Influencer
Marketing Statistics

This guide covers our latest IZEA Insights, our ongoing influencer marketing research series focusing on influencers’ key roles in influencing consumer behaviors and trends.

According to Insider Intelligence, 67.9% of U.S. marketers will use influencer marketing for paid or unpaid campaigns in 2022 and that the industry would hit $3.69 billion in spending in 2021.

A key factor in that growth: trust. Marketers turn to influencers because they have forged a connection with their followers that translates into trust in their recommendations — and thus higher sales for brands that partner with creators.

Trust in Influencer Marketing

IZEA Insights: Trust in Influencer Marketing examines the effectiveness of influencer marketing in terms of consumer trust and engagement. The U.S. consumer study was fielded Dec. 2-3, 2021, and based on the responses from 1,237 U.S. social media users ages 18 to 60-plus. Among key findings, the report discovered that 62% of social media users trust influencers over A-list celebrities. This is because influencers authentically show their love for certain brands and products.

More Key Findings:

• 46% have purchased products promoted by influencers. 
• 36% of respondents say influencer posts are the best way to get them to try new products.
• Influencer posts are the top choice among ad types for 38.9% of 18- to 29-year-olds and 45.3% of 30- to 33-year-olds. 

The loyalty consumers have toward influencers means more conversions for brands who sponsor influencers’ social media posts. Insider Intelligence forecast 

State of Influencer Earnings®

Brand partnerships are still the top revenue stream for most creators, but there are many other sources of income for influencers. According to Insider Intelligence, brand deals make up 68.1% of influencers’ business. 

Influencers want fair compensation, but how much do you pay an influencer to endorse a product? IZEA’s State of Influencer Earnings® report offers a look at what influencers are being paid. The report found that the average cost per post across all non-celebrity tiers bounced to all-time highs as marketers expanded their influencer marketing spending in 2021. Payment is often determined by two things: the platforms being used and an influencer’s audience size. The report analyzes influencer earnings observed in IZEA’s online marketplace from 2015 to 2021. Data comprises negotiated rates between marketers and creators spanning the spectrum of micro-influencers to celebrities across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and YouTube.

Key Findings Include:

• Over the past seven years, average earnings have dramatically risen for influencers of all tiers.
• After a slight decline in 2020, the cost per post rates for nano, micro, mid-tier, macro, and mega influencer surged to all-time highs in 2021.
• Video-based social media platforms command the highest average cost per post, with posts on TikTok costing an average of $3,514 and YouTube content costing an average of $4,491.
• Combination posts that include a post on YouTube and an Instagram Story have the highest combo post price average of $13,025.

The number of followers an influencer has is also a factor. In 2021, nano-influencers, those with 1,000-9,999 followers, made about $900 per post. In 2019, influencers were making about half that, per post.

The number of followers an influencer has is also a factor. In 2021, nano-influencers, those with 1,000-9,999 followers, made about $900 per post. In 2019, influencers were making about half that, per post.

State of Influencer Equality®

The 2022 State of Influencer Equality® report found that for the first time, the percentage of influencer marketing deals going to non-white influencers (43%) matches their share of the U.S. population, and the average payment per post for Asian American influencers surged 88% in 2021. Meanwhile, the pay gap between male and female influencers widened between 2020 and 2021 after narrowing the year prior. The gap was 47% in 2019 and narrowed to 24% in 2020, but it grew to 30% in 2021. Although female influencers continue to own the majority of influencer marketing deal flow, male influencers’ share of transaction volume jumped from an all-time low in 2020 to an all-time high at 15%.

First introduced in 2020, the report analyzes influencer earnings observed in IZEA’s online marketplace from 2015 to 2021. Data comprises negotiated rates between marketers and creators spanning the spectrum of micro-influencers to celebrities and incorporates self-reported gender and race identifiers.

Key Findings Include: 

• Over the past seven years, average earnings have dramatically risen for influencers of all races and genders.
• Over the past four years, persons of color have commanded a premium over their white counterparts, with Asian Americans making an average of 37% more per post than whites in 2021. 
• Females continue to dominate influencer marketing with 83% of all transaction volume in 2021, but their share of deal flow is the lowest since our reporting began in 2015. 
• Influencers over the age of 65 now command the highest premium of all age groups, earning three times more per post vs. those aged 45 to 54 years. 
• Influencers with an annual household income of $150,000 or more per year charge 1.6 times more for a sponsored post than their counterparts earning $20,000 or less per year.
• For the first time, the percentage of influencer marketing deal flow going to white (non-Hispanic) influencers (57%) has slipped below their share of the U.S. population (58%). 

Want to dive deeper into the world of influencer marketing and its future? 

Read our Influencing the Metaverse report, which used survey answers from 1,000 social media users and influencers to compare (and contrast) their early thoughts on the metaverse and making money in it.

More IZEA Insights

Head to izea.com/resources/insights/ to read all the latest research reports on influencer marketing trends.