How to Find and Invite Creators
Filters, why every handle is locked, what a reveal costs, and the twice-daily run that decides when invitations actually arrive.
What this guide covers
Start from the campaign, not the creator
Search asks which campaign you are recruiting for first, because that decides what the action button even does.
| Campaign type | The button on each card reads |
|---|---|
| Paid collaboration | Invite to campaign |
| Affiliate | Invite to program |
| Gifting | Request to send product |
| Hybrid | Invite to campaign |
If inviting tells you to create a campaign, that is this step talking. You need a campaign, and for gifting it has to be approved before invitations can go out at all.
What you can actually filter on
All three platforms are searchable, including YouTube, which is the largest of the three here by connected accounts.
Followers
Nano 100 to 10k, Micro 10k to 100k, Macro 100k to 1m, Mega over 1m, or a custom range.
Quality
Great, Good or OK. A three level rating, not a score out of a hundred.
Who they are
Username or keyword, hashtag, location, category, language, gender.
Budget
Influencer fees, as a rough estimate only.
Gifting campaigns only
Address ready to ship.
Affiliate campaigns only
Open to commission.
Results come from our own index rather than live from Instagram, and Instagram data refreshes monthly. For a creator you are about to pay real money, open their live profile and look.
Why every handle is hidden
Handles are masked until you reveal them. This stops the marketplace being harvested and the conversation moving off-platform, where neither side is protected.
A result card and the reveal pop-up.
| Plan | Reveal credits per month | Price per extra reveal |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 5 | $1.00 |
| Starter | 50 | $1.00 |
| Pro | 100 | $0.75 |
| Ultimate | 6,000 | $0.50 |
Three things worth knowing. A reveal is permanent and covers every account that creator has. You are never charged twice for the same person, so double clicking is safe. And paying an offer reveals them for free, so you never need to spend a credit on someone you are about to hire.
Favourite lists, and why they matter more than they look
Saving creators to named lists turns a one-off search into something you can re-run next quarter.
Name them by purpose
Q1 Beauty Launch, Sub-10k Engagement, Affiliate-Only. A list named after a campaign ages badly.
Build a shortlist before inviting
Twenty to thirty prospects is a realistic batch. Five is not enough to judge response rates.
Re-run across launches
Creators who delivered once are the cheapest second booking you will ever make.
Sending invitations, and when they actually arrive
Invitations are not sent the instant you click. They go out in grouped emails twice a day, at 06:00 and 18:00 UTC.
| Situation | What happens to the invitations |
|---|---|
| Campaign approved | Sent at the next 06:00 or 18:00 run |
| Campaign still in review | Held, and released on approval |
| Campaign rejected | Deleted. You have to send them again after it is approved |
| Creator already in the campaign | Skipped |
A personalised invitation is worth several generic ones. Name the product, say what you would like them to make, and say why their audience fits. Creators receive a lot of these and answer the ones that clearly read their profile.
When you cannot find someone
Search only holds accounts that passed review and are not archived, so a creator you know exists can legitimately be missing.
| Reason | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| They never finished their media kit | In Draft, not shown to brands at all |
| Waiting on quality review | Not yet searchable |
| Rejected at verification | Not on the platform. Under 5,000 followers is the most common cause |
| Suspended | Removed from search, and their offers are hidden from brands after 48 hours |
| They renamed their handle | Archived until an admin restores it |
You also cannot find anyone by handle in results, because handles are masked until revealed. Search by name, keyword or hashtag instead, or send support the handle.
From an empty search to a creator in your inbox
The order that works, including the two waits.
Ready to find your creators?
Open search, or let our team shortlist for you on a quick demo.
