Hi social pro 👋
Follower count, engagement rate, past brand deals…These are the things most teams look at when they're evaluating a creator.
They're a start. But none of them tell you how an audience actually feels about a creator. Whether they trust them. Whether they're buying what they recommend, or just watching for the entertainment.
That information exists. It's just sitting somewhere most teams aren't looking.
This week, we're getting into why the comment section is the most underused vetting tool in influencer marketing - and what to look for when you get there.
Let’s get into it 👇
— Brett
From the feed: You're vetting creators wrong
Most influencer marketing decisions start with a media kit. Reach, demographics, past partnerships - it's all there, packaged neatly.
The problem is that a media kit is a highlight reel. It tells you what a creator wants you to know. The comment section tells you everything else.
Before you sign a creator, their comments will tell you three things a media kit never can.
1. Whether their audience actually trusts them
Engagement rate tells you people are responding, but it doesn't tell you how. Are people asking genuine questions? Recommending the creator to others? Coming back post after post? Or are the comments surface-level, e.g. fire emojis and nothing else?
Trust shows up in the texture of a comment section, not just the volume.
2. Whether their influence drives intent
There's a difference between a creator people watch and a creator people act on. Comments that signal purchase intent - "just ordered this", "where can I get it", "been waiting for a collab like this" - are qualitatively different from comments that signal entertainment.
Both have value, but they're not the same value. Knowing which one you're working with changes how you brief, what you measure, and what you can realistically expect.
3. Whether there are red flags building quietly in the replies
Skepticism about past brand deals. Repeated questions that never get answered. A pattern of distrust that's been growing for months.
These signals rarely show up in a media kit - but they're visible in the comments if you know what you're looking for. By the time they surface publicly, it's usually too late.
The brands and agencies getting this right aren't just checking a creator's follower count before they commit. They're reading the room - and the room is the comment section.
Pulse check
What does your current creator vetting process actually involve?
On our radar
@coldestjoel Apple’s new unhinged marketing for the MacBook Neo is VERY strategic. Thoughts? 📲#marketing #brandstrategy #socialmediamarketing
If you're looking for a masterclass in treating the comment section as a strategic tool rather than an afterthought…this one's worth your time.
@coldestjoel broke down why Apple's decision to leave comments open on their TikTok page in preparation for their new MacBook Neo campaign was anything but accidental.
For a brand that almost never enables comments, turning them on was a deliberate choice - and the conversation that followed became as much a part of the campaign as the content itself.
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Research and editorial support by Amy Watts