Influencer marketing should stop being a creative gamble and become a strategic, measurable, data-driven channel. This is the main conclusion of BrandLovers after analyzing more than 2,300 pieces of content created by 1,500 creators in the last three months.
Based on the analysis of over 17 campaigns conducted on Instagram and TikTok, the company identified clear performance patterns that help to answer, based on evidence, what really works — and what definitely doesn't work — when working with creators. Spoiler: creators who participated in previous campaigns are more likely to deliver than newcomers to the brand.
"Influence marketing has grown, but it still needs to mature when it comes to treating this channel with the same rigor applied to any other media front. It's no longer acceptable to operate in this channel based on guesswork or charisma alone. The data shows that influence is also science, and those who know how to use it intelligently will get ahead," says Rapha Avellar, CEO and founder of BrandLovers.
Below are the main findings:
Activate the same creators — and watch your performance rise
The logic of "let's try a new creator for each campaign" simply doesn't work. On the contrary. What the data from BrandLovers shows is that creators who have previously participated in campaigns deliver better results: on average, they had 54% more views per follower and a 9% lower CPV, with more consistent engagement in up to 80% of subsequent activations. Additionally, the average engagement increases by about 10% in the second campaign, and the number of adjustments requested by clients also decreases (from 20% in the first activation to 17% in the second). Familiarity with the process, understanding of the brand, and fine-tuning the content style explain this leap in performance.
Posting at the wrong time can drop up to 30% of performance
Although more than half of the content is published between 8 pm and 11 pm, the peak in views occurs between 12 pm and 3 pm, with an increase of up to +30% in median views for posts during this interval. The data is even more significant when it is observed that posts at 1 p.m. on Instagram generate an average of 2,791 views, compared to 1,925 for those published at 8 p.m.—a 45% difference in reach efficiency. A simple change in the schedule can generate millions of additional views in campaigns with a large volume of creators, without any increase in investment.
The 20k to 70k follower range is the most effective on Instagram
Creators with between 20,000 and 70,000 followers deliver the lowest CPV on Instagram, with superior performance in all efficiency indicators: views per follower, engagement, and conversion rate. Still, they account for only 12% of the active base in campaigns — a clear sign of underutilization of one of the most efficient groups in the Creator Economy. "This group delivers the perfect 'middle of the funnel': it already has a built community but still responds as if it's growing. It's the sweet spot of creator marketing," notes Rapha. In this range, the average CPV is R$ 0.16 — 20% below the overall average — and the engagement rate is around 12%, slightly below the overall average (14%), and still highly competitive. Even with a smaller participation in campaigns, this group accounts for 34% of rehirings, demonstrating consistency in the results.
Combine generation and frequency to scale performance with purpose
Creators aged 18 to 24 lead in views — even among profiles with similar follower ranges — especially when they post more than three times a week. In this case, the average gain is +15% in views per content compared to profiles with a lower posting frequency. However, this does not mean that only the younger ones deliver results. Creators aged 25 to 34 (Millennials) have the highest engagement rates, suggesting deeper relationships with the audience and more qualified interactions.
BrandLovers data shows that posting frequency has a direct impact: creators who post at least three times a week outperform the average performance by up to 15%. Profiles between 25 and 34 years old, even with more modest absolute view numbers, exhibit higher levels of actual engagement, such as comments and shares, per post. In other words, the study shows that choosing the ideal creator does not depend solely on charisma or aesthetics, but on the match between generation, frequency, and campaign objectives. "Even with this well-defined impact difference between age groups, variables such as age and posting frequency remain underutilized in casting decisions, which represents a clear opportunity for optimization," warns Avellar.
In summary, what these findings make clear is that science can — and should — guide strategies in influencer marketing, after all, well-applied data make campaigns more precise, investments more efficient, and results more predictable. With these insights in hand, we free creators from improvisation and help brands build more relevant, more strategic, and more predictable campaigns. It is the realization of influence programmatic media taking shape, concludes Rapha.
