Remember when trusting strangers on the internet seemed risky? Times have changed. Now, those online voices can be your brand’s key to marketing success. Influencer marketing has evolved into a $24-billion industry, with brands of all sizes scrambling to get their products into the hands (and feeds) of content creators.
But here’s the catch: while every social media manager dreams of partnering with the next big creator, few are doing it effectively.
Successful influencer marketing in 2025 isn’t spending big on a verified account and hoping for the best. It’s about strategy, authenticity, and mastering the art of measuring ROI.
Key takeaways
- Influencer marketing is a rapidly growing market, with Statista projecting it will reach $32.55 billion globally by the end of 2025, doubling its 2021 value.
- Choose the right influencer type, from nano to mega, based on your campaign goals to maximize ROI through targeted reach and authentic engagement.
- Avoid pitfalls by aligning your influencer collaborations with your audience’s core values and expectations.
- Define clear campaign goals and track key performance indicators, such as conversions and engagement rates, to ensure measurable success and a strong return on investment.
- Embrace emerging trends, such as AI influencers and LinkedIn thought leaders, to keep your strategy innovative and relevant in 2025.
What is influencer marketing?
Influencer marketing is a social media strategy where brands partner with content creators to promote their business to the creator’s engaged audience.
Think of it as word-of-mouth digital marketing — instead of your neighbor raving about their new air fryer over the fence, it’s someone with 20,000 TikTok followers influencing your next purchasing decision.
Celebrity endorsements were the original form of influencer marketing. But today, social content creators with niche audiences can be even more powerful marketing tools.
These smaller accounts often have very engaged followers on social media. When you hire one of these content creators, or “influencers,” to promote your products or services on one or more social media platforms, that’s influencer marketing.
Brands are jumping on the influencer marketing campaign bandwagon faster than you can say “link in bio.”
There’s been a 21% year-over-year increase in organizations working with influencers, according to Hootsuite’s latest Social Media Trends survey. That’s an impressive leap for a strategy that began with bloggers reviewing free samples.
And the growth isn’t slowing down — Statista projects the global influencer marketing industry will reach $32.55 billion by the end of 2025, nearly doubling its 2021 value of $16.4 billion, as brands continue to prioritize authentic engagement over traditional ads.
This trend holds true regionally as well. In Canada, influencer advertising spending is expected to hit $735.95 million by 2025 and grow to over $1 billion by 2030, reflecting the increasing investment in this strategy.
Similarly, in the UK, spending is projected to reach £1,116.45 million by 2025, climbing to £1,442.78 million by 2030, underscoring the global momentum.
This rapid growth underscores the staying power of influencer collaborations as a strategy for 2025 and beyond.
“When influencer marketing was first starting out, it was all about one-off sponsored posts, but since then we’ve seen a lot of brands get creative with PR boxes, brand trips, IRL activations, and more,” says Eileen Kwok, social and influencer marketing strategist here at Hootsuite.
She also points to brands dipping their toes into influencer marketing campaign opportunities on platforms like LinkedIn instead of conventional networks like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
“As influencer marketing evolves, we’ll start to see brands create these ecosystems of influence online, and continue to discover ways they can have many touch points and collaborations with thought leaders,” says Kwok.
In other words, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to making influencer marketing work. With the right planning and research, just about every brand’s message can benefit from a little influencer amplification.
Types of influencers
Before you invest in influencer collaborations, let’s explore the different types of creators you might partner with. The size of their audience can significantly impact your campaign’s success.
While major celebrities often dominate the social media marketing landscape, a creator with a smaller, dedicated niche following can sometimes be a more effective choice for a brand, offering both targeted reach and cost efficiency.
It’s also worth considering who you want to reach and where you want to connect. Different creators are better on different social networks — someone with a huge following on Instagram might not necessarily be big on LinkedIn.
Nano-influencers (1K – 10K followers)
Ever noticed how some people effortlessly gain likes on everyday posts, like a photo of their morning coffee? That’s the nano-influencer effect.
These creators may have a smaller following, but their engagement rates are often impressive. Creator marketing platform Hey List reports that nano-influencers have engagement rates as high as 8.7%, compared to just 1.7% for mega-influencers.
