Finding and connecting with the right social media influencers is the holy grail for brands seeking to succeed with impactful campaigns.

Yet the process remains mired in widespread frustration. Influencer discovery platforms sit at the heart of the issue; while promising access, their paywalls and fees end up severely limiting matchup possibilities.

Both brands and influencers face never-ending searches, misaligned connections and constraints around true access.

That’s why Socially Powerful recently stepped into the fray, provocatively challenging the status quo. They launched an AI influencer discovery tool named Aria that tears down traditional platform barriers by allowing unlimited access to over 200 million profiles completely free.

Paywalls and bottlenecks

Currently, brands hoping to identify and partner with influencers face never-ending searches, platform fees and freemium barriers limiting access. This produces massive inefficiencies for marketers trying to match the right influencers to campaign needs.

On the influencer side, mysterious and vague discovery mechanisms limit their ability to achieve visibility and form connections with relevant brands. And for brands, it only means the big companies with big budgets can get connected with the right influencers.

The tricky thing is that these fees and subscriptions add up quickly. Many brands feel nickel-and-dimed by having to pay for search filters, contact lists, message credits and so on.

Sure, there are free tiers on some platforms, but key features stay locked behind the premium upgrades. Agencies complain about complex licensing deals to access influencer data and contact info on behalf of their clients.

So, marketers hit roadblocks trying to get budget approval for yet another influencer tool subscription when they already pay for a social media management platform, analytics and content creators.

That leads to smaller influencers getting hurt as well. Without the smaller brands looking for niche micro influencers, they get the cold shoulder from larger brands looking to maximize their return on investment (ROI). So instead of a free and competitive marketplace, you get a convoluted pay-to-win market that puts pressure on the bottom.

That’s why these constraints on open access have sparked frustration for both brands and influencers.

The potential for exponential value creation

By shifting the current model of influencer technology behind paywalls into a perpetually free product, Socially Powerful’s Aria poses an implicit challenge to the status quo:

Could opening up access between brands and influencers unlock exponential value across the ecosystem that existing software stifles?

Their thesis is that if discovery barriers disappear, it would smooth the matching process for relevant partners on both sides. That way, the openness expands the possibility for innovative collaborations to occur, powered by enhanced alignment from frictionless connections.

Over time, as new brand-influencer partnerships emerge, thanks to free accessibility, it could massively amplify marketing ROI.

This compounding effect is difficult to achieve within fragmented, constrained discovery pools that dominate paid platforms. This is especially true since these platforms are created via account-based subscription models designed more for revenue maximization rather than system-wide value growth.

Frictionless collaboration unlocks creativity

Socially Powerful believes removing fees around influencer discovery does more than just save brands money. They argue the current paid platforms severely restrict creative collaboration itself.

The tedious searches, subscriptions and costs put up barriers between brands, agencies and creators. This limits new partnerships forming organically.

In a system of instant and free access, exciting possibilities open up. Brands and influencers could seamlessly connect based purely on shared values, interests and visions — not just budgets.

If any brand could easily partner with any creator and their community, it would massively grow the pool of voices. This influx of fresh perspectives sparks inspiration and innovation across influencer marketing.

Socially Powerful believes these creativity-boosting ripple effects represent the true potential of free influencer discovery. But monumental industry shifts take time. Though early signs look promising, they still need to prove opening up access can transform dominant business models focused more on revenue over unlocking collaborative creativity.

VentureBeat newsroom and editorial staff were not involved in the creation of this content.