Guide
How to Vet an AI Creator Before You Sponsor Them
Six checks and a short list of red flags, in the order we run them.
By the Gratovo team · · 3 min read
Key takeaways
- Average views on recent videos tell you more than subscriber count.
- Read the comments: real questions about tools beat generic praise.
- Ask for audience analytics and check the creator's location claim against them.
- Look for steady growth, and ask about sudden jumps.
- Our standards: 30K+ average views, 3-8% engagement from active viewers, 35%+ of the audience in your target country.
1. Look at average views, not subscribers
Subscribers show how many people clicked once. Recent views show who still watches. Open the last ten to twenty long-form uploads, ignore the single biggest hit, and take the typical number. That is closest to what a sponsored video can reach. Our standard is 30K+ average views per video.
2. Judge engagement by quality as well as rate
A simple engagement rate is likes plus comments divided by views. We look for 3-8% from active viewers. The number only helps if it is real, so read the comments. Questions about the tools in the video, people sharing what they tried, and follow-up requests are good signs. Repetitive, generic or off-topic comments are not.
3. Confirm where the audience is
If your product serves one country or language, audience location matters more than size. Ask the creator for a screenshot of the audience geography from their analytics (YouTube Studio shows this) for the last 28 to 90 days, and compare it with what they claimed. We look for 35%+ of the audience in your target country. A creator who shares analytics easily is usually a good sign.
4. Check consistency over time
- Do they upload on a steady rhythm?
- Do views stay in a similar range from video to video?
- Is there a sudden jump in subscribers or views with no clear reason? Ask about it.
5. Read earlier sponsored videos
Find videos with a paid-promotion label or a sponsor segment. Does the creator show the product working? Do viewers react in the comments? Have they promoted a direct competitor recently? Past integrations are the best preview of yours.
6. Check topic and brand fit
A creator can have excellent numbers and still be wrong for your product. Check that they already cover the problem you solve, at a level your buyer is at, in a tone that suits your brand.
Red flags
- Subscribers jump by thousands with no matching change in views.
- Engagement is almost identical on every video, whatever the topic.
- Comments are generic, repetitive or full of unrelated accounts.
- The audience location they claim does not match their analytics.
- Unwilling to share any analytics at all.
One-page checklist
- Average views on the last 10 to 20 long-form videos.
- Engagement rate and comment quality.
- Audience location from analytics.
- Upload rhythm and growth pattern.
- Two or three earlier sponsored videos.
- Topic, level and tone fit.
What we do at Gratovo
We run these checks before you see a name, so the list is short on purpose: one to three creators, with their views and audience details. See how it works for brands, or read the full guide to AI influencer marketing.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the niche and the size of the channel. For AI and software content we look for 3-8% from active viewers, and we read the comments to make sure the engagement is real.
Not reliably. Ask the creator for a screenshot of the audience geography from their analytics, or work with someone who checks it for you.
No, but they show history rather than current reach. Average views on recent videos are a better guide to what a sponsorship will deliver.
The last ten to twenty long-form uploads, ignoring the single biggest hit.
Want us to do this for you?
Tell us what you sell. We find and check the creators, recommend one to three, and make the introduction. We reply within 24 hours.
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