Average cost per post: $25 to $315 (it varies wildly by platform and niche, of course — read more about average rates for influencer marketing here)
Why choose them: Hyper-engaged audiences, authentic connections, budget-friendly
Perfect for: Local businesses, niche products, testing campaigns
Example: @sustainable_sarahb (7.8K followers on TikTok) showcases her eco-friendly lifestyle with posts on thrift shopping, her switch to veganism, and news about climate developments. She’d be a great partner for an eco-friendly brand looking to connect with an audience of people trying to live a greener life.
Micro-influencers (10K – 100K followers)
The sweet spot of influence. These creators have built solid, loyal communities without losing that “person next door” appeal. They’re like the neighborhood coffee shop of social media — big enough to be successful, small enough to remember their regulars’ names.
Average cost per post: $160 to $1,800
Why choose them: Strong niche authority, high engagement, reasonable rates
Perfect for: Growing brands, specific market penetration
Example: @jmillydg (10.6K followers on Instagram) is obsessed with disc golf. Any disc golf brands out there looking for a passionate partner in the field? Here’s your guy.
Macro-influencers (100K – 1M followers)
Now we’re entering celebrity territory — well, internet celebrity at least. These folks have turned content creation into a full-time career, complete with managers and media kits thicker than your average novel.
Average cost per post: $5,000 to $10,000
Why choose them: Major reach, professional content quality
Perfect for: National campaigns, product launches
Example: @yourgirlneens (182K followers on YouTube) built a following with her diary-style posts and creates videos about fashion, travel, food and life with her partner and two young kids.
Mega-influencers (1M+ followers)
The heavy hitters. The A-listers. These creators — whether they’re Instagram influencers, TikTok creators, or making waves on LinkedIn — can make products sell out faster than concert tickets, but they come with a price tag to match.
Average cost per post: $1,200 to $25,000+
Why choose them: Massive reach, instant credibility
Perfect for: Global brands, major launches
Example: Mega-influencers can include OG social media stars like Addison Rae, as well as @carlarockmore (1.3M followers on TikTok), who are probably slightly more financially accessible to brands. Fans of the fashionable 50-something @carlarockmore call her the “real-life Carrie Bradshaw.”
Emerging influencer types
Just when you thought you had this influencer thing figured out, the industry throws some curveballs. Here are three up-and-coming types of influencers to keep your eye on.
Employee influencers
Your staff might be your best advocates. Companies like Microsoft and IBM are turning their employees into content creators, combining industry expertise with personal branding.
“Employee advocacy is already the third-most popular way organizations use social media. Employee-generated content is on the rise and for a good reason,” says Kwok.
Employee advocacy helps build trust, since people trust other people more than brands. It’s also cost-effective, since you don’t have to rely entirely on paid media. Plus, advocacy boosts your brand’s reputation. When employees speak up, it comes across as more genuine.
B2B influencers
Because even businesses need influencers to influence their business decisions. Dave Gerhardt is one of LinkedIn’s stars, with a rabid following of more than 177,000.
LinkedIn is becoming the new Instagram for the business crowd. Twenty percent of marketers surveyed in a recent Hootsuite study said they ask influencers to post on LinkedIn.
“LinkedIn provides a fresh way to partner with credible industry leaders, business owners, and educators that are seen as true experts in niche industries,” Kwok says. “If you’re looking to roll out conversion ads and speak directly to decision makers, LinkedIn is the best platform to do so.”
Virtual/AI influencers
Virtual influencers are computer-generated characters, designed to engage with real people (like you!) on social media platforms. A whopping 52% of U.S. social media users follow a virtual influencer, and that percentage is higher globally.
These virtual influencers have realistic, human-like appearances and personalities. Maybe you’re following one (any Lil Miquela fans in the house?) and you don’t even know it.
Why influencer marketing works
Listen, we know what you’re thinking: “Why should I trust my brand to someone who got famous doing dance challenges?” But there’s a reason (actually, there are several) that you should use influencer marketing.
Trust and authenticity
Here’s a mind-bending stat for you: 36% of millennial consumers trust influencer recommendations more than traditional advertisements, according to the latest data available from Statista.
