What Essential Qualities do PR Professionals Look for in Creators?

Vibes Over Vanity, What PRs Are Watching, & Tips to Land on Their Radar

June 05, 2025

In the evolving world of influencer marketing, PR professionals are refining their criteria for selecting creators. This article explores the essential qualities that industry experts prioritize when partnering with influencers.

From brand value alignment to authentic audience engagement, discover the key factors that shape successful creator collaborations in today's competitive landscape.

  • Seek Creators Who Align with Brand Values

  • Focus on Editorial Content Creators

  • Value Genuine Dog Appreciation in Creators

  • Prioritize Authentic Audience Engagement

  • Look for Alignment with Brand Ethos

  • Embrace Authenticity in Creator Partnerships

Seek Creators Who Align with Brand Values

Beyond follower count or aesthetics, I look for narrative alignment. The creators we add to our PR list must have a storytelling style that naturally integrates brand values without feeling scripted. For me, it's all about how well a creator tells a story that feels real and personal. I look for someone who can talk about a brand the way they'd recommend something to a friend—genuinely, without forcing it or making it sound like an ad. It's not just about the numbers or polished content anymore. If their tone, values, and storytelling style align with the brand in an authentic way, that's what makes them stand out. That's when followers stop scrolling and actually start listening.

Focus on Editorial Content Creators

This is a great question. For our PR media list, we have a different approach to adding creators than our colleagues who specialize in social media influencer marketing. While social media marketers mainly consider the follower and engagement counts of influencers active on Instagram and TikTok and select a mix of broad and/or micro influencers, we consider different metrics. There is a distinction because working with social media influencers requires specific contracts and policies for ad labeling, post and story amounts, and reporting on outcomes.

While PR professionals actively engage with social listening tools, we focus on editors of traditional media outlets and creators who publish with an editorial focus. The creators we add are mostly journalists who publish newsletters through their own Substack or independent publishers with owned media channels, such as an online magazine. We also add YouTube creators who focus on educational content in a niche, such as vlogging about interior design. In PR, we first look at the quality of the content and only secondarily at metrics such as traffic, as we work on leveraging published brand content.

Melanie Marten, PR Consultant and Business Developer, The Coup

Value Genuine Dog Appreciation in Creators

When we add a creator to our PR list at Dog with Blog, we look beyond just numbers: we're drawn to people who genuinely understand and appreciate dogs. It's that natural affinity that makes their content feel authentic. If a creator is genuine, connects deeply with their audience, and shares a love for dogs, it creates a synergy that feels less like marketing and more like a shared story. This approach helps us ensure that campaigns feel organic and aligned with our mission. We've found that creators who have firsthand experience with dogs—whether as pet parents, volunteers, or advocates—bring a level of insight that resonates more effectively with our audience. Their content tends to be more informed, empathetic, and trusted, which in turn drives stronger engagement and long-term value for both the brand and the community.

Abhilasha Joshi, Community Manager, Dog with Blog

Prioritize Authentic Audience Engagement

One quality we always look for in a creator before adding them to our PR list is authentic audience engagement — not just follower count.

We look closely at how they interact with their community: Do they reply to comments? Do people trust their recommendations? Are their posts generating real conversations or just likes? A creator with a smaller but loyal, engaged following often drives more impact than someone with inflated metrics.

We're not just looking for reach — we're looking for influence. That starts with trust, and you can see it in the comments before the numbers.

Aviad Faruz, Marketing Specialist, Angel Numbers Guru

Look for Alignment with Brand Ethos

As a brand founder, one quality I always look for in a creator is genuine alignment with our brand ethos. At Hale and Belle, we're rooted in education, wellness, and conscious beauty—so I pay close attention to whether a creator's content reflects those values organically, not just through paid partnerships.

It's not about follower count—it's about storytelling that feels authentic, informed, and intentionally crafted. I'm far more likely to add a creator to our PR list if I see them educating their audience with care, rather than just showcasing products.

When creators believe in what we offer, their audience does too. That's the kind of influence that matters.

Neisha Arora, Author | Face Yoga Coach | Skincare Educator & Medi-Facial Certified | Nutrition Advisor, Hale and Belle

Embrace Authenticity in Creator Partnerships

As both a brand founder and a mom in the messy middle, the top quality I look for in a creator is authenticity. I'm drawn to women who show up as themselves, relatable, real, and with unplanned content. Whether it's filming content in the car between school drop-off and meetings or sharing a product they genuinely love in their everyday routine, it's that unfiltered, on-the-go lifestyle that resonates with our audience. We want to partner with creators who feel like a friend, not a commercial.