8 essential questions to ask a micro-influencer

In a world saturated with advertisements, trusted experts have never been more valuable. When it comes to promoting your brand, micro-influencers — who are trusted experts in their niche — often resonate most with social media users. Typically with follower counts between 10,000 and 100,000, micro-influencers offer a level of authenticity and connection that larger influencers sometimes lack. 

Micro-influencers can build brand awareness, increase conversions, and position your brand in even the most saturated markets. To pick the best one, you have to start with the right questions. 

At Hummingbirds, we specialize in connecting brands with small influencers, so we understand how crucial a good match is. In this article, we’ll recommend key questions to ask before partnering with a social mediamicro-influencer so you can achieve the same success.

1. Have you heard of us?

This question is essential for setting the tone for your conversation. If the micro-influencer is already familiar with your company and its products, you can skip the basic introduction and showcase what makes your brand stand out. This allows you to focus on brand nuances, helping the influencer brainstorm how to share specific benefits on platforms like TikTok or Instagram. 

If the influencer is unfamiliar with the brand, it becomes an opportunity to get their buy-in by illustrating your brand’s value. Share your success stories, customer favorites, and unique selling points. 

This will also shape the content they create. An influencer new to your brand might introduce you as an exciting discovery, while an influencer who already trusts your products could position you as a reliable choice. They might endorse a new product as worth trying based on their past positive experiences with your brand.

As you chat, be mindful of the influencer's authenticity. For example, if they claim to know your brand but you're brand-new or have a limited presence, it could be a red flag that they are motivated by sponsorships rather than genuinely supporting their audience. 

2. What kind of content does your audience enjoy?

Micro-influencers often spend months or even years experimenting with different types of content. For example, an influencer might begin by posting “outfit of the day” photos in front of her closet. Over time, she may realize that her followers engage more with posts of her modeling outfits in trendy locations around her hometown. 

By asking this question, you can gain valuable insights into the influencer’s content creation strategy and how they cater to their audience. 

For instance, when CPG brand Goodles expanded from the West Coast to the Midwest, they partnered with local social media influencers whose followers enjoyed content centered around family-friendly meals and healthy living. They created engaging posts that generated real buzz about the meal’s convenience, gluten-free options, and kid-approved taste. 

Understanding what type of content resonates with an influencer’s followers can help you determine if their style is a good fit for your campaign. This also prevents wasted efforts; if your campaign involves product demos but the influencer's audience tends to ignore long-form videos, it might be best to keep them in mind for a different type of campaign. 

3. What's your favorite type of post to create?

Every content creator has a favorite type of post, and working with their preferences can help you craft more impactful campaigns. For example, an influencer's bread-and-butter might be shocking TikTok videos, but they may actually prefer sharing authentic reactions to everyday experiences. 

Marketers can tailor content guidelines based on the potential influencer’s response. For example, a hot sauce company might ask a TikTok or Instagram influencer to create a “spicy challenge” series. The influencer could sample progressively hotter sauces in fun and creative ways while sharing genuine reactions to the heat. This makes the content entertaining for their audience while showcasing the brand’s range of products.

Ideally, you'll ask this question when you're ready to move forward with the collaboration. As the influencer shares their passions, keep your larger campaign strategy and messaging priorities in mind to ensure alignment. 

4. What does your schedule look like?

Micro-influencers are often juggling many commitments. While they may be enthusiastic about collaborating, they may not have the bandwidth to fully commit. Unfortunately, scheduling can become the biggest pain point during a time-sensitive campaign. 

In some cases, it's easy to identify unsuitable micro-influencers early on. If they frequently ignore your messages or reschedule meetings from the start, it’s unlikely the situation will improve as the campaign progresses. Other times, influencers might simply overestimate their availability. 

If your campaign has strict deadlines — especially for a new product launch or a limited-time offer — you can’t afford missed deadlines or delayed messaging. Make sure to set clear expectations and outline any consequences upfront so both you and the micro-influencer feel confident moving forward. 

5. Can we take a look at your engagement rates?

An influencer's engagement rates are a window into their follower's priorities. However, not every post needs thousands of impressions or hundreds of comments to make an impact. 

The real measure is the tone of the engagement and the influencer's response to it. If their engagement is largely positive and appreciative, it's a good sign that their audience respects their opinions and recommendations. 

