Find Your Influence (FYI) manages over 23 million creator profiles through its all-in-one influencer marketing platform, connecting brands with content creators while focusing on performance metrics. 

FYI’s CEO, Jamie Reardon Evans, started the company in 2013 when “influencer” wasn’t yet an established industry term, and technology solutions for managing blogger campaigns were scarce.

Initially serving brands that needed systems to track metrics, manage payments, and ensure brand safety while working with bloggers, FYI has grown into an end-to-end influencer marketing solution. 

“We have a well-established presence across the Fortune 500 to Fortune 5000 landscape,” says Jamie. “At the same time, we thrive on partnering with high-growth startups and dynamic mid-market brands. Over the years, we’ve engaged with virtually every consumer channel. Backed by our robust platform, white-glove service, and celebrity collaborations, we strive to deliver success across all facets of influencer marketing.”

The company now offers subscription access to its platform for brands that want to run campaigns themselves, alongside a white-glove service for clients who prefer expert guidance. 

Chelsea Goodson, who became the Head of Creator Economy at FYI in November 2023, leads their creator-focused initiatives.

Platform Features and Expert Support

FYI’s platform serves as the foundation of their service model, offering specific features designed to improve the influencer marketing process from discovery to reporting.

“We have a discovery tool of about 23 million influencers, and we also have an opt-in community,” Jamie explains. “The clients have the ability to access all forms of creators while also knowing those that are extremely engaged and consistently active on the platform.”

Additional platform capabilities include a campaign opt-in system, which enables creators to proactively apply for brand campaigns, a survey function that targets specific audience demographics, and reporting tools that provide performance metrics.

Chelsea describes their creator verification approach: “We have an internal vetting process that combines AI and human touch to review our community candidates and ensure that they’re not only working as influencers, but also that they fall within our safety guardrails. influencer.”

Unlike purely technology-focused solutions, FYI pairs its platform with expert guidance. “Sometimes our clients need end-to-end support as they execute an influencer campaign, and others are like, ‘Hey, I’ve got it, I have the team, and I can use the platform,'” explains Jamie. “Or it’s a stepping stone. We have a team involved for a period of time, and then they are ready to take it forward using the platform on their own.”

A Decade of Performance Insights

A key strength of FYI is its accumulated campaign information across various industries since 2013, which informs both campaign execution and ROI measurement. As Jamie and Chelsea note, this historical perspective has proven useful as the field has shifted from focusing on basic metrics to performance-based results.

“We have over 10 years of data and have touched a diverse set of campaigns, brands, and verticals, and are able to determine what works,” Jamie emphasizes as central to their approach.

The platform applies this knowledge to guide users: “Our platform has that data built into it, so it’s also helping them decide what the best criteria should be, what the recommended budget is, and what the best fee for an influencer might be,” Chelsea explains. “There are so many nuances, and we’ve seen them all.”

A focus on performance has generated measurable results for clients.  As a global automotive brand noted, “When applying paid amplification to creator content, we saw an incredible return on our investment.” An enterprise technology company echoed this, adding, “The team at FYI was a valuable partner throughout the process—we saw a 199% ROI.” 

FYI has adjusted its measurement approach as clients’ needs have changed: “We’re moving very heavily into the conversion-focused space,” Chelsea notes. “We’ve gone as far as guaranteeing [CPM] to our clients in certain cases and also with conversions as well.”

Specialized Tools for Brand Safety and Creator Voice

As the creator space has grown, FYI has developed tools and methods to address an ongoing tension: maintaining creator distinctiveness while ensuring brand safety and compliance.

“One of the other big topics that I think a lot of us are talking about right now is the balance between brand safety and changing the conversation for influencers,” Jamie explains. “As we’re making edits to copy, it’s ensuring that we’re still allowing them to use their voice because no one knows what their audience wants better than these creators themselves.”

FYI’s strategy centers around their survey functionality, which Chelsea describes as an important component in their creator identification process: “If a brand wants to throw out a wide net and say, ‘Who’s interested in this?’ and find the most passionate person for the job, then they’re easily able to do that.” The survey tool allows brands to target creators based on specific criteria, from geographic location to niche interests.

“The survey tool allows you to find those who are authentically connected to you,” Chelsea explains. “I think it’s easy to look in your Instagram feed or your TikTok For You page and find someone who might feel like a good fit. But the survey tool allows you to pinpoint someone very excited about whether it’s a product, a service, whatever it may be.”

This approach helps FYI’s clients in regulated industries. “We have large clients in financial services, pharma, and other industries that need to make adjustments, and we understand that,” Jamie notes.

Breaking Down Industry Silos

Moving beyond transactional relationships, FYI is working to build a genuine community among all stakeholders.

“A lot of what we’re spending time on is the collaboration tools, as well as building out a community where brands, agencies, creators, social platforms, and influencer companies can come together and share what’s working, what’s not,” Jamie shares regarding FYI’s future directions.

The company regularly hosts webinars that support both brands and creators, has an active social community, and has cultivated relationships with influencers spanning their entire decade in business. Chelsea emphasizes that this ecosystem approach ultimately benefits the often-forgotten end user: “Sometimes we forget that this content is for an audience. It’s for someone who is engaging and wants to learn something.”

Ready for the Future

As creator marketing continues to progress, FYI positions itself for the next phase of development with its combination of technology and expert knowledge, performance history, attention to the creator voice, and community-building efforts.

“The industry is in a special spot,” Jamie reflects, pointing to FYI’s readiness to help brands and creators prepare for what’s next.

As Chelsea summarizes their philosophy: “There’s so much to say about the power of everyone coming together and making sure that we’re continuing to grow that way. We want it to be a very positive space. And really, we can’t do that solo. We must bring the power of our voices together and grow together.”