If you’re responsible for managing creator marketing programs, you’re likely all too familiar with the sheer amount of time and resources that creator sourcing requires. According to our 2024 Influencer Marketing Trends Report, discovering new creators remains among the top 3 most challenging aspects of influencer marketing.
That’s why it’s critical to be strategic in your approach. We recommend beginning with your existing advocates, expanding your search with a focus on your target audience and brand identity, and using AI to streamline the process. Let’s break that down:
Start With Your Community
Kicking off a search process can be daunting. But what if there was a shortcut to finding creators who want to work with you and will drive an impact for your brand? The key is to start with your existing community of brand advocates. These creators will create authentic content that their audiences are likely to resonate with.
Once you have a foundation of creators you’re confident in, you can expand your search strategically. Keep your priorities in mind—whether it’s content quality, audience demographics, or performance metrics—and look for creators who align with those goals.
And don’t overlook up-and-coming or unconventional creators. A strong strategy often involves a mix of creators with different niches who may perform better on one platform than another. No matter who you discover, you’ll want to thoroughly vet them against your benchmarks, brand safety guidelines, and program goals.
Review Creator Data and Content With a Sharp Eye
Getting a complete picture of a creator’s content and performance is essential. You want to be confident in your choices, which starts by defining what success looks like for your brand. What are your target benchmarks? What demographics do you want to reach?
Sourcing that information across social platforms can be challenging, so access to a robust creator database of public profiles is key. A central hub helps you zero in on potential partners quickly and makes it easier to review content for brand alignment and campaign fit.
And remember, the impact of your program depends on who your creators reach. Make sure their audiences align with your target demographics, whether it’s gender, ethnicity, location, or age.
Getting these steps right is crucial for finding creators who can drive a significant impact for your brand. But many of these processes take time—something you don’t have nearly enough of. That’s why platforms like CreatorIQ are working to accelerate the discovery process with the help of AI.
Accelerate Your Outcomes With AI
While human relationship-building will always remain core to creator marketing, AI can expedite much of the manual search process.
One important way that AI can make an impact on your discovery process is by automating vetting for brand safety. CreatorIQ is building brand safety monitoring that goes beyond keywords to understand the context of posts and ensure they meet your safety standards. This makes it feasible to vet large numbers of potential partners.
As you scale your campaigns, AI can help you find more creators, even faster. Semantic Search makes it easy to describe what you’re looking for, just like you would in a Google search, and AI-powered recommendations help you quickly find similar creators to those who have already worked well for you.
With AI taking on more of the heavy lifting in your discovery process, you’ll find yourself spending less time and resources on the search. This frees you up to focus on refining and evolving your strategy.
Embrace a Non-Linear Discovery Path
Instead of treating creator discovery as a linear process, think of it as a flywheel that gains momentum with each initiative. The insights you gather from your current campaigns should directly influence your future choices, helping you build on what works.
Evaluate performance with your preferred KPIs—like reach, engagement, impressions, or conversions—and consider how your organization measures the impact of your partnerships. Analyzing performance by creator cohorts will help you gauge which partnerships are most impactful for your program.
By applying these strategies, you’ll be well-equipped to find creators who drive meaningful results for your brand. To access the full guide on discovering the right creators for your program, check out our interactive Guide to Mastering Creator Discovery for all the insights you need to find the perfect partners—faster and safer.
