The Top Trends In Influencer Marketing For 2025

2024 was another huge year for influencers and creators. We saw the rise and influence of longer-form content such as podcasts, which took over much of the national debate on critical topics over the past year. According to many industry watchers, the influence of creators has now surpassed that of many mainstream media outlets.

That growth looks to continue into 2025. Along with that growth will also come new top trends in influencer marketing that will impact how influencers engage with audiences and how marketers can best position themselves to reach those audiences.

In this guide, we’ll look at the top influencer trends to keep an eye on in 2025. We’ll look at each one through the lens of both influencers and marketers to try to give you the best forecast possible of what to expect. 

AI Content Tools

It would be impossible to create a list of trends for 2025 and not touch on AI (artificial intelligence). The technology burst onto the scene in 2022 with ChatGPT and now every major tech platform has its own version of AI. 

Social media platforms are no different and several have incorporated chatbots directly into the user experience. In these cases, it’s mostly for answering questions and not directly related to influencers or content. However, it can help users stay on the platform longer since they no longer have to switch apps when searching or seeking information.

The result is that engagement and screen time can both go up as social media platforms continue to implement chatbots.

But more important for creators is the possibility of AI-generated influencer content. In this area, there seems to be a bit of a disconnect between the business community and the consumer or end user.

The business community is bullish on AI-generated content and tools to increase productivity. This is evident by the trillion-dollar investment in AI startups. But consumers have been more skeptical of the technology, and creators need to be aware of this dichotomy.

End users appear to enjoy chatbots, mostly for the convenience, but also because they are in full control and there is full disclosure. The end users understand they are dealing with AI and they can make their own decisions as to what to believe or investigate further.

With AI-generated content, it opens a different dynamic. Unless fully disclosed, users and consumers can feel tricked by AI-generated content. They can also feel a lack of authenticity with AI-generated content.

The result is that both creators and marketers need to use the technology appropriately and only after careful consideration. If used improperly, it can damage a brand’s reputation and alienate an influencer’s audience.

Recently, there have been several high-profile incidents where entertainment companies have had to deal with backlash over the incorporation of AI into creative fields. From video games to voice acting, the response by end users has been negative when these practices aren’t disclosed or are used to circumvent traditional human creativity.

Since influencers operate in a creative field, they can find themselves in the same position if they use AI content without the proper disclosure or in a way that possibly offends their audience.

This doesn’t mean AI-generated content will always be controversial and 2025 will likely be a pivotal year that decides its fate and acceptance among audiences.

AI Production Tools For Influencers & Marketers

One area where there is no question that AI will benefit creators is when it comes to business and production tools. These are things like AI or machine learning tools to help creators better understand their audience.

Another area is production tools such as AI captions or editing assistance. Several platforms like TikTok are already experimenting with these tools for creators.

These are different from AI-generated content and are much more appropriate for virtually all creators and marketers to take advantage of. These tools offer substantial productivity boosts with relatively low downside risk.

Every creator, brand, and marketer should be looking for AI tools in 2025 to help them boost productivity and operate more efficiently. Just make sure to verify the output of any AI productivity tool or some type of human editor in the process.

A Return To Authenticity

Authenticity was always a central component when it came to how influencers related to their audiences. This authenticity was also what attracted brands and marketers to the space.

For the past several years, influencers in many different niches have tried to attract as many views as possible with over-the-top antics or stunts. This doesn’t describe every influencer, but it impacted genres ranging from travel and even aviation, where an influencer was jailed for staging a crash of his personal plane.

While such stunts will always be some small part of internet culture, 2025 will likely see a refocus on authenticity when it comes to influencers. The rise of stunts and antics will give way to more personalized connections that influencers share with their audience.

Much of this shift is due to how podcasters had such great success over the past year. By having simple and honest discussions, they quickly garnered enormous audiences that dwarfed many mainstream media counterparts.

There were no crazy stunts or antics, just a small studio with microphones and chairs.

This shift won’t be just about podcasters and you can expect to see more influencers focus on authenticity to build their audience and create additional value for their partner brands. Influencers and the industry as a whole are maturing and growing, so this evolution is natural and to be expected as we enter 2025 and beyond.

Brands and marketers should lean into this trend and seek out authenticity and trust more than ever when vetting influencers. Things like full disclosures and closer partnerships will help your campaigns resonate as audiences seek content they can trust and feel comfortable with.

Creators Continue Their Push Into Mainstream

2024 really showed the world the power of influencers beyond social media. From current cultural events to politics, influencers took center stage in 2024 and the most powerful people all wanted to align with podcasters and creators.

This was a watershed moment and it will only accelerate into 2025 and beyond as traditional media takes a backseat to independent creators.

