Creator Casting Tool

Find and shortlist the right creators for any brand campaign, activation, event, or ambassador program.

Who This Is For

• Brand marketing teams casting influencer campaigns
• PR and comms agencies sourcing talent for clients
• Casting directors for events, activations, content shoots
• DTC brands building ambassador or affiliate programs
• Creative agencies staffing content productions

Prerequisites

• web_search tool (required) — for cross-platform discovery, rate research, conflict checks
• web_fetch tool (required) — for reading profiles, articles, and content
• gram CLI (optional but recommended) — for Instagram discovery, engagement data, and content analysis. If unavailable, web search is used as fallback.

Check gram:

which gram

Workflow

1. Collect Campaign Brief

Ask the user for (or detect from context):

2. Discover Creators

Search across platforms for creators matching the brief. Cast a wide net (40-60 candidates) to filter down.

Instagram (via gram CLI if available):

gram search "[category] [vibe keyword]" --limit 20
gram explore "[category]" --limit 20
gram hashtag "[relevant hashtag]" --limit 20

If gram unavailable, use web search:

"[category] [vibe] instagram creator" [geo]
"[category] influencer" aesthetic [vibe keywords] 2026
site:instagram.com "[category]" "[vibe keyword]"

TikTok:

"[category] tiktok creator" [vibe] [geo] 2026
"[category] tiktoker" [audience_demo keywords]
"best [category] tiktok" [vibe] creators

YouTube:

"[category] youtube creator" [vibe] [geo]
"[category] youtuber" [audience_demo] subscribers

Substack:

"[category] substack" [vibe] newsletter writer
site:substack.com "[category]" "[vibe keyword]"

Also search for:

"[brand name] type creator" OR "[competitor brand] influencer"
"[vibe] creators to watch 2026"
"[category] creators for brand campaigns"
best "[category] [vibe]" influencer lists 2026

Listicles and round-ups (great for discovery):

"[category] influencers to watch 2026"
"[vibe] creators" brand campaign
"best [category] content creators" [geo]

3. Gather Creator Profiles

For each candidate, collect:

From gram (if available):

gram user info [handle]
gram user posts [handle] --limit 12

From web search / web_fetch:

"[creator name]" [platform] followers engagement
"[creator handle]" brand partnership OR sponsored
"[creator name]" rate OR pricing (for rate estimates)

Build a profile for each:

• Name / handles per platform
• Follower counts per platform
• Engagement quality (like-to-follower ratio, comment quality, saves if visible)
• Content style and aesthetic
• Audience demo indicators (comments, content topics, stated location)
• Recent brand partnerships (last 6 months)
• Content quality notes (production value, editing, originality)

4. Check Brand Conflicts

This is critical. For each candidate, check if they're currently working with or recently posted for a competitor.

"[creator name]" "[competitor brand 1]" OR "[competitor brand 2]"
"[creator handle]" sponsored "[competitor category]"

From gram (if available):

gram user posts [handle] --limit 30

Scan recent posts for competitor brand tags, #ad/#sponsored with competitors, or gifted product from competing brands.

Classify as:

• Clear — No competitor conflicts found
• Potential conflict — Posted competitor product but unclear if paid
• Active conflict — Currently in a paid campaign with a competitor → FLAG prominently

Also check for:

• Controversial content or past brand safety issues
• Alignment between creator's personal brand and the campaign brand

5. Estimate Rates

Based on follower count, engagement, platform, and niche, estimate per-creator rates:

Adjust estimates based on:

• Niche premium: Luxury, finance, tech command higher rates
• Engagement quality: High engagement = higher rates justified
• Content production value: High-quality production = premium
• Exclusivity: If campaign requires exclusivity, add 30-50%

Cross-reference with web search:

"[creator name]" rate card OR pricing
influencer rate calculator [follower count] [platform]

Note: These are ESTIMATES. Always flag them as approximate.

6. Score & Rank (1-100 Campaign Fit Score)

Deductions:

• Active competitor conflict: -30
• Potential competitor conflict: -10
• Low engagement relative to following: -15
• Inconsistent posting: -10
• Content quality below brief standard: -20

7. Output Format

# Creator Casting Report

**Brand:** [brand name]
**Campaign:** [campaign type and description]
**Category:** [category]
**Vibe:** [vibe description]
**Budget:** [per-creator range]
**Platforms:** [target platforms]
**Geo:** [geographic focus]
**Candidates Screened:** [total reviewed]
**Shortlist:** [number returned]

---

## Shortlist

### 1. [Creator Name] — Fit Score: [X]/100
**Handles:** IG @[handle] ([X]K) · TikTok @[handle] ([X]K) · YT [channel] ([X]K)
**Engagement:** [avg likes/comments per post, engagement rate if available]
**Content Style:** [2-3 sentence description of their aesthetic and content approach]
**Why They Fit:** [Specific reasons this creator matches the brief — reference vibe, audience, content style]
**Recent Brand Work:** [List 2-3 recent partnerships if any, or "No recent sponsored content visible"]
**Conflict Check:** 🟢 Clear / 🟡 Potential conflict with [brand] / 🔴 Active conflict with [brand]
**Est. Rate:** $[X]-[Y] for [deliverable type]
**Content Examples:** [Link or describe 2-3 posts that demonstrate campaign-relevant content]
**Notes:** [Anything else relevant — representation status, availability signals, negotiation notes]

---

### 2. [Creator Name] — Fit Score: [X]/100
...

---

## Budget Summary

| Creator | Est. Rate | Fit Score | Conflict |
|---------|-----------|-----------|----------|
| [Name] | $[X]-[Y] | [score] | 🟢/🟡/🔴 |
| ... | ... | ... | ... |
| **Total Est. Range** | **$[min]-[max]** | | |

## Casting Notes
- **Best value picks:** [creators with high fit score relative to rate]
- **Premium picks:** [highest fit score, may be above budget]
- **Safe bets:** [proven brand campaign performers with clean histories]
- **Rising stars:** [smaller but high-momentum, great for long-term ambassador programs]

## Methodology
- Platforms searched: [list]
- Search queries run: [count]
- Candidates screened: [count]
- Excluded (conflicts): [count]
- Excluded (poor fit): [count]
- Instagram data source: [gram CLI / web search]
- Rate estimates are approximate and based on publicly available data + industry benchmarks

Error Handling

Tips for Best Results

• Be specific with the vibe. "Elevated minimalist with warm tones" yields better results than "fashion"
• Include competitor brands in exclusions — this prevents embarrassing casting overlaps
• For ambassador programs, prioritize creators with owned audience (newsletter, podcast, Substack) over pure social
• Smaller creators (10K-50K) often deliver better engagement rates and are more responsive to briefs
• Always verify shortlist manually before presenting to a client — this tool finds candidates, humans close deals
• Run quarterly for ongoing programs to catch rising creators before they price up
• For events/activations, factor in location — a creator's city matters for in-person work