2025 Influencer Marketing Trends

As we step into 2025, it’s clear that the influencer marketing landscape continues to evolve at a rapid rate. By reflecting on our wins and key learnings of 2024, we have identified key trends and opportunities that we believe are going to shape the influencer marketing landscape in 2025. Trend forecasting not only allows us to understand what has previously worked, but to also craft strategies that are forward-thinking and adapted to emerging opportunities for our clients. With that in mind, here are the top three influencer marketing trends set to be at the forefront of the industry in 2025:

TOP 3 TRENDS

1. Platform diversification: Today’s consumers engage with content across multiple platforms, each serving unique purposes and behaviours. Instagram remains a key player for showcasing aspirational and lifestyle moments, while TikTok has solidified its position as the go-to platform for trend-driven and educational content. Meanwhile, YouTube is pushing both short-format content through shorts and long-format content for in-depth storytelling, offering brands the opportunity to connect through more meaningful narratives. Pinterest, often overlooked, has proven itself to be a powerhouse for evergreen content and audience conversion, making it an essential part of a well-rounded strategy. Brands that diversify their platform strategy can ensure consistent visibility and leverage the unique nuances of each channel. In addition to audience engagement, brands that diversify their platforms can better mitigate risk. The uncertainty surrounding platforms, such as TikTok’s ban in the US, highlights the importance of not solely relying on one channel for influencer marketing. 

2. Customizing campaigns to target audiences: Personalization will dominate influencer marketing as one-size-fits-all campaigns no longer resonate with consumers. A great example of personalized influencer marketing in 2024 was the collaboration between Marc Jacobs and influencer Nara Smith. Nara is known for her unique cooking videos where she creates food from scratch - Marc Jacobs successfully integrated their tote bag into Nara’s content by having her ‘’bake’’ the bag from scratch in her kitchen. This aligned perfectly with her established style of content and this tailored approach resulted in the video generating over 13 million views in 48 hours (source: brand insider). The takeaway here is how tailoring campaigns to align with an influencer’s established tone of voice and style of content is key to standing out. Audiences are inundated with ads, so it’s important to be strategic about not only WHO you’re partnering with, but WHY. Being able to find that organic tie-in is vital in getting audiences excited about content (even if it is an ad). By understanding the audience of the creators they partner with, brands can create ads that feel personal and relevant.

3. Increase in Community-Based Influencer Marketing: Community-based influencer marketing is becoming a powerful way to foster deeper connections with audiences. By creating campaigns that put communities at the forefront, brands can build trust, loyalty, and encourage authentic engagement. Anyone who works in community management knows just how much impact an engaged audience can have on a brand. Audiences should also be rewarded and supported consistently from the brand side. For example, Rhode partnered with the popular local café, Community Goods, in Los Angeles to launch its cinnamon peptide lip treatment. This collaboration featured a special, limited-edition latte that tied directly to the product launch, along with an immersive photo opportunity that encouraged customers to share their experience at the pop-up on social media. By involving its community and creating an interactive experience, Rhode generated thousands of UGC posts (source: homemade social). We predict to see an even larger shift in 2025 to this tactic as brands get push back for over-the-top brand trips and gifting items (anyone see the Louis Vuitton Speedys this year?) to creators. Building influencer relationships is important, but it’s also important to not isolate the community that actually supports and shops from the brand.

As 2025 unfolds, the evolution of influencer marketing presents both challenges and opportunities. By embracing platform diversification, brands can expand their reach and be prepared for potential industry shifts. Through personalization, they can connect with their audience in a more authentic way. Finally, by including community-driven initiatives, brands can foster trust and loyalty. The brands that succeed will be those that remain flexible, innovative and committed to building authentic connections with their audiences.  If you enjoyed these trends and are interested in keeping up with more Influencer Marketing news, sign up for our (monthly?) newsletter, where we dive into all things PR, Influencer Marketing, and Social Media related.