Creator Sourcing
Part of Checking influencer audience quality
Asking creators for useful audience evidence
Use a focused creator evidence request and check metric labels, dates, format, geography and reporting limits before booking.
Ask for evidence that answers the proposed brief, with the metric, period and platform visible. A media kit may show polished account totals while leaving the booking question unanswered. Tell the creator what you need to assess, request relevant available reports and allow them to identify what the platform cannot show.
Send a focused request
For a hypothetical Australia-wide video campaign, the message could read:
We are considering a video that answers customers’ questions about setting up the product. Could you share results for two or three recent videos in a similar format, with each post’s date, metric name and reporting period visible? If available, please also share audience or viewer location for the relevant period and tell us whether it describes followers, viewers or another measure. Please identify any paid promotion included in the results. Aggregate screenshots or exports are enough; we do not need individual follower details.
Adapt the subject and format to the actual brief. This is a request, not a list of reports every platform or account can produce. Do not ask for passwords or private audience identities to compensate for missing aggregate information.
Make each figure interpretable
For each item, retain the account and platform, metric label, date range, post or account scope, and displayed total where available. Record format and identified paid promotion beside post results. A follower-geography screenshot does not show where viewers of a particular video were located.
YouTube notes that Analytics data can be limited; confirm whether the specific report supplies the breakdown you need. TikTok One’s advertiser search distinguishes creator from audience country or region; that does not promise a particular creator export or post-level breakdown.
Platform-specific data availability notes
- YouTube Analytics limitationsData may be limited; confirm report provides required breakdown
- TikTok One’s audience country distinctionDistinguishes creator vs. audience country, but does not guarantee post-level export or breakdown
Assess the response fairly
| Response | Next step |
|---|---|
| Comparable post results with labels and dates | Compare them with the proposed format and note variation. |
| Account totals only | Ask for post context if it matters to the decision. |
| Follower geography but no viewer geography | Retain the follower measure and mark viewer location unknown. |
| Missing geography rows | Record what the platform shows; do not fill gaps with guesses. |
| A material measure cannot be supplied | Decide whether a different or narrower brief can tolerate the uncertainty. |
An unavailable report is different from a contradictory claim. If a screenshot lacks a label, date or compatible total, ask for clarification. If an agency supplies a score, ask what platform measures and method sit behind it before using it as evidence.
Record the answer and decide
Keep the request, response date, reports supplied and a short note on what each supports. For example: “Comparable video results supplied; geography concerns followers only; Australian viewer location unverified.” That supports a further question or a narrower brief without forecasting the next post’s reach. If the campaign depends on evidence the available reports cannot provide, make that gap part of the booking decision.
