You can find Instagram influencers through your own followers, keywords, hashtags and locations. First, write down which topic, region and audience fit your idea. Then make a short list of creators and review their posts, comments and audience data. Look beyond the number of followers: the creator and the audience must fit what you want to showcase.
Below, you will read where to search, how to choose suitable creators and what to agree on for a collaboration.
Which Instagram influencer fits your goal?
Describe in one sentence who you are looking for and what for. This lets you check each profile to see whether it fits your plan.
A fictional example: ‘I am looking for a creator who talks in Dutch about hiking around Antwerp, for a video about our hiking backpack.’ You then have three clear search points: hiking, Antwerp and posts in Dutch.
- Goal: do you want someone to explain a product, attract visitors to an event or create photos that you can use yourself?
- Audience: who do you want to reach, in which region and in which language?
- Format: are you looking for a short video, a series of Stories or a photo post?
- Budget: what can you pay? Also include products, shipping and any reuse of the images.
A creator’s place of residence does not tell you where their followers live. Someone from Ghent may have a large Dutch audience. So ask about this when you have found someone who fits your idea.
Are you looking for French speaking Belgium? Then also use French words, such as ‘randonnée’ or ‘cuisine’. For Brussels, Dutch and French may both be relevant. It depends on whom you want to reach.
Not sure whether to use short clips or extended videos? Then read about YouTube or Instagram as an influencer before choosing a format.
10 ways to find Instagram influencers
First, choose two or three methods from the list below. For each creator, note the profile name, language, region and topic. Also save one post that fits your idea well. With around ten names, you will have a manageable list to review further.
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Review your own followers
Do you already have followers? See whether there are creators among them who regularly post about your topic. Do not just read their profile text, but also review their recent posts. People you follow may already know your name. That does not necessarily mean they want to collaborate.
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Search among customers and mentions
Review public posts in which people mention your product, location or account. A customer who clearly shows how something works may be a suitable creator, even if they have a smaller audience. Always ask for permission before using the images yourself.
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Search with a topic and place name
Try ‘vegan Utrecht’, ‘interior Ghent’ or ‘sport Liège’. Alternate broad words with a more specific topic. For example, search for ‘plant based baking’ instead of just ‘food’. Review both the profiles and the posts that match your search.
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Use targeted hashtags
A hashtag is a word with a hash sign that someone uses to describe a post. For example, try #wandelenbelgie or #utrechtfood. Open relevant posts and see who created them. Try several hashtags because not every creator uses the same words.
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Search specific locations
Review posts linked to a city, neighbourhood, event or place that matters to you. Think of a hiking area or a local market. Then see whether the creator posts about that area more often. One visit does not make someone a local influencer.
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Review collaborations by similar accounts
See which creators collaborate with shops, events or brands that have a similar audience. Those profiles can help you get started. Before contacting them, check whether a collaboration with a competitor could interfere with your proposal.
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See which creators mention one another
A suitable creator may mention others in a joint video, photo series or event report. Review those profiles too. This can help you find more people who post about the same topic.
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Search outside Instagram
Review blogs, podcasts, YouTube channels and local event programmes. Then see whether the creator also has an active Instagram profile. Good work on another channel does not tell you how much attention someone gets on Instagram. Review the posts there separately.
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Ask for a targeted recommendation
Ask a customer, creator or local organiser, for example: ‘Who do you follow for affordable outings in Limburg?’ This gives you more direction than ‘Do you know an influencer?’ Review the posts yourself before adding a recommended profile to your list.
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Use an influencer search platform
A search platform can be useful if you want to compare many creators or multiple regions. First check which countries you can search there, how recent the data is and what you can see without a subscription.
Meta’s announcement about Creator Marketplace from 2024 describes searching by creator and audience characteristics. That announcement does not confirm that the platform is available in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Do you not have access? Then use the other search methods and ask suitable creators directly for recent audience data. Would you like to regularly monitor public mentions of your brand or topic? A separate service may be useful for that.
