How to Vet Influencers Without Losing Your Mind (or Budget)

Smart partnerships > shiny profiles

Let’s be real—just because someone has a pretty feed doesn’t mean they should be the face of your brand.

Too many brands (and agencies) still fall for aesthetic over alignment. And with budgets tightening and expectations growing, there’s zero room for fluff when choosing the right creator.

Whether you’re running point on influencer strategy or building the brief from scratch, here’s how to vet talent with confidence—without losing your mind or your marketing dollars.

Step 1: Know What You’re Actually Trying to Do

You’d be surprised how many brands skip this step.

Before you even open Instagram or plug in search filters, clarify your why.

Are you:

• Driving traffic to a DTC site?

• Building hype for a product launch?

• Supporting an IRL activation?

• Trying to reach new audiences (not just the ones you already have)?

Your goals should shape the kind of influencer you choose.

Here’s a quick cheat sheet:

Step 2: Audience Over Aesthetic, Always

Yes, the content should look good. But don’t let visuals distract you from the real data:
Who is actually paying attention to this creator?

Two creators can have the same follower count and completely different impacts. I once reviewed two options for a skincare campaign:

• One had 250K followers and stunning photography… but 85% of her audience was based in India, and the brand only shipped within the US.

• The other had 40K followers, a clean aesthetic, and a high-performing series on her acne journey—plus 72% of her audience was in our target demo.

Guess which one sold more product?

(And yes, audience alignment beats aesthetics every single time.)

Step 3: Watch for Red Flags

A few things I always flag:

• 🚩 Engagement spikes with no history (hello, giveaway bots)

• 🚩 Follower count flatlining or dropping for 3+ months

• 🚩 No recent brand work—or only brand work

• 🚩 No organic use of similar products (especially in wellness, skincare, food, or tech)

If they’ve never posted a product in your category before—or worse, they’ve posted a dozen competitors—you need to ask: Why now? And why you?

Step 4: Run the Math

Even the most “on-brand” creator can miss the mark if you’re not doing a quick performance gut check.

A few basic questions to ask:

• What’s their average reach and engagement on branded vs. organic content?

• Do they respond to comments or build any community?

• Have they ever driven sales, traffic, or sign-ups? (Ask them or their rep!)

• Are there tracked links or affiliate codes in past campaigns?

If you're not working with affiliate or paid tools, start small: Look at their 3 most recent paid posts and average out the performance.

If it’s tanking compared to their usual stuff, that’s your clue. Great content means nothing if their audience scrolls past.

Step 5: Don’t Forget the Gut Check

Sometimes, everything looks great on paper—but something just feels off.

Ask yourself:

• Would I actually trust this person to represent my brand in a meeting?

• Are they someone we could build with long-term?

• Do I believe they believe in the product?

If you’re forcing a fit, it’ll show. And if you wouldn’t be proud to reshare the content from your own brand’s feed... move on.

Final Thought: The Right Fit Is Worth the Wait

Influencer partnerships aren’t just about reach—they’re about resonance. You want people who get it—your audience, your goals, your vibe.

And if you find someone you love but they’re not quite there yet? Start the relationship anyway. Comment, DM, send them a product. Plant the seed now—you’ll thank yourself in Q4.

Over to You:

What’s your biggest influencer vetting struggle?

Drop it in the comments—or send me your horror story anonymously and I might break it down in the next post.

Until then, keep building smart.

Kayla