Industry surveyInfluencer Strategists, 4 May 2026

Just over half of marketers say they have detailed, research-backed consumer tribe profiles, while a third have only a general understanding and 11% rely solely on audience data or tags

Shortlisting creators

How well organisations understand consumer tribes for influencer campaigns (% of respondents)

How well organisations understand consumer tribes for influencer campaigns (% of respondents)
Response	Share (%)
We have detailed, research-backed tribe profiles that inform every campaign	51%
We have a general understanding but no formal tribe mapping	32%
We rely on influencer audience data or paid media audience tags	11%
We don't have a structured approach to consumer targeting	0%
Unsure	5%

Reader Note:: General understanding does not guarantee data-driven targeting.
Evidence:: Self-reported behaviour
Vendor interest:: Moderate — This comes from a company with a commercial interest in this market, so it is not a neutral source.
Sample:: Survey of 41 senior influencer marketing practitioners; sample skewed toward agencies and consultants (63% combined), with minimal brand-side representation (2%).

Good for

A rough sense of size and direction, and deciding what to look at first.

Not for

Exact numbers, or saying that one thing caused another.
The source never says when this data was collected. It could be considerably older than the publication date suggests.
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.

Influencer selection is mainly based on engagement rate and audience demographics (94% and 88%), with only 25% using social listening on what consumers discuss

Share of marketers using each data input to select influencers, and what it measures
Data input	Usage (%)
Engagement rate (Influencer output)	94%
Audience demographics (age, gender, location) — Influencer audience	88%
Past campaign performance data (Influencer track record)	81%
Audience interest / affinity data (Influencer audience)	78%
Follower count and reach metrics (Influencer scale)	72%

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Sponsored posts got more engagement when influencers had either very low or very high ad loads, and did worst in the middle

In creator selection, brand fit mattered most and follower count mattered least

Most Important Factor Brands Use When Selecting New Creators to Work With
Selection factor	Brands (%)
Creator suitability or fit for brand	22%
Content performance	17%
Working with a diverse group of creators	14%
Brand affinity, or a history of posting about your client	12%
Follower audience demographics	10%

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higher conversion odds came with stronger creator audience-brand fit in influencer marketing campaigns

People were about twice as likely to share the sponsored Instagram post when the influencer had low or high ad load instead of a middle one

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of marketers do not plan to work with virtual influencers AI avatars or digital clones of creators in 2026

Just over half of marketers say they have detailed, research-backed consumer tribe profiles, while a third have only a general understanding and 11% rely solely on audience data or tags

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