How to find local content creators your audience can relate to

Social media is a powerful tool for brand awareness, but are you reaching the right audience? If not, it might be time to launch a local influencer marketing campaign. 

Local content creators do more than promote brands — they create a ripple effect in their communities. 

When trusted voices talk about your brand, they spark interest and keep the conversation going, reinforcing your message across neighborhoods and social circles. This organic “echo chamber” helps make your brand a recognizable staple — something people know and trust, not just another ad in their feeds.

But identifying truly local influencers isn’t easy. Many platforms claim to help, but they don’t guarantee that a creator’s audience actually lives in the area they represent. Without the right platform, brands risk investing in influencers who don’t reach their intended communities.

Most influencer platforms don’t prioritize local influencers

Finding influencers isn’t as simple as searching social media platforms for people in your area. Manual outreach is time-consuming, requires constant back-and-forth, and doesn’t guarantee you’ll reach the right local audience. Influencer platforms can help, but most aren’t built with geo-targeted marketing in mind.

Many tools focus on micro-influencers with high follower counts, solid engagement rates, or a strong pull in a specific niche. But they often overlook two critical factors: real local influence and audience demographics. 

Just because someone lives in Kansas City doesn’t mean their audience is based there. Creators often cultivate a broad, national following, which means their posts might reach thousands of people — but not necessarily the right thousands. That’s how you end up with a New York influencer promoting a luxury brand to middle-class families in Cincinnati. Not exactly a match.

True local influencers create high-quality content about their hometowns, inspiring their followers — often friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors — to experience local events, businesses, and products. 

They’re not chasing brand deals, Instagram and TikTok followers, or viral fame — they’re sharing recommendations that genuinely benefit their communities. That trust and attention are exactly what brands need for local reach.

The problem? Most influencer platforms aren’t designed to find them.

Hummingbirds is the only search tool for truly local content creators 

Hummingbirds stands apart from other platforms because it’s the only influencer marketing tool created specifically for local content creators. Our birds attend events, explore local businesses, and share authentic experiences — offering their unique takes on the brands they love. 

We primarily serve Midwestern cities like Detroit, Cincinnati, Grand Rapids, Kansas City, and Austin — places that often feel overlooked by coastal brands or disconnected from national marketing strategies. With Hummingbirds, brands don’t just gain visibility. They become part of the local conversation.

Unlike traditional influencer databases, Hummingbirds ensures that brands partner with creators whose audiences are truly local. Their content resonates because it’s relevant and deeply connected to the communities they live in.

This hyperlocal focus is what makes Hummingbirds campaigns stick. Whether it's introducing a new brand or bringing fresh energy to an established one, these partnerships create lasting connections. Instead of hoping an influencer’s audience happens to be local, brands know their message is reaching the right people — authentically, naturally, and with real impact.

How content creators become hummingbirds 

Great local marketing starts with real people — not algorithms. That’s why Hummingbirds builds its creator network from the ground up, ensuring every influencer has genuine local reach.

When we launch in a new city, we start by recruiting the first 100+ local creators to join the platform. Their authentic, community-driven campaign content then inspires the next wave of influencers to sign up — often their own friends and followers who want to get in on the fun.

But Hummingbirds is more than just an influencer search tool. It’s a collaborative space designed to help brands and creators succeed together. Our team works closely with brands to ensure they’re set up for impactful campaigns, from crafting compelling briefs to keeping creators genuinely excited to participate. 

The result? Long-term relationships and engaging content that feels natural, not forced. 

Hands-on support at every stage

Whether your goal is to expand your user-generated content (UGC) library, boost brand awareness, or drive sales, we provide everything you need, from content inspiration and hashtag suggestions to campaign metrics and audience insights. 

With real-time data at your fingertips, you can track campaign performance and uncover which messages perform best in different markets and why.

We’re with you every step of the way, providing support, answering questions, and making real-time adjustments. When your campaign wraps up, we help you break down the results so you can fine-tune your overall marketing strategy for future efforts.

Wondering if our hummingbirds are in your area? Check out the cities we serve! 

How to find local content creators with Hummingbirds 

Finding the right influencers on the Hummingbirds platform is simple. Start by entering your campaign details, including key dates, content types, perks, and goals. To streamline the process, the platform provides content suggestions, like local hashtags and creative inspiration, to help shape your brief. 

Review interested birds and select your partners

Once your campaign goes live, our hummingbirds review the brief and pitch themselves if they believe they’re a great fit. For example, a busy mom who shares parenting tips might instantly connect with a kid-friendly toothpaste brand. 

The Hummingbirds platform vets each candidate based on campaign needs and brand values, using opt-in questions, audience insights, and follower engagement data to identify the best influencers. But ultimately, you decide who you want to work with. 

As you review applicants, you can check out their previous content and influencer partnerships to understand their style and audience. Keep in mind that local content creators typically spend years building trust with their followers, so they know what works best (and, more importantly, why) — whether that’s long-form videos, Reels, or Stories. 

This local insider knowledge leads to stronger, more authentic collaborations. With Hummingbirds, you’re partnering with creators who genuinely understand their local audiences.

Monitor the campaign and build your UGC library

After choosing your content creators, you’ll send them a quick text with the next steps, and they’ll have 48 hours to confirm their spot in your campaign. From there, we’ll take care of distributing their perks (usually a small gift card or product) so they can start bringing your campaign to life. 

Throughout the campaign, all content syncs into a central location, making it easy to download and repurpose immediately or in future campaigns. Plus, our built-in performance metrics allow you to track reach, engagement rates, digital conversions, and audience growth in real time. 

For brands with in-store products, you can also report sales data back to Hummingbirds to measure how your campaign impacted local shopping behavior. 

Guidance when you need it, control when you want it

Hummingbirds isn’t a full-service influencer marketing agency, meaning we don’t take full control of campaigns from start to finish — and we wouldn’t want to! Instead, we provide white-glove onboarding to help you navigate the platform with confidence, so you can tailor campaigns to fit your goals and maximize local impact.

It’s the perfect balance between personalized support and brand freedom, ensuring you have the tools, insights, and creative talent needed to create meaningful connections in your target communities. 

Collaborate with content creators that truly reach your target audience

The Hummingbirds platform makes it easy for brands to connect with local content creators who genuinely influence their communities. Instead of guessing which influencers have local reach, partner with people who already engage with their neighbors, friends, and followers in everyday conversations about the brands they love.

With Hummingbirds, you also get a centralized UGC library to repurpose for email marketing, landing pages, retargeting ads, and future campaigns. Plus, our real-time campaign performance tracking helps you measure impact, refine your strategy, and stay ahead of shifting local trends. 

There’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all social strategy — every local community has its own pulse. Hummingbirds helps you tap into that local energy so your brand reaches the right people in a way that feels natural and real.

Ready to find the right local influencers who will drive meaningful impact in your target market? Book a call with Hummingbirds today!