There’s no doubt that influencers play a key role in connecting brands with customers. They influence millions of people to buy products based on their recommendations. That's why it's no longer just a trend. Many brands now see it as a real strategy to grow their audience and build trust. According to the State of Influencer Marketing 2025, the global influencer marketing industry is expected to grow from USD 19.8 billion in 2024 to USD 31.2 billion by 2027. This shows how more brands are turning to influencer partnerships to help them get better brand awareness, engagement, and increased sales.
But results don’t come from just working with any influencer. The key is to find the right ones. People who match your brand, speak to the audience you want, and actually influence. By working with the right influencers, businesses can build credibility, increase brand recognition, and reach new audiences. The first step to success is to find influencers for your brand who can accomplish your goals.
Thus, the questions arise. What makes influencers so effective? And what are the best ways to find them? This blog post discusses where, how, and what to look for while searching for creators.
Why Should You Work with Influencers?
Image source: Freepik
1. A great relationship with their followers
Creators put a great deal of effort and dedication into building their audiences. Users listen to what they have to say and trust their opinions. This applies especially to small influencers who don’t necessarily have hundreds of thousands of followers. Instead, they have an active follower base with whom they maintain close relationships.
Micro-influencers build their names as experts in a specific niche and create content closely related to that topic for their followers. Despite having a follower base of 5K to 20K, you can target many relevant follower subgroups that are likely to be interested in your brand or product. Apart from being cost-effective, micro-influencers are likely to work with brands whose values align with their own and whose products they can endorse.
2. Authority in a subject
Influencer marketing has continued to grow in popularity and has already become an integral part of companies’ digital marketing strategies. Most brands are active on several social media platforms to reach as many users as possible. Due to this, more and more businesses are working together with small and large influencers, resulting in growing competition for users’ attention.
You can still stand out if you focus on a particular niche and seek out influencers who also create within it. Your message will reach people who are interested in your product, resulting in a high conversion rate. As an added benefit, working with experts on a topic will build your reputation in your field and help you gain followers’ trust.
3. Gripping content
It takes several years for influencers to establish their own brand, gain extensive content creation experience, and acquire the trust of their audiences. Therefore, they know what content captures their followers’ attention and motivates them to take action. No matter if it’s a sponsored post or if they simply like your brand, influencer content is different from traditional brand advertising.
4. Long-term partnerships
Take the extra step by maintaining a successful relationship with social media influencers in your industry. The key to successful influencer outreach and collaboration is clear and constant communication between your brand and creators. During the process, you can build a good working relationship with industry experts whom you can collaborate in the future with.
11 Ways to Find Relevant Influencers
Before starting your influencer search, identify your goals and target audience. If your goal is, for example, to increase your following base, then it’s especially critical to define the characteristics of your new target market. Instead of relying solely on big names, consider collaborating with niche influencers too. In this way, you’ll reach a wider audience.
With the above in mind, here are 11 ways to find influencers.
1. Use social media platforms
Social media is one of the easiest and most direct places to start looking for influencers. One way is by using hashtags. You can try searching your brand’s hashtags to see if anyone has already posted about your products. This helps you find people who already like or use what you offer. You can also look for more general hashtags related to your niche to discover a wider pool of creators. Since hashtags work like keywords on platforms like Instagram and Twitter, many influencers use them to make their content easier to find. The only downside is that this method shows you only those who have already used the hashtags.
Another way is to check your mentions and tags. On Instagram, for example, you can see who tagged your brand or mentioned you in their captions. These are usually people who already have some level of interest in your products. Some might even be small influencers with a highly engaged audience. They could be great long-term partners, even potential brand ambassadors.
On TikTok, the For You Page (FYP) can be a goldmine. The TikTok algorithm shows you videos based on what you’ve posted, engaged with, or followed. This means the content that comes up is more likely to match your brand’s style or industry. You might come across rising influencers who are gaining traction through viral posts.
Also, don’t forget to check your own followers. Many brands are followed by content creators without even realizing it. Take a look at who’s following you and who you follow. You might find someone who aligns with your values and voice.
2. Check your competitors
Most likely, your competitors have already collaborated with digital creators. Looking at your competitors can give you a clearer picture of the influencer landscape in your space. See who they’re working with, who tags them, or who comments on their posts. This can help you understand which influencers are already involved in your industry. Investigating other industry players’ follower bases is also a good way to find relevant influencers or users with a large following.
You can also use platforms that offer competitive analysis tools. These tools help you check what your competitors are doing, how their influencer campaigns are performing, and which creators are working with them. This approach can help you avoid overlapping too much while also giving you inspiration for new influencer partnerships.
