What Brands Should Be Asking Influencers in 2025/2026
Influencer marketing is still one of the best ways to build awareness and social proof—but it’s also never been trickier to navigate. Between fake followers, engagement pods, and AI-generated “faces,” brands need to be more careful than ever about who they partner with.
At Socialike, we’ve learned a lot from running influencer programs across the better-for-you CPG space, and one thing is clear: authenticity wins every time.
Here’s how we think about it.
Start With Better Questions
Before you sign a contract, start with these three simple questions:
- Have you ever bought followers?
- You’d be surprised how common it still is. Look at their engagement ratio, comment quality, and growth patterns.
- Do you use influencer pods to boost engagement?
- Pods can make numbers look great—but they skew performance and attract the wrong audience.
- Are you actually a fan of the brand?
- Check if they already follow your brand on Instagram or TikTok. It’s wild how often someone claims to “love” a brand but doesn’t even follow them.
Look Inside Your Own Community
Sometimes your best influencers are already fans.
- Check your DMs, tagged posts, and comments for recurring names.
- Look for creators already talking about your brand organically.
- Build relationships with them first—before ever sending a brief.
If they already use (and love) your product, the content will feel real. And that’s what the audience picks up on.
Think About Budget Smarter
Let’s say you’ve got a $10,000 influencer budget.
Instead of spending it all on one big name, we like to break it up:
- 3–4 smaller influencers who already align with your brand (around $2,500 each)
- Then, take one of those pieces of content—whichever performs best—and put another $2,500 behind paid ads to boost it.
This approach gives you more content, more data, and a better read on who’s actually driving engagement.
Pay Attention to Engagement Beyond the Post
A great influencer doesn’t disappear after posting.
Ask yourself:
- Are they engaging in the comments?
- Are they showing up on your brand’s page before or after the campaign?
- Do they seem genuinely excited about the partnership?
That kind of authentic energy goes a long way in building real community momentum.
Play the Long Game
Most influencers don’t want to be held directly accountable for sales—and that’s fine. But if you build a long-term relationship with the right people, you’ll often find they’re willing to participate in affiliate programs or product-linked deals over time.
The longer they work with you, the more believable (and effective) their influence becomes.
Final Thought
We’ve always believed this, but it feels even more true heading into 2026:
Influencer marketing isn’t about who can shout the loudest—it’s about who’s already listening.
