online networking communities can be helpful places to find influencers in your industry. However, it can take time to find these groups, talk to people in them, and figure out who would be the best fit to work with your brand.
Attend in-person events
Going to industry events is a great way to meet new people, including influencers in your industry. There’s nothing like face-to-face conversations to build trust. But going to in-person events can be pricey and inconvenient, so it’s understandable if you’re not eager to do this.
Use an influencer marketing platform
You may want to use a platform like GRIN that has creator discovery tools. These tools help you find influencers fast and analyze them carefully. Working with influencers is an investment, so you need to be sure you’re investing in someone who’s likely to give an ROI. GRIN’s analytical tools can show you data you wouldn’t be able to see with the other methods above.
No matter which methods you choose, you have to know what to look for in a creator – and what to avoid.
What to look for during the creator discovery phase
Your creator discovery efforts have yielded some impressive results. But how can you determine which prospects to put at the top of your wish list?
Genuine interest
Every creator you work with should be someone who’s genuinely interested in your products. If they’re genuinely interested, chances are their audience will be too.
When you find a creator who looks promising, ask yourself, “Would this person want to use our products in their everyday life?” You won’t know for sure until you talk to them and get to know them, but there should be some clues you see in their content that help you understand their personality, hobbies, and values/beliefs.
Engagement rate and other data
Data is like having insurance to protect you as you invest in creators, especially if you’re looking for creators you can work with long-term. After all, you wouldn’t rush to buy a car without understanding the vehicle history, miles per gallon, etc (unless you love throwing money away).
In the same way, it wouldn’t make sense to choose to work with a certain creator without knowing any data. Ask creators for data points like their engagement rate and follower demographics. This can give you a full picture of how much this creator could bring attention to your brand.
Content style
When you’re looking at a creator, pay attention to what kinds of content they like to make. Also pay attention what kinds of content their audience responds to the most.
Think about what your products would look like if they were promoted with that style of content. Does this kind of content really fit with your brand? Even if you like a certain creator’s content, if it doesn’t fit well with your brand, that’s just not going to work.
Consistency
Check how consistently the creator is posting content and stories. A creator who posts consistently is better for the algorithm. They don’t have to post every day, but if you notice too many long gaps in between their posts, that’s not a good thing.
It’s important for creators to be consistent in another way too: their tone of voice, creative style, and messaging. A skilled creator puts thought and intention behind their content and isn’t afraid to show their personality. That kind of creator is a dream to work with.
What to avoid during the creator discovery phase
And red flags? Yes, you’ll find those, too. Here’s what to look out for:
Low quality content
Look closely at each creator’s content you find. Is it genuinely funny, fascinating, inspiring, or intriguing in some other way? Is their audience actually engaging with it? Can you see what makes this creator’s content special and why it resonates with their audience?
If you’re having trouble answering these questions, that means the quality of the content isn’t what it needs to be. There’s no point in collaborating with a creator who won’t put much effort into their content.
Low quality content
Take a close look at the creator’s content and see how much of it is paid partnerships instead of normal content they made on their own. If a creator has a lot of paid partnership content compared to normal content, that’s a red flag.
Think about how you’d feel if you followed someone who started mostly posting paid content and barely posted content they made all on their own apart from a brand. You’d think that they don’t really care what they’re promoting and they’d promote any random brand that will pay them. You probably wouldn’t follow them for long.
Too much controversy
Maybe you’ve found a creator who has a lot of engagement… but most of it is people’s angry comments. Oops. If you find a creator who makes amazing content but also loves to rant about whatever makes them mad, sorry but that amazing content just isn’t worth it.
If you collab with them and they later on say something offensive, people will assume your brand is okay with the offensive comments. You’ll have to publicly back off from the creator. Best not to get into that situation in the first place.
Fake followers and engagement
You may have found a creator whose numbers are good. But are they too good to be true? Sadly, this is something you have to watch out for.
