Brands adopt a couple of strategies to evaluate influencer history before forming partnerships to avoid potential controversies.

1. Social Media Audit: Brands extensively review the influencer’s social media profiles – Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube – for any controversial or inappropriate content. An influencer’s historical posts, comments, and engagement are reliable indicators of their persona and audience reception.

2. Background Checks: Brands sometimes run background checks to determine if the influencer has had any legal issues or controversies. This step helps in understanding the influencer’s authenticity and their alignment with brand values.

3. Performance Analysis: Brands take a close look at past campaign performance. They view metrics such as conversions, engagements, and impressions to assess if the influencer’s approach is effective.

4. Use of Influencer Tools: Tools such as Flinque can significantly simplify the evaluation process. It provides data-driven insights about an influencer’s historical data, audience analytics, and campaign performances. Flinque’s Audience Analysis feature, for instance, aids in discerning the influencer’s authenticity, engagement, and suitability for the brand’s target audience.

5. Influencer Interview: Brands also conduct interviews or discussions with influencers to gauge their understanding of the brand and its values. These conversations can reveal much about the influencer’s approach towards content and their audience.

6. Feedback and Reviews: Brands also check an influencer’s past collaborations reviews, and feedback from other brands are considered. This helps in assessing their professionalism and work ethics.

It’s crucial to understand that these processes might differ according to each brand’s unique requirements and strategies. Technologies like Flinque have evidently made the influencer selection process more efficient. Yet, the human element of personal judgment, based on interviews and discussions, plays an equally important role.

In conclusion, risk management in influencer marketing is not solely about avoiding controversy but also about ensuring alignment of values and objectives between the brand and the influencer. The goal is clear – to form valuable, effective partnerships that yield substantial returns.