In 2025, finding creators isn’t hard — your inbox is probably already full. Finding the right creators? That’s the hard part.
Whether you're a DTC brand scaling on TikTok Shop or an agency managing dozens of clients, choosing the wrong creators kills campaigns before they start. Poor alignment, fake followers, low conversion rates — these aren't just risks, they're common outcomes when creator discovery is treated like a popularity contest.
In this article, we’ll break down the real process behind discovering and vetting creators — and how smart brands are shifting from follower-count hunting to performance-informed matchmaking.
Before you even start searching, define what a “right-fit” creator looks like — not just on the surface, but strategically.
Ask :
You’re not just finding a creator — you’re hiring a distribution partner. Define the job, then find someone who can do it.
There are three ways brands typically source creators :
Good for scale, bad for quality unless paired with strong filters. Most creators using outbound applications are either inexperienced or spread thin across multiple campaigns.
Fast and useful — but limited to who’s opted in. Great for wide net casting, but not for precise, high-value targeting. Also: many over-index on vanity metrics like follower count or engagement rate without tying to revenue outcomes.
Time-consuming but powerful. You can spot emerging creators before they hit tools. You see what content actually performs. You catch trends before they’re labeled.The most successful brands blend these approaches — letting tools do the heavy lifting, while staying close to the content themselves.
Too many teams waste time evaluating creators using metrics that don’t tie back to performance. Here’s what actually matters :
Look at comments, not likes. Are people asking for links, prices, or details? Do they tag friends ?
Growi Tip: Use past campaign UGC to build a visual swipe file. When comparing creators, you're not just evaluating style — you're testing for potential fit.
This is where most vetting falls apart. Brands ask for “examples of past work” and stop at aesthetics. You should be asking for analytics.
What to ask creators for :
Once you’ve got a shortlist, don’t trust your gut — structure your evaluation. You’re not picking a favorite; you’re choosing a performance asset.
Here’s a simple framework many brands use in Growi :
Metric - Weight - Example Scoring Criteria
Audience Fit - 30% - Highly aligned with target demo ?
Content Quality - 20% - Is their style conversion-friendly ?
Platform Momentum - 15% - Consistent recent performance ?
Brand Alignment - 15% - Voice/tone fit the brand ?
Past Campaign Performance - 20% - Any proven GMV / conversions from collabs ?
You can tweak the weights, but the point is: structure removes bias. It also helps you justify spend — and compare performance post-campaign.
The best creators are bombarded with offers. The worst-performing ones are sitting in your inbox begging to collab.
If you want creators that perform, approach them like partners, not placements.
Example message :
“We’re launching a new caffeine-free hydration line and your video on post-gym routines (esp. the humor) absolutely nailed the vibe we’re looking for. Would love to see if a collab makes sense.”
You don’t have to send long messages. You just have to not sound like a bulk email tool.
Here’s the truth: discovery shouldn’t happen once per quarter. It should be baked into your weekly process.
Smart brands and agencies create shared creator pipelines that are always being updated — even if there’s no immediate campaign need.
In Growi, brands use CRM-style tools to :
The biggest mistake in influencer marketing isn’t overpaying. It’s building the campaign around the wrong people.
Finding the right creators isn’t about size, aesthetics, or even charm. It’s about fit, proof, and trust.
In Part 2, we’ll go deep into how to track influencer performance, build always-on campaign infrastructure, and make sure your top creators get the credit (and budgets) they deserve.
You’ve found the right creators, aligned on a campaign, and sent the brief. But now comes the part where most brands drop the ball :
How do you know which creators actually performed — and why ?
If your reporting ends at “this got 40,000 views,” you're flying blind. Smart brands treat creators like performance channels — tracked, benchmarked, and optimized over time.
This second half of the pillar breaks down exactly how to do that.
Let’s clear something up first: no attribution model is perfect. Influencer content lives across multiple platforms, devices, and time windows. You can track links, codes, and clicks — but you’ll never capture 100% of influence. And that’s fine.
What matters is being consistent and measuring what matters most for your brand.
Not every campaign has the same goal, and not every creator drives the same outcome. Here’s how to set performance benchmarks that actually make sense:
Campaign Type -Primary KPI - Secondary KPI
Affiliate Sales - GMV / Conversion Rate - ROI, AOV, CTR
Product Launch - Video Views / Saves - Add to cart, wishlist
Awareness - Engagement Rate - New followers / sentiment
UGC Library Build - Number of Creatives - Content quality, usage rate
Then, go one level deeper: track this per creator. The more data you gather, the faster you’ll know which creators are :
Static spreadsheets don’t scale. If you’re managing more than 5 creators, you need a real-time dashboard — not for the sake of looking cool, but to make smarter decisions faster.
What to show in a high-performing creator dashboard :
This is where Growi thrives: by pulling in data from TikTok Shop, Shopify, and affiliate links, you get clear visibility across all creators in one place — not fragmented data across screenshots and DMs.
Most brands think they’re “data-driven” until it’s time to choose who to rebook. At that point, they go off memory or gut.
Fix this by maintaining a living leaderboard — a ranked view of your creators based on the metrics that matter to your brand.
Creator - ROI - GMV - Cost / Return - Rank
@maya.fit - 6.2x - $14,300 - $1,500
@dailydrip - 4.9x - $9,870 - $2,000 - 2
@techrewind - 3.2x - $6,100 - $1,950-3
This isn’t about vanity. It’s about :
Bonus : Share this view with your team or client — it builds confidence in your creator strategy.
Campaigns come and go. Relationships evolve. But performance over time is what separates creators you try from creators you scale.
Track creator performance across:
When you use Growi’s creator profiles, this data lives forever — with every post, result, and payout logged automatically. You’re not just building a spreadsheet; you’re building a creator portfolio.
Once you’ve tracked creators properly, use that data to structure better offers :
Insight - Actionable Deal Tweak
High ROI, low volume-Offer higher rev share or early access to new drops
Great content, low conversions-Shift them to UGC-only roles
Top funnel only (high reach)-Add bonuses for CTR or CPA targets
High GMV, but unscalable effort-Automate reporting or repurpose best content
The best brands aren’t just measuring results — they’re using them to negotiate smarter.
Don’t hoard the performance data. Creators want to know what’s working. If you want stronger relationships, give them the feedback loop they’re not used to getting.
This builds long-term trust — and keeps your top performers wanting to work with you again
If Part 1 was about how to pick the right creators, Part 2 is about how to turn them into a scalable, high-performing asset class.
Let’s recap the full journey :
Creator discovery and performance tracking aren’t two separate disciplines.They’re part of the same system — one that high-growth brands are treating as their next great channel. If you’re still making creator decisions based on vibe or spreadsheet exports, you’re behind. If you start building systems now, you’ll be ahead for the next 12 month.
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