How to Find and Work with an Influencer or Creator as a Small Business

The marketing landscape has changed dramatically in the last ten years. Before, big brands would hire a celebrity to pitch their products on TV or in other media and expect a wave of purchases to follow. Now, the most effective pitches are not done by big-name celebrities but by influencers and creators popular across TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube.

We have all heard of small brands reaching massive sales after being "discovered" by an influencer or creator. One recent example: the sellout of entire inventory of Straus Family Creamery, a popular local California dairy brand, after an enthusiastic milk lover in Northern California shared it on TikTok.

Source: Bay Area's Straus Creamery sales explode after going viral by San Francisco TikToker

So how do you, as a small business owner, find the right creator to collaborate with? Here is a step-by-step guide from OnVibe.

Step 1: Do You Even Need an Influencer?

Serious question. Many business owners underestimate their own appeal as the face of their brand. After all, who knows your business better or can speak to its unique qualities more authentically than you? If you already have a following on social media, even a modest one, you may be more qualified than you think to pitch your own product.

Audiences respond to genuine passion and expertise. A founder who truly loves what they've built often connects more deeply with viewers than a paid spokesperson ever could. Before spending time and money finding an outside partner, ask yourself: Am I willing to show up on camera and talk about my business? If the answer is yes, start there.

Step 2: When an Influencer Makes Sense

If you're uncomfortable on camera, prefer a third-party authoritative voice, or simply want to reach a new audience beyond your own following, then working with an influencer or creator is worth pursuing.

The key word here is right influencer. Follower count is not the metric most brands should focus on. What matters more is whether their audience matches your customer. A creator with 15,000 highly engaged followers in your niche will likely outperform one with 500,000 followers who don't care about your product.

Step 3: Where to Find Creators

You don't need an agency or a big budget to find good creator partners. Here are a few practical approaches:

Search natively on the platforms. Go to TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube and search keywords related to your product or industry. Look at who is already creating content in your space. If someone is making videos about specialty coffee, local food, fitness gear, or whatever your category is, they are likely a good match for your product. TikTok makes it even easier with their TikTok One, a first party tool free to anyone that allows you to search for creators by vertical, followers, or region. https://ads.tiktok.com/creative/creatormarketplace?

Look at your own customers. Check who is already tagging your brand or buying from you. A customer who already loves your product and has a following is often the warmest possible outreach and ask them if they’re willing to do a testimonial for your product. While you can gift them with free products as a thank you. Doing so will also require them to disclose it on the resultant content.

Leverage a platform - Platforms such as sideshift can help you reach out to micro influencers en mass. However, the cost will likely be higher than doing it yourself.

Step 4: How to Evaluate a Creator Before Reaching Out

Before you reach out, do a quick audit:

• Engagement rate — Likes, comments, and shares relative to follower count. A 2–4% engagement rate is healthy. Anything under 1% on a large account may indicate inactive or purchased followers.
• Comment quality — Are comments genuine reactions, or do they look like bots and generic spam? Real engagement looks like real conversations.
• Content fit — Does their style, tone, and audience feel like a natural fit for your brand? You want someone whose followers would actually buy from you.
• Posting consistency — A creator who posts regularly is more likely to deliver on a campaign than one who goes quiet for months at a time.
• Past brand work — Have they worked with other brands? How did those posts perform? Did they seem authentic or forced?

How to Reach Out

Keep your first message short and personal. Generic copy-paste pitches get ignored. Explain briefly why you’re reaching out and what you’re proposing. Keep in mind that larger creators will likely have management that you will deal with instead of directly with the creator themselves.

Be upfront about what you're offering and what you're looking for. Most creators appreciate clarity over vague "collaboration opportunities." You don't need to include every detail in the first message, but signal that you've done your homework and that this is a genuine partnership, not just free product in exchange for a post.

Step 6: Structuring the Deal

There is no single right way to compensate a creator. Common models include:

• Free product or experience — Works best for micro-creators (under 20K followers) who are genuinely interested in your product. Don't expect a major creator to post for free.
• Flat fee — A one-time payment for a specific deliverable (one post, one video, one story series). Good for clear, bounded campaigns.
• Commission or affiliate — The creator earns a percentage of sales driven through a unique link or code. Aligns incentives but requires tracking infrastructure. This can combined with Flat fee to increase the compensation for creators.
• Hybrid — A modest base fee plus commission. Often the most attractive structure for both sides. (Sideshift built this into their model)

Whatever you agree on, put it in writing. A simple one-page agreement covering deliverables,

Step 7: Set Clear Expectations — Then Let Them Create

Once you've agreed on terms, resist the urge to over-direct. Creators know their audience better than you do. Overly scripted, corporate-feeling content tends to underperform. Share key messages and any must-haves (mentions, links, disclosures), then give them creative latitude.

The best influencer content doesn't feel like an ad, it feels like a recommendation from a friend.

Step 8: Measure What Matters

After the campaign, evaluate performance based on your actual goals:

• Awareness: Did reach and impressions grow?
• Traffic: Did your website or social following spike?
• Sales: Did you see a measurable lift, especially via tracked links or promo codes?
• Content: Did you get reusable content you can repurpose in your own channels?

Even a campaign that doesn't go viral can be worth repeating if it brought in new customers at a reasonable cost. Keep in mind that one creator post will likely not move the needle for your business. It will likely only boost your overall awareness in the marketplace.

The Straus Creamery story is a good reminder that sometimes all it takes is one person who truly loves your product sharing it with the right audience. Your job is to make sure those people can find you.

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