We’ve already talked a lot here about the importance of influencer marketing and the power of the Creator Economy. Brazil is one of the countries where influencers are, quite literally, the most influential — according to Hootsuite, 43% of Brazilians have already purchased something based on a creator’s recommendation. But not every content creator delivers good results. Choosing the right people is essential.
As important as this selection process is, it can be challenging. After all, we’re faced with countless options — according to Nielsen, Brazil has more influencers than any other country in the world. So how can you make the right choice among so many possibilities? Here are 5 tips to get you started:
1 – Don’t Skip Steps!
Before you start looking for influencers, there are a few essential steps to follow:
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Define your objective: Understanding the campaign’s objective is crucial. Each goal calls for a different type of creator, and skipping this step is a common mistake that can compromise results.
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Define your strategy: With your objective in mind, it’s time to outline the overall strategy that will guide your influencer selection.
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Define your audience: Who do we want to reach? Knowing whether an influencer’s audience matches our target audience is vital.
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Define your channel mix: Which channels should I use to achieve my objectives? This decision is important before selecting influencers, as social media platforms are becoming increasingly fragmented. A creator might be great on TikTok but not as strong on Instagram, for example.
2 – Analyze the Audience
Now that you’ve established these foundations, it’s time to choose your influencer! To ensure an effective campaign, selecting creators with impressive numbers isn’t enough. It’s essential to verify whether their audience aligns with the people you want to reach. Look at the data! You can request the influencer’s media kit or use campaign management tools, such as Influency.me, to access metrics like followers’ age, gender, and location. With this information, compare their audience with your target audience and identify who makes sense for your campaign.
3 – Assess Their Authority
Now, here’s a controversial point: follower count doesn’t necessarily mean authority. Many niche micro-influencers are recognized experts in their fields. To assess authority, check whether the influencer is consistent in their messaging and practices the values they advocate. In addition, post engagement is an important indicator. Tools like Influency.me provide engagement rates, or you can request this information in the media kit.
4 – Conduct a Reputation Check
Once you’ve narrowed down your list, it’s time to investigate the influencers’ backgrounds. Check whether they’ve been involved in controversies, argued with followers, or criticized your brand (or industry). In addition to reviewing their social media profiles, it’s worth looking for mentions in the press or searching X (formerly Twitter) to identify potential risks. If there’s a reputational risk, it’s better to move on to the next name on your list.
5 – Consider Disqualifying Criteria
After the reputation check, see whether there are other factors that could disqualify an influencer. One is the so-called “selfie-made profile,” where the creator focuses exclusively on themselves, without genuinely interacting with followers. This type of profile rarely builds a strong community, which can result in an inefficient investment. Another important point is checking whether the influencer buys followers. One way to investigate this is by comparing follower count with average engagement. If the numbers don’t add up (lots of followers but little engagement), it’s possible that followers have been purchased — and there’s no point investing in a campaign that will reach bots or fake profiles, right? Finally, check whether the influencer has recently worked with competing brands (within the past year). Audiences expect consistency, and even if the influencer agrees to the campaign, followers may find the change strange.
Bonus Tip:
Once you’ve chosen the ideal influencer, here’s our advice: make room for co-creation. Of course, we should provide information about the campaign and align on the key messages, but it’s important to trust the influencer to create natural, engaging content that connects organically with their audience.
Want more tips on how to make your influencer marketing strategies more effective? Get in touch with us here! 😉
Pamela Carvalho