Check influencers’ audiences and comments
The number of followers does not tell you who is watching or why someone is commenting. Therefore, review recent posts from different weeks. Include both regular posts and previous collaborations.
| What do you check? | What do you look for? | What can you ask? |
|---|---|---|
| Topic and style | Does your idea fit among the regular posts? | Which post resembles what you would make for us? |
| Language and region | Do the language and locations fit the audience you are looking for? | Can you share recent figures on the countries and cities where your followers live? |
| Comments | Are comments about the post? Does a conversation develop? | What topics do you often receive substantive questions about? |
| Reach | Does the creator often reach many accounts, or does mainly one post stand out? | Can you share the number of accounts reached by several comparable posts, with the date? |
| Previous advertising | Is the product explained clearly? Is the collaboration recognizable? | Can you show a previous collaboration? |
Watch for signs of possible fake reach
Some signs call for more explanation. They do not prove that someone has bought followers:
- Many comments contain exactly the same general words.
- Comments often are not about the photo or video.
- The number of comments or views varies greatly without a clear reason.
- A date, period or explanation of what was counted is missing from the shared figures.
Only emojis under a photo are not proof. Someone may also have many followers who watch but do not comment. Review the signs together and ask follow up questions. For example: ‘This video received much more attention than the others. Do you know why that happened?’
Ask for figures about the audience as a group, not names or other private follower information. Also ask whether the creator paid to have a post shown more often. Keep those results separate from posts without paid promotion.
One popular video says little about what your collaboration will deliver. Read more about this at going viral on Instagram.
Choose whom to approach
Assess each creator based on topic, audience, style and clear communication. Use, for example, ‘fits’, ‘unsure’ or ‘does not fit’. Give the greatest weight to your most important requirement. For a local event, the region may be more important than the total number of followers.
Approach an Instagram influencer with a clear proposal
Use the business contact address that the creator lists themselves. Is there none? Send a short message and ask where you may share a proposal. Mention which work you reviewed and why it fits your idea.
This is a fictional example message:
Hi, your video about hiking with little luggage fits our idea well. We are looking for a creator for a short Instagram video about a hiking backpack, for Dutch speaking hikers in Belgium. It is a paid collaboration in September. Would you be open to that? I would be happy to send our idea and budget. I would also like to know your rate and what it includes.
Agree on the following before starting:
- Which photos, videos or posts the creator will deliver and when they will appear.
- What you will pay, what additional costs there are and when you will pay.
- Which information must be correct and how many changes you may request.
- How the creator will clearly indicate that it is advertising.
- Whether you may use the images yourself, where and for how long.
- Whether use in paid advertisements will be agreed separately.
- Which results the creator will share and for what period.
- What happens in the event of a delay or cancellation.
Leave room for the creator’s own style. Do you want Stories created? Discuss what each Story should show. Use these Instagram Story ideas to choose a format together.
Make advertising agreements with influencers in the Netherlands and Belgium
Discuss how the creator will make the advertising recognizable before posting. Do this even if you are only providing a product. According to Instagram’s explanation of the paid partnership label that label applies to compensation or something else in exchange for a post, such as a free product.
That label does not automatically mean that all local advertising rules have been met. Before publication, check what applies to your collaboration with the Advertising Code Committee in the Netherlands or the FPS Economy in Belgium.
Agree that readers can immediately see that it is a collaboration. Discuss a prominent indication such as ‘advertising’ or ‘advertisement’. For French posts, this could be ‘publicité’, for example. Check the precise requirements for each country and type of post. Do not assume that a hidden hashtag is enough.
Also record that the creator does not need to invent experience. You can show or explain a product without saying that someone has already used it for months.
Measure the results of your Instagram collaboration
Decide in advance what you want to achieve. For an explainer video, you can look at how many accounts the video reaches and what substantive questions arise. Is it about registrations or orders? Then use a recognizable link or separate code, if your website supports this.
When comparing, pay attention to exactly what the figures count:
- Reach: the number of unique accounts that saw the content. An account is not automatically one person.
- Views: how often the content was viewed according to the statistic used. Repeated views may be counted.
- Actions: for example, likes, comments or clicks. One person can take multiple actions.
- Orders: purchases that you link to the collaboration using a method agreed in advance.
A fictional calculation example: a collaboration costs €240 in total. During the agreed measurement period, six orders come in using the separate code. You then calculate €240 ÷ 6 = €40 in collaboration costs per order using that code.
This does not tell you how much profit you make. Product costs and returns are not included. The code also does not prove that the orders would not have happened without the collaboration.
Compare the result with your goal. Then discuss with the creator what you want to keep or change in a future collaboration. If you are also considering paid options, our Instagram services lets you compare packages for followers and likes, including the available quantities and prices.
