What It Does
Similar Creator search starts with one creator and returns a list of creators who are similar to them. It's especially useful for finding creators within a niche that's already worked for you, expanding your roster based on creators that are performing well, or scouting creators similar to ones a competitor is already working with.
How To Search
There are three ways to start a similar creator search.
Method 1: From Creator Discovery
Go to Recruit > Creator Discovery.
Select Similar Creators.
Choose a network: Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube.
Enter the username of the creator you want to find lookalikes for.
Method 2: From a creator's profile within Creator Discovery
From Creator Discovery, click on a creator to open their profile.
Click Actions > Search for lookalikes.
Method 3: From a creator's contact profile
From the Contacts tab, open a contact's profile.
Within the Overview tab, click the magnifying glass icon
next to the creator's social account you want to find lookalikes based on.
How “Similar” Is Defined
Each network uses a different approach to determine similarity.
TL;DR: Instagram and TikTok match creators based primarily on audience overlap, while YouTube matches creators based on content.
Instagram lookalikes are based primarily on audience overlap — specifically, how much a creator’s followers overlap with the followers of the reference creator. It isn't comparing what the creators post about; it’s comparing who follows them.
Because the model uses audience data, two creators can have significant audience overlap while covering different topics. A lookalike may therefore seem like a loose content match even when the underlying audience match is strong.
TikTok
TikTok works the same way as Instagram: similarity is based primarily on audience overlap rather than on content or performance.
YouTube
YouTube’s model focuses on content rather than audience overlap or performance metrics. It analyzes the channel's description, along with the titles, descriptions, and transcripts from a sample of that channel's recent, popular videos, then uses this information to summarize what the channel covers and who it’s likely made for. Channels are then matched based on how closely those summaries align.
Because the comparison is content-based rather than performance-based, a small channel can match closely with a much larger one if they cover similar topics for a similar audience.
Tips For Better Results
Start with a creator who has a clearly defined niche or content style. Broad, general-interest accounts tend to produce broader, less focused results.
On Instagram and TikTok, a lookalike that seems loosely related in content may still be a strong audience match. That’s expected — the model is matching audiences, not content.
For YouTube, lookalike results reflect the channel’s recent, popular videos. If a channel has recently shifted its content focus, its lookalikes will reflect that newer direction.
Already reviewing a creator? Use Actions > Search for Lookalikes from their profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do my Instagram or TikTok lookalikes sometimes feel like a different niche?
Why do my Instagram or TikTok lookalikes sometimes feel like a different niche?
Because those networks match on shared audience, not content topic. Two creators can share a large portion of the same followers while posting fairly different types of content — the match is still accurate, it's just answering "who has a similar audience," not "who makes similar content."
Does YouTube's similar channel search factor in subscriber count or views?
Does YouTube's similar channel search factor in subscriber count or views?
No. YouTube similarity is based on AI-generated content summaries, not performance metrics. A smaller channel can therefore match a much larger one if their content and target audience are closely aligned.