How to find micro influencers on TikTok and Instagram
Cameron Blackwood
How to find micro influencers: start with public search, then run one live tool when you have a real campaign. This walkthrough is the methods. The search product is a separate page.
This is for founders and marketers who will DM creators themselves. Skip "how to become a micro-influencer." That is a different searcher.
If you already have a brief and want names, search TikTok or Instagram from the homepage. Stay here for the free methods.
How to find micro influencers
For most brand campaigns, "micro" means a niche creator with a reachable audience, not a celebrity. Follower bands vary by niche. Definition and ranges: what is a micro influencer. What matters more: they already post the kind of content you want, people actually watch it, and they are still small enough to reply.
Five methods below, from slow and free to one live search.
1. Search TikTok and Instagram yourself
Free, slow, and still useful for a tiny list.
- Search the topic, product type, and adjacent phrases (for a running shoe: "10K training," "easy run vlog," "race week routine").
- Open a few videos that already look like your campaign. Follow the creator, then follow related accounts the platform suggests.
- Hashtags help for discovery. They are a weak ranking signal on their own. Watch the video before you save the handle.
Cap this at 20 to 30 minutes. If you are still scrolling, you need a brief and a search tool, not another hashtag.
2. Borrow from accounts that already convert
Look at brands in your category that already work with smaller creators.
- TikTok and Instagram both label paid partnerships. Open those posts and note the handle.
- Check comments and duets on a competitor's best video. People who stitch or reply with their own content are often micro-creators in the same niche.
- Save names in a sheet with the URL of the post that made you notice them. You will forget otherwise.
This does not scale past a handful of names. It is a strong way to seed usernames for TikTok or Instagram analysis.
3. Use a public niche directory
If you already know the category, start from a list instead of a blank search bar.
Microinfluencer publishes curated TikTok and Instagram directories at top creators (running, golf, streetwear, and others). Use them as a starting shortlist, then vet engagement and view-to-follow before you outreach.
A directory is not a live campaign search. It will not rank creators against your brief.
4. Run a live search from a campaign brief
This is the product path. Creator Discovery Agent turns a plain-English brief into live TikTok or Instagram search and ranks matches by campaign fit.
Current Free limits (August 2026):
| On Free | Limit |
|---|---|
| Creator Discovery Agent | 1 search per month, up to 5 keyword searches, TikTok or Instagram |
| Username analyses | 5 per month across both platforms |
| Advanced analytics reports | 20 |
| Card | None |
Tracking to a saved watchlist is Pro. Deeper agent searches (6 to 15 keyword searches) are Pro.
Write the brief first
You get one free agent search a month. A vague brief wastes it.
Cover product, audience, creator style, deliverable, and constraints. For example:
We sell a lightweight running shoe for people training for their first 10K. We want TikTok creators who already post easy training plans, gear checks, or race-week routines. Deliverable: one 20-30 second video showing the shoe on a real run. US or UK, English, roughly 5k-80k followers.
More in how to write an influencer brief. Skip budget, hashtag dumps, and "we want influencers." Those do not help ranking.
Run the agent
- Sign up with Google (or open the agent if you already have an account).
- Paste the brief.
- Choose TikTok or Instagram.
- Leave search depth at 5 keyword searches unless you want a faster, narrower pass.
- Submit.
The agent generates keyword searches, pulls matching creators, and ranks them with an AI campaign-fit score. It takes a few minutes. You can close the tab and come back.
Turn results into a shortlist
- Sort on campaign fit, then engagement and view-to-follow, not follower count.
- Open the analysis on people who look like a fit. Free includes 20 advanced reports.
- Open their profile and watch a couple of posts before you DM anyone. First-message templates: how to contact micro-influencers.
If you close the tab without capturing names, Past Matches still holds that one search.
5. Vet before you message anyone
A handle is not a buy. Full checklist: how to vet micro-influencers.
- TikTok engagement rate calculator and Instagram engagement rate calculator pull live, view-based rates.
- Pair that with view-to-follow so you do not chase empty reach.
- If you already have a fee, use the TikTok CPM calculator.
Free allows 5 username analyses a month across both platforms. Use them on names you already found, not as your only discovery loop.
Free search vs a paid database
If you searched for a free influencer search tool, that is this product: live TikTok or Instagram search from a campaign brief, one run a month on Free.
"Find micro influencers" SERPs also mix how-to posts with databases like Modash, Heepsy, and Collabstr.
Pick a database if you need a huge static index, YouTube, or an influencer CRM. Pick Microinfluencer if you want a live shortlist from a campaign brief at Free or $9.99/month, and you will do outreach yourself.
More on cheaper Modash-class tools: Modash alternatives. First campaign with no agency: influencer marketing for small business or influencer marketing for your startup.
If you already used this month's free search
- Re-read Past Matches.
- Browse niche directories.
- Analyse handles you found by hand.
Pro is unlimited agent searches (fair use), 6 to 15 keyword searches per run, and a tracked-creators watchlist. Run the free search first if you have not used this month's campaign yet.