Finding influencers is the biggest challenge for in-house marketing teams.
You’ve probably seen it before…
A brand partners with an influencer who looks the part. They have a big following, a glossy feed, and a trendy aesthetic, but their posts are part-tumbleweed, part-botfest. There’s no spike in traffic, no sales bump, not even a comment asking where the outfit’s from.
That’s because finding the right influencer is less about picking someone with the prettiest grid or the flashiest numbers and more about alignment, relevance, timing, and, yes, a bit of digging.
But when brands get it right, the payoff is worth it.
Shoppers continue to rely on influencers to help them discover new products, particularly younger generations. In fact, 49% of Gen Alpha trust influencers as much as their own flesh and blood when it comes to product recommendations.
And with platforms like TikTok and Instagram powering product discovery at lightning speed, you’re not just choosing a creator, you’re choosing a communication channel, a creative style, and an extension of your brand.
So yes, finding a fitting influencer matters. A lot.
Let’s make sure your next collab is pretty and performs. Here’s how to find influencers to work with.
Where Should You Start To Find Influencers For Your Business?
Finding the right influencers can feel a lot like looking for a needle in a haystack. Except the haystack is full of people holding ring lights and trying to sell you collagen powder.
The good news is, you don’t have to endlessly scroll through social media feeds (unless you want to… we’ll cover that later). But regardless of whether you're running a beauty brand on Shopify or a wellness startup just starting to scale, the best way to start is with a clear goal.
Before you do anything, ask yourself:
- Am I looking for user-generated content (UGC)?
- Do I want influencers to post on their own channels or the brand’s?
- Is this for organic, paid, or both?
Once you know what kind of campaign you’re running (think: product seeding vs influencer collab), it’s way easier to start filtering down. From there, you can pick the right tool or method to match.
Here’s how to find relevant influencers.
Tools That Help You Find Influencers for Marketing
If you want to save time (and brain space), influencer discovery tools are your best friend. These tools give you access to pre-vetted creators, often with search filters, profile metrics, and even campaign management features.
Insense
Insense gives you access to 68,500+ micro-influencers and UGC creators across 35+ countries. Whether you’re running TikTok Spark Ads, whitelisting on Meta, or just want some fresh UGC, you can find the right influencer based on engagement rates, audience demographics, or even if they have an Amazon Storefront.
Just set your campaign goals, add deliverables, and use the filters to find your perfect match. The biggest benefit is that you can chat directly with creators, approve content, and manage payments all in one place.
Influencity
Influencity is a flexible platform with a solid discovery tool that lets you search by niche, location, follower count, engagement, and more. It’s great if you want more granular data before you commit.
Collabstr
Collabstr connects you with pre-vetted influencers and content creators across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. You can browse creator profiles, see pricing upfront, and buy content packages without long-term contracts.
Heepsy
Heepsy offers a straightforward influencer discovery tool with over 11 million creators. You can filter by location, engagement rate, niche, and even fake follower metrics. It’s especially useful for small brands looking to validate influencers before reaching out.
How to Find the Best Influencers… Manually
If you don’t want to use a tool, you can find an influencer manually. It’s definitely possible. It’s just... slow.
Here’s how the manual grind looks, broken down by platform.
⚠️ Warning: involves lots of clicking. ⚠️
On Instagram:
- Search hashtags like #giftedcollab, #ad, or niche-specific ones like #skincarelover or #petsagram
- Browse through tagged posts on competitor pages
- Check your own followers for micro-influencers already engaging with your brand
- Look at who your competitors follow (and who follows them)
- Use Instagram’s “Suggested For You” section in DMs or profiles
- Scroll comments (some influencers comment on other influencer posts)
The hashtag #petsagram has 21.5 million posts… that’s a lot to trawl through.
On TikTok:
- Search using niche hashtags (e.g. #momsoftiktok, #gymlife, #makeuptutorials)
- Look under the “For You” page for creators in your niche
- Search “TikTok Creator Marketplace” to find creators with affiliate access
- Check viral audio trends and see who’s using them well
- Browse brand or product mentions (type your niche product name into search)
On Facebook:
- Join niche groups (e.g., “Natural Skincare Fans UK”)
- Look for group members who regularly post and get engagement
- Check brand pages to see who’s tagged them or left reviews
- Search Facebook Watch with keywords related to your product or niche
- Use the search bar to find posts with “#ad” or “sponsored”
It’s a lot, right? 😅
And that’s before you even start reaching out.
Some influencers are great (you’ll know them when you see them). But there are thousands of creators, and not all are a good fit. So, how do you choose?