3. Use Google
Google is still a strong tool for research. You can use it to search for influencers based on niche, location, language, gender, or type of content. For example, try using keywords like "top fitness influencers in the US" or "best food influencers in Indonesia."
This can lead you to listicles, blog articles, or media coverage that highlight known creators. But one thing to keep in mind is that Google results often focus on well-known or celebrity influencers. It can be harder to find smaller creators who have strong engagement and niche audiences.
4. Connect with bloggers
Bloggers have been influencing people long before social media took over. If you're in a niche where blogs are still active, search for popular blogs in your industry. See which influencers they mention, collaborate with, or are inspired by. Then check those influencers’ social media presence to get a better idea of their reach and relevance.
You might also come across bloggers who are content creators themselves. They often have strong communities and loyal readers, which can be valuable for your brand. By engaging with these content creators, you can gain authority in your industry and win more dedicated followers.
5. Find influencer lookalikes
You don’t always need fancy tools to find more influencers. You can start by checking the profile of someone you already know is a good fit. Look at their content, what hashtags they use, who they collaborate with, and how they interact with others.
Then, try searching for similar content using the same hashtags. This will help you find other creators posting in the same niche. Another tip is to explore the comments section of the influencer’s posts. You might find users who are interested in similar topics and create content of their own.
6. Ask for recommendations
Sometimes the best leads come from people you already know. Reach out to friends, coworkers, or anyone in your network who has worked with influencers before. Ask them if they have someone to recommend.
Getting suggestions from people with first-hand experience is helpful. You’ll get a better idea of how reliable the influencer is, how they communicate, and how well they deliver. It also makes your outreach more personal if you can mention the mutual connection.
7. Network at industry events and conferences
Not everything has to happen online. Try attending industry events, conferences, or meetups. These are great places to meet marketers, creators, and professionals who may connect you with the right people.
Some influencers are invited as speakers or guests. Meeting them in person can give you a better feel for their personality and whether they would be a good match for your brand. Plus, offline connections can sometimes build stronger partnerships.
8. Create influencer or ambassador programs for small influencers
If you want to work with smaller or up-and-coming influencers, try building an influencer or ambassador program. One idea is to create a college or university ambassador program where students can apply to represent your brand.
This helps you connect with younger audiences while giving student creators a chance to grow with you. Share clear info about the program on your website and social channels. Include what you expect from participants, what they’ll get in return, and how to apply. Programs like these are also a good way to appreciate people who already support your brand and turn them into long-term partners.
9. Hire influencer marketing agencies
Agencies can help you save time by doing the heavy lifting. They usually have access to databases of influencers across various industries and can recommend people who match your brand goals.
The good part is that agencies often handle the entire process, from influencer outreach to campaign reporting. You also get help from people who already know how the system works. However, agencies usually come with a cost. This option might not be ideal for small businesses with tight budgets.
10. Utilize Artificial Intelligence (AI)
AI tools are becoming more helpful for influencer discovery. Generative AI like ChatGPT can be a helpful starting point when you're looking for influencers. You can ask questions such as:
“How can I find fashion influencers who are based in the US and post regularly on TikTok?”
“What should I look for when choosing influencers for a skincare brand?”
“Can you give me a list of micro influencers in the fitness niche?”
Tools like this can give you ideas, outline steps, suggest platforms, or even help you write outreach messages. It's like having a smart assistant that guides your research and helps you make better decisions.
If you're unsure where to start, it can help you plan your influencer search strategy, compare tools, or review profiles based on the kind of creators you’re looking for. You just need to give it the details: your brand, your audience, and your goals.
For more advanced needs, brands can explore platforms that have built-in AI features. These tools use machine learning to analyze performance data, suggest influencer matches, and predict campaign outcomes. For example, HypeAuditor uses AI to analyze influencer quality, detect fake followers, and show audience insights that help you make data-driven choices. It also has dozens of filters that help you find the best ones from a database of over 205.6 million influencers.
11. Use influencer marketing platforms
Influencer marketing platforms are built to help brands find the right creators faster and with more accuracy. These platforms often go beyond just influencer discovery. Many of them, for example HypeAuditor, offer a full suite of features like audience analytics, campaign tracking, historical performance, and messaging tools that help you manage influencer partnerships from start to finish.
Each platform comes with different functions and pricing plans. Some are focused only on discovery, while others offer all-in-one solutions. It’s important for brands to choose a platform that fits both their needs and budget. Using one complete platform helps you avoid switching between tools or paying multiple subscriptions for features that could exist in one place.
