Need to find TikTok influencers to grow your brand? Below we dig into three strategies to help you figure out how to find influencers on TikTok faster.
Finding TikTok influencers is a top priority for brands today.
Food for thought: 92% of TikTokers have bought or considered buying something they saw on the app. That’s why getting your product into the hands of influencers is so important.
And good news: there’s no shortage of TikTok influencers to promote your products.
But with so much competition between brands and creators, many marketers are struggling to figure out how to find TikTok influencers without getting totally overwhelmed.
Honestly, there’s no “right” way to go about it. How you find creators depends on your brand, budget and bandwidth. That’s why this post breaks down three ways to find TikTok influencers!
Starting your search on the app itself makes sense! The popularity of micro-influencer marketing has grown exponentially in the past few years. TikTok's own growth is a big part of that.
And so there are more creators active on the platform than ever before.
Seriously. Chances are there are hundreds (if not thousands!) of TikTok creators who…
Of course, these creators won’t just come running to you by default. It’s your job to find ‘em!
Uncovering TikTok influencers the DIY way can be time-consuming but it’s 100% doable.
(Granted you know what to look for)
Let’s kick things off by diving into how to find TikTok creators without actually leaving the app.
No surprises here: start with TikTok’s native search bar.
From here, it’s easy to run a quick hashtag search to uncover potential influencers. Hashtags can highlight creators who reflect your target audience and post about relevant products, too.
Let’s say you’re looking for TikTok influencers for a beauty brand campaign. You might search #BeautyTutorial to find industry-related posts. You can take this same approach with just about any industry or niche.
Source: TikTok
On that note: the more targeted your hashtag search is to your industry, the better.
Creators using niche hashtags typically target more specific audiences. Tapping into "smaller" hashtags can get your brand in front of more relevant customers on TikTok.
Don’t be afraid to get too specific! For example, there are TikTok hashtags for everything from #VeganBeauty to #SnailMucin that have millions
Searching influencer-specific hashtags can also help you hone in on potential creators. You can often find micro-influencers on TikTok posting on hashtags like:
For example, a search for #UGCbeauty will drum up a variety of dedicated UGC creators. These creators are likely already partnering with brands. This means they’re likewise open to being approached about new collaborations.
Sources: TikTok / @ugcwithizzy
If you know what to look for, you can treat TikTok like its own creator search engine.
The app now has search features making it easier to find TikTok micro-influencers versus bigger creators. For example, you can filter creator searches based on factors like follower count. This means you can hone in on people with sizeable audiences faster.
Here's an example of how to find TikTok influencers by using the app's search filters:
One of the default searches will uncover micro-influencers with anywhere between 10k to 100k followers. This is the sweet spot for most creators in terms of engagement and reach.
On that note, we recommend working with micro-influencers on TikTok for a few reasons:
When it comes to smaller creators, follower count doesn’t tell the whole story. The TikTok algorithm doesn’t solely favor “big” accounts. In our experience, creators in the micro or power-middle categories tend to be the ones that go viral.
Some of the best TikTok influencers for your brand may be right under your nose.
Make sure to comb through your mentions, comments and DMs to collab requests. You may be pleasantly surprised by satisfied customers already eager to work with your brand.
Working with creators who are already familiar with your brand is a huge bonus because:
If you're stuck on how to find TikTok influnecers who have' bought from you before, try checking your branded hashtags. Even if you don’t have one, people might already be posting about you. Search #[yourcompanyname] and see for yourself.
For example, Pura Vida’s branded hashtag (#PuraVida) is brimming with promo-worthy posts.
Source: TikTok
If you see creators who frequently post about your brand or shout out your products, that’s a great sign. Review their profiles and send them a DM if they seem like they’d be a good fit.
If you’ve been searching for TikTok influencers, you’ve likely heard of the Creator Marketplace.
The Marketplace is basically TikTok’s in-app influencer database. The TCM is designed to help brands streamline the process of partnering with creators without leaving the app. The tool offers search features to filter results based on follower count, engagement rate and industry.
Although the TCM is an option for finding creators, it may not be your best bet. The TCM is tailored for influencer marketing campaigns with bigger creators. That's because the Marketplace's follower and engagement threshold prevents smaller creators from applying.
