To start, consider building a template that will help you keep track of the top people with whom you’d like to work. It’s likely you already have some kind of list, but having a consistent way to keep track of them and assess them is an important place to start. Here is a template you can tailor to track whatever metrics you think are most important:
If you use a tool like Klout or other social ranking tool, you can include that score. Other times, your scoring can be a little bit more “gut-based” as you read through an influencer’s work. Which brings up a very important part of this process: read your potential influencer’s work! Read their articles, see how they respond to comments, review their tweets, and really get a sense of what matters most to them. To gauge the level and extent of their influence you can also see who is responding to their work and following them; all good things to incorporate in your spreadsheet as well (these people could be potential influencers, too).