Creator Economy 2026

Smaller Influencers Rise While Amplification Spending Grows

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About This Report
As brands incorporate creators and influencers into more of their marketing and advertising strategies, they are fueling the growth of the creator economy, while making it more competitive and complex.
Table of Contents

Creators’ opportunities for monetization are growing. But several factors—including increased competition and social networks’ plateauing user growth and engagement—have begun to reshape how brands and advertisers approach partnerships with them.

Key Question: How is creator marketing evolving, and how can marketers and advertisers respond?

Key Stat: Micro- and nano-influencers will claim 45.5% of influencer marketing spending in 2026.

authors

Max Willens

Contributors

Rahul Chadha
Director, Report Editing
Zach Goldner
Senior Forecasting Analyst
Kyndall Krist
Senior Copy Editor
Penelope Lin
Director, Data Visualization
Minda Smiley
Johann Valderrama
Chart Editor
Emman Velasco
Chart Editor
Yoram Wurmser
Principal Analyst
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