Spoiler alert: TikTok isn’t the only place you can find micro-influencers!
If a creator is active on the app, they’re likely active on other platforms. These platforms are sometimes more search-friendly than TikTok itself.
Below are a few places to find potential TikTok influencers beyond the app.
Many content creators are established outside of TikTok via blogs and YouTube channels.
Looking at a creator’s content elsewhere is a good idea, anyhow. Long-from content offers a better feel for the types of products an influencer promotes. Not to mention their overall vibe.
For example, check out influencer Evangelina Petrakis below. She creates “Full Face of First Impressions” videos where she tries new items from brands. Then, she shares her honest and unfiltered product reviews.
Source: YouTube
As you conduct your creator search, Google and YouTube can be a huge help. Both platforms can uncover influencers you may have overlooked during your in-app search on TikTok. Relevant influencer content can be found through search engine terms including…
For example, below is a simple YouTube search of “setting up spray review 2023.” Results show creators of all sizes posting product reviews and breakdowns.
If you’re searching for a competitive industry like beauty or skincare, you won’t run out of potential influencers to pitch.
If you’re still struggling to find TikTokers, don’t rule out Instagram as a social search engine.
The concept here might seem backward but it’s simple enough:
Use Instagram search to uncover creators who might also be active on TikTok.
Many influencers have already optimized their Instagram bios to attract brands. Some are still catching up on TikTok. Thankfully, Instagram bios are easier to search through. With the right keywords and phrases, you can reveal relevant TikTok influencers as well.
For example, let’s say you’re looking to find cosmetic-focused creators. You might run a quick bio search of “MUA” or “Makeup Artist” and see what comes up.
If you find a creator who links their TikTok account in their Instagram bio, you’re golden! Directing people to their TikTok profile means they're open to possible influencer collaborations.
And if you don’t see a TikTok link right away, don’t fret. Many creators will keep contact information and social handles in their bio links. That’s where you’ll see their TikTok (if they have one).
Source: @shelby.jolly
It might seem backward but Instagram can help you hone in on potential influencers on TikTok. However, you still need to keep a few things in mind if you plan on reaching out to creators here:
Kicking off your TikTok outreach on Instagram can be confusing to creators. Ideally, you can find an all-purpose point of contact (hint: email) before reaching out. That said, some creators use their IG for all brand-related communication. It really depends on the creator!
No surprises here but this is the fastest way to find TikTok influencers.
There are plenty of third-party search tools and influencer platforms out there. This includes databases that let you search through lists of TikTokers across industries.
The only caveat? Not every platform is equal in terms of features, oversight or types of creators. Depending on the type of TikTok search tool you use, you could still be responsible for:
A big problem with most influencer search tools is that their information is outdated. Creators pivot and change their niches and areas of focus more often than you might think. Reaching out to irrelevant creators isn’t just a waste of time — it can reflect poorly on your brand.
Sure, self-service influencer platforms and databases can help you find TikTokers. But the process can get overwhelming (and time-consuming) if you don’t know exactly what you want.
This all highlights the value of a turn-key influencer marketing platform like Statusphere.
Our tool programmatically matches your brand with TikTok influencers from our network in real-time. Not only is our network fully vetted but you only get matched with influencers relevant to your industry. Specifically, people that actively want to promote your products.
This means you can quickly scale your creator campaigns — even if you don’t know what you’re looking for initially. Not to mention ditch the legwork of scrambling for creators to work with.
Finding creators is only the beginning when it comes to running a TikTok influencer campaign.
From outreach to vetting, there’s a lot more that goes into it all than meets the eye. Many brands running their first campaigns often find themselves in over their heads before they begin.
Hey, we totally get it! Influencer vetting and outreach can take a ton of time and resources.
That’s exactly why we created Statusphere to streamline busy brands’ influencer marketing campaigns. Again, our platform matches you with relevant creators to earn UGC at scale.
Statusphere also handles all of the heavy lifting related to fulfillment, data tracking and more.
Want to learn more about how our platform works? Contact one of our consumer-to-consumer marketing specialists to see how we can get creators posting about your brand on TikTok.
This article was first published in June 2020. It was last updated May 18, 2023.
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