The 2026 guide to UK influencers: Bridging the gap between brands and communities

Influencer marketing in the UK has reached a new level of maturity, where performance measurement and brand safety are now non-negotiable.

For marketing teams, the focus has shifted from one-off ‘celebrity’ posts to building long-term ambassador ecosystems that drive measurable growth.

In this guide, we unpack current consumer attitudes, localised pricing benchmarks, and the essential frameworks for safe, high-ROI collaborations. This is the 2026 guide to UK influencers: bridging the gap between brands and communities.

Influencer marketing in the UK

Influencer marketing in the UK is a strategy where brands partner with social media creators to promote products and services to their engaged audiences. One in four UK adults are influenced by these partnerships when making purchasing decisions, with that number exceeding 50% among Gen Z consumers. 84% of Gen Z and 68% of Millennials actively follow influencers, making this method critical for brands targeting younger demographics.

According to Sprout Social’s 2024 Influencer Marketing Report, which surveyed 2,000 respondents across the US and UK, consumers most favor food and drink and beauty content from influencers. Preferences also vary by age. For example, Gen X consumers prefer movies, TV and sports content, while younger consumers prefer fitness, gaming and lifestyle.

Platform preferences vary sharply by generation. 50% of Baby Boomers engage on Facebook, while Gen X and Millennials are almost twice as likely to engage on Instagram (27% vs 15% overall). The momentum shows no signs of slowing. In fact, 59% of marketers plan to partner with more influencers in 2025 compared to 2024.

UK consumer attitudes toward influencer marketing

Understanding how UK consumers view influencers is critical for campaign success. They expect honest, unbiased content over purely aspirational posts and want influencers who align with their values.

Platform preferences vary sharply by generation:

• Gen Z: Favors TikTok for fitness, gaming and lifestyle content
• Millennials and Gen X: Engage on Instagram at twice the rate of Baby Boomers (27% vs 15%)
• Baby Boomers: Remain most active on Facebook, with 50% engaging there
• All generations: Food and drink ranks as the top content category, with 69% trusting influencer recommendations

Trust in these partnerships is high. One in four UK adults admits that influencer recommendations impact their purchasing decisions. This influence is even stronger among younger demographics, with more than half of Gen Z consumers looking to creators to guide their shopping habits.

How much do UK influencers charge?

UK influencer pricing varies by audience size and platform. 47% of influencers charge between $250 and $1,000 per post, while 71% offer discounts for multi-post partnerships.

 

Influencer Tier	Follower Count	Typical Cost Per Post	Best For
Nano-influencers	1K-10K	$100-$500	Hyper-targeted niche audiences, authentic engagement
Micro-influencers	10K-50K	$500-$2,500	High engagement rates, trusted recommendations
Mid-tier influencers	50K-500K	$2,500-$10,000	Balance of reach and engagement
Macro-influencers	500K-1M	$10,000-$50,000	Significant reach, brand awareness campaigns
Mega-influencers	1M+	$50,000+	Maximum reach, mass market campaigns

Most influencers (71%) offer discounts when partnering on multiple posts, with another 25% open to negotiating multi-post deals. Long-term partnerships deliver better ROI while building authentic brand affinity.

Finding influencers within your budget starts with the right discovery tools. Sprout Social’s influencer database filters by audience size, engagement rate and budget parameters to surface creators who match your investment level.

How to find UK influencers for your brand

You find the right influencers by manually searching or getting recommendations from your network. But the most efficient method is to use an influencer marketing platform.

For example, Sprout Social Influencer Marketing (formerly Tagger) has an extensive influencer database with over 40 search filters to support you in finding your perfect match. Our Content Health capability lets you vet a partner based on their content, engagement and platform-specific metrics. Also, the Sync feature supports users in building a custom landing page to attract, qualify and capture prospective influencers for partnership.

When you find the influencer of your brand’s dreams, ensure they comply with local regulations. According to UK regulations and European consumer law, influencers must disclose when they’ve been paid to endorse or recommend a brand and identify when a post is an advertisement. They must also not mislead consumers with false or untruthful claims about the products or services they promote.

