Trends in Influencer Marketing 2025

Influencer marketing in 2025 isn’t just evolving - it’s transforming. With platforms updating daily and audience behaviour shifting fast, this year’s trends are all about smarter strategy, stronger relationships, and real impact.

At Fetch Ireland, we unite brands with influencers - and we’ve rounded up the biggest trends you need to watch this year, whether you’re a brand, a content creator or an influencer.

Real Influencers (Followers aren’t the be all and end all)

Brands are finally moving past the obsession with big numbers. In 2025 engagement, niche relevance and trust matter more than the number of followers influencers have. Research shows that nearly 49% of consumers rely on influencer recommendations when making purchase decisions, highlighting the significant sway influencers hold over consumer behaviour.

Micro and Nano Influencers (those with fewer than 50,000) are seeing higher conversion rates than ever before and bring in engagement rates up to 3x higher than larger influencers.

Influencer-Driven Shopping is exploding

Social commerce is here to stay and grow. Instagram’s in-app shopping features, TikTok Shop, affiliate links, and creator storefronts are making it easier than ever to go from “watching” to “buying” in seconds. TikTok storefront is a feature that allows creators and businesses to sell directly through their TikTok profile. 71.2% of TikTok shoppers said they made a purchase when they found something of interest in their feed or Stories, etc.

AI is a tool, but authenticity is a weapon

AI is taking over all aspects of the world especially with creating content. However, audiences are beginning to spot fakeness more than ever; they can tell when a caption is too polished, or a video feels overly scripted. What users want to see today isn’t perfection - it’s personality. Content that feels raw, honest, and real continues to outperform slick, AI-crafted ads.

Successful influencers are using AI to enhance their workflow, not replace their creativity. They might use it to draft ideas, refine captions, or streamline editing but the final output still reflects their voice, their humour, and their point of view. For brands, this means letting go of overly prescriptive briefs and trusting creators to interpret campaigns in a way that aligns with their audience.

Searchable Content is Key

Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are becoming the go-to search engines, especially for Gen-Z. 40% of Gen Z use TikTok and Instagram for search instead of Google. Individuals now search “best skincare for dry skin Ireland” or “brunch spots Dublin” directly on these platforms. Influencers who know how to make search-friendly, educational content are winning big.

Raw and Unfiltered Content Wins

With the digital world full of polished ads, perfectly edited photos and high-quality videos, individuals are craving some realness in 2025. The kind of content that stops audiences from scrolling isn’t necessarily the ones with the best lighting or most cinematic transitions it is the relatable, spontaneous and funny content that users want to see.

And our prediction is, Chat GPT is the next search engine.

Thursday 14th Aug 2025

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