Choose a KOL whose audience matches your customers, whose content suits your product and whose credibility supports your message. Then confirm that their deliverables, fees and working arrangements fit your campaign.
Follower count is worth looking at, but it should not be the starting point.
A creator can have impressive views and still reach the wrong people for your brand. Another might have a smaller audience but regularly receive questions about exactly the kind of product you sell.
The goal is not to find the biggest name your budget allows. It is to find someone who can make your message relevant to the people you want to reach.
Start with What You Want the Campaign to Do
Before building a shortlist, decide what you want people to do after seeing the content.
Do you want them to discover a new brand, understand a product, visit an event or make a purchase? These objectives require different strengths.
For a product introduction, you may need someone who can explain the benefits clearly. For an event, you need a creator who can communicate the experience and practical details. For live commerce, product demonstration and answering questions become particularly important.
“Create awareness” is a useful starting point, but make the brief more specific. Who needs to become aware of the brand, and what should they remember?
That answer will help you assess creators more consistently.
Check Whether Their Audience Matches Yours
A creator’s following is not necessarily your potential customer base.
For a campaign in Malaysia, look at audience location, language and interests. If the activation is in Petaling Jaya, a large overseas following may not help drive attendance. If the product serves a particular customer group, a broad lifestyle audience may be less relevant than a focused community.
Ask for recent audience insights where available. Check the reporting period and whether the figures describe followers or the people reached by particular content.
Also read the comments. Are people asking relevant questions, discussing the product category or sharing their own experiences? These details can help you understand the audience beyond the headline numbers.
Review Their Content, Not Just Their Profile
Look through several recent posts, including sponsored collaborations.
One viral video does not tell you how a creator usually performs or how they will handle your brief. Review their typical content and ask:
- Can they explain or demonstrate a product clearly?
- Does their style fit the way your brand wants to communicate?
- Do sponsored posts still feel connected to their usual content?
- Would your product make sense to their audience?
The strongest fit is not always someone who already uses your exact visual style. A creator’s own approach may be what makes the collaboration work.
Give them a clear message and necessary boundaries, while leaving room for the storytelling their audience recognises.
Look Beyond Likes and Views
Views show that content was seen. They do not, on their own, show whether the audience was interested in your offer.
Read the responses. Comments asking about price, availability, location or how to use a product can tell a different story from a long list of generic reactions.
Compare several posts rather than selecting the best-performing one. If you review engagement rates, check how they were calculated; a figure based on followers is not directly comparable with one based on reach.
No single metric proves that a creator will deliver results. Use audience data, content quality and previous performance together.
Check Credibility and Previous Collaborations
A creator needs to be a believable person to deliver your message.
That does not mean every campaign requires a professional expert. A lifestyle product may benefit from a relatable personal demonstration. A technical explanation may require more subject knowledge.
Check whether the creator can speak accurately about the product without making unsupported claims. This is especially important when the brief involves health, skincare or financial topics.
Review previous brand work too. Look for competing partnerships, repeated promotional content and anything that could make the proposed collaboration confusing for their audience.
Where previous campaign results are available, ask what was measured. Views, clicks and purchases describe different outcomes and should not be treated as interchangeable.
Confirm What the Fee Includes
Two creator quotations may look similar but cover very different work.
Before confirming, agree on:
- The number and format of posts.
- Which accounts and platforms will publish them.
- Production and publishing dates.
- Approval rounds and permitted revisions.
- Event attendance or livestream duration, where relevant.
- Content usage rights and any paid advertising permissions.
- Exclusivity requirements.
- Reporting and payment arrangements.
Do not assume that paying for a social post gives your brand permission to use the video indefinitely in advertisements.
Clear terms help avoid last-minute changes and make it easier to compare proposals fairly.
Should You Choose a Smaller or Larger Creator?
Neither is automatically the better option.
A larger creator may help introduce a brand to a broader audience. A smaller creator may reach a more focused community. Both can be effective—or unsuitable—depending on the brief.
Consider the role you need filled rather than choosing by tier alone.
For some campaigns, one creator with the right audience is enough. Others may benefit from several creators offering different perspectives. Avoid paying for overlapping exposure without considering whether each collaboration adds something useful.
A Final Checklist Before You Confirm
Before approving a KOL, make sure you can answer these questions:
- Who will this creator help us reach?
- Why would their audience care about our product?
- What message should the content communicate?
- What action do we want viewers to take?
- Are the deliverables and usage rights clear?
- How will we assess the results?
If those answers are still vague, refine the brief before committing the budget.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many followers should a KOL have?
There is no universal minimum. Audience relevance, credibility and content quality matter more than reaching a particular follower count.
Should a brand choose a KOL based on engagement rate?
Engagement rate can help with assessment, but it should not be used alone. Check the calculation method, audience fit and quality of responses.
Can a small business work with KOLs?
Yes. A focused collaboration with clear deliverables can be more practical than a broad campaign. Start with an objective and a budget you can evaluate.
Should the brand provide a script?
Provide key messages, accurate product information and any required boundaries. A detailed script may be appropriate for some briefs, but allowing the creator to use their own voice can make the content feel more natural.
Build the Shortlist Around Your Customers
The right KOL is someone who connects your brand with a relevant audience in a believable way.
Start with your customers and campaign objective. Then assess the creator’s audience, content and working fit before looking at follower count as the deciding factor.
If you are still comparing the two approaches, read KOL Marketing vs Influencer Marketing: What Is the Difference?
MILK Marketing supports brands with creator selection, campaign planning, content coordination and reporting.
Explore our KOL & Influencer Marketing services or Contact our team to discuss your campaign.