The shift from scale to substance
Why smaller creators, smarter audience research, and sharper strategy are rewriting the influencer playbook
Rethinking Influence
The influencer space has become more complex. With the explosion of platforms, creators, and content, alongside growing consumer scepticism, building campaigns that truly resonate is no longer quick or simple. Success now depends on thoughtful, long-term planning, not one-off pushes with a few mid-tier names and a headline act.
Effective campaigns begin with in-depth audience research, followed by a deliberate process of identifying influencers who genuinely connect with that audience and create content that feels relevant and relatable. Increasingly, this means working with a broader mix of smaller creators, often those embedded in communities closely aligned with your topic or vertical.
But growth also requires lateral thinking. To reach new audiences, it is often more effective to collaborate with influencers who do not lead on your core topic but share values or speak to adjacent interests. When you look at your audience in the round, these crossover voices can help expand reach, bringing in fresh energy and avoiding the trap of always speaking to the same people in the same way.
The old assumption was that a few big names could do the heavy lifting. Surely, if the account was large enough, sales would follow? I remember working on a skin health book years ago. Victoria Beckham, who knew the author, shared it more than once. On paper, it was a dream: a global celebrity endorsing a wellness title to millions of followers. But we saw no meaningful uplift in Amazon data. The connection simply was not there. Her endorsement carried weight for some, but to many, it likely read as a favour for a friend.
Even if the endorsement had felt more authentic, the algorithm would not have helped. With such a large account, consistent posting would have been needed to reach enough of her own audience, let alone to build a sense of credibility. By contrast, her beauty brand performs brilliantly: she talks about it regularly, her name is on it, and it feels like a natural extension of who she is.
We suspected as much, even then. But the belief lingered: reach equals results. What we learned was simple. Visibility alone is not enough. Without relevance and authenticity, even the biggest names can fall flat.
And this disconnect is now widespread. It is not just top-tier celebrities. It is also mid- and lower-tier, semi-professional influencers whose audiences are becoming more discerning. Followers are quicker to notice when something feels off-brand or opportunistic. They expect content that aligns with the creator’s identity and the values of their community. Crucially, they want it to feel relatable.
That is why high-status perks or VIP experiences offered in exchange for coverage can be risky. If the benefit feels too exclusive or disconnected from the influencer’s real interests, it can erode trust, especially when it is clear the access has been granted because of their following, not their passion. Audiences increasingly pick up on that. What once might have seemed impressive can now prompt quiet scepticism: “They got invited, sure—but do they even care?”
To drive meaningful growth, the most effective voices are often those just outside the core community. They may not fully identify with the niche, but they are close enough to feel credible and far enough to help you reach new people. They are relevant without being predictable. Believable without being overly branded.
That is not to say high-profile names and niche insiders do not matter. They absolutely do. Big names bring a halo effect, adding visibility or cultural relevance. Niche creators bring deep trust and insider credibility. But neither group alone can do the full job. The real opportunity often lies in the middle ground: the emerging voices, crossover personalities, and creatively aligned partners who help campaigns stretch, evolve, and truly grow.
And this is where audience research becomes not just helpful, but essential.
To build effective influencer campaigns today, you need more than demographic data. You need insight into values, behaviours, tone, and timing. That means developing multiple audience personas, not just to guide messaging, but to identify the creators, content styles, and communities that will truly connect.
Agencies, Strategy & Lead Times
Once you know who you are really trying to reach, the next step is execution, and that is where specialist influencer agencies come in. Working with professionals who truly understand the space is invaluable. They bring essential insight into which creators are credible, what kind of content performs, and how to manage the logistics.
But no agency can build an effective campaign without a clear audience strategy. If you do not yet know which communities you need to reach, what matters to them, or how they behave online, the risk is that you fall back on familiar names and overused rosters.
This is especially important when working in the middle ground. These are creators who are not the biggest names, but also not the obvious voices already connected to your community. They often sit just outside your niche. They are adjacent enough to feel relevant, but fresh enough to help you reach new people. And because they are less likely to be on an agency’s existing roster, finding them takes time.
