Influencer marketing, the idea of getting influencers to help market your product or service, has become one of the most effective forms of marketing available today.
Engaging with content creators and building longer-term influencer partnerships can place your business or company in front of new audiences.
As a result, your brand will reach a heightened level of success for years to come!
Top 10 Influencer Marketing Statistics (Editor's Choice)
- In 2024, the global influencer market reached $24 billion dollars, tripling in cost since 2019.
- 64% of brands work with (at least) 10 brands for their campaigns.
- 76% of content marketers rely on blogs to successfully promote a company.
- 69% of consumers take influencers at their word when it comes to product recommendations.
- When brands spend 1% more on marketing budget, they can see up to a 0.5% increase in engagement levels.
- 87% of influencers enjoy using Instagram when it comes to collaborating with various brands.
- Those with more than 500,000 followers can get paid over $700 for a single Instagram story.
- Just 30% of marketing professionals consider increased sales a success when it comes to influencer marketing.
- Influencer marketing will see a compound annual growth rate of 30.3% within a seven-year span (2021 to 2028).
- 63% of marketers plan to incorporate AI tools and machine learning into their current strategies.
Want more statistics that prove the effectiveness of influencer marketing? You're in luck, because we have 30 more below.
Influencer Marketing Statistics
H3: 1. R-e-s-p-e-c-t, find out what it means to influencers
Our market research company surveyed 100+ influencers and creators to learn more about their ideal brand partnerships.
From this influencer and content creator survey, Drive Research discovered what is more important to influencers when choosing a brand to partner with.
84% of influencers reported the brand's product/service being relevant to their followers is the most impactful factor in selecting what companies to promote, while 79% reported the brand respecting them as a content creator was most important.
The Brand’s Guide to Working with Influencers also covers influencers' feedback surrounding compensation, the best ways to contact creators, areas of opportunity for brands to stand out, and more.
2. The size of the global influencer market has tripled since 2019.
A lot can change in five years, and that includes the dollars poured into influencer marketing tactics. In 2024, the global influencer market reached $24 billion dollars, tripling in cost since 2019.
Much of the reason for this is due to the explosion in popularity of platforms like YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and more.
These highly visual platforms allow brands and content creators to work together to tell stories through influencer marketing campaigns.
This, in turn, creates an atmosphere where influencer marketing can thrive.
3. 64% of brands have partnered with influencers
By following influencer marketing statistics, you can hop on trends at just the right time.
So it comes as no surprise that 64% of brands work with (at least) 10 brands for their campaigns.
4. More than three-quarters of influencer marketing budgets go to US influencers.
82% of influencer marketing spend goes straight to US-based influencers. Aside from the United States, other countries that generate significant influencer spend include Canada (8%), Australia (%5) and the United Kingdom (5%).
Recommended Reading: Contacting Creators: Best Ways to Reach Influencers [With Templates]
5. Micro-influencers have a highly engaged audience
Another unexpected set of influencer marketing statistics for you: the rise of micro-influencers.
Defined as social media personalities with a "smaller" follower count (10,000 to 100,000), this group tends to have a higher percentage of followers who are engaged and willing to listen.
As such, these micro-influencers are well-positioned to succeed in marketing, and smaller brands may take advantage of these opportunities.
The sheer number of micro-influencers is massive: Over one billion people can now identify as content creators.
That is not to say that all of these people are appropriate influencers, but the expansion of micro-influencers begs an important question for your brand: Who are the most important influencers you can use?
6. An explosion of social networks has led to a rise in cross-platform campaigns
The average person now has 8.4 social media accounts - a near-doubling from 4.8 in 2014.
As a result, brands now have to track more social media platforms or work with influencers across their entire social media footprint - the latter being a more common choice.
7. Instagram is the most important platform
If a brand uses influencer marketing, they're likely going to use Instagram.
One survey found that 79% of brands who use influencer marketing said Instagram is an important platform to them.
8. Content marketers focus their efforts on blogging
76% of content marketers rely on blogs to successfully promote a company. In fact, 48% of companies that practice content marketing strategies have active blogs.
PS: Blogging is a medium that tends to respond well to affiliate marketing, as it creates an easy opportunity to get more white hat backlinks for your website.
9. The content of influencers is expanding dramatically
One thing about quality influencer marketing statistics is that they're always changing, much like actual influencers.
Influencers used to be largely confined to certain industries, like lifestyle or vacation. However, that is no longer the case as they continue to broaden their areas of expertise.
Now, there is an increasing segmentation in the type of influencer - this includes tech, skin care, pets, and much more.
10. Influencer content is more trusted than branded content
It's true - 69% of consumers take influencers at their word when it comes to product recommendations.’
This reality creates opportunities for brands willing to use respected influencers, which may allow them to build trust, authority, and credibility with their audiences.
