How to get maximum value from Influencers in 2026

In 2025, the term influencer is seen by some as a dirty word, commonly associated with freeloaders, or people unoriginally talking about trending things for views on social media platforms. “Can I come to your restaurant for a meal and in return I’ll post on my channels?” Is probably something you’re sick of seeing in your DMs.

That being said, Influencers have enormous value to when used correctly.

So full disclosure, Sophie here at Social etc. is an “influencer”. A food blogger since 2012 on her website, it was an inevitable evolution to then create an Instagram profile to talk about her food experiences. The term influencer wasn’t really a thing in 2015. There was a natural benefit for restaurants, Sophie would visit, talk about her experience online and then they would see an increase in customers or an interest in their restaurant. Initially every visit was paid for by us, but over time as restaurants saw the value in what Sophie was doing, they began to offer free food as part of the visits because they had the opportunity to demonstrate their best stuff.

If it was good (a crucial but often overlooked point!) then Sophie’s audience would appreciate it and then visit their destination as a result.

This all took place very organically alongside the rise of the term influencer, but it’s easy to see how genuine creators were lumped in with those just looking for a free lunch.

A Real Life Example

We can demonstrate first hand the value of influencers when deployed correctly. Just outside of Milton Keynes, next to an excellent butchers called Best Butchers, there is a small shipping container converted into a food spot called Rowley’s. They started around COVID, using all of the wonderful produce that Best Butchers had to offer they created excellent breakfast sandwiches.

Rowleys breakfast sandwich

Rowley’s had a steady customer base and a great reputation, we caught wind of them locally and paid them a visit. We paid for our food and Sophie posted about them on her Instagram and in her Facebook group. Now, sometimes things capture the public imagination, and Rowley’s are certainly one of those cases! It has been going locally viral for around two years now with a steadily growing customer base until in the last few months they’ve been picked up by regional level Influencers and now they’ve taken off. They are requiring more staff, more produce, and are looking at ways to become more efficient because their popularity has soared.

This is a great example of how influencers can help to grow your brand organically, the key components for success are:

A good product or service.

If you don’t have something worth sharing then you will not see steady growth. People are pretty good at deciphering when a post about something is purely a paid promotion vs a product that someone is actually enthusiastic about.

Influencers that are dialled into the correct community.

Sophie is a food blogger and her audience are looking for local food and lifestyle experiences to enjoy. Rowley’s had the support of the right influencer at the right time.

Gradually scaling influencers as your audience and popularity grows.

Rowley’s first grew their popularity at a Micro level and then have scaled up through to Macro level influencers as their popularity has increased.

What are Influencer Tiers?

Influencers attract followings in all shapes and sizes, so we group them into tiers and these tiers usually provide distinct strengths and weaknesses.

Nano

Followers: Less than 10,000

Strengths: Quick turnarounds, more likely to not require payment, high engagement rates

Weaknesses: Low organic reach

Micro

Followers: 10,000 – 100,000

Strengths: Strong credibility and authenticity, high quality content

Weaknesses: Smaller organic reach

Mid

Followers: 100,000 – 500,000

Strengths: Flexible content creation with lower turnaround times, great reach

Weaknesses: Lots of brand deals already under way

Macro

Followers: 500,000+

Strengths: Huge organic reach, high quality content creation skills

Weaknesses: Often lower engagement rates than smaller creators

Celebrity

Followers: 500,000++

Strengths: Huge organic reach, trusted and recognisable face

Weaknesses: Poor content creation skills, limited usage rights

Different brands require different tiers of influencers for different scenarios. Even huge brands will often use Nano and Micro tier influencers within their influencer campaigns, they are usually dialled into a highly specific audience so you can ensure you get high engagement rates.

It’s vital to integrate influencers into your social media strategy, they shouldn’t be a reactive afterthought. You should consider their audience, style, and strengths to boost your brand into the communities that are strategically important to you!

Where to find influencers

It’s one thing knowing that you want to use an influencer, but now the challenge is where to actually find the right person! There are a number of options here, first and foremost searching directly within social media and keeping an eye on channels or brands that you admire may point you in the direction of influencers that look like valuable collaborators.

Use the search feature to find trending/highly rated posts by doing keyword searches e.g. “Tapas in Covent Garden”, it’s highly likely that you’ll find influencers that have highly viewed posts that will appear right at the top of your searches. If the influencer is doing that for someone else, they could do it for you?

Websites like Upfluence, AspireIQ, and CreatorIQ offer brand-side tools, and there are many smaller, niche platforms for specific industries like food or fashion. These platforms are brilliant for streamlining the search and initial outreach, effectively acting as a digital middleman for your campaign. They are especially useful for finding collaborators who are actively seeking paid work.

Finally, agencies (like Social etc.) have access to specialist databases similar to those above that we can use to identify the influencers that have the highest relevance and best performance that align with your social media objectives.

How to engage with influencers

So now you know who you want to use, and why they are strategically valuable to your social media strategy, how do you engage with them?

For Nano, Micro, and sometimes Mid-Tier influencers, the most common (and cost-effective) route is reaching out directly. Look for a contact email listed in their Instagram bio or hit the “Message” button. This approach is best for building personal relationships, which often leads to more authentic content. When reaching out, be polite, be specific about why you chose them, and clearly outline what you are proposing.

For many Mid and most Macro/Celebrity influencers, direct contact is almost impossible. They use talent agents or management agencies to handle all incoming brand enquiries. The contact details for the agent will almost always be listed clearly in the creator’s bio (e.g., “Contact: Talent@Agency.com). This route is more formal, requires a clear budget proposal upfront, but generally results in a more professional and timely contracting process.

It’s crucial to understand that your expectations should always align with your budget. Not every influencer interaction requires a hefty financial investment, but if you have a specific goal, you must be prepared to pay for it.

Budget vs Gifting

When you gift, you shouldn’t demand or expect anything in return. The influencer is using their valuable time and channel for free. If they genuinely love the product, they will post. Whenyou have specific expectations e.g. “We need two Reels and a five stories”, you should allocate budget to that partnership as this isn’t a gift it’s a campaign!

If your campaign requires guaranteed outcomes, specific usage rights for the content, or agreed deliverables like a certain number of posts, a call-to-action (CTA), or a specific date of posting, you should allocate budget for a paid collaboration.

Working with a paid creator means you can create an agreement that outlines all of your requirements, ensuring both your goals and the creator’s time are respected. Remember, when you pay, you are not just paying for their audience, you are paying for their expertise, their high-quality content creation skills, and their time.

Key Takeaway

Influencer engagement scales with your brand’s growth and budget. Start organic and build relationships at the Micro level, and as your campaign needs become more specific and your budget expands, formalise the process with paid collaborations to ensure you get maximum value and precise deliverables.

Admittedly, this is a fair amount of effort. If scouting, negotiating, and managing contracts sounds like a full-time job, let us handle it. Social etc. manages the entire influencer lifecycle. We use specialist databases to find your perfect match, handle all agreements, and ensure every campaign drives measurable growth.