Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report 2026
Marketers plan to use more small creators and more AI in 2026. Cause campaigns can use both, if they also measure impact.
Small creators keep growing
About half of the marketers in the survey plan to use more small creators. Influencer Marketing Hub surveyed more than 600 respondents. 52.83% plan to expand their use of micro creators, and 51.43% plan to expand nano creators.
This trend helps cause campaigns. A small budget can pay more small creators than large ones.
AI starts with discovery
Creator discovery is the most common use of AI, at 36.67% of responses. AI can find creators fast. It cannot tell you if a creator cares about your cause. Check the fit yourself, or use a score that shows its evidence.
Sales tools do not measure impact
Promo codes (45.9%), affiliate links (26.0%), and native shop features (25.0%) lead the list of measurement tools. These tools count sales. A cause campaign also needs impact measures, such as meals funded or volunteers who signed up.
Read the numbers with care
The survey covers brands and agencies, not nonprofits. Each figure counts only the people who answered that question. Some figures do not match across sections. For example, the report gives both 72.22% and 70.20% for the same budget group.
Common questions
Will brands use more nano and micro creators in 2026?
About half of the respondents plan to. 52.83% plan to expand their use of micro creators, and 51.43% plan to expand their use of nano creators.
How do marketers use AI in influencer marketing?
Creator discovery is the most common use, at 36.67% of responses. Content generation (21.11%) and brief development (13.89%) follow. 10.56% say they do not use AI.
How should a cause campaign measure results?
Promo codes are the top measurement tool in the survey (45.9%), but they count only sales. A cause campaign also needs impact measures, such as meals funded or volunteers who signed up.
Sources
- Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report 2026. Influencer Marketing Hub.
