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Reach Dethrones Engagement Rate In Influencer Marketing Success [REPORT]

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Reach Dethrones Engagement Rate In Influencer Marketing Success [REPORT]

A new Linqia survey of over 200 U.S. enterprise marketers reveals shifts in how brands measure and execute influencer marketing campaigns. Reach is emerging as the primary success metric for the first time.

The “2025 State of Influencer Marketing” report finds that 50% of marketers now list reach as a top-three measure of success. Engagement rate drops to second place at 48%, down from 69% in 2023. Conversions rise to third place at 46%, up from 35% the previous year.

Reach Dethrones Engagement Rate In Influencer Marketing Success [REPORT]


Source: Linqia

Budgets Continue to Scale

The report indicates that 88% of marketers increased their influencer budgets in 2024, compared to 59% in 2023. Of those reporting increases, 28% saw budgets rise by 51-100%. Only 5% report budget decreases despite economic headwinds.

Reach Dethrones Engagement Rate In Influencer Marketing Success [REPORT]


Source: Linqia

Up to 31% of respondents now spend over $5 million on influencer marketing, up from 10% in 2023. For 35% of respondents, influencer marketing comprises more than 25% of their total marketing budgets.

When securing additional influencer marketing funds, 62% of marketers receive incremental budget increases, while 49% reallocate from social media budgets and 43% from TV/radio spending.

Platform Preferences

Instagram maintains its position as the primary platform for influencer marketing, with 40% of marketers ranking it as their top priority. 

TikTok follows in second place, with YouTube ranking third. Despite potential regulatory challenges, 66% of marketers report that possible TikTok ban concerns have not affected their platform investment decisions.

Creator Generated Content Adoption Accelerates

The survey reveals that 81% of marketers now work with creators to generate content without requiring posts on creators’ channels, up from 58% in 2023. 

Up to 94% of respondents use influencer content beyond organic creator posts, with brand organic social (70%) and paid social (68%) leading distribution channels.

Reach Dethrones Engagement Rate In Influencer Marketing Success [REPORT]


Source: Linqia

Sponsored content remains the dominant partnership type at 74%, followed by ambassador programs at 48% and user-generated content at 40%. Macro-influencers (100,000-500,000 followers) continue to be the most utilized tier, with 68% of marketers engaging in this segment.

Agency Relationships

Traditional agency relationships show a significant decline, with only 9% of respondents working with PR, media, or creative agencies for influencer marketing execution, down from 20% in 2023. Meanwhile, 28% partner with specialized influencer marketing agencies.

The report indicates a clear shift toward consolidated partnerships. In 2025, 76% of marketers plan to have a single influencer agency of record, despite 82% currently using multiple partners.

Reach Dethrones Engagement Rate In Influencer Marketing Success [REPORT]


Source: Linqia

Challenges persist in the sector, with 53% of respondents citing ROI determination as their primary concern, followed by influencer selection at 43%. Virtual influencers face adoption hurdles, as 57% of marketers express no interest in working with AI-generated creators.

The research also notes that 42% of brands now maintain dedicated influencer teams, an increase from 24% in 2023, reflecting the growing institutionalization of influencer marketing within enterprise organizations.

The full report is available here.

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Dragomir is a Serbian freelance blog writer and translator. He is passionate about covering insightful stories and exploring topics such as influencer marketing, the creator economy, technology, business, and cyber fraud.

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