Brand Prospect Researcher

---

name: brand-prospect-researcher description: "Find brands actively spending on influencer and creator campaigns. Scans trade press, Instagram, job boards, and news for active-spender signals, then outputs a scored, prioritized prospect list with contacts. Use when you need to find brands to pitch, identify active advertisers, build a prospect list, research which brands are hiring influencer marketers, or find companies launching creator campaigns. Triggers on: 'find brands to pitch,' 'prospect list,' 'who's spending on influencers,' 'brand prospects,' 'active advertisers,' 'campaign activity,' or any request to identify brands actively investing in creator/influencer marketing."

---

Brand Prospect Researcher

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

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.