The hashtags an influencer uses is often a good initial indication as to whether or not they'll be a good fit for your brand. Same goes for the content of their bio.

Problem is: searching hashtags, it'll take you days to go through all the search results and find the right influencers. And directly on Instagram/TikTok/Youtube, there isn't a way to search creators based on their bio content.

Good news: it's possible using Modash. Here's how.

How to find influencers with hashtags and bio keywords

Here's how to find influencers with hashtags & bio keywords using Modash — an influencer discovery platform.

Here's the TL;DR:

Modash lists every creator on Instagram, TikTok & YouTube with 1k+ followers. You apply filters to find the ones that fit your criteria. Those filters include hashtags & bio keywords. Search by the ones you're interested in, and get every creator in the world that fits your filters. It's really that simple!

Here's an example using hashtags and bio keywords relevant to skincare.

You'll get a list of results, and you can open up the profile to check their audience demographics, performance (e.g. engagement rate), top content, hashtags used, and more. It looks like this:

Keep scrolling to learn more, or give it a spin with a 14-day free trial. No credit card needed.

Okay, now onto the details.

Hashtags vs bio words — which is better?

The short version is that:

• Searching with hashtags will provide more results, with lower relevance
• Searching with words in bio will provide less results, with higher relevance

Both will produce results, depending on what you're searching for.

Suppose you're looking for US-based influencers who're also a chef to collaborate with on your next campaign.

If you use 'chef' as a hashtag filter, you'll get search results for all the profiles that have used #chef in their posts. That could include any old John Doe who cooked a meal and posted a picture of it with #chef.

On the other hand, searching using 'chef' as a bio keyword will give you a list of highly relevant influencers. Chances are, you're not going to write 'chef' in your Instagram bio unless you're actually a chef. So you'll get fewer results, of a higher quality.

So, what's better? Keep in mind:

• Using hashtags as filters is excellent for broad searches. You will get a diverse group of profiles that you can further narrow down through other filters Modash offers.
• Hashtags also offer a way to find influencers who haven't listed the key terms you're looking for in their bios. A great example of this is searching for the hashtag #vegan. There may be influencers who are vegan but don't mention it in their bios. The hashtag #dairyfree or #vegan would help you find those influencers.
• If you want to be specific with your search, using bio words will give you only those profiles that have that keyword in their bio — making your search result extremely precise to what you want.

How to search influencers using bio keywords

Now that we've covered which filters to use let's have an in-depth look at how to use bio keywords to find influencers.

After you sign up for a Modash trial, you'll land in the Discovery tab. Here, select the platform you want to search influencers for (TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube).

Now, apply the keyword you want in a profile's bio. Let's take an example.

Suppose you're a cosmetic brand looking for US-based female makeup artists (MUAs) to collaborate with for your next campaign. You can include bio keywords like makeup artist, MUA, and makeup expert. Let's see what the filters look like.

Here, we added other requirements (located in USA, follower range 10-100k, engagement rate 2% minimum). Plus, our bio keyword. After running this search, Modash finds almost 900 creators who exactly match the criteria. From there, you can analyze their profiles, get their contact emails, and start reaching out.

How to search influencers using hashtags

With Modash, using hashtags work the same way as using bio keywords. Just select the social media platform and add the hashtags you want to search for.

You can add multiple hashtags in the filter section for more results.

Searching influencers directly on social media platforms using hashtags

Using hashtags to discover influencers on social media platforms can be laborious and time-consuming, BUT if you're just starting out without a budget, it can be good enough to find your first few collabs at zero cost.

Let's have a look at Instagram as an example.

Go to the platform and type in the hashtag in the search bar. Suppose you're an athletic apparel company looking for fitness influencers to collaborate with.

Search on Instagram with the hashtag #FitnessWear, and 3M+ posts appear. You can start sifting through the results looking for potential collaborators.

💡 I'd also recommend trying more niche hashtags, or searching for creators who promoted other brands. For example, maybe someone posting with #gymsharkleggings would be open to promoting another fitness clothing brand who sell leggings. Lastly, remember to look at 'Recent' posts, as well as 'Top' (because Top posts might be larger accounts who are hard to reach, and expensive to collab with).

Similarly, you can find influencers on TikTok and other platforms using relevant hashtags.

How to decide which hashtags to use

We've talked about how you can use hashtags to find influencers. But how do you decide which hashtags to use in your influencer search query?

Again, the best approach would be to use broad hashtags at first and narrow them down to the more specific ones. There are different types of hashtags you can use, like:

• Branded hashtags: These are mainly introduced by brands like #MyCalvins created by Calvin Klein. Most brands use their name as a standalone hashtag, like #Samsung.
• Industry-centric hashtags: You can use words and phrases specific to your niche, like #Fitness, #HealthAndWellness, and #Sports if you're in the fitness niche.
• Location hashtags: If you want to find local influencers, location hashtags are quite helpful, like #London or #HydePark. These are also helpful to increase the scope of your post reach.
• Event hashtags: Many influencers use #HappyMothersDay or #ValentinesDay to promote their content. Using these hashtags can help you find influencers specifically targeting those events.

You can also follow hashtags on Instagram to keep up with all the content posted under that hashtag. This way, whenever some influencer posts something new with that hashtag, you'll see it in your Instagram timeline, and you can then reach out to them for a potential collaboration.

If you're looking for influencers who post about skincare tips and educate their followers on skincare, you can follow the hashtag #SkincareTips.

When figuring out which hashtags to use, remember to step out of the box and search for hashtags that aren't directly related to your niche or industry. Not only does this provide you with more diverse influencers to work with, but you can also target a broader audience.

Let's take the example of Bitpanda — a crypto-based Fintech company. As a heavily male-dominated field, social media is full of male influencers talking about crypto.

Maia Pedro, Influencer Marketing Team Lead at Bitpanda, targeted women entrepreneurs, gamers, and solo entrepreneurs and put the brand in front of them, resulting in 3 million new users for Bitpanda.

Avery Shrader, CEO of Modash, reinforced Maia's strategy and advises:

"There are topics and themes adjacent to your core business but different from your industry. So instead of just focusing on your niche, it's important to look at how you can get one step adjacent to your core business and still have a relevant influencer to tell your brand's story."

Learn more from this LinkedIn post & video.

Start collaborating with the right influencers today!

Using an influencer discovery tool like Modash isn't the only way to find influencers, but it is more precise and way less laborious.

Hashtags are best for broad searches, while bio keywords are great for finding specific and relevant influencers. You can use them together to get more specific results and find the best influencer for your next campaign.

With Modash, you can also access in-depth data on specific influencers and analyze the performance of your campaigns.

Grab your 14-day free trial and take your influencer marketing to the next level! Sign up today!