Five years ago, influencers delivered strong commercial results for many e-commerce brands. A single post from a well-known personality could produce rapid sales spikes and accelerated visibility. Today, those same individuals often command even larger audiences, yet their capacity to drive conversions has diminished.

The change reflects more than a fluctuation in consumer behaviour, it marks a structural transition in how credibility, attention and purchasing decisions intersect on social platforms. For organisations allocating marketing budgets, understanding this shift is increasingly important.

The engagement gap

In recent years, I have seen a growing number of influencer agencies request paid engagement support on their clients’ organic posts. The process involves pulling an influencer’s post into a paid social platform and running targeted campaigns to increase reach and engagement before new brand negotiations. Although technically permissible, it artificially elevates performance indicators.

These metrics are then used to justify partnership fees. When multiple agencies adopt similar practices, brands risk basing investment decisions on engagement figures that do not represent genuine audience response. The visibility of these practices has increased, and so has scepticism. When engagement becomes a purchasable output rather than an earned response, the premise of influence weakens.

The decline of assumed authority

Several years ago, many influencers’ audiences were deeply engaged, and trust formed the basis of their commercial value. Today I observe a different dynamic, influencers with large numerical followings frequently record low levels of interaction relative to their audience size. This misalignment reduces their impact. Once an audience questions whether product endorsements reflect authentic usage, influence declines quickly.

I have also observed that many influencers lack advanced content production skills, particularly those whose public profiles originate from television, sports or other offline professions. Their content may be persuasive in tone but is often less effective when repurposed for paid advertising, where structure, pacing and clarity are crucial.

The rise of creator-driven commerce

This environment has created space for a different type of partner: the professional content creator. These individuals are not defined by fame or follower count, their value lies in their ability to communicate effectively through video, structure compelling narratives and understand platform dynamics.

In paid social, creator-produced videos often outperform high-budget commercials. Platform algorithms reward content quality and audience retention rather than creator popularity. As a result, creators with modest audiences can generate significant commercial outcomes when their content is used in paid media. The distinction between influence and performance has become far more pronounced.

Why content quality outperforms reach

In my experience managing campaigns across multiple sectors, creators who understand how users consume short-form video consistently deliver the strongest results. They lead with clear hooks, establish immediate relevance and maintain concise pacing. These qualities increase watch time, which directly influences algorithmic distribution.

When their content is integrated into Meta Ads, follower count becomes irrelevant. Campaigns are optimised for outcomes rather than popularity, allowing well-structured videos to outperform celebrity-led content at significantly lower cost. This has encouraged many brands to adopt a diversified creator strategy.

Micro-creators and measurable influence

I am seeing notable results from brands that partner with micro-creators, typically those with fewer than 10,000 followers within specific niches. These creators tend to cultivate highly loyal communities built on perceived proximity and shared interests.

Their audiences engage meaningfully, and their product recommendations often lead to measurable conversions. For several brands I work with, shifting from large influencer partnerships to a network of micro-creators has improved attributed revenue, strengthened customer acquisition performance and produced assets that transfer effectively into paid campaigns.

The economic realignment

Compensation models have evolved alongside this shift, as brands increasingly recognise that creators should be paid for production expertise rather than compensated solely through gifting. This has raised the overall quality of the creator ecosystem and encouraged more specialists to enter the field.

Top-tier influencers continue to secure high-value brand partnerships linked to awareness and brand positioning. However, the most significant commercial returns often come from creators whose primary strength is content excellence. This redistribution of budget reflects a more analytical approach to partnership selection.

A shift towards transparency

To navigate this changing environment, many organisations are updating their partnership criteria. I now see contracts requesting access to native analytics, alongside clauses restricting the use of paid engagement during campaign periods. These safeguards help ensure that reported metrics accurately reflect consumer intent.

Platforms themselves are also tightening their policies on artificial engagement inflation. As transparency increases, brands are becoming more selective, prioritising partners who can demonstrate authentic connection and consistent performance.

The hybrid model emerging

Influencer marketing is not disappearing. Instead, it is evolving into a multi-tiered model. Celebrity influencers retain value for large-scale awareness, although with clearer expectations and more rigorous measurement. Professional content creators now sit at the centre of performance-driven marketing, supplying assets for paid campaigns across multiple placements. Micro-creators and affiliates contribute community-level influence and authentic social proof.

This blended structure reflects the industry’s maturation. It aligns audience dynamics, commercial expectations and content production quality.

Implications for marketing investment

From my perspective as a Meta Ads strategist, the brands adapting most effectively demonstrate several common behaviours. They evaluate partnerships based on verified performance rather than surface-level metrics. They maintain detailed creator databases, continuously testing and optimising content types. They shift budget allocation from awareness-only activities to performance partnerships where outcomes can be measured clearly.

This approach ensures that every pound invested in creator activity contributes to revenue generation, customer acquisition or meaningful engagement.

The new reality

Influencer marketing is not dead, but it is undeniably different from its previous form. Influence can no longer be inferred from follower count. Authenticity, content quality and measurable performance now hold greater value than visibility alone.

For influencers and creators willing to refine their skills, the opportunity remains substantial. For brands prepared to align investment with verified outcomes, the landscape offers more clarity than ever before. The evolution is well underway; the benefit lies with those who adapt.

About the Author: Aggie Meroni is the founder of White Bee Digital, a specialist Meta Ads agency helping e-commerce brands achieve scalable growth through strategic paid social and creator partnerships.