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Finding the right voice for your brand starts with knowing how to find influencers that actually align with your campaign objectives and brand values. Whether you're a startup or an established brand, influencer discovery is often the make-or-break of your marketing campaign. We know it's easy to base you influencer selection on your own personal preference, but it's time to put that aside for a moment.
One of the first steps in influencer scouting is understanding your audience. What platforms do they use? What creators do they already trust? From there, use influencer discovery tools to find creators that match both in their creative expression and demographic reach.
Published 2025-05-13
Choosing the right influencer for your brand and audience
Why influencer discovery matters
Influencer marketing success starts with relevance. It's not about choosing the biggest name, it’s about choosing the right one. With tools like CIMS, you can streamline your influencer scouting and make it quick and easy to find new influencers to collaborate with.
A tried and tested strategy for easy influencer discovery
How to find influencers that actually convert and engage
Here are three tried-and-tested methods on how to find influencers that don’t just look good on social media, but actually drive results for your brand:
1. Use influencer marketing platforms for discovery
The easiest and most efficient way to find influencers is to use dedicated influencer marketing platforms like CIMS. Of course you can spend time scouting manually on Instagram and TikTok, but that is usually not a good use of your time and it's also quite difficult to get a hold of updated performance stats.
Influencer marketing platforms allow you to:
Search by niche, industry, or creative expression
Filter based on engagement rates, view rates, location, or audience demographics
Save and organize influencer lists
Track performance metrics and benchmark previous collaborations
Using platforms takes the guesswork out of influencer scouting and allows you to make data-backed decisions before you actually reach out with your collaboration request.
2. Explore bio, captions, hashtags and comments
Want to find creators who are already active in your space? This is where you can go native.
On platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube:
Search for hashtags or keywords that are relevant to your niche (e.g. #cleanbeauty, scandistyle etc.)
Dive into the comment sections to see who engages consistently
Check who your competitors are collaborating with
This manual method takes more time but often reveals emerging micro-influencers before they actually hit everyone’s radar.
On CIMS you can also search directly on any keywords, locations and emojis based on the bio sections of Instagram, TikTok and Youtube. This is an efficient way of finding niched creators who are actively talking about certain topics or positioning themselves in different ways. If you want to find mothers it can be "mother to" or if you are looking for influencers who are interested in interior design you could look for "renovating" or a house emoji.
3. Leverage your own community
Sometimes, the best influencers are already following you, so make sure to go through your followers list as well.
Also, you can ask your audience:
“Who do you follow for X content?”
“What creators do you trust in this space?”
You can also:
Look through your own followers for high-quality creators
Check customer tags on Instagram or TikTok for UGC gold
This method builds relationships organically and usually results in more authentic partnerships.
5 signs you've found the right influencer
Not sure if the creator is a fit? Here are some green flags to look for:
Consistent tone of voice: Does their content align with your brand and tonality? The right tone builds trust with shared audiences.
Relevant audience: Followers should overlap with your ideal customer. Demographics, interests, and location matter.
High engagement (not just follower count): Engagement > vanity metrics. Comments, shares, and saves reveal genuine community connection.
View rates: Make sure their content is actually being seen and look for reasonable view rates
Previous campaign experience: Experienced influencers often know how to hit deadlines, follow briefs, and deliver high-quality content with minimal hand-holding.
Influencers become an extension of your brand - choose wisely
Why scouting the right influencer makes or breaks a campaign
At the end of the day, influencer marketing is all about trust. Your chosen creators become an extension of your brand. If there’s misalignment, whether in values, tone, or audience, you risk diluting your own message.
That’s why influencer discovery is more than a one-time task, it’s a long-term process that shapes how the world sees your brand.
Using the right tools like CIMS in order to find creators, doing your research, and building genuine relationships will help you find influencers who don’t just promote your products, but actually believe in them.