Ensuring brand safety and compliance with UK influencers

Brand safety ranks as a top concern for 50% of marketers in influencer partnerships. Partnering with the wrong creator poses reputational risks that can damage years of brand-building.

Before signing contracts, vet influencers thoroughly. Review historical content for controversial topics, analyse engagement patterns to detect fake followers and verify their values align with your brand.

Compliance with local laws is equally important. The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) requires influencers to clearly disclose paid partnerships, typically using labels like #ad. Also, European consumer law prohibits misleading claims about products or services. Brands share legal responsibility for these disclosures, so it’s essential to outline these requirements in your contracts.

Sprout Social Influencer Marketing automates brand safety vetting with AI-powered risk detection:

• Customisable Brand Safety reporting: Define what is and isn’t brand safe for your organisation
• Historical content analysis: Review creators’ past posts for potential red flags
• Automated risk scoring: AI flags controversial topics, problematic language and engagement anomalies
• Audience authenticity checks: Detect fake followers and bot activity
• Comprehensive transparency: Access full content history before committing to partnerships

UK influencers by category

Almost every influencer has some focus for their content. Some are more broad, like family, food or fashion, while others specialise in niche areas, like vegan food in Scotland.

When looking for an influencer, remember that they don’t need to be in the same niche as your business. For example, if you’re a travel company promoting yoga retreats, you can work with fitness influencers instead of travel creators. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box.

To kickstart your research, here’s a breakdown of the top influencer categories in the UK:

 

Category	Content Types	Primary Platforms	Key Characteristics
Fitness	Workout videos, nutrition tips, challenges	Instagram, YouTube	Mix of elite athletes and everyday enthusiasts
Fashion	#GRWM, try-on hauls, styling tutorials	Instagram, TikTok	Diverse body types, ages, and style aesthetics
Beauty	Makeup tutorials, product reviews, skincare routines	Instagram, TikTok, YouTube	Inclusive range of genders, ages, and skin concerns
Food & Drink	Recipes, restaurant reviews, cooking demos	TikTok, Instagram	Most popular category (30% consumer interest)

UK fitness influencers

From Olympic medalists and reality stars to everyday people, there’s a wide variety of UK fitness influencers. There’s also variety in the type of content they post. While many share the expected exercise tips and workout videos, others post more experiential content. Many use Instagram for shorter videos and YouTube for more in-depth content.

For example, Eddie Hall (@eddiehallwsm), a UK influencer with 2.93 million YouTube subscribers, posts sparring videos with other famous sportspeople and eating challenges alongside his workouts.

UK fashion influencers

UK fashion influencers are known for their creativity and diversity. Popular influencers come in all shapes, sizes and skin tones. For example, Efe Efeturi (@efe.efeturi) specialises in senior men’s style, whereas Koleen Diaz (@koleendz) is known for her blend of masculine street style with feminine aesthetics.

In terms of content, you’ll find plenty of #GRWM videos, try-on hauls and lifestyle vlogs. You’ll also find some unique series, like fashion blogger Claudia Berresford’s (@claudia_berresford) outfit formula and layer tutorials.

UK beauty influencers

Beauty is a broad category, but UK beauty influencers illustrate how there are many ways to put your spin on it. While some creators, like Atarah Mayhew (@atarah), specialise in makeup transformations and special effects, others, like Lydia Fowler (@lydiafowler), are known for their sophisticated, natural glam makeup.

The UK beauty influencer market is also very inclusive, with a wide range of mature creators and male influencers showcasing their makeup, skincare and hair care skills. You’ll also find many rising micro-influencers with more specific niches, like Lex Gillies (@talontedlex), who advocates rosacea awareness and skin positivity.

UK food influencers

Our 2024 Influencer Marketing Report shows that food content is the most popular with consumers, with 30% of UK consumers most interested in food and drink content from influencers. This makes partnerships with UK food influencers particularly lucrative. Like the other categories, there is a creator for every niche and subcategory.

