How to find influencers?

Over the past few years, innovations and rethinking in the event industry have been accelerating. One of the most notable recent changes is the rise of influencer marketing. With the boom in social media and the proliferation of blogs, a new type of stakeholder has emerged: influencers. Today, collaborating with an influencer is synonymous with increased visibility.

But what does this really mean? And most importantly, how can you be sure to choose the right person for collaboration? Eventdrive shares its tips to help you find influencers to promote your next event.

What is an influencer?

An influencer's role is to promote a specific product, service, or event in exchange for compensation (payment, promotions, gifts, etc.).

By collaborating with an influencer, a brand can reach a new audience interested in its field of activity.

The influencer is responsible for creating content to promote the product or service, using their own blog or social media channels, depending on where their audience is. The real advantage of working with an influencer is that, in general, they not only bring a boost in visibility but also generate genuine engagement.

Key Points to Consider When Identifying Influencers

There are several factors to consider when finding influencers. While online popularity comes to mind first, other aspects, like expertise, should not be overlooked. Here’s what you can do to evaluate whether someone would make a good influencer:

Measure the Engagement Rate of Their Posts

This is simple: divide the number of reactions on one of their posts by the number of followers. However, be cautious, as this calculation is more challenging on certain platforms like Instagram. Since its latest update, the number of likes on photos is no longer publicly visible—only account holders can see this information. In such cases, ask the influencer to share their engagement results before proposing a collaboration.

Look at the Number of Followers

This criterion is important but not critical. Imagine this situation: you have a choice between an influencer with 1 million followers and an engagement rate of 0.2%, and another influencer with 500,000 followers and an engagement rate of 5%. The first reaches an average of 20,000 people, while the second engages 25,000 people.

Offering a collaboration to the second influencer seems more advantageous, even though they have half the number of followers. See the idea?

Consider Their Expertise

Remember that a good influencer isn’t necessarily someone with thousands of social media followers. Depending on the type of event you're organizing, you might not need to look far.

For example, if you’re looking for someone to discuss a highly specific topic at your next conference, the best choice might be an employee of the company. Who better to speak on a technical subject than a real expert who is familiar with it daily?

Study Their Editorial Line

Before initiating any collaboration, ensure that you’re aligned. To verify this, review the potential influencer’s posts.

If their writing style matches your brand, if they’ve attended events similar to yours, or if you sense a good connection, trust your instincts and reach out.

5 Tools to Find Influencers

There are several tools on the market to help you efficiently search for influencers. Eventdrive has selected a few for you:

Heepsy

This tool provides access to influencers worldwide, ideal for large-scale projects.

With Heepsy, you can set parameters such as minimum number of followers, location, industry, or social platforms used. Then, simply review the options provided.

Launch Metrics

This tool makes it easy to find influencers who have already discussed the topic you want to highlight. Its database includes bloggers and journalists.

The real advantage? It doesn’t just focus on follower counts but calculates a credibility score—only influencers with real persuasive power over their audience are highlighted.

BuzzSumo

BuzzSumo is probably one of the most well-known tools on the market. It’s a bit pricier but highly comprehensive.

You can select the time frame you want to study and get an overview of each influencer’s profile across the four biggest social networks (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Pinterest). Simply enter a topic in the search bar and analyze the results. You can also filter by post type, influencer type, or minimum number of interactions per post.

Cision

In the event industry, professional media coverage by journalists is highly valued. By choosing Cision, you’re opting for one of the global leaders in this field.

The tool provides a large database of journalists and bloggers, categorized by theme. The bonus? You’ll also have access to comprehensive media monitoring of press, blogs, and social networks.

Traackr

With this software, you can find influencers by using a list of pre-selected keywords. It generates a report in the form of a map, accompanied by various charts.

You’ll receive a detailed analysis, including factors such as audience size, publication type, and profiles.

Finding influencers isn’t very complicated. However, identifying influencers who will add real value to your event is a more delicate task.

Take the time to define the important criteria for you in identifying a good influencer, and don’t hesitate to use tools to help you find the perfect fit! From there, all that’s left is to reach out and see if there’s a connection. Influencer marketing is also about trusting your instincts!