Before you begin, ask yourself: why is influencer marketing strategic for your brand? In 90% of cases, influencer marketing is essential, and you’ll understand why in this video:
Manual Web Search
1. Social networks
Head to the search bar on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and others. Type ‘vegan’ and explore accounts, hashtags (#vegan, #veganfood, #plantbased…), and trending sounds on TikTok.
Install the free Influence4You Chrome plugin to view influencer stats directly on their profiles. With the Discovery module, you can also add a profile to your list in one click—faster than copying and pasting into a Google Sheet, and the stats stay up to date.
2. Google
A search like ‘vegan influencers’ or ‘top vegan influencers 2026’ often surfaces pre-compiled lists from blogs or specialist media.
3. General AI assistants
Ask Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok, Mistral AI, or DeepSeek to list vegan influencers. A good starting point for initial research, but verify the data—it may be outdated.
4. Manual ‘lookalike’
On the profile of an interesting influencer, check the similar accounts suggested by the platform. A great way to discover relevant profiles in one go.
Your Internal Resources
Often overlooked, this category yields the most relevant profiles because they already know your brand.
5. Your customers
Add a ‘social media’ field to your forms (sign-up, post-purchase, NPS). You may find that influencers are already fans of your brand.
6. Your colleagues
Send an internal email or Slack message: ‘Which vegan influencers do you follow?’ While you’re at it, ask externally too—a LinkedIn post often yields excellent recommendations.
7. Your Google Drive (or Notion, etc.)
Search for ‘influencers’. There may already be a file compiled by a former colleague. No need to reinvent the wheel.
8. Your customer service team
Your support teams regularly receive messages from influencers (on social media or via email). Set up an internal channel for them to forward these contacts to you.
9. Your mentions and tags
See who’s already mentioning or tagging you. On Instagram, the ‘mentions’ tab is sufficient; for deeper insights, tools like Influence4You, Mention, or Meltwater automate monitoring.
The ecosystem around your niche
The idea: don’t search for influencers directly—look where they already are.
10. Competitors
Which influencers are collaborating with your competitors? The 'tagged' tab on their accounts, or a search using their campaign hashtags, often provides a ready-to-use list. Influence4You also lets you see who mentions your competitors and how their social account compares to yours.
11. Trending hashtags and sounds
Beyond the obvious #vegan, explore satellite hashtags (#veganfood, #veganlondon, #veganfamily…) and sounds used repeatedly on TikTok and Reels.
12. Communities
Reddit (r/vegan), Facebook groups, Discord servers, and specialist forums. The most active members are often micro-influencers themselves.
13. Podcasts and newsletters
Which vegan podcasts are popular? Who are the recurring guests? Who writes the Substack newsletters in the field? Often, these are high-impact personalities flying under the radar of mainstream platforms.
14. Events and trade shows
VeggieWorld, Veggie Pride, organic trade shows… Review the programmes, speakers, and partner exhibitors.
15. Specialist press
Journalists covering your niche know the key personalities and can be valuable advocates themselves.
Influence tools (Influence4You)
When manual searches reach their limits, specialised tools take over.
16. Magic Casting (free)
Influence4You’s free AI-powered feature. Describe your needs, and the AI suggests profiles.
This is the most effective solution in 90% of cases!
17. The Discovery engine
A multi-criteria search engine for 275 million profiles. Filter by audience, geography, engagement, and topics to find your perfect match.
18. Influence4You’s 'lookalike' feature
Found an influencer? Click 'lookalike' to discover others with a similar profile (audience, content, style). Here’s an example from a vegan influencer’s profile:
19. The content engine
Instead of searching for profiles, search for content. Which videos or posts mention 'vegan', including in descriptions and video audio? You can then trace back to the creators.
20. The trends engine
Identify influencers who have recently posted trending vegan content (high growth, strong engagement). The tool can suggest influencers gaining traction in your niche!
21. Your past lists and campaigns
If you’ve run influencer campaigns on Influence4You before, your history is a goldmine. A campaign from six months ago may still contain 30 relevant profiles today.
22. The AI-driven project
Create a project on Influence4You, draft your brief, and let the AI find profiles for you. A more advanced version of Magic Casting.
23. Micro-influencer campaigns (gifting)
Instead of sourcing influencers one by one, launch a gifting campaign with your vegan products and let them apply. A problem solved by reversing the approach. Here’s what influencers see when they can apply to your campaigns:
Long-term programmes
Finding influencers occasionally is good. Building a lasting network is better.
24. The ambassador programme
Your best customers or most successful collaborations can become regular ambassadors with a dedicated programme: promo codes, product exclusives, events, co-created content…
25. Affiliate marketing
An affiliate campaign automatically attracts creators looking to monetise their audience in your niche. You only pay for results.
26. Official creator marketplaces
TikTok Creator Marketplace, Instagram Creator Marketplace, YouTube BrandConnect: platforms offer their own tools to connect brands with creators. Free and featuring verified profiles.
Delegation
27. Agencies or freelancers
Hire an agency or freelancer to handle everything for you.
Advantages : you save time and benefit from an existing network.
Disadvantages : it costs money, isn’t scalable, and no one understands your brand better than you. It’s better to learn how to fish than to ask someone to do it for you.
In summary
| Category | Methods | Cost | Effort | When to use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual search | 1 → 4 | Free | High | Getting started, small budget |
| Internal resources | 5 → 9 | Free | Low | Always, start here! |
| Niche ecosystem | 10 → 15 | Free | Moderate | For distinctive profiles |
| Dedicated tools | 16 → 23 | Paid | Low | To scale and save time |
| Long-term programmes | 24 → 26 | Variable | Moderate | Sustainable strategy |
| Delegation | 27 | Paid | Very low | No in-house time available |
Expert tip : Don’t rely on a single method. The most effective influencer campaigns typically combine 3 to 4 different sources—this helps you avoid the ‘everyone works with the same 20 influencers’ effect.
Checklist: Review a profile before contacting
You’ve found an influencer. Before reaching out, review these 8 key points.