What we learned entering LATAM as a US brand: the influencer vetting playbook we actually use

Creator Central: For Influencers & UGC Makers
1

Hey everyone. We’ve been through this journey twice now—once with a failed attempt, once with a real win—and I want to share what changed.

When we first tried entering LATAM markets, we made a classic mistake: we hired a local agency, gave them a budget, and expected them to handle influencer vetting. They sent us names. We checked follower counts and engagement rates. We signed deals. The campaigns… honestly, they underperformed.

The problem wasn’t the creators. It was us. We didn’t understand what “authentic” actually meant in their markets. We were evaluating based on metrics that made sense in the US, not on whether these creators genuinely resonated with their audiences or understood the cultural nuances.

So we rebuilt our process. Here’s what actually works now:

First, we stopped relying on pure metrics. We started spending time—real time—in the creator’s actual community. Not their highlights. Not their polished content. Their comment sections, their DMs, how their audience talks about them. Do people actually trust them, or are they just following for entertainment? That distinction matters.

Second, we created a bilingual evaluation framework. We got native speakers from each market involved early. Not to translate, but to flag cultural assumptions we were making. What reads as “relatable” in the US might read as “unprofessional” in Mexico. What’s trendy in Brazil might be completely tone-deaf in Argentina. Having that perspective up front saved us from several mediocre partnerships.

Third, we started with micro-campaigns first. Instead of betting a six-figure budget on a creator we thought was perfect, we’d test with a smaller collaboration. $5K-$15K. See how they actually work. See how their audience responds. Then we’d scale.

Fourth, we built relationships before we needed them. This was huge. Instead of transactional “do this post for us” relationships, we started engaging with creators’ content 3-6 months before we needed them. Comments, DMs, understanding their business. When we finally came with a partnership proposal, there was already trust.

The shift has been real. Our LATAM campaigns now perform nearly as well as US ones, and the authenticity feels genuine on both sides.

My question: when you’re vetting creators in a market you don’t speak the language of, how much time do you actually spend in their communities versus relying on what dashboards and agencies tell you? And are you finding that the same evaluation criteria that work in your home market translate, or do you have to completely rethink it?

2

Отличный пост! Я полностью согласна—отношения это основа. Я работаю с инфлюенсерами в разных странах и вижу, что когда бренд приходит уже с предпосылкой «мы доверяем тебе», результаты совсем другие.

Одно, что я не вижу часто: бренды не инвестируют в личные отношения с местными PR-менеджерами или координаторами. Я имею в виду—людей, которые уже в сообществе, уже знают инфлюенсеров не с дэшбордов, а лично. Если вы работаете через посредника, который только добавляет бюджет, а сам не верит в проект—это видно.

Мне кажется, твой подход с micro-campaigns это правильно, но даже важнее—найти одного человека в каждом рынке, который будет твоим «глазам и ушам». Кто будет рекомендовать не потому что в профиле большие цифры, а потому что знает, что эта аудитория на самом деле купит.

Кто помогает вам с этой локальной разведкой? Вы нанимали людей на место или работаете с агентствами?

3

Интересно, но давай посмотрим на цифры. Ты сказал, что LATAM кампании теперь «практически также работают как US». Какие метрики ты имеешь в виду?

Потому что я вижу часто ситуацию—бренды путают «хороший контент и восторг аудитории» с «фактическими конверсиями и ROI». Если ты смотрел на комментарии и trust в сообществе, это отлично, но конвертились они в продажи? На какой стадии ты измеряешь успех?

Также вопрос о micro-campaigns: $5K-$15K база для одного поста? Это за один контент, или это за тестовый период с несколькими творческими? И какие результаты ты видишь на этом этапе, которые тебе показывают, что стоит масштабироваться?

4

Спасибо за практический совет. Я как раз сейчас пытаюсь это понять для своего продукта.

Одна вещь что ты сказал—«потратить время в их сообществе»—это все звучит логично, но даже для нас, как для startup, это дорого в смысле времени. Мы не можем позволить себе два-три месяца отслеживать криэйторов перед тем как предложить им сделку.

Как вы балансируете? У вас есть выделенный человек, который занимается этим scouting, или вы как-то это масштабируете? Потому что кажется, что на определенном этапе это становится работой на полную ставку.

Также интересно—вы находили инфлюенсеров через платформы, или через локальные рекомендации? Потому что я заметил что даже топовые платформы для поиска криэйторов часто показывают не самых релевантных людей в LATAM.

5

This is exactly the conversation I’m having with clients every week. The “micro-campaign test” framework—that’s smart. What I’d push back on slightly: are you measuring the right things at that $5K-$15K stage?

Because here’s what I see agencies and brands mess up—they measure engagement on the first test post, see good numbers, and scale. Then the second campaign underperforms because they didn’t actually build the relationship; they just got novelty engagement.

I’m curious about your bilingual evaluation framework. How did you actually structure that? Did you bring in Spanish/Portuguese speakers from your team, or did you hire consultants for each market? Because there’s a cost question there, and I want to understand if it’s worth the investment versus working with a local partner who allegedly already has that lens.

Also—when you say you build relationships 3-6 months before, is that organic brand engagement from your account, or are you doing paid collaboration to get visibility?

6

Ok so I’m on the creator side and I REALLY appreciate this perspective. Because honestly, when brands come into markets they don’t understand and just want to “buy” content, it shows immediately. We can feel whether someone actually cares about the partnership or if they’re just checking boxes.

The thing about spending time in the community though—I notice this because I get DMs from brands all the time. The ones who actually engage with my content, ask real questions about my audience, show up consistently—those are the ones I’m excited to work with. The ones who like one post and then slide into my DMs with a rate card? Pass.

Your micro-campaign point is crucial too. When a brand is willing to test with a smaller budget first, it actually tells me they’re serious about succeeding, not just buying followers or vanity metrics.

My question for you: when you’re building those 3-6 month relationships, how transparent are you about the fact that you’re scouting for potential partnerships? Or are you just genuinely engaging?

7

Solid framework. I’d just note that this approach works, but it requires either a significant dedicated resource or a partnership-based model where you’re working with someone local who already has those relationships.

The data point I’d want to see: how does your LATAM CAC (customer acquisition cost) compare to US now, and how has it trended over time? Because what you’re describing—longer vetting cycles, relationship-building upfront, micro-tests—this extends your go-to-market timeline. That’s a real cost, even if it improves ultimate ROI.

Also, on the bilingual evaluation framework: did you find that what works in terms of creator fit actually differs significantly between different LATAM markets (Mexico vs. Brazil vs. Argentina)? Or is it more about the general principle of having that cultural lens?

One more thing—and this might be worth exploring separately—have you looked at how AI tools are actually changing creator vetting in markets like these? Because there are emerging platforms trying to do some of this community-sentiment analysis automatically. Curious if that’s part of your toolkit or if you’ve stuck with the manual approach.