Spoiler: clear campaign goals, solid filtering criteria, and a dash of common sense go a long way.
Here’s how to separate the metaphorical wheat from the chaff.
Who Are Your Audience?
Before you go searching for influencers, it helps to know who you're actually trying to reach. Seems obvious, right? But this step is often rushed, and that’s where campaigns can go off track.
Here’s what to figure out first:
- Demographics: Age, gender, location, job, income
- Interests: What they care about (fitness? Skincare? Affordable fashion?)
- Behaviors: What they buy, how often they shop, what content they engage with
Once you’ve got a rough idea of who you’re targeting, match it with where they hang out online. PSA: Someone browsing Facebook Marketplace is not the same as a Gen Z beauty lover on TikTok.
Here’s how audiences typically break down across each platform:
Perfect for older millennials and Gen X audiences (think 30+). Great for industries like parenting, home goods, food, and pets. People here scroll in the evenings, join niche groups, and trust creators who feel authentic and local.
A visual-first platform, popular with 18–34-year-olds. If your audience loves beautifully curated feeds, lifestyle inspo, or short, snappy Reels, this is the place. Instagram works well for beauty, fashion, wellness, and anything aesthetically pleasing.
TikTok
Younger, fast-moving, trend-driven. TikTok’s user base skews 16–30, and audiences love unfiltered, funny, or super useful content. If your product needs a demo, transformation, or “did-you-know” hook, this platform is gold.
Pro tip: You can repurpose UGC or influencer content across platforms later, but pick influencers who naturally align with the one your audience spends the most time on.
Why Do You Need To Find An Influencer?
Not all influencer campaigns are created equal. That’s why you need to get crystal clear on your goal before reaching out to anyone.
According to the 2025 Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report, most brands chose sales (35.6%), awareness (24.4%), collecting UGC (18.9%), and community building (12.4%) as their leading goals.
Here’s the best way to find influencers that align with these goals.
Brand Awareness
If you want more people to know about your brand, focus on creators with solid engagement rates and a loyal following. Posting frequency, audience trust, and content consistency matter more than follower count alone.
💡 Look for influencers who regularly post about your niche and have an audience that actually replies, shares, or comments.
Engagement and Community Building
Trying to spark conversations, likes, and shares? Then you need creators who get their audience. Prioritize influencers with a tight-knit community, even if it’s smaller. Micro-influencers (10k–100k followers) are often your best bet here.
💡 Filter for micro-influencers in your industry with consistently high engagement (3%+ is a good start).
Sales and Conversions
Want to drive traffic, downloads, or purchases? You’ll need creators who can sell. That means persuasive storytelling, content that shows the product in action, and trust with their audience.
💡 Look for influencers with experience in affiliate campaigns or proven past results in driving sales. Check their link-in-bio setup or ask for metrics.
What Should You Consider While Finding Influencers?
Okay, you've got a list of potential influencers… now what?
Well, most brands evaluate influencers based on engagement and clicks (25.8%), content type and category (25.1%), views and reach (21.8%), and sales (20.7%).
But before you slide into any DMs, take a moment to look properly. A quick glance at someone’s profile can tell you a lot, and there are a few non-negotiables worth checking.
Here’s what to look out for:
Content Quality
Do their photos or videos look good? We're not talking Hollywood-level production here, but the lighting should be decent, the message should be clear, and the product (when shown) should feel natural.
For example, if you're in beauty, you want to see clean, close-up product shots, not blurry bathroom selfies with a dozen filters.
Iz_alwaysglowing’s feed is full of close-up, high-quality photos and videos.
Posting Consistency
Are they posting regularly or disappearing for weeks at a time? You want someone who stays active and shows up for their audience.
A consistent creator is usually a reliable one. Weekly posts (or more) are a good sign.
Visual Style and Brand Fit
Does their style match your brand? If you're a minimalist supplement brand, a loud neon aesthetic might not work. Scroll through their feed to see if you can picture your product there.
Follower Count vs Engagement
Big numbers don’t always mean big results. Look for creators with steady engagement (likes, comments, shares, and saves). A micro-influencer with 12K followers and 5% engagement is a better bet than someone with 100K followers and ghost-town comments.
Quick tip: Look for real comments (not just “🔥🔥” or “so cute”) and watch out for sudden spikes in follower count, as that could indicate the influencer has paid for bots.
UK influencer India Moon’s comments are filled with her followers asking how they can book the same spots as her and buy the same products.
What’s the Best Way To Reach Out?
So you’ve found someone you like… now it’s time to pitch.
