Vendor reportAspire, 2026

Creators plan to lean into YouTube more than brands do, 41% against 25%

Channel validation

Social and content channels creators plan to utilize most in 2026

Social and content channels creators plan to utilize most in 2026
Channel	Share planning to utilize (%)
Instagram	89%
TikTok	73%
YouTube	41%
Facebook	24%
Pinterest	19%
Substack/Blogs	7%
Snapchat	6%
X	3%

Reader Note:: Two separate questions asked of two different groups. Brands were asked which channels they plan to use the most for influencer marketing in 2026 and put YouTube at 25%; creators were asked which channels they plan to utilize the most in 2026 and put it at 41%. Instagram leads both lists, at 92% among brands and 89% among creators. Both are plans for the year ahead rather than recorded activity, and Aspire does not say when the survey ran. 63% of the surveyed creators are nano creators and 68% name Instagram as their main channel.
Evidence:: Stated intention
Vendor interest:: High — This comes from a company with a commercial interest in this market, so it is not a neutral source.
Sample:: Mixed methods: Aspire internal platform data from creators and campaigns, plus surveys of nearly 900 marketers and creators; exact split and sampling method not disclosed.

Good for

Reading the mood, and deciding what to test yourself.

Not for

Predicting what people will actually do. Intentions and behaviour come apart.
This comes from a company with a commercial interest in this market, so it is not a neutral source.
The source says how much it looked at, but not how any of it was chosen.

4.4x

How much better an AI search visitor converts compared to an organic search visitor, on average

of Google searches that showed an AI summary ended with a click on a link inside that summary (US, March 2025)

20% of Gen Z and 17% of Millennials discover new brands through influencer endorsements, vs 12% of Gen X and 5% of Boomers

Share of each generation who discover new brands via influencer endorsements
Generation	Share who discover brands through influencers (%)
Gen Z	20%
Millennials	17%
Gen X	12%
Baby Boomers	5%

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is the short-term ROI index for influencer campaigns in the UK, right on the market average with 4.5% of short-term sales (excluding campaigns that produced no result)

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Creators plan to lean into YouTube more than brands do, 41% against 25%

Good for

Not for

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