Instagram Influencer Database: How to Find the Best Instagram Creators

Finding the right content creators for your Instagram influencer database takes ample time and research. You must add the best creators that suit your brand and audience, making the process effort-intensive.

While managing diverse fronts of your marketing function, time and mind space become scarce assets, leaving less time for delving into full-blown research. Creator search platforms help take the burden off your shoulders and supply authentic influencer data with rich content engagement insights. You can use these insights to make selection decisions and add the right influences to your database. 

On the other hand, you can follow the strategies mentioned here to fuel your initial research and understand the influencer profiles you’re looking for. 

What is an influencer database?

Influencer database helps companies to find and manage creator relationships at scale. It helps businesses quickly dive into creator data and engagement metrics without hoping from one platform to another.

You can create your influencer database or revamp an existing one to associate top voices that people love with your brand. The process isn’t a walk in the park when you aren’t aware of the tools you can use to serve your research. Phyllo is one such tool that plays a pivotal role in influencer research and management.

Rise and importance of Instagram as an influencer platform

Instagram launched in 2010, making it a relatively young product compared to other social media platforms. However, it has rapidly become a game-changer in the world of still photography and video.

Since 2013, Instagram's user base has skyrocketed and reached 100 million active users in February. In just over a year, this number doubled to 200 million,v adding another 100 million in just nine months. It took Instagram another nine months to reach 400 million users and only three months to reach 500 million by January 2016. By the end of December 2016, the platform had surpassed 600 million active users, representing a growth of over 500 million in less than four years. (Source: Wikipedia)

As Instagram's popularity skyrocketed, brands quickly realized the potential of influencer marketing on the platform. While some well-known brands with visually appealing products may already have significant influence, many others have successfully partnered with influencers who have already built large, engaged followings.

Instagram was among the first social networks to forge links between brands and influencers. Many brands have collaborated with top Instagrammers in various fields, from fashion to food, to share visually stunning and entertaining posts with their followers. Some of these influencers have millions of followers who are passionate about the images they share.

Related Read: Instagram demographics in 2023

Below are some common types of Instagram influencers.

• Mega influencers have over one million followers and get a ton of engagement on their posts.
• Macro influencers have followers in the range of 500K to 1 million. These include TC personalities, athletes, and thought leaders.
• Mid-tier influencers have audiences between 50K to 500K. They are content creators who offer a broad reach and slightly more engagement than macro or mega influencers.
• Micro-influencers have 10K to 50K followers. They have better engagement compared to mega influences.
• Nano influencers have 1K to 10K followers and have the highest engagement rate compared to any other influencer type.

How to decide if Instagram is the right platform for your brand

Instagram has become a platform with a considerable share of modern people’s screen time. People are hooked into a continuous spree of reels, stories, or sometimes just feeds. As a business, you see an untapped opportunity to reach these people. However, diving into it just because of a random hunch or the thought of an XYZ business doing it might not be the correct way. 

You should consider the following aspects before spearheading creating your first piece of content on Instagram.

• Understand your target audience. Research your market to learn more about what your target audience is looking for and if the platform could deliver it. Discover where your audience goes to educate themselves, what platforms they use daily, who they engage with, and what problems they try to solve. If the answers match the likes of Instagram’s core users, you should consider it a potential platform to reach your target audience.
• Analyze competitor accounts and hashtags. Research competitors' accounts to understand their content type. Assess other companies that use the same hashtag and get a hit of how it’s working for them.
• Look for influencers your audience follows. Research who your target audience follows and what sort of engagement they get on Instagram. You’ll have a more precise opinion on whether Instagram is the right platform for your business.

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Let's take a deep dive into discovering how to add new influencers to your database.

Ways and platforms to find Instagram influencers for your database

There are multiple ways you can do it. When you have the luxury of time, you can manually search for influencers that complement your brand’s value. On the contrary, having  software do the heavy lifting for you would be wiser when time is as scarce as your organic marketing budget.

1. Use the right tools and platforms

Phyllo comes with several influencers’ data that developers can verify using the platform's API products. It gives insights into engagement indicators, like views originally accessible to creators. It helps you get an overview of likes, comments, and other insights to help you work with the influencers most suitable for your brand.

With Phyllo, your creators can publish content directly on social media platforms and get seamless access to analytics crucial for campaigns’ success. 

Phyllo also provides a regular stream of engagement metrics, for example, reach, views, and others. Now, the tool can fetch accurate time-bound story metrics through Instagram Graph API in a secure and user-consented way. 