Why? Because watching someone’s daily life for months (or years) creates a parasocial relationship that feels weirdly authentic — even if that person is filming their “casual morning routine” for the fifteenth time to get the perfect shot. Call it the friend factor.
But this only works when it’s, you know, actually authentic.
In February 2025, prebiotic soda brand Poppi faced significant backlash after sending branded vending machines to 32 high-profile influencers like Alix Earle and Jake Shane for their Super Bowl campaign.
scrolling on tiktok just to see Poppi send vending machines full of soda cans for free to rich people is crazy, why do rich people deserve free things???
like ONE can of these sodas is like almost $3
shame on you!!! @drinkpoppi pic.twitter.com/Cy4OP5eSco
— ileana ⋆｡ﾟ
︎｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡⋆ (@zukorra) February 9, 2025
Critics called the move extravagant and out of touch, arguing that gifting such lavish items to already affluent creators — while everyday consumers, like teachers or nurses, missed out — alienated the brand’s community
@hopeyoufindyourdad @Isabella Lanter poppi vending machine controversy explained. Honestly, I kind of guessed that a controversy was about to be inevitable here with this brand… #poppi #marketing ♬ original sound – Andra
The campaign’s lack of diversity in creator selection and perceived wastefulness further fueled the fire, with competitor Olipop stoking criticism by highlighting the rumored $25,000 cost per machine (later debunked as inflated).
And while some people argued that the conversation generated made this campaign a success, as Rachel Karten says, “Good marketing doesn’t exist in the context of bad sentiment.”
This misstep shows that effective influencer marketing isn’t just about disclosure. It’s about aligning campaigns with your audience’s values and ensuring inclusivity in your approach.
Targeted reach
Traditional advertising is like using a megaphone as you walk around downtown. Sure, you’re reaching a lot of people, but are they your people? Influencer marketing lets you speak directly to specific communities.
For instance, a vegan skincare brand partnering with plant-based creators isn’t just reaching people who might like their products. They’re reaching people who’ve already shown interest in similar values and lifestyle choices. That’s marketing gold, folks.
Brand exposure
But influencer marketing has the power to transform conversations and narratives around your brand online… and provide a nice return on investment, too.
Fifty-nine percent of marketers Hootsuite surveyed are confident that working with influencers has delivered positive ROI for their organizations.
“With so much chatter online, influencers are one of the best ways to break the noise and capture the attention of your audience,” says Kwok.
How to create an influencer marketing strategy
Step 1: Define your objectives and goals
Before you slide into any influencer’s DMs, you need to know what you’re trying to achieve.
Are you:
- Launching a new product?
- Trying to reach a new audience?
- Building brand awareness?
- Driving direct sales?
Be honest with yourself! Your objective will determine everything from the type of influencer you work with to the content you create. (We’ve got a whole blog post on goal-setting strategies to get you started.)
And please, for the love of all things social media, set a realistic budget. If you’ve only got $500 to spend, Kylie Jenner isn’t going to be your girl.
Step 2: Know who you’re trying to influence
At the end of the day, you’re not just looking for any influencer — you’re looking for the right influencer for your specific audience. Developing audience personas is a great way to make sure you understand who you’re trying to reach.
Maybe you’re trying to reach more of your current audience, or an entirely new audience. Either way, once you decide, you can start the search for an influencer who can help you get in front of that specific group of people.
Fans of @jamescharles on TikTok are obsessed with makeup, so if you’ve got a beauty brand, this could be a great audience to tap into.
Step 3: Understand the rules
Before you dive into influencer marketing, it’s important to understand the rules. In the United States, those rules come from the Federal Trade Commission.
The FTC takes disclosure very seriously. Make sure you build disclosure guidelines into your agreements with influencers.
Influencers must identify sponsored posts. However, they do not always do so. Or they might do so in such a subtle way that the disclosure is effectively hidden or incomprehensible.
In the UK, for example, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigated “hidden advertising” on Instagram and pressed parent company Facebook to commit to changes that make disclosure easier and more clear.
The specific rules vary slightly by country, so be sure to check the most current requirements in your jurisdiction. For the most part, you just need to be clear and upfront so viewers understand when a post is sponsored in any way.
