US Influencer Marketing Spending to Surpass $10 Billion in 2025

Influencer marketing spending will surpass $10 billion in the US in 2025, one year earlier than Emarketer predicted. While brand engagement remains strong on TikTok, its position is precarious due to the uncertainty surrounding its US operations.

Emarketer previously expected spending to reach the $10 billion mark in 2026. Last year, brands fully committed to influencer marketing. The analytics company now estimates that influencer marketing spending rose by 23.7%, which is an upgrade from our previous 2024 growth forecast of 16.0%. In 2025, another $1.37 billion will be added to the market, pushing spending to $10.52 billion.

“Influencer marketing is maturing and diversifying,” said Jasmine Enberg, VP and principal analyst at Emarketer. “The boom days of spending growth on social media sponsored content are largely over, but brands are directing more of their influencer budgets to paid social ads and non-social channels, from TV to digital out-of-home to podcasts, which is funneling more money into the tactic.”

However, spending growth will slow to 15.0% in 2025, due to several factors, including the market maturing, the turmoil at TikTok, and economic uncertainty. In 2025, influencer marketing spending growth on TikTok will slow to 17.0%. That’s roughly on par with the growth rates for Instagram and YouTube, both of which attract over $1 billion more in influencer marketing spending.

“Most brands are taking a wait-and-see approach to TikTok and the escalating trade wars,” Enberg said. “But the turmoil around TikTok’s future, as well as the on-again, off-again tariffs, are causing uncertainty and putting some pressure on influencer budgets. That pressure is likely to be relieved once brands gain more clarity on how these challenges will impact their businesses and have had some time to adapt.”

Emarketer says that any spending disruptions in 2025 will likely be temporary. They expect influencer marketing spending growth to tick up slightly to 15.7% in 2026. While engagement trends on TikTok remain strong, there has been a shift in perception among many brands, creators, and consumers.

“Fewer marketers are thinking TikTok-first,” Enberg said. “They’re hesitant to sign on TikTok-only creators in case the platform goes dark again. Creators are actively building their communities on other platforms, including those where they feel they have more control over their audiences, content, and monetization opportunities.”

Other social platforms are also courting TikTok creators, which will lead to further diversification in influencer marketing platforms. Instagram and YouTube will benefit the most. In 2025, for the first time, Emarketer expects over half of US marketers to use influencer marketing on YouTube.

“Influencer marketing is bigger than TikTok,” Enberg said. “Even before TikTok’s troubles, the conversation was growing around YouTube. As brands and creators prioritize more predictable content, longer-term relationships, and storytelling over trends and ad-hoc sponsorships, YouTube is quickly becoming the place to be for brands and creators.”