That is why lead times matter. Agencies can do excellent work, but only when they are briefed well and given the time to look beyond the usual suspects. With the right audience insight and enough runway, they can help you identify and engage the professional creators who are the best fit for your campaign, not just the most available.
How the Industry Is Adapting
Last week, I attended a panel discussion hosted by the Social Intelligence Lab that explored the recent evolution of influencer marketing. The session, Read the Room: How Consumer Perception of Influencer Marketing Is Evolving, echoed many of the themes discussed above. It also offered clear, practical insights into how brands and agencies are responding to shifting audience expectations by adopting new methodologies and a broader mix of tools.
The panel featured:
Tamanna Dhamija, CEO and Co-founder, Convosight
Olivia Reardon, Senior Influencer Manager, CYLNDR Studios
Krithikha Udayakumar, Senior Brand Manager, Unilever
What stood out most was the shared view that influence today is driven by alignment: with the audience, the message, the platform, and the moment.
Audience Research Led Strategy
One of the most valuable takeaways came from Olivia Reardon, who shared how her team starts every campaign by developing detailed audience personas. These aren’t generic demographic profiles—they capture behaviours, values, cultural references, and motivations. The aim is to understand not just who the audience is, but what kind of creator would genuinely connect with them.
These personas then guide influencer selection based on tone, cultural relevance, and emotional fit. It’s a strategic approach that ensures creators feel like a natural and credible choice.
When used in influencer strategy, personas help answer questions such as:
Where does this persona spend time online?
What cultural and emotional cues resonate with them?
Which creators already speak to them authentically?
When and how are they most open to influence?
From Metrics to Mood
Data is essential to this work, and Tamanna Dhamija shared how major brands use tech to support influencer selection. Key criteria include:
Audience authenticity (avoiding bots)
Demographic alignment (age, gender, etc.)
Relevant reach (not just size)
Median engagement rates
Topical relevance (have they posted on related themes recently?)
But both Tamanna and Krithikha Udayakumar emphasised that data alone isn’t enough. Context matters. Content performs best when it meets the mood and moment of the audience.
And again, that’s where personas shine—helping brands not only target better but also time and frame their message more effectively.
Smaller Creators, Deeper Impact
The move towards smaller creators isn’t just about cost or trust—it’s strategic. Micro and mid-tier influencers often build stronger relationships with their followers. They may not offer huge reach, but they deliver credibility and consistency.
Krithikha shared an example from a sun care campaign. Just 20% of impressions came from macro influencers. The remaining 80% came from smaller creators across 20+ interest areas, such as influencers not directly in skin care who shared festival moments and applied sunscreen. It was this content that felt most timely, authentic, and shareable.
Yes, it took more coordination. But the result was a far more profound and more meaningful impact.
Final Thoughts
Influencer marketing is maturing, and the most effective strategies are evolving with it. The best campaigns are built on:
Personas that reflect real audience behaviours
Creators selected for connection, not just category
Content that meets the moment and the mood
A balance of scale and substance
Strategies that stretch audiences into new spaces, but done mindfully
Ready to Reframe Your Influencer Strategy?
If you’re looking to build campaigns that don’t just perform—but truly connect—you need more than reach and reputation. You need insight. I help brands, publishers, and cultural organisations create data-driven audience personas that go beyond demographics to reveal:
Real interests and cultural cues
Attitudes, preferences, and behaviours
Moments of influence and platforms of choice
These personas can shape not only your influencer strategy but your entire communications approach—identifying the audiences to engage, the tone to strike, and the messages most likely to land.
Want to work together or find out more?
📩 caroline@convertculture.net
🌐 convertculture.net
In Other News
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Things I’m Enjoying
I frequently attend art shows. I’m no influencer, but I do enjoy documenting the ones I think are worth seeing. You can find some of those highlights at the links below.
Do Ho Suh’s exhibition at the Tate is excellent. And if you fancy stepping slightly off the beaten track, I highly recommend Tadashi Kawamata: Demolition at Annely Juda Fine Art on Dering Street—perfect if you have half an hour to spare near Oxford Street.
I also recently stopped by Book Bar (my local, although tbf Ink@84 is also close), which featured a display of a couple of books I had supported earlier in the year.