For complicated connections such as Instagram, Phyllo’s connect SDK guides creators about the prerequisites. The platforms help educate about the connection process through interactive guides and cues.  For Instagram story metrics, Phyllo’s webhooks update you regularly about metrics, mostly during creation and after the expiry of a story.  

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Take a deep dive into Phyllo’s blog to understand more about the platform and get the latest product updates.

2. Explore specific hashtags to find the most popular posts

If you want to manually fuel your initial research, start with finding the popular hashtags in your industry and look for high-engagement posts. Once you find top posts related to your niche, look for accounts that have large following and frequent updates, as they are likely to be influencers.

Look at the influencer's profile to see if their content aligns with your brand's image and to discover any previous collaborations. When reaching out, it's best to ask for their email to ensure secure sensitive information sharing.

By staying on top of popular posting times and utilizing the right hashtags, you can find the right influencers for your brand and take your marketing efforts to the next level. Don't underestimate the power of email when it comes to building lasting relationships for future projects and campaigns.

For example, if you’re brand talks about nail art and sell related products. You can search for #nailart on Instagram. You’ll see top posts at the start. Check their engagement rates, and understand if it relates to your brand’s value proposition. You can reach out to such accounts and add them to your influence database. 

Read Also: How to use Instagram API to pull photos based on hashtag

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3. Perform a reverse market research

In the business world, competition can be fierce, and it's not always easy to find a new influencer. But have you considered looking at your competitors' followers? This reverse market research can help you identify potential influencers interested in your industry.

Once you've identified these influencers, don't be discouraged if they're not initially interested in your social media page. There are plenty of ways to capture their attention, such as offering free samples or trials of your product or service. You can contact them directly or follow them and wait for them to check out your profile.

By taking a proactive approach and watching your competitors' followers, you might discover hidden gems that can take your brand to the next level. 

Suppose you’re in the cosmetic industry competing with Sugar Cosmetics. Keep an eye on who Sugar follows. Brands like to follow influencers in their niche or with whom they have worked. Go through their profile and assess their engagement and followers. Often, brands mention influencers in their posts. You can check their profiles and contact them if their engagement complements your expectations.

4. Do a quick Google search 

While Instagram can be a great source of influencer information, there are other places to find what you need. Expanding your search to Google can be critical for discovering new and famous faces in the industry. 

If you operate in a super niche sector, the people you’re looking for won’t always be listed in “Top X influencers in ABC” type articles. You’ll find them in educational articles that rank on search engine results pages. Experts in super niche areas often add quotes to help others educate and establish credibility in their niche. You can reach out to them and discuss what you need and what value you will deliver for them. 

Tip: Be precise with what you’re offering and value for experts when you reach out. Especially in B2B, if experts don’t belong to marketing, they might not be responsive if you use many jargons in your outreach. Be straightforward, and you’ll get a response.

Every new influencer you add to your team has the potential to reach new people with your brand message, making it an essential part of your marketing strategy. If you're looking for top social media marketers or content marketers, a Google search can yield a list of profiles to explore. By analyzing the engagement levels of these influencers, you can identify which ones are the best fit for your brand.

Furthermore, a Google search can reveal information about an influencer's interests and generally contains a link to their social handle. This additional information can help you determine if they're not only an influencer but also the right fit for your brand based on their following and personality.

Remember, finding the right influencers is more than their follower count. By expanding your search beyond Instagram, you can identify influencers who align with your brand values and are genuinely interested in what you offer.

5. Find your brand’s top fans and help them advocate for you

Your brand’s top promoters sit closer to you than you think. All you need to do is to look around. People tag and mention the brands they associate with on their social handles. Take a deep dive into such discussions, understand who they are, and how much other people engage with them to add hidden gems to your influencer database. 

These people might not always be “Influencers”. Some may or may not even know how influencer marketing program works. Help them understand the program and how it benefits them while pitching your collaboration opportunity.

Tip: It’s best to have a guideline to communicate what you expect from these fans. If you want them to become your brand advocates, you should consider a referral program, helping them gain value from the arrangement. This would motivate them to talk about your products and services on a larger scale.

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Recommended Reads:

• How to Use Instagram API Integration
• How to use Instagram API to get followers
• Instagram Stories for Lead Generation

Let your Instagram database uplift your brand’s reach

Follow the abovementioned methods to find influencers and add them to your database. It’s efficient to use dedicated tools like Phyllo to streamline the process and have best-in-class influencers support your marketing strategy. 

Say hello to skyrocketing reach, views, and other engagement metrics with Phyllo supporting your influencer marketing strategy.

Book a free demo today!

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