Influencer Marketing in 2025 vs 2026: What Changed, What Worked, and What Comes Next
Influencer marketing in 2025 marked a turning point.
After years of experimentation, inflated follower counts and one-off brand deals, the industry began to mature. New data published in 2025 made one thing clear: influencer marketing works, but only when it’s done properly.
As we move into 2026, the lessons from 2025 are shaping a very different future for brands and creators alike.
What Influencer Marketing Looked Like in 2025
In 2025, brands became more selective and more data-led.
We saw:
A shift away from celebrity-first campaigns
Increased focus on nano and micro creators
Clearer pricing expectations
Stronger emphasis on engagement and trust over reach
Creators with smaller but highly engaged audiences consistently delivered better results than larger accounts with weaker community connection.
At the same time, most campaigns were still short-term. One-off posts dominated, even though brands were starting to realise these delivered limited long-term impact.
What Actually Worked in 2025
The data was clear:
Authentic content outperformed polished ads
Repeat collaborations performed better than first-time partnerships
Creators who felt aligned with the brand converted better
Brands that treated creators as partners, not placements, saw stronger performance, better brand recall and higher trust.
2025 proved that influencer marketing is less about scale and more about strategy.
Why 2026 Will Look Different
The biggest shift we’re seeing heading into 2026 is intention.
Influencer marketing is moving from reactive to planned.
In 2026, we expect to see:
Fewer creators per campaign, but deeper relationships
More retained creators on monthly or seasonal partnerships
Better briefs, clearer KPIs and longer usage rights
Influencer content used across paid ads, email and web
Brands are no longer asking “who has the biggest following?”
They’re asking “who can we build with?”
What This Means for Brands in 2026
Influencer marketing in 2026 will reward brands that:
Invest in long-term creator relationships
Prioritise alignment and audience fit
View creators as part of their marketing team
Measure success beyond impressions
This approach delivers consistency, credibility and compounding returns, not just spikes in attention.
What This Means for Creators in 2026
Creators who thrive in 2026 will:
Position themselves as strategic partners
Focus on community, not vanity metrics
Understand their value beyond a single post
Build trust through repetition and alignment
The opportunity isn’t to do more brand deals.
It’s to do better ones.
The Bottom Line
2025 showed us what influencer marketing is.
2026 will define what it becomes.
The industry isn’t slowing down, it’s growing up. And the brands and creators who adapt now will be the ones shaping what comes next.
