How to Find TikTok Influencers for Your Brand

Last updated: November 2026

The fastest way to find TikTok influencers for your brand is to post a brief and let creators apply, then fill gaps by searching TikTok itself and a creator database filtered by niche, audience and engagement. Start with a clear picture of who you want, build a list of 20 to 30 candidates, and vet each one before you reach out.

This guide is for brand owners and marketers who need TikTok creators for the first time or want a repeatable process. You do not need a big budget. You need a short list, a clear brief and a way to check that a creator's audience matches yours.

Decide who you are looking for first

Searching without a profile of your ideal creator wastes hours. Write down four things before you open TikTok.

• Goal: sales, app installs, event sign-ups, or content you can reuse in your own ads.
• Audience: who buys from you, including age range, interests and city if you are local.
• Content type: creators who post to their own audience (influencers) or creators who make videos for you to publish yourself (UGC creators).
• Budget per creator: a number you can pay or a product value you can gift.

If you are unsure about size, read our guide to micro vs macro influencers and our post on nano-influencers. Smaller creators are often easier to reach and cheaper to book, which suits a first test.

Post a brief and let TikTok creators come to you

Posting what you need is often quicker than hunting. On Jem Social, you write one line about your product, and Jem's AI turns it into a full creator brief in about 4 minutes. It goes on the Opportunity Board, creators apply, and you see everyone who applied in one place instead of digging through DMs and comment threads.

Creating a brand account and posting a brief is free, and no card is needed. You only pay if you want to book creators through Jem. Post a free brief and compare applicants while you search on your own.

Search TikTok like a customer

TikTok is the best place to see a creator's real content. Use it the way your customers do.

1. Search your keywords. Type the problem your product solves, the category name and phrases customers use. Open the Videos tab and note who keeps appearing.
2. Follow hashtags in your niche. Browse recent and top videos under hashtags your buyers watch. Save creators who post in your niche regularly.
3. Use your For You page. After a few days of watching your niche, your feed will show similar creators. Bookmark the ones that fit.
4. Read the comments on competitors' videos. Creators who already talk about your category often comment there.
5. Check your own tags and mentions. Customers who already post about you are the warmest leads you have.

Keep a simple spreadsheet with the handle, niche, follower count, a link to two recent videos and notes. Aim for 20 to 30 names.

Use a creator database when search is too slow

Manual searching works for a handful of creators. If you need dozens, or a specific city or niche, a database saves time. The Jem Influencer Finder lets you search 30M+ creators by niche, city, engagement and content style. You can book directly, and payment runs through escrow that only releases after you approve the content. Booking creators needs the paid plan, which has a 7-day free trial. See pricing for the current plan.

TikTok also runs its own creator program for brands. We cover how it works in TikTok Creator Marketplace: how brands find creators on TikTok.

Vet every creator before you reach out

A good profile can hide a weak fit. Check each creator on your list against this list.

• Content quality: would you be happy to see this style next to your product?
• Consistency: do they post often, or only in bursts?
• Engagement: compare likes, comments and shares to views on recent videos, not just followers. Use our engagement rate calculator.
• Audience match: read the comments. Are they from real people in your target market?
• Brand fit: check past sponsored videos. Do they look natural, and did they disclose the partnership?
• Verified numbers: ask for screenshots of analytics for views and audience. Jem is an Instagram and TikTok-approved application, and shows live analytics for campaigns run through it.

Cut your list to the 8 to 10 best matches. Keep a few backups.

Reach out with a clear offer

Creators get many messages. Make yours easy to say yes to. Mention one specific video you liked, say what you sell, what you need, the deliverables, the timeline and what you will pay or send. Link the brief if you have one.

Check the creator's bio for a business email, and use that before sending a DM. If you want help writing the brief, try the campaign brief generator. To work out a fair offer, use the influencer rate calculator.

Set the deal up so both sides are protected

Agree on the details in writing before any content is made.

• Deliverables: number of videos, length, and any must-say points.
• Usage rights: whether you can reuse the video in paid ads, and for how long.
• Revisions: how many rounds you allow, and the approval deadline.
• Payment: amount, timing, and what triggers release.
• Disclosure: creators must clearly disclose paid or gifted partnerships. Read the FTC's Disclosures 101 for social media influencers and put it in your brief.

On Jem, your budget is held in escrow until you approve the content, and if it does not meet the brief, funds return to your account.

Avoid the mistakes that waste a first budget

• Picking by follower count alone. A large following says little about whether people watch, comment or buy. Look at recent views and the quality of the comments.
• Booking one creator for everything. One video is one test. Spread a small budget across several creators so you can compare hooks and styles.
• Sending a vague brief. If you do not say what the video must show, you will get content you cannot use. Include the product, the main message, examples you like and what to avoid.
• Skipping usage rights. If you plan to run the video as an ad, agree that up front. It is much harder to negotiate after the content exists.
• Not tracking results. Give each creator a link or code so you know which videos drove traffic or sales. Our influencer marketing ROI calculator helps you work out what a campaign returned.

Where Jem fits, and where it does not

Jem is a creator marketplace. It suits brands that want to post a brief and see applicants, or search a large creator database and pay through escrow. It is a good fit for UGC creators and influencers across Instagram and TikTok, including nano and micro creators.

It is not a full-service agency. You choose the creators, approve the content and manage your campaign goals. If you want a team to run strategy and creative for you, an agency may suit you better. We compare the two in UGC agency vs UGC platform.

Other tools exist for TikTok creator search, and each has its own search filters and pricing. Check their own websites before you decide, and compare what you can do on a free trial.

Start small and learn what works

You do not need a large first campaign. One example from Jem's own pages: Triller spent $1,500 across 40 nano and micro creators booked through Jem Social and tracked more than 10,000 conversions at about $0.15 each, as shown on the Jem Social pricing page. Results will differ for every brand, but the approach is worth copying: many small creators, a clear brief and tracking from day one.

Test a few hooks and creators, keep the ones that perform, and rebook them.

Find your first five TikTok creators this week

Write your creator profile today, post a brief, and save 20 names from TikTok search tomorrow. By the end of the week you can vet, shortlist and message five. Post your free creator brief on Jem Social and let TikTok creators apply to you.