Step 4: Find the right influencer
Choosing an influencer based solely on follower count can backfire, just like judging a book by its cover. (Especially since followers can be bought!)
Influence is ultimately about relevance and resonance in addition to reach. A relevant influencer shares content relevant to your business and industry, and their persona matches your brand values. Their audience should strongly overlap with your target audience and have a high potential for engagement.
Here’s what to look for instead:
- Engagement rate. Llikes, comments, shares compared to follower count.
- Audience demographics. Are they actually reaching your target market?
- Content quality and style. Does it align with your brand?
- Past partnerships. Have they worked with your competitors?
You could turn to an influencer marketing platform to discover appropriate influencers for your next collaboration. Or, you could use social listening tools to find creators who are already talking about your brand or industry. They’re like that person who already had a crush on you before you asked them out—authentic affection has been there all along.
“According to our Trends Report, 60% of organizations that work with influencers already use social listening tools, and I expect that number to climb even higher in 2025,” notes Kwok.
“Yes, social listening helps brands monitor real-time conversations and sentiment, but what many don’t realize is that it’s one of the best ways to identify high-impact influencers — especially in niche industries. If you’re able to partner with an influential creator, they can help bump your mentions, sentiment, and overall social share of voice.”
Step 5: Do your homework
Before you go all in and propose a partnership with your favorite influencer, it’s time to do a little research. Take a look at what your potential influencers are posting. How often are they sharing sponsored content?
If they’re already bombarding followers with paid posts, their engagement rate may not last. Nobody wants a never-ending sales pitch in their feed. Look for plenty of organic, non-paid content to keep followers interested, enthusiastic, and engaged.
Keep this in mind when thinking about what you’ll ask the influencer to post, as well. Asking for too many influencer posts in a short timeframe will make your offer hard for the influencer to accept… even if it comes with a large paycheck.
That’s right: an influencer might just say no! The most in-demand influencers get lots of offers. It’s a sign of respect to take a minute to learn what they do, what they’re all about and who their audience is.
For instance, @shawnjohnson on Instagram isn’t just a “momfluencer” with 4.3 million followers… she’s also an Olympian and author.
Step 6: Make contact!
It’s time to make your move!
Tip: Start by engaging organically with their posts. Like their content and leave thoughtful comments to build rapport and show appreciation before reaching out via DM or email with your partnership pitch.
Whatever you do, don’t send a generic DM. Sure, it may take a little longer to write a personal message to each influencer. But it will show you’re serious about the potential partnership and increase your chances of striking a deal.
Provide as much information as you can about your brand. Tell them what you hope to accomplish with your Instagram campaign. Make it clear how the influencer will benefit, beyond the paycheck.
One key thing to keep in mind during this process: You may not actually want to use the word “influencer” when reaching out to potential partners. Content creators prefer to be called just that — creators — and may view “influencer” as a bit of an insult that belittles their work.
Step 7: Work with your influencer to plan your campaign
This might be tough for a social-media-manager A-type to hear, but influencer campaigns are group projects. Remember: influencers are content creation experts (this is why they prefer to be called creators). You’ll get the best value from their work by allowing them to showcase those skills.
Of course, it’s a good idea to offer some guidelines. But stage-managing the entire campaign is a no-no. Find the sweet spot between zero direction (“just make it cool!”) and try to script every breath the influencer takes.
A strong creative brief will include:
- Key messaging points
- Must-have elements (product features, hashtags)
- No-go zones (things to avoid)
- Examples of content you love
- Technical requirements (video length, image ratio)
But then — and this is crucial — let your influencer do their thing. Comedian @heyfreesamples builds products right into her skits. Asking her to do a straight-to-camera product review would be strange and off-brand.
The bottom line is that content creators know their audience better than you do. And their followers will smell an over-scripted post from a mile away.
“Followers are smart — they can sniff out an off-brand ad buy right away,” says Kwok. “Forming long-term relationships and building trust with your partners is the key to winning the hearts of your audience.”
Step 8: Measure your results
When you launch your influencer campaign, it’s easy to get distracted by vanity metrics like likes and comments, especially if your influencer’s following dwarfs your own, making those numbers look impressive.