Here’s how to reach out to influencers the right way:
- Keep it personal. Start with their name and mention a post you loved or something specific you noticed. This shows you’ve done your homework and you're not just mass emailing creators.
- Be clear about expectations. Explain what you’re offering, what you’re asking for, and what the timeline looks like. Are you gifting a product? Are you asking for one video and two stories within 10 days?
- Talk budget or value. Creators are professionals. If you’re paying, mention the budget range early. If it’s a gifted campaign, say so upfront and make the value clear.
- Set realistic timelines. Include key dates, like when you'll send the product, when you'd like content by, and how many rounds of feedback there might be (if any).
- Think long-term. Even if it’s just one post, approach it like the start of a relationship. A creator who loves working with you might come back again.
What Are The Common Mistakes In Finding Influencers?
We know how easy it is to get lost in the scroll. To help you out, here are some of the common missteps we see brands make in their search for the right influencers.
- Prioritizing follower count over fit. Just because someone has 100k followers doesn’t mean they’re right for your brand. Focus on audience alignment, engagement, and trust, not just the numbers.
- Skipping the content review. Always watch their videos and read their captions. You might be surprised. Is their content relevant, consistent, and aligned with your values? If not, keep scrolling.
- Being vague in outreach. “We’d love to collab!” is vague. It delays the process and creates confusion. Influencers appreciate clarity: who, what, when, how, and why.
- Not setting a goal first. Without a clear campaign goal, you’ll end up picking random people and hoping for the best. Spoiler: that rarely works. Your goal should guide who you choose and how you brief them.
- One-and-done mindset. Treating influencer campaigns like a one-off transaction is a missed opportunity. Building relationships over time means better content, smoother workflows, and creators who actually care about your brand.
Some Ideas to Kickstart You On Finding Relevant Influencers
Feeling stuck on where to start? Don’t worry—we’ve got a few proven tactics to help you dig up the right creators without going down a 4-hour social media rabbit hole.
Here are some smart ways to kick things off:
Use a Creator Marketplace (Like Insense)
Let’s start with the easiest option: Insense’s Creator Marketplace.
You get instant access to over 68,500 vetted creators across Instagram and TikTok, with filters to narrow by:
- Location
- Follower count
- Audience demographics
- Niche
- Engagement rate
- Amazon Storefront and TikTok Shop affiliation
Whether you’re running a product seeding campaign, Spark Ads, or just need great UGC fast, you can find top influencers, message them directly, and manage everything in one place.
Check Who’s Already Talking About You
Go through your brand’s tagged posts, story mentions, comments, and DMs. You might already have micro-influencers engaging with you, without even asking. These are gold: they already know your product, and their shout-outs are often more authentic.
Did a skincare creator tag your cleanser in their #empties post? Perfect. Reach out.
Tip: You can also set up Google Alerts to notify you every time someone mentions your brand.
Shaving brand Harry’s tagged section is full of potential influencers.
Browse Through Lookalike Influencers
Found one influencer you like? Great. Now look at:
- Who they follow
- Who comments on their posts (often other creators!)
- Who shows up in Instagram’s “Suggested for you” section
This process can actually lead to a whole cluster of relevant creators in the same niche.
Spy on Your Competitors
Head over to your competitors’ Instagram or TikTok. Scroll through their tagged content, check their recent collabs, and see who’s been posting #ad content for them. Chances are, those creators would be open to working with a similar brand like yours.
Pro tip: Search “[Brand Name] gifted” or “[Brand Name] UGC” to see what pops up.
This search for gifted products by Cera Ve shows a handful of creators who have worked with the brand for commissions.
Explore Niche Hashtags
Generic hashtags like #influencer won’t help much.
Try being more specific, like:
- #midsizefashionuk
- #plantbasedprotein
- #momsoftiktok
- #affordablemakeup
This will narrow down your search to creators already posting about your niche.
Often, TikTok will show you other relevant hashtags and keywords that can help you dig a bit deeper.
Reuse Influencers from UGC Marketplaces
Already used platforms like Insense to source UGC? Go back and check which creators nailed the brief. If you loved their content, consider asking them to post to their audience next time.
Did Finding The Right Influencer Become Any Easier?
Hopefully, the answer is yes!
Now that you know what to look for (and what to avoid), the whole process should feel a little less overwhelming. You’ve got tools to explore, tactics to test, and a few time-saving shortcuts under your belt.
But if you’re still thinking “This feels like a full-time job…”, you’re not wrong.
That’s exactly why we built Insense: to help brands like yours cut through the noise and find creators who actually deliver.
Want to see how it works? Your first campaign’s on us. Book a free demo and we’ll walk you through it step-by-step.
