Build Your Community Before Chasing Influencers

Zig Ziglar famously said, “You don’t build a business. You build people, and people build the business.” While he was likely talking about employees, that wisdom applies perfectly to modern marketing. Building relationships with influencers who become genuine advocates for your brand is one of the most powerful ways to scale through word-of-mouth.

By encouraging user-generated content, you’ve already started building a circle of brand ambassadors. But what about the people who aren’t in that circle? How do you reach the creators and personalities in your industry who have a strong voice but don't know you exist? These are your “external influencers.” They might be unaware of your brand, have no need for it, or even be loyal to a competitor. Many companies make the mistake of chasing these big names first, but the work you do to grow your own influence makes it infinitely easier to get their attention and even have them come to you.

What Influencer Marketing Really Means Today

Influencer marketing has become a buzzword, but the idea itself isn't new. It’s simply the digital evolution of word-of-mouth. People have always trusted people more than ads. When we need advice on a product, we ask someone who knows—a friend, a family member, or a coworker. Today, that circle of trust includes strangers on the internet who create authentic reviews on blogs, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

An influencer isn't just someone with millions of followers. In fact, follower count has become a less important metric. Thanks to recommendation algorithms, the strength of your content matters more than the size of your audience. Old terms like “micro-influencer” and “nano-influencer” based on follower size are outdated. Today, what matters is niche relevance, cultural fit, and a genuinely engaged community that aligns with your target audience. Many of these creators are running a , and their influence comes from the quality of their work, not just their numbers.

Your Community is Just the Beginning

No matter how strong your community of brand ambassadors is, it will always be a fraction of your total potential market. Think of a real estate agent in a city of 50,000 potential homebuyers. Even with 500 local connections, that leaves 49,500 people to reach. The only way to bridge that gap is by connecting with the city’s “influencers” who can introduce the agent to their own communities.

Look at the collaboration between Dunkin’ Donuts and TikTok star Charli D’Amelio. Dunkin’ had an established customer base but wasn’t connecting with Gen Z. Charli had millions of young followers, many of whom weren’t Dunkin’ customers. By creating a custom drink, “The Charli,” they bridged that gap. The results were astounding: hundreds of thousands of drinks sold in days, a 57% jump in app downloads, and a record number of daily app users. This kind of can open up entirely new markets.

Ultimately, the goal is to reach out to external influencers and, hopefully, turn them into genuine brand ambassadors themselves. This starts by recognizing that any partnership has to be a real collaboration.

The Art of True Collaboration

To succeed with influencer marketing, you have to give up some control. Too many brands treat creators like programmable ad units, dictating terms and forgetting that these are individuals who have built trust with their audience. You're approaching them because of their influence, yet many of them are running an fueled by passion. No two creators are the same.

Some are in it for the money, while others are building a part-time. Some have exclusive contracts, and others are simply too busy. Because every situation is different, your approach needs to be personal. Here are a few proven ways to start a collaboration:

• Getting your product into the hands of a creator who speaks to your target audience can be a great way to generate authentic content. This works especially well for nano-influencers. The bicycle handlebar company Passchier gifted its high-end bamboo handlebars to cyclists who created video content, successfully reaching a niche audience through credible voices.
• For some, direct payment is the best motivator. Tabs Chocolate, a product aimed at heightening sexual experiences, identified micro- and nano-influencers on TikTok who already aligned with their ideal customer. They paid creators per view, and one video from an influencer with under 100,000 followers generated over 6.7 million views and $50,000 in sales.
• Also known as performance marketing, this is one of the oldest forms of influencer marketing. It gives creators a direct incentive to drive sales. The men's clothing brand Taylor Stitch, for example, generates 26% of all sales from its 110+ affiliates. This can be combined with gifting or sponsored posts to give influencers another way to earn.

Finding and Connecting with the Right People

If you’re active in your industry’s online communities, you probably already know who the key players are. To find more, think like a consumer: if you wanted to learn about your topic, what would you search for? You can search keywords and hashtags, but also look at who other influencers follow and collaborate with. On Instagram, you can use the “suggested lookalikes” feature, and on Facebook, you can find the admins of relevant groups.

The most important rule of outreach is to warm up the connection first. Don't just slide into their DMs with a cold pitch. Engage with their content thoughtfully for a few weeks. When they recognize your name, they’re far more likely to read your message. The social media tool Buffer used this exact strategy, commenting on blogs to build relationships that turned bloggers into their first brand ambassadors. This approach built the foundation for a multi-million dollar company.

When you do reach out, contact them through their preferred channel, which is often listed in their bio. Your pitch can either be a specific opportunity with a clear budget and deliverables or more open-ended to let them suggest the ideal collaboration. Always keep one question in mind: WIIFM (What’s In It For Me?). If you’re not offering enough value, you won’t get a response. And if you don’t hear back, follow up once. Many creators are busy and simply miss the first message.

Your Own Influence is Your Greatest Asset

As your brand’s influence grows, you become more attractive to creators. The social proof from your user-generated content and brand ambassadors makes you a brand that influencers to work with. Eventually, you'll see more inbound requests, making your outreach efforts even more effective. This allows your to scale organically.

Think about it: if you had a podcast, would it be easier to land a huge guest after you’ve already interviewed someone well-known? Of course. Social proof works the same way for brands. That’s why it’s so critical to follow the steps of building your own community first. Trying to work with external influencers before you have that foundation is far less effective. By building your own influence, you create a magnet for the right partners to find you.