On top of that, these tools help automate tasks that would take hours if done manually—like reviewing follower quality, spotting fake engagement, or reaching out to multiple influencers. This kind of automation not only saves time but also reduces marketing costs in the long run.
If you’re looking to make influencer work more efficient and less repetitive, these platforms are worth exploring.
How to Analyze Influencers
Once you discover relevant creators, don’t rush into collaborations! Examine influencers’ analytics before launching a campaign so you don’t waste time and money. There’s no doubt that this is easier said than done. That’s when a tool like HypeAuditor’s Analytics comes in handy. In seconds, you can analyze influencer accounts without any hassle and view key stats, including:
Audience geo and demographics: Review if the audience’s location, age, gender, interest, and education correspond with your target market.
Follower size: The more followers an influencer has, the higher your reach and views will be. Nonetheless, study the quality of the audience as well.
Audience authenticity: Look for creators, whose audience vastly consists of real people. It doesn’t matter how many followers an influencer has if a substantial portion isn’t real.
Follower and following growth: The follower and following charts show if the creator used illegal methods to grow their audience. Purchased or fake accounts are mostly inactive and won’t engage with the influencer’s posts.
ER: The engagement rate shows the number of likes, shares, and comments an influencer’s content receives. The higher the ER, the more engaged the audience is.
Reach: Reach represents the number of individual people who see the creator’s post. Logic dictates that the larger an influencer’s audience, the greater their reach. However, reach alone doesn’t prove your marketing efforts are successful.
Content: Make sure the influencer hasn’t published on a potentially risky subject.
Estimated price: Find out what each post, story, or video will cost and select creators whose fees correspond to your influencer marketing budget.
When searching for authentic creators, consider the number of brand mentions and paid or sponsored posts on creators’ feeds. Many businesses seek out influencers with a large following, but popularity comes at a price. Creators who publish a lot of paid or sponsored posts will lose credibility, and their audiences will be less likely to trust them.
Several factors require brands to search for influencers continuously. It enables them to provide fresh and attractive content, adapt quickly to changes in audience tastes, and remain competitive.If your brand is always on the lookout for better ways to find the right influencers, you might want to watch our webinar. In this session, we talk about why regular influencer discovery matters and explore both familiar and fresh methods for finding creators. Here’s what you’ll learn:
How to identify existing customers or subscribers who could be great collaborators
Which platforms you can use to find thought leaders beyond social media
How to spot trending influencers in your niche
If you're interested, you can access HypeAuditor’s full webinar on how to discover influencers anytime.
Conclusion
With this information, you’ll be able to find influencers for your next marketing campaign. As a first step, define the campaign’s purpose and target audience. After that, you can begin your search for influencers.
Combining several approaches can yield better results, although it can be very time-consuming and there is a greater risk of making mistakes. Overall, the most effective solution is to use an influencer marketing platform, like HypeAuditor. Discover influencers that match your budget and niche by using our influencer search tool and analyze their performance and audience instantly.
Find Influencers for Your Brand FAQ
Where can I find social media influencers?
You can search social media platforms using brand hashtags or keywords related to your industry. Look around your business’s following and your competitors’ audience for devoted fans, or locate niche influencers on Google. However, it is easiest to find influencers using a platform like HypeAuditor, which provides several features to refine your search.
How do I find a specific influencer?
You can find a specific influencer by searching hashtags on social media, checking your brand’s mentions and tags, or reviewing your followers list. Other methods include exploring competitors’ partnerships, using Google with niche keywords, connecting with bloggers, and asking for recommendations. You can also use generative AI like ChatGPT for guidance or advanced platforms like HypeAuditor to filter influencers based on audience, engagement, and content.
How do I find influencers close to me?
One option is to search Google for influencers in your area. Or you can use an influencer search tool like HypeAuditor’s Influencer Discovery that allows you to filter by the location of the influencer and audience.
What are the advantages of working with influencers?
With the right influencers, you can achieve several marketing goals and bring a lot of benefits to your business. One of the greatest advantages of influencer marketing is the ability to leverage word-of-mouth marketing and deepen customer loyalty.
How do I find influencers on Instagram?
You can go about discovering Instagram creators in several ways.
Search hashtags associated with your brand or niche or with the values your business represents.
Scan brand mentions and tagged posts as another option.
Thirdly, you can track your competitors’ Instagram followers and hashtags.
Last but not least, identify Instagram creators on influencer marketing platforms, like HypeAuditor.
How should I analyze influencers’ accounts?
Make sure the influencers’ audience is authentic and their demographics match your target audience before contacting them. Analyze performance data, such as ER, reach, and CPE. It’s possible to measure and calculate metrics manually, but using an influencer analytics tool will provide the most accurate results.
