1 hr ago
Brands Shift From Follower Counts to Creator Value
Brands used to choose online creators mainly by counting their followers.
Now they also want to know whether those followers are real and pay attention.
They check comments, messages, sales and whether creators complete their work on time.
They also value creators who understand a local language or community.
This has made smaller creators more attractive to advertisers.
In India, many more people became creators between 2020 and 2025.
Artificial intelligence can help agencies manage many small creators at once.
However, more creators competing for work has meant that most active creators get only about one paid campaign a year.
One industry representative said better data may also make creator prices more transparent rather than automatically lowering payments.
India’s creator pool grew from 0.96 million in 2020 to 4.12 million in 2025.
Brands are increasingly assessing authenticity, engagement, sales outcomes, reliability and local cultural relevance.
Nano and micro creators are receiving an estimated 60-70% of influencer campaign budgets, up from 30-40%.
Creator databases and AI tools help brands discover creators and manage contracts, follow-ups and campaign operations.
Creator participation has expanded, but average campaigns per active creator fell from 0.37 to 0.10, putting pressure on monetisation.
- Who
- Brands, agencies, creator-management platforms and creators in India, particularly nano and micro creators.
- What
- Influencer hiring is shifting from relying mainly on follower counts to evaluating audience quality, engagement, sales results, reliability and cultural relevance.
- Where
- India, including metropolitan, tier-2 and tier-3 markets.
- When
- The reported comparison covers 2020 to 2025, with the report published in 2026; the shift is described as occurring over the past three to five years.
- Why
- The creator pool has expanded sharply, so brands and agencies need data and AI tools to identify relevant creators and manage larger campaigns.
Benefits of Data-Driven Hiring
Concerns About Creator Monetisation
How brands choose creators
Benefits of Data-Driven Hiring
Creator databases and AI tools help brands move beyond follower counts by measuring authentic audiences, verified engagement, sales outcomes, delivery reliability and regional relevance.
Concerns About Creator Monetisation
A larger creator supply makes competition for brand work more intense, and many creators receive only limited paid opportunities.
Role of smaller creators
Benefits of Data-Driven Hiring
Nano and micro creators can provide access to focused, engaged communities and stronger connections in tier-2 and tier-3 markets.
Concerns About Creator Monetisation
Using many smaller creators can create substantially more administrative work for agencies, requiring AI systems and human oversight.
Effect on payments
Benefits of Data-Driven Hiring
Greater access to creator data can make pricing more transparent and help brands identify creators whose work delivers value.
Concerns About Creator Monetisation
The rapid growth in creator supply has put downward pressure on pricing, according to HashFame, although a Creators@Collective representative said better data has not necessarily reduced payouts.
Key facts
- Creator pool
- India’s creator pool increased from 0.96 million in 2020 to 4.12 million in 2025.
- Qoruz database
- Qoruz tracks approximately 2 million creators across Instagram, YouTube, X, Facebook and Snapchat.
- Budget allocation
- An estimated 60-70% of influencer campaign budgets now go to micro and nano creators, compared with roughly 30-40% three to five years ago.
- Creator definitions
- Nano creators have fewer than 10,000 followers, while micro creators have fewer than 100,000.
- Non-metro participation
- Non-metro creators in brand campaigns rose from about 38,000 in 2020 to more than 408,000 in 2025.
- Campaign frequency
- Average campaigns per active creator fell from about 0.37 in 2020 to 0.10 in 2025.
- AI workload
- Fluencity.Social says AI handles about 90% of back-and-forth tasks across its network, with humans handling final approvals.
Quotes
Siddarth Singhal
Head of talent at Creators@Collective, the creator representation arm of Collective Artists Network
“One of the biggest changes in the creator economy is that influence is no longer concentrated in the metros. Creators from tier-2 and tier-3 markets often have a very strong understanding of their local culture, language, humour and consumer behaviour. That gives brands access to communities that can be difficult to reach authentically through a metro-centric campaign”
livemint.com
“Across our network, we are seeing AI handle 90% of the back-and-forth like contract redlining and initial follow-ups. The remaining 10% involves a human-in-the-loop for final approvals, backed by all the gathered data”
livemint.com
Sources
Related news
Discovr AI Launches Platform Targeting $25 Million Creator Spend
Indian Faceless YouTube Channels Face Wide Earnings Gap
Amazon Ads Study Shows AI Boosting Indian SMB Advertising
India’s Global Gen Z Summit to Spotlight Creator Economy
AI Reshapes India’s Digital Marketing Playbook for Fragmented Consumers
Ranveer Allahbadia Says Influence Begins After People Listen
Vijay Recognition Highlights Tamil Creator’s London Culture Content
How Narendra Modi Built A Gen Z-Coded Social Media Empire
Banks Urged to Reach Gen Z Through Social Media
UP Schools to Receive 12 Musical Prayers Through Digital Initiative