However, this can also present obstacles as influencers tackle more sensitive subject matter. So brands should be more aware of the type of content an influencer creates and the subjects they discuss to avoid any possible unwanted controversy.

The Return Of The Email Newsletter

Decades before influencer marketing was the birth of email marketing. Since then, the death of email marketing has been forecast by just about everybody, yet it still chugs along in one successful form or another.

Today, influencers are reinventing the email newsletter with great success, creating a bit of a renaissance for this once-forgotten marketing channel. Part of this was driven by the success of independent journalism which found a home on platforms such as Substack.

However, that trend has moved to other platforms and now many alternative platforms are actively seeking out influencers, such as LinkedIn. Influencers are finding success with newsletters as a new way to engage their audience as well as create another revenue channel.

As we outlined in one of our previous blog posts on how much influencers make, influencers from TikTok such as Violet Cooks have said she earns 3X as much from her newsletter as she does from her million+ follower TikTok channel.

For marketers and brands, those newsletters are another opportunity for sponsorship placement and they provide a different type of engagement than the traditional sponsored social media post.

For now, these newsletters fit best with influencers who produce content that can benefit from a written counterpart. They also work for influencers who want to provide a deeper, more thoughtful analysis than their current video content may allow. 

In 2025, the newsletter will likely continue to grow in popularity among influencers and will provide more sponsorship opportunities for brands and marketers.

Platforms Like Substack & LinkedIn Now Attract Influencers

Speaking of newsletters, that’s exactly why platforms like Substack and LinkedIn are now becoming more influencer-focused. LinkedIn was always seen as a professional B2B networking site, but it’s being subtly rebranded to attract influencers.

B2B influencers will find the most opportunities on LinkedIn, but there are opportunities for B2C growth due to a user base of over 1 billion people. Although most users are there for professional reasons, there are B2C opportunities due to the large number of people using the platform throughout the day for a majority of their communication and news gathering.

Substack is another example of a platform that isn’t associated with influencers but is actively trying to attract the top influencers from TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube to come to their platform.

With an X-style feed, newsletters, and video features, it provides a solid set of tools that can each be monetized by savvy influencers.

As the impact of influencers continues to grow in 2025, expect more non-traditional social media sites to try to gain market share by attracting influencers and their audiences.

Long Term Brand Partnerships Will Grow More Popular

Influencer marketing will still have opportunities for one-off campaigns to launch a new product or promotion. However, there is a trend toward longer partnerships where an influencer and a brand forge an ongoing relationship that benefits both parties.

Beyond just marketing, the influencer can act as an advisor for the brand, keeping it up to date with trends and audience requests.

That relationship can also include revenue sharing in some cases, which can disrupt the typical one-time payment common with many paid partnerships or sponsorships. The goal is to create a true partnership where each side is equally motivated to achieve the same level of success.

Part of this trend is due to saturation. With the advertising money that has flowed into influencer marketing, influencers found they could accept offers with little consideration of whether it was a good fit or not. If the campaign performed poorly, the influencer had plenty of other partnerships to consider.

Moving forward, brands want more returns from their influencer marketing budget and part of that will come from ongoing partnerships where both sides have a financial interest in how the campaign performs and how well the audience receives the brand’s message.

Brands and marketers should be on the lookout for these types of partnerships as they work best with specific influencers. Don’t be afraid to lean into performance-based payout structures to help align your goals with the influencers you choose.

This won’t work in all situations, but when used correctly, you can significantly increase your ROI and also reduce the expense of constantly finding new influencers and building campaigns from the ground up for every promotion.

The Uncertainty of TikTok’s Future

Due to geopolitical concerns, a bill was signed in April that required action on a potential TikTok ban in the United States to happen no later than January 19th, 2025. The bill’s language wouldn’t be an outright ban and would instead penalize app stores such as those run by Apple or Google that continue to offer the TikTok app.

While the chance of the ban going into effect early in 2025 is low, it’s not non-zero. So if this happens, what will that do to the influencer landscape in 2025 and beyond?

One option according to the language of the bill is that TikTok’s parent company ByteDance will be forced to divest. In simple terms, that means they will need to sell TikTok, likely to an American company or group of investors.

ByteDance has said it would fight such a request in court, but it could be forced to shut down as its appeal moves through the various courts.

If the sale does happen, it’s likely that not much at all will change will TikTok, and the creators and users on the platform will continue like normal. Any group that buys TikTok likely won’t change much since the platform has experienced explosive growth and popularity, so there’s no need for internal change or changes to the TikTok algorithm.

On the other hand, if a ban goes through, TikTok’s audience and creators will likely move to other platforms.

Currently, YouTube offers their “Shorts” which is the most similar clone of TikTok. However, Instagram or X could quickly implement a short video service to try to capture that new market share.

