Influencer marketing trends in 2026 you need to know about
Insights from someone who casts creators for outdoor brands
Verde’s Social Media Strategist, Kelly, here. As we move into 2026, here are the trends brands need to embrace to stay relevant and build genuine connections with their audiences.
The Micro-Influencer Movement isn't slowing down
If you're still chasing follower counts, it's time to rethink your strategy.
Why micro-influencers continue to dominate:
Micro-influencers have something that massive accounts sometimes lack: truly engaged communities. When Verde casts creators for campaigns, we do not solely focus on follower count - we look at engagement rate, comment quality, and whether their audience actually trusts their recommendations. A creator with 15,000 highly engaged followers who genuinely uses and believes in a product will outperform a creator with 500,000 disengaged followers.
The numbers back this up. Average engagement rates for micro-influencers run higher than macro-influencers, and research has found that smaller influencers can deliver triple the return on investment.
Authenticity Is Essential
In a world where AI can generate images, videos, and even entire social media personas, people are questioning what's real and what's fake more than ever before. This makes authentic storytelling critical for brands.
Yes, AI can help make certain processes more efficient— I’ve used it as a starting point for brainstorming content concepts. But the final product, the actual story being told, needs to come from a real person with real experiences.
When a creator genuinely loves a product and integrates it naturally into their content that's when their community takes notice and considers making a purchase themselves.
It’s crucial for brands to give influencers creative freedom. It feels less like selling when a product naturally integrates into a creator’s everyday life. This one is going to be huge in 2026 and beyond. Creator content is becoming ubiquitous, and the gap between quality content and phoned-in UGC will be the difference between campaign success and failure.
Learn more on the Verde Instagram
In-Person Experiences Are Making a Comeback
There's a hunger for real-world connection. In-person activations and community events are helping to cut through the noise.
Why face-to-face matters more than ever:
When brands bring creators together for trail runs, ski trips, camping excursions, or product testing sessions, they're not just creating content opportunities. They're building community. They're creating memorable moments that creators naturally want to share because they were genuinely meaningful experiences.
This shift represents a fundamental change in how brands should think about creator relationships. We're moving from transactional partnerships to community building. Instead of viewing creators as content production machines, brands need to see them as community members and collaborators.
These experiences humanize brands in a way that polished social content simply can't. When a creator shares behind-the-scenes moments from a brand event, their audience sees the people behind the brand.
Looking Ahead
The thread connecting all of these trends is authenticity and human connection. As technology advances and AI capabilities expand, the value of genuine relationships, real experiences, and authentic storytelling only increases.
For 2026: Invest in relationships. Prioritize engagement over follower counts. Create experiences worth sharing
Brands who do this will see better ROI because they are creating a community of advocates who genuinely believe in what they are creating.
