Brand Prospect Researcher

Find brands actively spending on influencer and creator campaigns. Scans trade press, Instagram, job boards, and news for active-spender signals, then output...

Find and score brands actively investing in influencer/creator marketing. Built for talent managers and self-managed creators who need to know which brands are spending right now so they can pitch with confidence.

Prerequisites

• web_search tool (required) — for trade press, job postings, partnership news
• web_fetch tool (required) — for reading full articles
• gram CLI (optional) — for Instagram campaign activity signals. If unavailable, skip Instagram checks and note in output.

Check gram availability:

which gram

If not found, proceed without Instagram data and flag it in the report.

Workflow

1. Collect User Configuration

Ask the user (or use defaults):

Parameter	Default	Description
niche	general	Vertical to scan (fashion, beauty, food, fitness, tech, lifestyle, gaming, travel, etc.)
num_prospects	20	Number of brands to return
categories	all	Which signal categories to scan (trade press, jobs, Instagram, partnerships)
geo_focus	US	Geographic market focus
timeframe	3 months	How recent signals should be

If user provides a niche, tailor ALL searches to that vertical.

2. Scan Trade Press for Campaign Activity

Run web searches across major trade publications. Adapt publication list to the user's niche:

Cross-industry: Ad Age, Adweek, Marketing Dive, The Drum, Campaign Fashion/Beauty: BoF, WWD, Glossy, Fashionista, Allure Food/Bev: Food & Wine, Eater, BevNET Tech: TechCrunch, The Verge, Wired Lifestyle/Home: Architectural Digest, Domino, Apartment Therapy Gaming: IGN, Polygon, Kotaku Fitness: Well+Good, Shape, Men's Health

Search queries (run 5-8 variations):

"[niche] influencer campaign 2026"
"[niche] brand creator partnership"
"[niche] influencer marketing launch"
"brand ambassador [niche] campaign announcement"
"[niche] creator collaboration new"
site:adage.com OR site:glossy.co "[niche] influencer"

For each result, extract: brand name, campaign type, date, publication, URL.

3. Search for Hiring Signals

Job postings for influencer marketing roles = strong active-spender signal.

"influencer marketing manager" "[niche]" hiring 2026
"creator partnerships" job posting [geo_focus]
"influencer relations" "[niche]" open role
site:linkedin.com/jobs "influencer marketing" "[niche]"

Extract: company name, role title, posting date, URL.

4. Find Partnership Announcements & Product Launches

"[niche] brand launch 2026"
"[niche] new product launch influencer"
"[niche] brand agency change" OR "agency of record"
"[niche] rebrand 2026"

Brands launching products or changing agencies are actively allocating budget.

5. Check Instagram Campaign Activity (if gram available)

For top candidate brands from steps 2-4, check Instagram for activity signals:

gram search "[brand name]" --limit 5
gram user info [brand_handle]

Look for:

• Recent sponsored/partnership posts
• Tagged creator content
• Campaign hashtags
• Follower growth (indicates ad spend)

If gram is unavailable, skip and note: "Instagram verification skipped — install gram CLI for deeper signal data."

6. Search for Contact Information

For each high-scoring brand, search for:

"[brand name] influencer marketing contact"
"[brand name] PR contact email"
"[brand name] head of influencer marketing" linkedin
"[brand name] partnerships" site:linkedin.com

Extract: name, title, email (if public), LinkedIn URL.

7. Score Each Brand

Score each brand 1-100 based on signal strength:

Signal	Points
Active campaign in trade press (last 3 months)	+25
Hiring influencer marketing roles	+20
New product/rebrand launch	+15
Agency change or new agency hire	+15
Instagram campaign activity confirmed	+10
Multiple signals from different sources	+10
Contact info found	+5

Tiers:

• 🔥 Hot (70-100): Multiple strong signals, actively spending now
• 🟡 Warm (40-69): Clear intent signals, likely receptive
• 🔵 Cool (20-39): Some signals, worth monitoring

8. Output Format

# Brand Prospect Report: [Niche]

**Generated:** [date]
**Niche:** [niche]
**Geo Focus:** [geo]
**Sources Scanned:** [count]
**Prospects Found:** [count]

## 🔥 Hot Prospects

### 1. [Brand Name] — Score: [X]/100
**Category:** [industry]
**Signals:**
- [Signal 1 with source link]
- [Signal 2 with source link]
**Why Now:** [1-2 sentences on why this brand is actively spending]
**Contact:** [Name, Title, LinkedIn/email if found]
**Campaign Type:** [What they're likely buying: posts, stories, ambassadors, events]

---

### 2. [Brand Name] — Score: [X]/100
...

## 🟡 Warm Prospects
[Same format, briefer]

## 🔵 Watch List
[Brand names with single signals — worth monitoring]

## Methodology
- Trade press scanned: [list publications]
- Job boards checked: [list]
- Search queries run: [count]
- Instagram checked: [yes/no]
- Date range: [timeframe]

Error Handling

Issue	Action
gram not installed	Skip Instagram checks, note in report, still deliver results
No results for niche	Broaden search terms, try adjacent verticals, report limited findings
Rate limited on web_search	Space queries, reduce total searches, prioritize trade press
No contacts found	Note "Contact research needed" — don't block the report
Very niche vertical	Supplement with general influencer marketing news, flag lower confidence

Tips for Best Results

• Narrow niches (e.g., "sustainable fashion" vs "fashion") yield more targeted results
• Run quarterly to catch seasonal campaign cycles
• Cross-reference with your existing outreach to avoid duplicates
• Hot prospects should be pitched within 1-2 weeks of signal detection