I’ve been spending way too much time chasing follower counts, and it’s burning me out. We’ll find a creator with 250k followers in Mexico City or São Paulo, and on paper they look perfect. Then the campaign launches and the engagement is garbage, or worse—the audience just doesn’t align with our brand at all.
I think the real issue is that I don’t have a good system for discovering creators who are actually authentic fits across LATAM and US markets. We’re not just looking for big names; we need people whose audiences genuinely care about what they say, and whose voice matches our brand.
The problem gets worse when we’re trying to coordinate across both regions. We end up picking creators independently in each market, and then halfway through we realize they don’t work well together or that their audiences have completely different expectations. It’s chaotic.
I feel like there should be a better way to surface creators who have proven track records working with international brands and who understand how to adapt their voice for cross-border campaigns. Right now, I’m just scrolling Instagram and taking shots in the dark.
How do you actually vet creators for authenticity before committing? And how do you think differently about creator selection when you’re building a coordinated LATAM-US campaign?
Okay, from the creator side—the biggest red flag I see is when brands treat LATAM and US audiences like they’re the same. They’re not. My followers in Mexico City have different cultural references, different humor, different product priorities than creators in the US.
When you’re looking for authentic creators, ask yourself: does this person’s voice actually work for your brand, or are you just buying followers? Follow 3-4 weeks of their content before you reach out. Do they actually care about the products they promote? Can you imagine them using your product in real life?
For cross-border work specifically—find creators who have already worked internationally. They understand the nuances of adapting without losing authenticity. I turn down a lot of LATAM-only campaigns because I know my audience better than anyone, and I’m not going to fake enthusiasm for something that doesn’t fit. The brands that win are the ones who trust me to do it right, not the ones who send super rigid briefs.
Also, micro-influencers (like me) usually have way more authentic connections with their audiences than mega-influencers. If you’re serious about authenticity, don’t just look at tap follower counts.
This is my favorite question because it’s where real partnerships get built. Here’s what I’ve learned from connecting brands and creators:
First—stop looking at follower counts as the primary metric. Look at audience composition and engagement quality. A creator with 50k highly engaged followers from your target demographic is worth 10x more than someone with 500k random followers.
Second—interview creators about their audiences. Ask specifics: “What does your audience care about?” “What products do they actually buy?” “How would they react if you recommended X?” Their answers tell you everything about authenticity.
For cross-border work, I always look for creators who have done international partnerships before. They understand time zone challenges, brief clarity, and how to adapt without losing their voice. They’re also way more reliable.
Here’s my vetting process: 1) Check if their values align with your brand 2) Look at past brand partnerships—did they seem genuine? 3) Have a real conversation with them about your campaign idea 4) Ask for a short test piece first before committing to the full campaign.
I’ve introduced brands and creators who ended up working together for 2+ years. Those came from intuition + data, not just follower counts.
Want me to connect you with some creators I know who are open to cross-border work?
Numbers don’t lie. Here’s what we track when vetting creators:
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Audience authenticity: Use tools to check if followers look real. Also check follower growth patterns—is it consistent or did they buy a big chunk? Authentic creators have consistent growth.
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Engagement authenticity: Look at comment sentiment and depth. Generic comments (“So beautiful!” “Love this!”) suggest a bot-heavy audience. Actual conversations with the creator suggest real people.
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Niche alignment: What % of their content is in your category? A fashion creator promoting 50 different product types is less authentic than one with clear focus.
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Past brand performance: If they’ve worked with similar brands, can you access the performance data? Ask for case studies.
For cross-border specifically, I also look at: Do they have significant audiences in both regions, or are they strong in just one? If just one, are they willing to invest time in understanding the other market?
We built a scorecard that weights these factors. Takes 30 minutes per creator to vet properly, but saves months of wasted campaign spend.
What tools are you currently using to research creator audiences?
The data-driven angle: Creator authenticity correlates strongly with audience quality metrics. When I’m vetting, I look for:
Consistency: Same type of audience, same engagement rate, same tone across posts. Inauthentic creators jump around.
Community signals: Do followers ask questions? Do they tag friends? Do they share the creator’s content? Those are signs of a real community, not just a follower list.
Historical performance: If you can access it (or they’ll share it), do their brand partnerships actually move metrics? Authentic creators with real audiences drive results. Generic influencers with pad followers don’t.
Market-specific signals: For cross-border work, check if they have genuine audiences in both markets. Some creators have followers everywhere but real engagement only in their home market. That matters.
I’ve built models that predict campaign performance based on these variables. The accuracy isn’t perfect, but it’s way better than guessing based on follower count.
Would a predictive framework like that be useful for your vetting process?
From the founder perspective—this is about trust. When I’m bringing on creators for our product, I’m not just buying advertising; I’m bringing someone into my brand story.
The most authentic creators I’ve worked with are the ones who actually use the product. Or at least, they’re willing to try it and give honest feedback. If a creator immediately says yes to every request without asking questions, they’re probably not authentic. The real ones push back, ask about your values, make sure it’s a real fit.
For cross-border work—find creators who are curious about different markets. I worked with one creator in Argentina who was genuinely interested in understanding the US market and how her audience compared. That curiosity made her way more valuable than someone who just wanted the paycheck.
Also, don’t underestimate micro-influencers and nano-influencers. Some of my best partnerships came from creators with 10-50k followers who had obsessively engaged communities. They’re more affordable and way more authentic than mega-influencers.