Influencer for Instagram: Why Counterintuitive Niches Win Sourcing

By Kendall Dickieson, Head of Creator Partnerships, Graza

Kendall Dickieson, Head of Social and Influencer at Graza and CPG consultant, walks through her sourcing framework for finding the right influencer for Instagram before you ever open the app. Her core argument: most brands skip the pre-work, and that is exactly where Graza's early seeding program succeeded.

Kendall recommends starting with a clear community goal, then letting that goal narrow where you source inside the platform rather than casting a wide net. For Graza, that meant targeting unexpected food niches like Mexican food and barbecue instead of the obvious olive oil and pasta accounts, a counterintuitive bet that paid off.

She also shares a practical shortcut: find one strong creator, use Instagram's suggested follows to surface lookalikes, and then check the followers of friendly competitor brands who have already done some vetting for you. No paid tools required.

Watch to see how she turns what feels like an overwhelming task into a repeatable, low-cost process you can start today.

More mentors talking about: Sourcing & Vetting

• Ali Appelbaum, Influencer Marketing Leader, formerly Tonal
• Brenda Daniel, Growth Partnerships, Caraway
• Delaney Henson, Head of Social & Influencer Marketing, Oura

More about: Sourcing & Vetting

• TikTok Influencer Database: Why Friend-at-Bar Beats Marketing Speak by Micah Whitehead
• Instagram Influencer Marketing: Using Suggested Accounts to Source Free by Ali Appelbaum
• Marketing Influencer Instagram: Turning Existing Customers Into Ambassadors by Brenda Daniel
• Influencer for Instagram: Why Counterintuitive Niches Win Sourcing by Kendall Dickieson
• Instagram Marketing Influencer: Beyond Follower Count Vetting by Delaney Henson
• Top Influencer Instagram: Sourcing Through Social Anthropology by Molly Cole
• Vetting Instagram Influencer Metrics: The 2-3% Engagement Floor by Lydia Lee
• IG Influencer Marketing: Why Customer Subsets Beat Follower Counts by Liv Soibelman

Themes

• Foundations
• Sourcing & Vetting
• What to Book & How to negotiate the best deal
• Paid Social & Performance Marketing
• Contracting & Creator Support
• Measuring & Scaling Success
• TikTok Shop

Watch to see how she turns what feels like an overwhelming task into a repeatable, low-cost process you can start today.