11. Gen Zers trust influencers more than celebrities
A recent study revealed that 45% of European Gen Zers were more likely to purchase fashion items promoted by influencers versus celebrities.
This isn't that surprising. Since consumers put a significant amount of trust into influencer content, it's only natural they would prefer a more relatable crowd over celebrities.
12. Roughly half of mega-influencers have been involved in fraud
Yup, it's true - a significant number of mega-influencers have dabbled in fraudulent activities that often surround engagement levels.
This is, of course, reflects negatively on the influencer and can potentially cost them followers and brand deals.
13. Spending just 1% more on influencer marketing makes a noticeable difference
When brands spend 1% more on marketing budget, they can see up to a 0.5% increase in engagement levels.
And by reallocating more budget toward influencer marketing, brands can see up to a 16.6% increase in engagement levels.
14. Live streaming and influencer marketing are merging
Recent research has shown that 25% of users watch influencer-led livestreams on YouTube.
This presents your brand with an opportunity: Can you use an influencer to demonstrate how to shop for something and do so live? Is there a unique, interesting, and engaging way that you can do this?
15. Collaborations aren't going anywhere
87% of influencers enjoy using Instagram when it comes to collaborating with various brands.
Facebook has had this functionality for years. As a result, it is becoming easier and far more worth it for brands to engage with two influencers rather than one.
16. The power of one influencer
One survey found that 56% of all brands used the same influencer across multiple campaigns.
This makes sense: If an influencer has credibility and their campaign is successful, using that influencer repeatedly can maximize your success.
17. Payment of influencers varies
Most of the influencer marketing statistics out there are related to trends and other similarities within the field.
But now, new research is revealing how these influencers are actually paid. According to available information, how influencers are paid varies wildly.
For example, 34.5% are paid in free samples, while an identical amount is paid in cash. In addition, 25% get discounts, and another 5.9% get giveaways.
Recommended Reading: 5 Tips for Conducting Market Research with Content Creators
18. ROI measurement isn't universal
Of course, ROI is important - but in the world of influencer marketing, it's not as important as you may think.
Only 30% of marketing professionals consider increased sales a success when it comes to influencer marketing.
19. ROI measurement is the greatest challenge for brands
Perhaps one of the reasons for the above statistic is the sheer challenge of ROI measurement.
When asked about the biggest challenges with influencer marketing, the top challenge was ROI measurement, with 28% of brands saying it was their greatest issue.
Finding influencers who would fit their product niche was a close second, with 27% of brands saying this was a challenge.
20. As influencer marketing rises, print influencing falls
Most brands no longer put much time, effort, or money into print advertising. Print advertising has fallen every year for the past decade.
During the same period, influencer marketing has risen annually.
Clearly, brands are not spending less money on advertising; instead, they are simply re-prioritizing where they spend their money.
And not only does influencer marketing successfully promote brands, but 93% of influencers are willing to work with a brand for free - as long as it's good.
21. A small amount of brands have worked with 1,000+ influencers
Just 14.7% of brands have worked with over 1,000 influencers.
Why? It's likely this lower figure is due to marketers wanting to cultivate meaningful relationships with their influencers, which is easier to do with a smaller pool.
22. Younger audiences have a discerning influencer eye
One survey found that audiences aged 13-24 were more likely to judge an influencer by their social presence - including the level of engagement on their content and their follower count - than older audiences.
Brands that work with these audiences must keep these statistics in mind when picking their influencers.
23. A huge number of influencers are women
Up to 84% of influencers on social media identify as female.
Of that group, 77% monetize their content. While we can't exactly pinpoint why such a significant number of influencers happen to be women, perhaps it has something to do with their audience.
Over half (62%) of female users have made a purchase based on influencer recommendations.
24. Males are more likely to watch influencers on YouTube
Men still make up a significant amount of those watching influencers on YouTube.
In fact, 53.9% of the platform's user base is male, with the most common user age being 25 to 34. While other social platforms like Instagram and TikTok may be what you initially think of when you hear the term "influencer," these numbers reveal a significant demographic is passionate about consuming content via YouTube. Meaning, marketers should continue to explore its influence.
25. Let's not forget about Cameo
Cameo, the platform where users and celebrities can send personalized videos to fans, still has a place in the influencer marketing game. In October of this year, the platform received 2.6 million visits.
26. How much do the “big” influencers make?
A lot.
Some of the most fascinating influencer marketing statistics involve how much (and how often) these influencers are paid.
For example, those with more than 500,000 followers can get paid over $700 for a single Instagram story. For one Instagram video, they can get paid over $3,000. Must be nice!
27. The popularity of influencer marketing is ever-growing (literally)
Some of the latest research on influencer marketing predicts that the industry will see a compound annual growth rate of 30.3% within a seven-year span (2021 to 2028).
And yes, it's possible for things to change - but we're pretty confident in saying that the emphasis on influencers in the market will continue to grow.