However, the true measure of a campaign’s success lies in its return on investment. To accurately assess your campaign’s performance, ensure you have the right tools in place before it begins:
- Set up unique tracking links
- Create campaign-specific discount codes
- Establish your baseline metrics
- Defining your KPIs (and no, “going viral” isn’t a KPI)
You can also request detailed reports from the influencer on the reach and engagement levels of their posts.
Best practices when working with influencers
Respect the influencer’s expertise
Influencers know their audience best. When you’re approaching a content creator about a partnership, be prepared to find a balance between your objectives and their creative freedom.
“Present your brief to your creator and see if there are any tweaks they would make to make the partnership more authentic on both ends,” says Kwok.
That might look like letting an influencer who doesn’t ski make a cheeky video about how they love your products best for creating an apres-ski look.
Think beyond a single post
“One-off sponsored posts don’t do it anymore,” says Kwok. Work with your influencer to build an ongoing campaign… maybe even one that moves offline. Kwok suggests considering an in-person event or teaming up with a whole group of influencers to really achieve reach.
“It’s important to take notice of what other brands are doing but I encourage brands to write your own rules,” says Kwok.
“Discover the types of partnerships that break the mold of a traditional sponsored post and create the kind of content your target audiences would want to engage with.”
Perhaps a curated collection of products from your influencer partner, available in-store?
Keep the DMs open
Nothing should be left as a surprise, so open and extensive communication is important for both parties to feel like they are supported.
“It also ensures the outcome of the post is executed in an effective and timely manner,” says Kwok, who recommends all parties set clear expectations right from the beginning — including where they can best be reached, how many business days are reasonable between responses, or any upcoming vacations.
What brands often get wrong
Look, we’ve all made mistakes. However, some influencer marketing mistakes are more expensive than others.
Over-scripting content
You wouldn’t tell Picasso exactly how to paint, would you? When brands try to control every aspect of influencer content, it’s rarely a masterpiece.
Choosing based on aesthetics alone
Sure, that influencer’s feed looks like it was curated by the Instagram gods themselves. But if their audience is primarily teenage boys and you’re selling anti-aging cream… well, you do the math.
Ignoring red flags
If a content creator is posting edgy content or getting into online fights, beware. Their bad behavior could have you brushing up on your crisis management skills, too, if they’re a partner.
How to fix these mistakes
Work together on briefs
Instead of dropping a 20-page PDF in their inbox, try having an actual conversation with your influencer. Ask them:
- What types of content perform best with their audience?
- Their ideas for featuring your product or service
- Previous campaign experiences (good and bad)
Run test campaigns
Before you commit your entire yearly budget to one mega-influencer, try running smaller campaigns with multiple creators. It’s like dating! You wouldn’t propose on the first date, would you?
Advanced best practices
Whitelisting influencer content
Think of this as the marketing equivalent of a greatest hits album.
When influencer content performs well organically, you can run it as an ad from their account. It’s like getting the best of both worlds: influencer authenticity with paid reach precision.
Leveraging affiliate marketing
Why stop at a one-time payment when you could create an ongoing partnership? Setting up affiliate programs gives influencers incentive to keep promoting your product long after the initial campaign ends.
Just make sure your commission structure makes sense for both parties—nobody wants to push products for pennies.
Always-on campaigns
The “one and done” approach to influencer marketing is about as effective as trying to get fit by going to the gym once. (Trust us.)
Successful brands are building long-term relationships with creators, creating consistent content that feels natural and authentic.
Measuring success
Ultimately, the success of your influencer campaign hinges on proving ROI, not just accumulating viral moments or polished content. Here’s how to evaluate your influencer marketing efforts effectively:
- Engagement rate (here’s our free engagement rate calculator!)
- Click-through rates on affiliate links
- Conversion rates from influencer traffic
- Cost per acquisition
- Brand sentiment changes
- Follower growth during campaigns
Tip: Look beyond the raw numbers to understand their significance. A 5% engagement rate on a TikTok post might seem low until you realize it’s two times the industry average.
The influencer marketing landscape is always evolving (think AI influencers), but the core principles remain unchanged: prioritize authenticity, focus on strategy, and always track your results. Start building those influencer relationships today — just ensure your budget aligns with your ambitions.
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