Female millennials dominate influencer marketing, according to Klear's latest research. Over four-fifths of sponsored feed posts on Instagram were published by female users, while over half in 2018 were posted by those aged between 25 and 34 years old. The total number of Instagram #ad posts reached 2.1 million in 2018, up 40% from 2017.
While female influencers dominated in both 2017 and 2018, a shift to those aged 25-34 occurred last year. The share of Instagram #ad posts made by those aged 12-17 and 18-24 fell in 2018, down 10 percentage points (pp) and 12pp respectively. As a result, the share of posts from those aged 25-34 rose 24pp last year.
Influencer marketing has generated significant interest recently, largely around the potential for more authentic communication between brands and consumers. However, there is widespread concern, particularly on Instagram, over influencer fraud and fake followers.