In a small meeting room of a Parisian start-up, the marketing team is circling around a problem that has become commonplace: their last campaign with a “star” influencer produced almost nothing. No peak in sales. No massive commitment. Just a few polite comments. The scene, which would have seemed improbable even three years ago, has become commonplace. And she alone tells what is happening in influencer marketing.
Since 2024, a shift has taken place. Discreet at first, then brutal. Audiences are fragmenting, expectations are evolving, codes are being refined. The influence has not disappeared. It simply took another form, more demanding, more credible and above all, more human.
1/ The end of the hearing for the hearing
For almost a decade, numbers dictated the choices: the more subscribers an influencer had, the more profitable their words were considered.
But in 2025, music changes.
According to a study published in February 2025 by HypeAuditor, campaigns carried out with macro-influencers (more than 500,000 subscribers) display an average engagement rate of 1.2%, down 20% compared to 2022.
Conversely, collaborations with micro-communities (between 5,000 and 50,000 subscribers) show spectacular growth: 5.4% average engagement, driven by more loyal, more receptive audiences, more anchored in reality. But behind the figures, there is a fundamental phenomenon: trust, which has become the main criterion.
A survey conducted in the fall of 2024 by the OpinionWay institute already revealed that 68% of French consumers no longer believe in overly scripted content. A rejection that pushes brands to rethink their partnerships. We are no longer simply looking for a “face”, but a credible interpreter of the brand.
2/ The rise of influencer-experts: competence before notoriety
They are called “everyday experts”. They are engineers, project managers, craftsmen, nurses, sports coaches, teachers…
They do not live from their visibility, but from their profession. And that’s precisely what makes them valuable.
Traackr’s Creator Insight 2025 study shows that creators considered “experts” in their field generate 45% higher conversion rates than general lifestyle influencers.
For what ? Because their words are based on an experience, not on a script.
The public is no longer looking for a perfect showcase, but a guide who really knows the subject.
In tech, beauty, health, food, tourism and entrepreneurship, these influencer-experts are redrawing the contours of influencer marketing.
They test, explain, compare, sometimes criticize.
And brands that accept this transparency receive more authentic visibility in return.
3/ The demand for truth: the public no longer wants to be “sold”
Weariness with too-perfect content has accelerated in 2024.
On TikTok as on Instagram, “disenchanted” videos, real feedback, spontaneous opinions are a hit. The phenomenon even has a name in recent studies: the “real content shift”.
A Nielsen report (2024) indicated that content perceived as “unretouched” generates 30% higher recall than professionally produced content.
This year, it’s no longer a trend: it’s a golden rule. Brands are moving away from overly clean presentations. They favor more raw formats:
- spontaneous stories,
- product tests filmed without editing,
- behind the scenes of manufacturing,
- personal feedback,
- direct interactions with the community.
Perfection is no longer an argument. Sincerity, yes.
4/ Influencer marketing becomes more responsible
In 2025, collaborations no longer take place lightly. Hearings demand evidence, and legislation follows.
France has tightened its influence framework in 2024: mandatory information, increased transparency on partnerships, ban on certain misleading practices.
Result: consumers have started to trust creators who respect these rules more.
A study by Reech (2025) shows that 72% of users value “ethical” creators, that is to say those who:
- explain why they accept a collaboration,
- refuse unaligned products,
- clearly display paid partnerships,
- assume their values.
Responsible influence is no longer a slogan. It has become a selling point and sometimes even a selection criterion.
5/ Long-term collaboration: goodbye to disposable campaigns
Another trend is emerging: continued partnership. Brands realize that an isolated post no longer convinces. According to a recent analysis by Kolsquare (2025), campaigns carried out over 3 to 6 months generate 2.7 times more sales than one-off collaborations.
For what ? Because the public needs to see a creator actually use the product,
not just present it. Repetition creates credibility. And credibility creates conversion. It’s a return to logic closer to sponsorship:
- a creator becomes an ambassador,
- follows the brand over time,
- recounts its evolution,
- gives a constructed opinion.
Collaboration becomes a story, not a transaction.
6/ AI serving humans, not the other way around
In the collective imagination, AI could have replaced creators. But the opposite happens. In 2025, AI is an analysis tool, not a substitute. She notices:
- weak signals,
- the audiences engaged,
- micro-trends,
- emerging creators.
It also optimizes the relevance of campaigns. But it is humans, creators and audiences alike, who set the tone.
A Digiday study published in January 2025 highlights that 84% of consumers prefer human content even if AI-generated content is sometimes “cleaner”.
Influencer marketing is therefore returning to what it should always have been: a conversation, not a formula.
7/ Platforms are changing: TikTok is aging, Instagram is adapting, YouTube is establishing itself
The geography of influence is also evolving.
TikTok: still strong, but less impulsive
The audience is maturing and becoming more demanding. We are looking for more expertise than shows.
Instagram: the return of proximity
Stories remain the heart of the relationship. Collaborations are perceived as more credible when they are embodied in a personal story.
YouTube: the big winner in trust
Long formats are exploding. According to SocialBlade, time spent on video increased by 27% between 2023 and 2025. Audiences want to understand, not just glimpse.
8/ In 2025, influence becomes adult
Influencer marketing is no longer the domain of fashion effects.
- He became professional.
- He cleaned himself up.
- He became humanized.
Successful brands no longer seek to buy visibility.
- They seek to forge alliances.
- They value sincere voices, credible people, engaged communities.
- They accept that the narrative matters as much as the message.
In 2025, influence is no longer a showcase. It’s a relationship.
