Influencer marketing has evolved significantly over the past few years, especially since I first started working in the industry. What once centred around followers and aesthetics has now shifted into something far more strategic, with brands now looking for credibility, consistency and measurable impact from the creators they partner with.
Having worked in the industry for nearly five years across talent management, influencer
marketing and running my own agency, I’ve seen first-hand how quickly expectations have
changed. Sitting across both sides of the table has given me a clear view of what brands are really asking for behind the scenes, and what actually drives long-term success in creator partnerships. In 2026, the brands getting the best results are no longer simply buying one off ‘ads’. They’re building partnerships and real relationships with talent. Understanding what they’re really looking for has become key to pitching talent successfully.
Authenticity over Audience Size
For a long time, follower count dominated influencer marketing conversations. It used to just be about who was a big enough name for brands to put their product with (who remembers Scott Disick x Boo Tea?). But fast-forward to today, and brands are increasingly prioritising credibility and authenticity over pure scale.
Creators who have built genuine trust and connection with their audience, and who only partner with brands that naturally fit into their content where it makes sense, tend to drive far stronger engagement and consumer response. Audiences have become incredibly more aware of advertising and if a partnership feels forced or even slightly disconnected from a creator’s usual content, it’s immediately noticeable. That lack of authenticity doesn’t just impact the creator, it affects the brand’s credibility too. From both managing talent and pitching campaigns, I’ve seen that the strongest results rarely come from the biggest audience, but from the most trusted one.
A big part of this shift comes down to scale. Influencer marketing is no longer an experimental channel or an afterthought once the rest of the marketing budget has been planned – it’s a core part of most brand marketing strategies.
Audience Alignment and Measurable Impact
With more budgets being allocated to this space year-on-year, brands are investing more
seriously because they can clearly see the impact creators have on awareness, engagement
and consumer behaviour. According to industry data reported by Charle Agency, an estimated £2.9 billion is being put into the influencer marketing economy in 2026, growing from an estimated £2.36 billion in 2024 – with a striking 81% of UK brands planning to increase their influencer marketing budgets in 2026.
Where influencer marketing once sat loosely within PR or social teams, we’re now seeing
dedicated budgets, structured strategies and entire teams built around it. And with that
increased investment comes higher expectations.
With such a large variety of creators available, brands have the ability to be selective. Talent who can demonstrate not only engagement, but genuine influence and ROI over their audience’s behaviour are often the ones who secure repeat partnerships. Another clear shift is the move away from one-off promotional posts. Brands are increasingly interested in creators who can integrate products into an authentic narrative, rather than simply showcasing them in a standalone piece of content.
Whether that’s through lifestyle storytelling, personal experiences or multi-part content series, the campaigns that resonate most with audiences are the ones that feel like a natural extension of the creator’s usual content. This is something I actively encourage to talent when working with brands, ensuring partnerships feel like part of their world already, not an interruption to it.
Multi-Platform Talent Is Increasingly Valuable
Another major trend is the demand for creators who can activate beyond a single platform.
Brands are now looking for talent who can support campaigns across multiple formats. Whether that’s social content, podcast integrations, live appearances, OOH, events or even broadcast opportunities. From a brand perspective, this creates a much richer campaign ecosystem. A creator might introduce a product through social content, attend a launch event, and continue the conversation across different platforms.
Positioning talent as multi-faceted partners, rather than simply social media placements, has become an important part of how we pitch partnerships today. What else could talent be doing? Where else could they help support the brand’s goals for where they want to be? Try finding out what brands are looking to do their marketing throughout the year. If this is events, then pitch talent to host an event with the brand and integrate their community IRL.
Long-Term Relationships Are Still Key
Repeated exposure builds familiarity and trust with audiences, and allows the brand to become part of a creator’s lifestyle rather than a one-off campaign.
Interestingly, these partnerships don’t always take the form of traditional year-long retainers. In many cases, I’ve seen brands opt for rolling collaborations, such as monthly bookings or shorter 3 or 6 month partnerships, which still allow consistency for the creator, while offering more flexibility for the brand. From my experience, these ongoing partnerships almost always outperform one-off activations when it comes to both engagement and audience trust.
Additionally, creators are no longer working to pre-written briefs, they are increasingly involved in shaping the campaign itself. From contributing ideas, concepts and creative direction during the pitching stage, this collaborative approach often leads to stronger results, because creators know their audience and content style better than anyone. The best brand partnerships that I’ve personally worked on with talent actually have no brief at all – just a few points around key messaging to include and the talent can shape the campaign entirely naturally and to how they would usually film.
Professionalism Still Sets Talent Apart
Despite all the changes in the industry, one factor remains consistent – reliability matters. Brands consistently prioritise talent who communicate clearly, deliver content on time, and approach partnerships with professionalism. In a crowded creator landscape, strong results don’t guarantee repeat work anymore. A creator might deliver exceptional performance with high views, strong engagement, even exceeding every agreed KPI – but if the process behind the campaign is difficult, brands are far less likely to rebook. With such a vast pool of talent now available, brands have the option to prioritise not just output, but experience.
From a brand perspective, the questions are often operational: was the brief interpreted
correctly? Were deadlines met without follow-up? Was communication clear throughout, and were details like invoicing and usage handled smoothly? These factors can have a significant impact on how a partnership is remembered internally.
Most brand managers are managing multiple campaigns at once, often reporting into several stakeholders. When a creator makes that process seamless rather than stressful, it leaves a lasting impression.
As the creator economy continues to evolve, the most successful partnerships will be those built on more than just reach and results. Brands are looking for creators who can deliver impact, long-term value and consistently show up as reliable partners behind the scenes. In a space that’s only becoming more competitive, that’s ultimately what will set talent apart.
