Start from your customers, not follower counts. List the creators they already follow, search your niche on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, and shortlist people whose audience is in the UK and whose comments are real conversations. Ask each one for audience data, check their last ten posts and past sponsored work, then agree a fixed price, the deliverables and usage rights in writing before anything goes live.
Where do you start looking?
Your own audience: who tags you, who your customers follow, who already uses your product.
Your competitors: the creators tagged on their posts, and who they’ve paid before (look for the “Ad” label).
Platform search: hashtags and keywords on Instagram and TikTok, and on YouTube the problem your product solves rather than your brand name.
Creator marketplaces, where prices and audience data sit on the profile.
A matching service or agency, if you’d rather someone else did the search.
Aim for a long list of fifteen or so, then cut it to five you’d be happy to book.
How do you find micro-influencers in the UK?
Micro-influencers (roughly 10K–100K followers) and nano accounts below that are where most small brands start. Their audiences tend to be closer and more local, and the price per post is a fraction of a big account.
They’re harder to find through search because they rank below bigger accounts. Two things help: search location tags and local hashtags (a city, a gym, a market), and look at who comments thoughtfully on bigger creators in your niche. Those commenters are often creators themselves.
How do you check an influencer is real?
Engagement that’s steady from post to post, not one spike.
Comments that respond to the content, not just emojis.
Audience location and age from their insights. Ask for a dated screenshot, or use a platform that reads it from the source.
No sudden jumps in follower count.
Past paid posts labelled as ads. It shows they’ll follow the rules on yours.
How much do UK influencers charge?
Instagram · Reel or feed post — 1K–10K: £100–£300 — 10K–50K: £200–£1,350 — 50K–150K: £450–£4,000 — 150K+: £900–£8,000
TikTok · TikTok video — 1K–10K: £100–£300 — 10K–50K: £200–£1,350 — 50K–150K: £450–£4,000 — 150K+: £900–£8,000
YouTube · 60-second integration — 1K–10K: £150–£350 — 10K–50K: £400–£800 — 50K–150K: £900–£1,800 — 150K+: £1,800–£4,000
Niche, engagement and how long you want to use the content move the price more than follower count does. Ask for a fixed price for the exact deliverable, and say upfront if you want to run it as an ad.
How should you approach an influencer?
Short and specific. Say who you are, what you’re promoting, the one deliverable you want, your dates, and ask for their price. Creators get vague requests all day; a clear one gets a faster reply and a firmer quote.
Use the email on their profile if there is one. If you offer product only, expect fewer yeses: see gifted vs paid collaborations.
What should you agree in writing?
The deliverable: format, length, number of posts, and the publish date.
Usage rights: how long you can use the content, where, and whether you can put ad spend behind it.
Approval: how many rounds of changes, and how fast each side replies.
Disclosure: an “Ad” label up front. The CMA’s guidance for content creators applies to gifts as well as payment.
Payment: the fee, when it’s paid, and what happens if the post never goes up.
How many influencers should you start with?
Three to five for a first campaign. One creator tells you whether that creator works; a few tell you whether creators work for your product at all. Pick different sizes or styles within the same niche, give each the same brief, and track every one with its own link or discount code.
Then book again the one or two that performed. A second post from a creator whose audience already knows you usually does better than a first post from someone new, and repeat creators tend to quote a better price for a run of posts.
Can someone shortlist for you?
Yes. Matched by Sponsarva does the search above for you: tell us what you’re promoting and our partnerships team sends three verified UK creators who fit, each with a fixed price. You pick one, your payment is held in escrow, and the creator is paid once you approve the work. No agency fee.
Usually between 10,000 and 100,000. Nano influencers are below that, from about 1,000.
Yes, even for a small deal. Without one, the default is a single organic post, and you have no agreed remedy if it’s late or never goes up.
Sometimes for nano creators, rarely beyond that. A gifted post with any expectation of coverage still has to be labelled as an ad.
Searching and vetting yourself usually takes a few days. A shortlist from a matching service can arrive within one working day.
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