How to find content creators for your next campaign

If one thing remains true, it’s that there will always be a need for content. Think of content as the connection point between brands and consumers. Whether it’s an email newsletter, a video on TikTok, the words on a billboard, or a photo on social media, it’s what makes customers either choose your brand, or make your brand at least memorable power. As companies grow their brands, the need to connect with consumers and acquire new customers is driving demand for content to an all-time high.

Marketing teams often focus on creating content in-house with teams that typically include strategists and multiple creatives such as writers, designers, or video editors. These people know every page of the brand book; As a result, they know what type of content supports a brand’s story and engages their audience. However, there is only a limited amount of content a team can create, no matter how nimble or well-staffed, leading brands to outsource some of their content needs to developers.

Why brands should work with creators

Content creators definitely have a moment now. They are everywhere. In fact, over 50 million people identify as content creators, which means the creator economy is booming. What makes them such a coveted asset is not only their ability to deliver simplified content that resonates with brands’ audiences, but also their ability to sell and amplify those brands’ narratives.

The thing is, consumers trust content from creators because it feels authentic. Creators develop content based on their own experiences and incorporate their personal stories or visions into what they create. This distinguishes creator content from internally created content.

When brands are ready to hire creators, they first need to figure out how to find them and then review them to make sure they’re a match. These first touchpoints ensure that the content they create integrates seamlessly with your branding strategy and is long-lasting.

How to find content creators

Content creators aren’t hard to find, but before you start looking, think about your goals and what you want to achieve.

Sometimes brands work with creators for specific campaigns or product launches. In other cases, brands hire temporary creators to work on ad hoc content assets for different channels like social media or email.

For example, in my previous work as a social strategist, I created a list of creatives and influencers to contact for product launches. While we did our own product shots in-house, we also wanted more UGC-style photos and video clips to incorporate into our post-launch social media feed and email content. This allowed us to spread our product’s messages in new and creative ways without straining our internal resources too much. When we were ready to find creators, I found looking at our community and third-party platforms was the most helpful.

Check out your community

Your community consists of your customers, superfans and partners. Because they’re your biggest brand advocates, they’re often already creating content around your products and services. Don’t hesitate to reach out to the people in your community and ask if you can share their content. Since they are your fans, they are often more than willing to do this for free or in exchange for products. However, you can increase brand loyalty even more if you pay them to do so and allow them to be part of future launches or campaigns.

Ask your followers

Nobody is more concerned with what’s going on in the creator economy than your followers. They are also the ones who follow the creators and influencers they love. Try posting a question sticker on your Instagram story so your followers can make recommendations. Alternatively, you can create a feed post and ask them to tag their favorite creators and influencers in the comments. All you have to do is make the request and the creators will come.

Use creator platforms

Platforms like Minisocial and #Paid connect brands directly with creators and influencers, so you can spend less time searching for them and more time on your content strategy. All you have to do is provide a creative brief and determine your creators’ demographics, and the platforms will do the outreach for you. Of course, this route comes with a fee, but depending on your budget and how much time you have to contact the creators, this might be a better option.

How to check content creators

Many brands struggle to find the right creators to work with. Yes, if you plan to hire or collaborate with creators, they may need to fall within your target demo. Maybe you want them to live in the cities where your retail locations are, or maybe you want them to have a large following on social media. While these things are important, you should go one step further. The creators you work with should have values ​​that align with your brand.

Check out their previous partnerships

The works the creators have done with other brands and their partners reflect their interests, style and overall beliefs. Granted, although creators’ interests change over time, you can use this content as a reference to define how to create your own partnership with them. Let’s say you’re an alcohol brand and you see that a creator you want to partner with has previously worked with an alternative alcohol brand. If so, you might want to get in touch first and see if they’re a good fit for your campaign or strategy.

Plan some time to chat

Looking at social media presence or an online portfolio is a great way to get a feel for what the developers have been working on. However, it doesn’t always say who they are as people. Setting up a video chat to introduce yourself to the creator and/or walk through a creative brief will help build a human connection with your brand and better understand their strengths, passions, and interests in content development.

“What inspires you?”, “What kind of content do you enjoy creating?” or “What is your favorite piece of content that you have created?” – these types of questions give you an insight into who the creators are and what drives them.

Check out their community

If the creators you want to work with have an engaged community, you can get an idea of ​​who they are. Check out the comments on the creator’s posts to see how they interact with their community and what their community thinks of them. It’s hard to fake good vibes, and that’s the kind of energy you want to bring to a partnership with YouTubers.

Create your content strategy

Once you’ve found and verified the creators you want to work with, you should figure out how to start the content development process. Fortunately, I’ve written another article on how to include creators in your content strategy. In this article, I share the importance of partnering with micro-creators and influencers and offer four tips on how to integrate creators into your brand’s overall content strategy.

As you continue to build and refine your content strategy, remember to keep it flexible. Things change — especially marketing goals — so no matter where you are in your marketing plan, you should always consider how to adapt your strategy to your brand’s needs. The great thing about content creators is that there are so many to choose from, and they are evolving just like brands and consumers. It’s up to you to sign up and start creating!