Struggling to find serious creators to partner with — where do you guys find them?

Hey,

I’m currently trying to partner with content creators to build brands together (I handle product, branding, logistics, etc. and we split the upside).

The problem is… it’s honestly a nightmare to find the right people.

Instagram DMs are completely saturated — low response rate, and most creators either don’t reply or aren’t really serious about building something long-term.

I’ve tried a few things:

IG outreach
Twitter
a bit of LinkedIn

But it still feels very random and inefficient.

I’m not looking for influencers just to pay for ads or promos — I’m really trying to find creators who actually want to build a real brand and be involved in something bigger.

So I’m curious:
👉 Where do you guys find serious creators open to this kind of partnership?
👉 Any platforms, communities, or methods that actually work in 2026?

Appreciate any advice — right now it feels way harder than it should be.

Comments

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No_Procedure8667•4 months ago•1

instagram DMs are dead for this. everyone's inbox is flooded.

try niche discord servers instead. creators who hang out there tend to be way more serious about building than the ones with big followings who just post and ghost. twitter's decent too, you can tell who actually engages vs who just broadcasts.

nidelplay•4 months ago•1

The random and inefficient feeling is so common. The problem is most outreach is cold and generic so serious creators ignore it. What's worked better is vetting creators properly first - checking their engagement consistency, view trends, audience quality - then reaching out with something specific to their content. Shows you actually did your homework and aren't just mass DMing. The workspace side matters too once you find someone - keeping everything in one place instead of scattered DMs makes the partnership feel more professional and serious creators respond better to that. We built Valen Sentinel around exactly this - finding and vetting the right creators and then managing the partnership cleanly. Might be worth a look.

Jawwwwwsh•4 months ago•1

Creators with 5k-20k are always hunting and grabbing at brand deals. Creators that size love to brag about getting deals even when it doesn’t align with them- you should be able to reach creators who want to promote your product. With that being said, it could be the product itself or the maybe way you’re pitching it. Myself and many other creators will straight up ignore a message that too Silicon Valley or involves AI.

If your product has AI, you probably won’t find any good creators to work with and you should stop what you’re doing now for the sake of earth. If not, dm me if you want to send your pitch, because it’s probably just a messaging issue!

Few-Solution-5374•4 months ago•1

Looks like you're facing a frustrating challenge in finding the right creators for long term collaborations. You can check out Shout, it's an influencer marketing platform that could help you connect with influencers across reddit, instagram and youtube. It might streamline the process and connect you with more serious creators looking for genuine partnerships. Best of luck and hope you find the right partners soon.

HereToLearnArt•4 months ago•1

Set up an affiliate program (TikTok shop or other) and then recruit the creators who are the most consistent, authentic, and best at selling your product

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