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Communicators looking to form successful partnerships with influencers need to look less at follower counts and more on finding influencers who align with a brand’s values and target audience, according to a new study from social intelligence platform Sprout Social.
This is becoming a bigger concern as influencer budgets continue to grow. Sprout’s 2026 Influencer Marketing Report says over half (54 percent) of marketers surveyed have increased the amount they spend on consumers from one to 10 percent over the last year, with another 22 percent reporting an increase of 11 percent or more. Only five percent say their budgets have gone down.
However, the high price tag that can come along with an influencer who has a lot of followers often does not necessarily result in a significant bump in ROI. Only 17 percent of consumers surveyed for the report say they consider follower count when deciding to follow a creator, favoring topical alignment and community relevance instead.
Factors that were more likely to attract survey respondents to a particular influencer include the subjects they cover in their social media content (47 percent), the brands or companies they partner with (29 percent) and their most recent posts (also 29 percent).
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For many influencers, a majority of the people accessing their feeds are non-followers, showing that the reach of a piece of influencer content extends far past its follower count. For example, six out of 10 (60 percent) Instagram Reels now reach audiences where more than 70 percent are non-followers.
Sprout’s report also says that smaller, niche influencers can deliver higher consumer engagement than their larger peers. Smaller influencers “cultivate deeper trust, particularly when targeting Generation Z audiences who demonstrate a preference for tight-knit, highly engaged communities.”
But respondents said that influencers across the board were a bigger draw than traditional digital advertising. Almost half of respondents (49 percent) said they prefer influencers, with just 15 percent giving the nod to ads and 36 percent expressing no preference.
The report also reveals a sea change in how influencers are employed in a brand’s communications. The role of influencers is beginning to shift from just brand awareness to becoming a final step in sealing the deal before a consumer makes a purchase. More than eight in 10 (81 percent) of Gen Z consumers said they made a direct purchase based on an influencer recommendation this past year.
To optimize the effect of influencer content, the report suggests several strategies:
Emphasize authenticity: More than 80 percent of respondents believe influencers should use the products they promote, and 44 percent believe they should be long-term users of a product before endorsing it.
Make room for employee influencers: Four in 10 (40 percent) of consumers overall and 62 percent of Gen Z’ers now discover new products through employee-generated content at least once a month.
Be wary of AI influencers: 44 percent of respondents were not comfortable with brands partnering with AI influencers, with another 30 percent saying it depends on the context.
“The future of this channel isn’t about chasing reach through follower counts,” said Sprout Social CMO Scott Morris. “It’s about finding creators who deeply understand their niche audience and also know how to fit relevantly into the broader cultural moment.”
Sprout Social’s survey was conducted online by global market research firm Panoplai. Participants included 2,250 social media users across the US, UK and Australia. The survey was conducted from May 14 to 20.
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