Sprout Social. (2025)

Sprout Social

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This reportexplores influencers’ expectations when partnering with brands, drawing onsurvey data from 300 influencers across the U.S. and U.K. A central theme isthe need for alignment between brand and creator. The top decision factorsinclude shared values (61%), transparent budgets and payment structures (59%),and relevance of products to audience interests (41%). Authentic partnershipsare framed as mutually beneficial, with 93% of influencers noting that thequality of a brand’s organic content affects their willingness to collaborate.

Compensationemerges as a key concern. Nearly half of influencers charge between $250–$1,000per post, though 71% offer discounts for multi-post or long-termcollaborations, signaling that stability is as valuable to influencers as reachis to brands. Content preferences lean toward short-form video—53% favor 15–30second clips—followed by static images (48%). Time-intensive formats likeinterviews (19%) or evergreen campaigns (5%) are less appealing, reflectinginfluencers’ need for efficiency.

Performanceevaluation shows influencers prioritize engagement metrics, follower growth,and link traffic, which largely align with marketers’ KPIs. However, only 45%of brands always share results with influencers, indicating a communicationgap. Importantly, 65% of influencers wish to be included earlier in creative orproduct development conversations, with 35% recommending involvement inbrainstorming and 30% in product development itself.

The reportconcludes that true partnership requires fair compensation, transparency, andrecognition of influencers’ cultural expertise. For brands, success depends ontreating creators as collaborators rather than contractors, fostering creativeinput, and building trust through long-term engagement.