To dig deeper, here are a few related follow-up questions to consider:

• What do your engagement metrics reveal about your followers' values and expectations? For example, are they more interested in sustainable brands or practical life hacks?

• What strategies do you use to achieve higher engagement rates?

• Do you have the time to answer your follower's questions or respond to comments?

• How do you handle content that underperforms?

Influencers understand their target audience well, so it’s important to listen to their insights. If they mention that their audience prefers in-store shopping, your sponsored content shouldn't encourage followers to visit your online shop. 

6. What has your experience with other brands been like?

This question reveals how an influencer approaches collaborations and their strategies for creating successful sponsored posts. Some prefer full creative control, while others thrive on clear instructions. 

One thing to consider is how the influencer takes responsibility for their role in previous campaigns. If they frequently blame others for poor outcomes, it could signal potential challenges for your collaboration. 

This conversation can help you become a better partner. For example, if an influencer shares that a brand initially promised creative freedom but later imposed an overly critical review process, you can reassure them that your approach will be different. Providing a clear brief or style guide upfront ensures they know your expectations, setting them up for success.

Pay attention to what the influencer learned from past partnerships, how they adapted, and how they ended relationships. Be mindful of any potential conflicts of interest. For instance, if the micro-influencer recently worked with a tangential competitor, a partnership may be either unethical or ineffective. 

7. What does a successful campaign look like for you?

Marketers and influencers often have different definitions of campaign success. For example, an influencer might measure success by the number of impressions a post receives, while you might be focused on the number of conversions. 

This question can provide valuable insights into how well the influencer understands their followers. For example, with rising living costs affecting brand loyalty, some influencers have faced backlash for promoting expensive personal products. As a result, they may now define success as working with brands that offer true value to budget-conscious consumers.  

8. What's your honest opinion of our brand?

This question is critical to the success of your collaboration because an influencer's genuine opinions will likely shine through in their posts. However, it goes beyond personal feelings. Maybe an influencer loves your products but realizes your brand isn't a fit for their audience demographics. 

A thoughtful response to this question can reveal how well they've considered your brand and might even spark new ideas. If the influencer can't personally use your products but believes their followers could benefit from them, this insight could shape your campaign strategy. 

The most trusted macro-influencers (those with 500,00 to 1 million followers) maintain their reputation by refusing to compromise their honesty for compensation. Often, micro-influencers — despite having a smaller follower base — uphold this same level of credibility, often because they post as a hobby or to support the brands they genuinely love.

Take the guesswork out of vetting potential influencer partners 

Asking all the right questions is time-consuming, and it’s just the beginning. Before you even launch your campaign, you have to dedicate hours to finding the right partners, researching their content, and assessing their fit to your brand. That’s where Hummingbirds comes in.

Hummingbirds is an influencer marketing platform that matches brands with dozens or hundreds of local creators, streamlining the entire process. Our platform helps you find partners who not only have the right availability and follower base to effectively promote your products or services, but also genuinely believe in your brand's mission. With Hummingbirds, you can reduce the workload and focus on the bigger picture — executing a successful campaign.

Our team has a proven track record of success. We’ve worked with dozens of companies and organizations to build brand awareness, shape customer shopping habits, and influence consumer behavior. Our platform uses a combination of hashtags, location data, and engagement rates to match influencers with campaign parameters.

For example, when Lola's Fine Hot Sauce wanted to boost sales in Midwestern markets, they sent gift cards to local foodies, allowing them to try the brand's flavors. Our hummingbirds spiced up everything from birthdays to Easter gatherings to everyday dinners. Their creative Instagram posts resonated with followers, especially those already searching for new recipes or entertainment ideas. 

Influencer partners provide social proof for brands, often with notable ripple effects. As Hummingbirds' customer Anne Taylor of Pizza on the Prairie described it, "It's kind of like a wildfire. Somebody who shares 'this is a great experience,' it sparks someone else to try it and they spark somebody else… you don't know where the influence ends."

book a call with Hummingbirds and start matching with local hummingbirds today! 

The Hummingbirds team are experts in local influencer marketing. If you don't have time for a lengthy interview process, our platform and vetted creators help streamline campaigns for faster launches. 

While you may still need to ask influencers a few key questions, we handle a majority of the legwork. This way, you can focus on creating innovative campaigns for your target audience. 

Want to see how Hummingbirds can streamline your influencer process? Book a call with us today!