For example, Melissa Hemsley (@melissa.hemsley) specialises in sustainable recipes that use leftovers and reduce waste. In comparison, Yasmine (@thechefmine) is a Muslim TikTok creator, most known for her Ramadan series, in which she shares a month of halal recipes.

The future of influencer marketing in the UK

Influencer marketing in the UK is evolving beyond simple social media posts. Brands are increasingly integrating creators into broader marketing mixes, including in-person events, brand trips and multichannel campaigns. Influencers are also stepping into roles traditionally held by spokespeople, deepening their connection with brand narratives.

Artificial intelligence is reshaping the landscape as well. While 37% of consumers say they’re more interested in brands who use AI influencers (a figure that rises to 46% among Gen Z), many still prioritise human connection. The definition of authenticity is shifting from a buzzword to a demand for demonstrable product integration. Only 35% of Gen Z value influencer authenticity compared to about half of Millennials, Gen X and Baby Boomers.

Younger generations who grew up with influencer content understand there’s a transactional element to the dynamic. Instead, they see value in the way influencers interact with products and demonstrate how to use them in their lives.

The global influencer marketing market will exceed $24 billion in 2025, with 59% of brands increasing their partnerships. The brands that win won’t just adopt AI and new platforms. They will also redefine what authentic influence means in an increasingly transactional creator economy.

How to create a UK influencer marketing strategy

With so many influencer options, a strategic plan separates successful campaigns from wasted budget. Here’s your framework for building an influencer marketing strategy from the ground up.

Strategy Step	Key Actions	Sprout Social Tools
1. Set campaign goals	Define awareness, lead gen or sales objectives; select KPIs	Custom Report Builder for goal tracking
2. Identify target audience	Determine demographics, platform preferences, content interests	Discovery filters by audience demographics
3. Set budget	Allocate spend by influencer tier; plan for management resources	Campaign management workflows
4. Build relationships	Establish long-term partnerships; personalise outreach	Creator and Collaborator portals
5. Create content	Give creative freedom within brand guidelines; optimise timing	Content approval workflows
6. Measure and optimise	Track against goals; adjust based on performance data	Campaign Summary automated reporting

1. Set campaign goals

First, determine the goal of your influencer marketing campaign. Do you want to increase brand awareness, generate leads or grow sales? Once you have an overarching goal, you must define influencer marketing metrics to track your progress.

For example, if you want to track brand awareness, measure audience growth, reach, impressions and brand mentions. If conversions are top of mind, track email list sign-ups, lead generation or purchases.

Lastly, your influencer marketing goals should align with your overall marketing strategy. Doing so will keep your message clear, make it easier for you to collaborate with other teams and support communicating your ROI.

2. Identify your target audience

Once you have solid goals, you need to define your target audience. To do so, consider your target customer’s demographics, interests and behaviors. From there, determine what platforms they use to guide your strategy.

For example, according to our Influencer Marketing Report, TikTok is your best bet if you want to reach a Gen Z audience, so you should consider working with UK TikTok influencers. For Gen X and Millennials, you should look into UK Instagram influencers. Apart from the platform, look for popular influencers among your demographic and align with your brand values.

3. Set a budget and management strategy

An influencer’s rate increases with their follower count and engagement, so keep that in mind when setting a budget. Tools like our influencer marketing budget templates will help you control costs by setting clear spending limits across your team and allocating resources to the most valuable partnerships.

Influencer campaigns require project management, contracts, content approvals and performance tracking. Factor these responsibilities into your budget to maximise influencer marketing ROI. Brands relying heavily on influencers benefit from hiring dedicated influencer marketing managers.

Investing in an influencer marketing management tool like Sprout Social’s influencer marketing platform will also boost productivity by consolidating strategy development, influencer discovery and campaign management into one streamlined workspace. With the majority of brands partnering with 10 or fewer influencers at any given time, and 59% planning to expand their roster in 2025, having the right systems in place is critical for scaling your program.

4. Build relationships

Like any creative partnership, building and nurturing an ongoing relationship with an influencer has many benefits. Repeated endorsements build trust and credibility and allow for deeper brand familiarity, which can lead to more nuanced storytelling.