28. AI is changing the landscape of influencer marketing
Are we shocked? Not one bit. As AI platforms continue to skyrocket in popularity, it's no wonder they would make an impact on influencer marketing tactics.
According to a recent study, 63% of marketers plan to incorporate AI tools and machine learning into their current strategies. In many cases, these AI tools can be used to sort through data on target demographics and related audience information.
29. Beware of the bots
With plenty of bot Instagram accounts lurking on the platform, marketers wanting to work with influencers need to be sure their targets are actual influencers.
For instance, a recent study found that just 2.4 million influencer accounts (out of 8 million, mind you) had high-quality followers. For the rest of the accounts, about 60% of their followers were made up of bots.
The moral of this very short story? Marketers need to keep a keen eye out for bots!
30. Influencer fraud on Instagram is on the way out
One reason brands shy away from using Instagram for their influencer marketing strategy is (or was) the higher risk of fraud on the platform.
But now, that's turning around as recent data has shown that in 2024 only 36.8% of influencers were affected by fraud. For comparison, that number was 49.2% in 2023.
31. Certain brands are especially popular within fashion influencer marketing
The brands in question:
- Zara
- Shein
- H&M
- NA-KD
- Pretty Little Thing
- ASOS
One of the most popular topics covered by influencers, 21.6% of them use fashion as part of their core content strategy.
31. Twitch gets left on the backburner
It’s a little surprising. Currently, Twitch gets 30 million active users each day.
Even with such heavy use, the number of active Twitch streamers is down significantly from 10 million in early 2021 to 7 million currently.
32. Social media ads are losing their impact
Remember the good ol’ days before Instagram was crammed with ads?
It was found that influencer whitelisting does significantly better than basic social media ads–beating them out by 20-50%.
This just refers to a brand partnering with an influencer and promoting their product/service from the profile of the influencer.
33. Employees + influencing = match made in heaven?
Of the “surprising” influencer marketing statistics and trends to emerge, it looks like marketers could be taking center stage soon.
It makes sense - employees already possess a wealth of knowledge on relevant topics and can be seen as guides to successful influencing.
34. TikTok continues its takeover
TikTok has caught up to Instagram in terms of popularity (no shocker there).
Recent findings show that the typical engagement rate for Instagram reels is 6.5% for accounts with 100,000 to 500,000 followers versus 9.7% for TikTok accounts with the same follower count.
35. Budget increases are becoming the norm
Up to 71% of brands from a recent survey stated they would either significantly or slightly increase their influencer marketing budgets in 2025.
36. Facebook is still useful for influencers
While not the platform you immediately go to when thinking about influencer marketing, Facebook most definitely still has a spot at the table.
In fact, the number of Facebook users is slowly increasing, but the time they spend on the platform is slightly decreasing. When compared to 2023, users spend 1.2% less time on Facebook in 2024.
37. Is social media the next big search engine?
Research indicates that popular social media platforms are becoming the preferred search engines.
What does it come down to? Audiences, especially those who are younger, trust their favorite influencers to relay accurate, relevant information about products/services.
38. Older influencers are making an impact too
While often associated with millennials and Gen Zers, influencing can be done successfully at any age! In fact, 60% of users in these younger age brackets enjoy watching content from older influencers.
39. Let’s beat the algorithm in 2025
If you follow other influencer marketing statistics or general info, you're aware of how pesky algorithms can be (especially Instagram's).
According to Later, good ways to beat the algorithm in 2025 include using Instagram-specific SEO, writing engaging captions, and using story stickers.
40. Not everyone trusts influencers
It's clear that influencers and consumer trust go hand in hand.
That said, a significant number of people aren’t willing to give influencers that courtesy. In fact, 48% of online customers aren’t buying what they’re being sold, figuratively.
Overly branded influencer content can turn off potential consumers, which is why transparency is key in this field.
41. Podcasts, podcasts, podcasts
The last of our surprising influencer marketing statistics: they're turning into podcasters.
If you follow influencers already, you probably know that many of them also start podcasts.
With podcast usage numbers only rising in 2024, it’s likely influencers will continue to hop on this popular trend.
Contact Us to Conduct Market Research with Influencers
These influencer marketing statistics may be widely disparate, but they create at least one common thread: Influencers are the future of marketing.
If you are looking to survey content creators, bloggers, and influencers to leverage your own custom insights, contact Drive Research today.
We are a full-service market research company that partners with social media platforms and brands to recruit social media influencers for surveys, focus groups, mobile missions, and more.
Contact our team today to learn more.
- Message us on our website
- Email us at [email protected]
- Call us at 888-725-DATA
- Text us at 315-303-2040
Lark Allen
As a Content Marketing Specialist, Lark has a strong background and passion for creative, professional, and journalistic writing. She is also a self-proclaimed music freak and 90s enthusiast.
Learn more about Lark, here.
