Follower count is the worst way to pick a creator. The signals that predict performance are audience quality, brand fit and how a creator's previous sponsored content actually performed.
Start with the audience: is it real, is it in your market, and does it match your customer? A creator with 80k engaged, on-target followers beats 800k mismatched ones every time.
Next, brand fit. The best integrations feel native to the creator's usual content. If a partnership would feel forced to their audience, it will underperform no matter the reach.
Finally, look at proof. Ask for past sponsored results, not just organic averages, since sponsored content behaves differently. We screen every creator on these three axes before a single euro is committed.