How to Vet Influencers: the Dos and Don'ts

Before you start working with an influencer, it’s important to do your research to make sure you find the right person to promote your brand. The first step in doing this is understanding how to vet influencers in a way that gives you as much insight into who they are, what they do, and how they can benefit your brand. That way you can be sure that you hire a quality creator who can launch a successful influencer campaign for your business. 

To get you started on the right track, we have put together a list of dos and don’ts so that you know what you should be doing when you vet an influencer, and what common mistakes you need to avoid.

Why Is it Important to Vet an Influencer?

Before we discuss how to vet influencers in the right way, let’s take a look at why conducting thorough research is so important.

There are a number of things you need to do before you hire an influencer for a campaign. You need to look into an influencer’s background and past performance and make sure that the content they usually post aligns with your brand values. You also need to evaluate their audience to make sure they are genuine and that their demographics are in line with those of your target market.

By doing all this research in advance, you can: 

• Ensure you find the most appropriate influencer for the particular needs of your brand.
• Establish which key performance indicators you need to measure during your campaign.
• Limit any potential damage to your brand’s reputation that could result from hiring the wrong influencer.
• Reduce your costs by ensuring you don’t waste time working with an influencer who isn’t a good fit.
• Get a much higher ROI.

How to Vet Influencers Effectively

Now that we’ve seen why research is so important, let’s explore a few tips so that you understand how to vet influencers effectively so that you can hire a quality creator and get the results you need from your influencer marketing campaigns.

When you vet an influencer, DO:

Make Sure Their Personality Is a Good Fit for Your Brand

Are they likeable? Do they share the same values? How do they connect with their audience? Is their content sentiment positive? 

Whatever type of influencer you are looking for, make sure you thoroughly review all their social media profiles to make sure they are the right candidate in terms of values, style, character, and personality.

Review Their Timelines to Ensure They Post Quality Content

Whether you are looking to hire a micro-influencer or a nano- or macro- influencer, make sure you look back through their history and past posts and campaigns to make sure the content they post is the right quality. Their reputation, and the quality of their work, are much more important than the size of their audience. 

Keep in mind that content isn’t a one-size-fits all factor, while some target audiences may respond better to polished content with a high production value, others may prefer a casual and personal approach that’s more relatable. Take this into account when reviewing an influencer’s content.

Vet Their Audience

It’s also vital that an influencer’s followers match the same demographics as your target audience. Is their audience diverse? Do they actively engage and interact with the influencer? Do they share the same interests? Are they located in the same region where you offer your brand or service?

Expand Your Search with the Right Hashtags

When you look for potential influencers for your campaigns, make sure you use the right keywords and hashtags. This will help you find a relevant and reputable influencer in your niche market. A quick search on Instagram or TikTok will go a long ways in indicating what content is usually associated with which hashtags. 

Use an Influencer Marketing Platform

Finally, the most effective way to find the right influencer and research everything we have already mentioned is to use the right tools. 

An influencer marketing platform, such as Influencity, can help you manage and centralize each stage of the vetting process. Narrow down your search to influencers within your niche or geographic area and explore their audience quality, top hashtags, brand affinity, and much more with our in-depth profile analyses. This way, you can be sure that you find out everything you need to know so that you can hire the most suitable, relevant, and effective influencer for your brand. 

What Not to Do When You Vet Influencers

Let’s finish by taking a look at a few common mistakes that you should avoid when looking  for influencers to promote your brand.

When you vet an influencer, DON’T:

• Rely on vanity metrics like audience size, reach, and impressions. These aren’t reliable indicators of the level of engagement an influencer generates. Just because someone is popular, doesn't necessarily mean that they are influential.
• Be fooled by fake followers and bots. Make sure you thoroughly vet the quality of an influencer’s audience to make sure their followers are real people with a genuine interest in what they have to say. There are many unreliable profiles out there that have been bulked up with fake profiles from follower farms.
• Hire an influencer without the right experience. Make sure the influencer you pick knows exactly how to influence your target market and generate trust and brand awareness for your business. 
• Forget to check their tone of voice and brand values to make sure they align with your brand and target audience. 
• Research once then forget about it. Vetting is an ongoing process. Make sure you continuously validate the quality of an influencer to make sure they are performing and engaging as expected. That way, you can be sure that they are still doing what’s needed to get you the results you need from your campaigns. 

We hope these dos and don’ts will help you understand how to vet influencers in the most thorough and effective way possible. That way, you can be sure you hire a quality influencer who can successfully promote your brand and help it reach a larger audience of potential customers.