Likely, there would be a fight between the other social platforms to try to attract the creators and users of TikTok. It’s unlikely a completely new platform will emerge since the existing platforms can easily create a TikTok clone and they already have a substantial network effect.

Brands and marketers who rely on TikTok don’t have to panic just yet as the chance of an outright ban is still low. But it is something to consider moving into 2025 and you should have a contingency plan if the ban takes place or starts to become closer to reality.

Live Streaming & Event Coverage

Trade shows and other events are continuing their comeback in 2025. After a downturn in 2020 due to restricted travel, in-person events are starting to gain traction in every industry once again.

Influencers are one of the most effective ways for brands to increase their reach during these events so they can reach larger audiences. This can be huge for B2B brands which often struggle to find audiences for their specific niche. At a trade show, an influencer can create buzz and bring the local event to a worldwide audience on social media at the same time.

It’s not just B2B trade shows, live events such as pop-up stores or product launches can also be live-streamed with influencers present. 

For brands and marketers who have their 2025 trade show schedules set, they may want to consider coordinating an influencer campaign to coincide with the live event for maximum reach and exposure.

At HireInfluencer, we’ve created several campaigns containing live event coverage that created strong engagement and an ROI for our clients. If your brand wants to leverage this type of campaign for live events, contact us today to learn more.

Influencer-Founded Brands

Influencer-founded brands will continue to grow in 2025 as creators gain more insight into what their audiences want.

We featured the top influencer-founded brands in a recent blog post and those brands have set the table for many new creators to enter the market in 2025.

That doesn’t mean that influencers will necessarily be taking on fewer sponsorships, although they may be more picky if their own brand is doing well. Of course, competing brands likely will have to find a new influencer to work with.

For other brands, it could also provide a business partnership opportunity beyond just a campaign or sponsorship. Some influencers may be looking for a turn-key solution to launch their own brand and the right company can quickly fill that need and provide a collaborative product or similar partnership.

Overall, the rise of influencer brands in 2025 should provide more opportunities for companies and influencers to work together on lasting partnerships beyond just sponsorship opportunities.

More Focus On Micro-Influencers

This trend in 2025 goes hand in hand with the return to authenticity. Micro-influencers have always been a diamond in the rough when it comes to influencer marketing. Their audience size may not compare to the big-name Instagram stars, but their audiences are highly engaged and loyal.

In 2025, those two factors will further fuel the value and effectiveness of micro-influencers when it comes to brand partnerships. Micro-influencers cultivate highly dedicated audiences that feel a true sense of community and shared passion.

Engagement is also often higher with micro-influencers as audiences feel there is a better chance that their actions and comments will be noticed by others, including the influencer.

Unlike many other industries, the influencer space doesn’t seem to coalesce around a few big names as it matures. Instead, as big influencer stars emerge, it seems to create even more opportunities for smaller influencers to find ways to create their own audiences among the biggest names.

These niche communities created by micro-influencers will become more valuable in 2025 as the influencer space continues to saturate.

Brands and marketers should pay close attention to smaller influencers who can help them reach the audiences they need to scale and grow their businesses.

Employee Influencers

Using employee influencers is a great way for brands to give their customers an insider look at what goes into their products or services. With employee influencers, you already have everything you need on staff to create compelling content that tells the story of your business and brand.

More and more businesses are realizing this concept is a cost-effective method to support and supplement other influencer marketing efforts. While leveraging popular influencers is still the fastest way to get your message out to large audiences, employee influencers can supplement that message.

With employee influencers, you have more control to provide a consistent stream of content at a low cost. It’s the perfect way to stay connected and build an audience between external campaigns.

We have an entire blog post on creating employee influencers and it goes into detail on creating an employee influencer strategy.

Social Commerce

TikTok had huge success with its social commerce platform that pays influencers who send customers directly to product checkout pages. There’s no doubt other platforms are seeing this and are currently working to create their own platforms and solutions.

Younger customers in particular are enjoying making purchases directly from their social media apps and feeds. This removes much of the remaining friction with ecommerce and can be helpful for influencer marketing campaigns.

Instead of tracking customers across different platforms or websites to measure conversions, it’s all in one location. This also makes for higher overall conversions and easier optimization for brands and influencers.

If possible, brands and marketers should look for social commerce opportunities as soon as they emerge. Getting in early helps you stake your claim in this growing space.

Influencer Outlook For 2025 & Beyond

2024 was another exceptional year for the influencer space and those brands that are leveraging influencer marketing to grow their business. In 2025, many existing trends along with some of the new trends we’ve outlined here will provide even more opportunities.

Brands and marketers should look at 2025 and influencer marketing as an evolving and maturing industry that is shedding some of its early flaws. Influencer marketing is truly coming into its own and creators appear to be the ones leading the charge by finding new ways to build relationships with audiences.