Influencer management tools help make this relationship-building process easy and efficient. For example, Sprout Social has Creator and Collaborator portals for easy onboarding, collaboration and real-time communication.

Of course, you can still build meaningful, mutually beneficial relationships with influencers even if you don’t have an influencer marketing tool. It just takes more effort. For example, make your outreach to content partners more personal by mentioning specific things from their influencer media kit and content. This shows that you are familiar with and appreciate their work.

5. Create compelling content

One of the biggest benefits of partnering with an influencer is the authenticity they bring to their content. They know how to communicate in a way that resonates with their audience, so promotions feel more like a personal recommendation than a sales pitch.

That’s why it’s so important to give your influencers the creative freedom to produce content that feels true to them. At the same time, provide clear direction to ensure their work aligns with your brand’s messaging and values. Consider providing them with any information you have on your brand’s best times to post for a UK audience. Our influencer marketing brief template will help you clearly define expectations and establish guidelines for mutual success.

For example, Ashleigh Mogford (@cardiff.mum) is a food influencer known for her budget-friendly meal plans. So partnering with vegetarian and vegan food company Quorn to highlight the product’s affordability is a perfect fit. Besides the product placement, the video is pretty similar to her other non-branded posts.

6. Measure and optimise

Last but certainly not least, it’s important to regularly review influencer analytics to measure your campaigns’ success against your original goals and optimise accordingly. Doing so will keep your campaign on the right track, in order to maximise ROI by doubling down on what’s working.

For example, let’s say your goal is to increase sales by 20%. If you notice that one influencer’s post performed better than the others, use it as a guide to offer recommendations to the other creators.

Demonstrating results with business impact grows your influencer marketing program. Data-backed success stories make it easier to secure budget increases and give influencers creative freedom.

Sprout Social streamlines performance tracking:

• Campaign Summary: Automated reporting across all influencer partnerships
• Custom Report Builder: Personalise metrics for stakeholder presentations
• Real-time analytics: Track performance against goals throughout campaigns
• Cross-channel insights: Measure impact across Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and more
• Export capabilities: Share data with leadership in presentation-ready formats

How to make the most of your next UK influencer campaign

With such a diverse range of interests and demographics, it doesn’t matter how broad or niche of an audience you’re trying to reach. There’s likely to be a UK influencer out there who’d be the perfect fit for your next campaign.

Maximizing campaign success requires tracking performance against clear goals and having the right tools to manage partnerships efficiently.

Sprout Social Influencer Marketing eliminates the manual work of finding, vetting and managing UK influencer campaigns. With AI-powered discovery, customizable brand safety tools and automated reporting, you’ll scale your influencer partnerships with confidence. Start a free trial or request a demo to explore the platform’s features.

Frequently asked questions about UK influencer marketing

What influencer disclosure requirements apply in the UK?

The UK ASA requires influencers to clearly label paid partnerships using #ad or similar transparent indicators, while EU consumer law prohibits misleading product claims. Brands and influencers share legal responsibility for compliance.

How long does it take to see ROI from UK influencer campaigns?

Brand awareness campaigns show results within 1-3 months, while conversion campaigns using promotional codes generate immediate impact. Sustained sales growth typically develops over 3-6 months.

Should I work with UK mega-influencers or micro-influencers?

Micro-influencers (10K-50K followers) deliver higher engagement at lower cost for niche targeting, while mega-influencers provide maximum reach at premium pricing. Most successful campaigns use a mix to balance reach and engagement.

What's the difference between influencer marketing platforms and agencies?

Agencies provide full-service management including strategy and creative, while platforms give in-house teams tools for discovery, vetting and reporting. Platforms offer greater control and scalability as you grow your program.

How do I ensure UK influencers align with my brand values?

Review organic content, audience engagement patterns and past behavior for controversial topics or values misalignment. Sprout Social’s Brand Fit Score and Brand Safety reporting automate this vetting with AI-powered analysis of historical content.