Influencer search is broken. Maybe it's time to build an IRL Brand Community instead!
Why IRL Brand Communities succeed where influencer marketing fails. A 1-minute gut check for social media leaders.
Dear Influencer Marketing Leads and Social Media Strategists: finding the perfect-fit influencer shouldn’t take hours of scrolling, vetting, and dead-end outreach. Maybe the problem isn’t how you’re searching, but what you’re searching for.
We’re not short on influencers, we’re starving for fit
The influencer marketing space is bigger than ever with over $32B globally, and growing fast. But here’s the paradox: 87% of marketers say that finding the right influencer is harder than ever (Modash, 2024).
If you’re a social media manager, you’ve felt this first-hand:
Creators with inconsistent posting habits.
Beautiful content, but off-brand values.
Right vibe, wrong audience.
Right audience, wrong expectations (gifting not accepted, price 10x over budget).
We’ve trained ourselves to look for the “unicorn creator” one who checks every single box, from aesthetics to niche to geo to engagement rate to availability to exclusivity. But that’s not search, it’s filtering for fantasy. And it’s burning you out.
Maybe it’s not the search that’s broken, it’s the strategy
We’ve evolved beyond follower counts and macro reach. But have we evolved our tactics? Influencer search today feels like dating on hard mode: endless swiping, overwhelming options, yet no one really fits. Why? Because we’re still thinking in transactions, not relationships. We all know: people follow people, not brands.
If we want creators who deeply understand our story and live our values, maybe we need to stop hunting for them and start building the space where they come to us.
IRL Brand Communities: the overlooked growth engine
What if you spent less time finding perfect-fit influencers and more time cultivating people who already care? That’s where IRL brand communities come in.
Imagine this:
You host a local event or intimate gathering with your biggest supporters.
Together, you co-create experiences, products, and stories that feel authentic and alive.
They don’t promote your brand because they were paid to, they share it because they’re part of it.
Among them? Micro-influencers. Creators. Storytellers. But now, they’re not just followers, they’re insiders.
And at the heart of it all? A Community Builder or a team of builder. A Connector in a generation where Gen Z craves belonging in a world that often feels lonely.
When someone experiences your brand in person, when they feel seen, heard, connected, that’s the kind of alignment you can’t brief into a Google Doc. That’s storyfit by design, not by luck.
Here’s why IRL Communities work (when influencer marketing doesn’t)
Authenticity by default: IRL community members create UGC that feels real, because it is and not a paid job.
Built-in storyfit: Your community naturally attracts people who resonate with your mission, not just your visuals.
Long-term loyalty > one-off posts: Communities create advocates who grow with you, not just promote you.
Hyperlocal, high-trust reach: In-person events drive word-of-mouth that feels meaningful in a world oversaturated with paid placements.
Creators come to you: Rather than chasing, you build gravity. The right people stick around.
You’re not just looking for influencers. You’re looking for believers.
The influencer marketing model isn’t dead. But relying on it alone is unsustainable: emotionally, creatively, and strategically.
IRL brand communities offer something different:
Resilience.
Trust.
Real alignment.
It’s slower to build, but infinitely more scalable in value. So next time you’re stuck in another late-night influencer scroll, ask yourself: What if we stopped renting attention and started building belonging instead?
Is it time to rethink your influencer strategy?
A 1-Minute gut check for Social Media Leaders. If you're feeling stuck, burned out, or underwhelmed by your influencer efforts, this checklist will help you decide whether it's time to try something new, like building real-world brand experiences and communities that scale trust, not just reach.
Section 1: Your current reality
Ask yourself:
[ ] Am I constantly scrolling and searching, yet rarely finding “the right” creators?
[ ] Are most of our influencer collabs feeling transactional, not relational?
[ ] Do I struggle to find creators who actually understand our story, not just our visuals?
[ ] Have I passed on great creators just because they didn’t tick every box (aesthetic, niche, location, etc.)?
[ ] Do I often feel pressure to show ROI fast, even though creator partnerships take time to build?
Section 2: The frustration signals
Be honest: do these resonate?
[ ] We’ve worked with creators who looked perfect on paper, but the content fell flat.
[ ] We’re losing hours to manual vetting, spreadsheets, and internal debates.
[ ] We keep doing “influencer campaigns,” but they don’t build anything lasting.
[ ] We’ve hit a plateau in engagement or reach, even though our budget is growing.
[ ] I’m starting to feel like we’re just renting attention, instead of earning it.
Section 3: Readiness for what’s next
Now ask yourself:
[ ] Are we craving more authentic relationships with people who actually care about our brand?
[ ] Would we benefit from more organic UGC and creator loyalty?
[ ] Are we looking for creators who naturally tell our story, not ones we have to overbrief?
[ ] Would IRL moments (pop-ups, gatherings, brand clubs, community events) make sense for us?
[ ] Do we want to build something that grows over time, not just another campaign?
Your results:
🔴 5 or more boxes checked? Start an IRL Community today!
You're ready to explore a new path. It’s not about ditching influencers, it’s about building a system that attracts the right ones by design.
🟡 3–5 boxes?
There’s friction and opportunity. A hybrid approach might help you get unstuck.
🟢 0–2 boxes?
Your influencer strategy might be working for now. But what’s your long-term plan?
Let’s chat
If you're feeling the shift but don’t know how to make it happen, I help brands:
IRL Community Campaigns for Brands
IRL Community Marketing Classes & Keynotes
Creating your IRL Brand Community Concept
Building your IRL Brand Community
DM me, reply to this post, or book a free discovery call.
Let’s stop renting influence, and start building belonging.
Best,
Gerrit
Gerrit Dokter is an expert in IRL Community building & IRL marketing for consumer brands, creating loneliness solutions for Gen Z and Y, and social entrepreneur based in Munich, Germany. When he’s not exploring the future of friendships and IRL connections, he’s probably diving into the latest research on loneliness, sharing knowledge about IRL community that sparks real-world connection, or curating unique experiences that bring people together. Say HEY on LinkedIn — he’s always up for a good conversation.