The influencer marketing sector will continue to see big gains in 2025, and part of this is due to the rising popularity of User-Generated Content, which has experienced widespread adoption by the influencer world, according to a new report released by influencer marketplace Collabstr.

Collabstr’s report, which highlights the trends and economic shaping the influencer marketing world, found that the influencer economy is expected to grow by more than 12 percent this year, totaling about $22.2 billion. This accounts for slightly less growth than the 14 percent gains seen between 2023 and 2024.

Collabstr’s “2025 Influencer Marketing Report”

Instagram remains the most popular platform for influencer marketing and will account for 42 percent of all influencer collaborations this year. TikTok now comes in at a close second, accounting for 41 percent of influencer campaigns in 2025. However, User-Generated Content, or original, brand-specific content created by customers as opposed to the brand or company, has seen massive gains in the last year. According to Collabstr’s report, USG is now expected to make up 16 percent of influencer collaborations this year. YouTube takes fourth place, at two percent.

Nearly half—42 percent—of influencers reported currently offer marketing services on Instagram. But surprisingly, 32 percent now offer User-Generated Content as well, which has surged by 93 percent year-over-year. According to the report, 66 percent of creators are now open to UGC work, up from 26 percent the year prior. Only 21 percent of influencers run campaigns on TikTok and five percent offer services via YouTube.

When it comes to how much brands spend per influencer on each platform, YouTube comes in first ($418), followed by Instagram ($212), TikTok ($200), User-Generated Content ($178), Amazon ($130), Twitch ($119) and X ($87).

Top 10 current industries for influencers include lifestyle, beauty, fashion, travel, health and fitness, Food and drink, art and photography, family and children, modeling and comedy and entertainment. However, the report discovered that the industries where influencers are currently in the highest demand are fashion, beauty, lifestyle, health and fitness, Food and drink, travel, family and children, entrepreneurs and business, music and dance and technology.

When it comes to the highest-paid influencer niches, LGBTQ+ topped the list, followed by influencers specializing in comedy and entertainment, vegan influencers, family and children, actors, skilled trades, athletes and sports, education, entrepreneurs and business and automotive.

The Average price per influencer collaboration will be around $202 in 2025, a decline from last year, when brands spent an average of $214 per influencer collaboration.

Women dominate the influencer marketing industry, according to the report, making up about 72 percent of influencers, while only about 28 percent are male. This reveals a slight change from last year, when 70 percent of influencers were female and 30 percent were male. However, Collabstr’s report discovered that male influencers tend to make 40 percent more than their female counterparts, accounting for an average difference in payment of about $83 per collaboration.

The U.S. remains the top country for influencer marketing campaigns, comprising about 82 percent of global influencer ad spend in 2024, up from 77 percent the year prior. Other popular countries for influencer marketing deals included Canada, the UK, Australia, the UAE and Germany.

Collabstr’s “2025 Influencer Marketing Report” analyzed collaborations between 40,000 brands and 100,000 creators using data sourced from Collabstr’s influencer marketplace.