Some creators use bots or engagement pods/groups to create an illusion that lots of people are following and engaging, but it’s not authentic. Luckily there are things like our Fake Influencer Tool that can show you if creators are artificially inflating their stats.
Mistakes brands make in the creator discovery process
Some brands just don’t know how to recruit social media influencers. They make mistakes like…
Not being clear on what they’re looking for
How will you find something if you don’t really know what you’re looking for? Before starting the creator discovery process, you need to determine what kinds of creators you’d like to work with.
Things to ask yourself: What kind of content do you want that creator to make? What social media site are they most popular on? How many followers do they have? (Think of a range, not an exact number.) How much do they charge? (Again, think of a range.) Knowing these things before you start will make the search process much easier.
Rushing into a decision
Avoid rushing to work with creators without carefully examining them. You may be on a tight deadline and it’s tempting to rush through the process. But that could backfire big time.
If you spend time and money working with a creator who isn’t right for your brand, your ROI might be DOA. That defeats the entire point of working with a creator in the first place.
Forgetting about the audience
You’ll want to take a close look at any creator you’re considering, but don’t forget to look at their audience too. Creator content isn’t just about reaching people. It’s about reaching the right people.
Talk with each creator about who their audience is: age, location, gender, etc. What made the audience want to follow that creator? Is this audience likely to care about your company’s products? Think about all this before deciding to work with a creator.
Assuming creators will say yes
Just because you’re offering a creator a paid opportunity doesn’t automatically mean they’ll be excited to agree.
You don’t know how many other brands are reaching out to this creator. So if your pitch doesn’t impress them, they may pass on you for other options. That means your first impression has to be on point.
How to make a good first impression during creator outreach
Your creator discovery went well and you found someone you think would be an amazing fit. That’s great, but be careful. Don’t ruin your chances by making a bad first impression.
Creators are used to getting scam messages from sleazy brands that are trying to get their money or personal info, or stiff them on promised pay. You have to show that your brand is trustworthy, your products are worth promoting, and you’re not trying to take advantage of creators.
When reaching out to creators, be clear about what makes your brand unique and why the creator would fit with your brand. Mention specific things you like about the creator instead of vague things like “We love your content!” Keep your message short and simple and include a call to action.
Template: What to say when reaching out to creators
Hi, [creator name]! I’m [your name], [your position] at [your company name]. I’d love to chat about doing a paid collaboration with you. Our company focuses on [a quick description of what kind of products you sell and who your customers are], and I think you’d be a great person to help us get the word out. I like how your content is [mention specific things you like about their content].
Right now, we’re looking for creators to help us promote [product(s) you want to promote]. If you’re interested, I’d be happy to get on a call and talk further. [Include a link to a scheduling tool if you have one, or mention some times you’re available.] Thanks and have a nice day!
How to make a creator say ‘yes’ to your brand
So you just got a reply from that creator and they’re interested in talking. Sweet! But don’t celebrate yet – they still have a decision to make.
What can you do to boost your chances of a yes? There are two things:
Brand alignment
You have to prove to the creator that your brand can provide value to their audience. If the creator doesn’t think your brand will appeal to their audience, they won’t see a reason to work with you.
Ideally this creator would already know and like your brand. But if they’ve never heard of you, no problem. You can earn their trust by sending a free product they can test out.
Payment
Gotta pay to play. Creators are more likely to take your brand seriously and say yes to you if you offer a high rate. Think of it this way: Paying creators isn’t an expense. It’s an investment designed to get a return.
If you have a lot of budget, you can just pay creators straight up. But if your budget is low, you might have to get creative. You can offer commission incentives, exclusive gifts, or other perks to get them on board.
Key takeaway: Know what to look for and avoid in your creator discovery process.
Many businesses have a hard time with creator discovery because of the massive number of influencers out there. Finding the right ones seems overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be if you know what to look for and what to avoid.
Wish you had a tool to make creator discovery easier? We have five. Try the GRIN platform today to access our Creator Discovery Suite, which has five tools that will speed up your creator recruitment – while also making sure you only work with the high-quality influencers your brand deserves.
