In the past decade, influencer marketing has exploded into a multi-billion-dollar industry. Globally, influencer campaigns are projected to reach $32.55 billion by 2025, reflecting a sustained growth rate of over 33% annually. Brands everywhere have noticed as over 80% of marketers now affirm that influencer marketing is a highly effective strategy.
This momentum shows no sign of slowing down. Recent data finds that 84.8% of brands consider influencer marketing effective, an increase from 83% last year. Consumers are listening too as nearly half of all shoppers report that they make weekly or monthly purchases because of influencers.
In short, influencer marketing has become essential to global brand strategies, making it vital to understand what differentiates the truly great influencers from the crowd.
What Makes a Good Influencer
Here are some of the characteristics you should look out for in an influencer during your marketing campaign.
1. Authenticity and Trust
At the heart of a good influencer’s appeal is authenticity. Audiences gravitate toward personalities who seem genuine, honest, and transparent. Trusted influencers disclose partnerships and speak sincerely about products or issues, which fosters audience confidence. 69% of consumers trust influencer recommendations, compared to only 45% who trust celebrity endorsements.
This gap underscores a key point: credibility is the influencer’s currency. Followers are more likely to believe and act on advice from someone they feel “knows them.” Good influencers build this trust by openly discussing why they love a product, and by plainly labelling sponsored content. For example, a Pakistani home-cook influencer known as “SpiceSpoon” routinely tags brand partnerships in her posts and explains her connection to the product’s values (such as sustainability).
By leading with honesty and aligning promotions with her passions, she keeps her audience’s trust high. Likewise, 62% of consumers say they prefer following influencers who are experts in their niche, rather than celebrities. In other words, expertise and authenticity go hand in hand: the more an influencer seems to genuinely understand and love what they do, the more followers are willing to engage.
2. Relatability and Community Engagement
A good influencer is also relatable; someone whose voice and lifestyle resonate with everyday followers. People want to see themselves in their favourite creators. 61% of consumers say that influencers with relatable personalities are the most appealing to them. When influencers share stories or opinions that mirror their followers’ interests and challenges, audiences feel a personal connection.
This connection is reinforced by active engagement: great influencers make time to reply to comments, like user posts, and even incorporate follower content on their own. The Sprout Social blog points out that responding to comments and using user-generated content are hallmarks of authenticity. For instance, Instagram fitness influencer Maymah is known to respond to nearly every comment on her posts, sparking an ongoing dialogue with her community.
This kind of two-way interaction creates a sense of community and loyalty. Younger audiences especially trust these relatable creators: a recent survey found that 70% of teen YouTube subscribers relate more to YouTube creators than to traditional celebrities. Essentially, the more an influencer is “like one of us,” the more influential they become.
3. Expertise and Passion for the Niche
Great influencers live and breathe their chosen topics. They are not just hobbyists; they are true aficionados or professionals in their field. This depth of knowledge and passion naturally shines through in their content and convinces followers that their recommendations are worth heeding. For example, The Pasinis, a well-known travel influencer couple, built their brand on deep expertise in Italian travel.
They share insider tips, hidden gems, and cultural insights about Italy with genuine enthusiasm. Because their audience recognises the duo’s specialised knowledge, followers readily trust their advice, including travel gear and tour recommendations they partner on.
As Sprout notes, when influencers align their brand deals with personal passions (like The Pasinis promoting an Italian train service), the endorsements feel credible. In short, a good influencer is an enthusiast first: their true love for the subject matter resonates and engenders follower confidence.
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Content Quality and Consistency
A great influencer consistently delivers high-quality content. Eye-catching visuals, well-produced videos, and thoughtful storytelling set the best influencers apart. Follower trust is fragile, so mixed-quality or erratic content can harm credibility.
Similarly, consistency in posting schedules is key: audiences expect regular updates. Modern influencers must also innovate with format; many top creators now use a mix of formats like short-form video, livestreams, and podcasts to keep content fresh.
According to the 2025 Benchmark Report, more than half of brands are now using live streaming as a primary content strategy. Good influencers stay ahead of these trends, understanding that platforms evolve (e.g. TikTok’s rise or live shopping events).
In practice, this means a quality-focused creator plans campaigns meticulously, writes strong captions, edits videos professionally, and experiments with new features. For example, tech reviewer Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) consistently scores high marks not just for his camera tech analyses but for his slick video production and clear explanations (though we do not cite him directly here, his approach exemplifies these qualities). Every piece of content reinforces the influencer’s brand: coherence in style and message builds recognition and trust over time.
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Driving Results and Business Impact
Ultimately, brands judge good influencers by business results. A top influencer does more than just gain likes—they drive awareness and even sales. Studies confirm that consumers often discover and buy products via influencer content. HubSpot data show that 31% of social media users prefer to learn about new products from an influencer they follow, and this jumps to 43% among Gen Z.
That is why savvy companies allocate significant budgets to influencers. When an influencer has authenticity and engagement, it translates into action: nearly 50% of consumers say they make purchases because of influencers.
On the flip side, brands working with genuinely compelling creators report that 83.8% of marketers gain higher-quality customers through influencer marketing than from other channels. In practice, good influencers can become long-term partners, forging enduring relationships between brands and target audiences.
As one report observed, many marketers prefer to work multiple times with the same influencer to build sustained trust. This continuity compounds impact: repeat collaborations (rather than one-off posts) often yield better ROI, since followers see an authentic, ongoing connection between the influencer and the brand.
Case Studies: Influencers in Action
To illustrate these principles, consider two examples:
- SpiceSpoon (Food Influencer): A South Asian cuisine creator who posts mouth-watering recipes and cultural cooking stories. She is known for explicitly marking sponsored posts and explaining her genuine love for the products she promotes. By aligning each partnership with a personal narrative (e.g. sustainable farming practices she values), SpiceSpoon exemplifies transparency and passion. Her audience has grown through trust – followers know she only features brands she truly supports, which makes her endorsements feel like personal recommendations.
- The Pasinis (Travel Influencers): A husband-and-wife team specialising in travel tips for Italy. They produce high-production video guides and viral TikToks about Italian culture. Because Italy is their long-standing expertise, every travel-related collaboration (for example, a video tour featuring a railway network) seems natural to viewers. The Pasinis consistently engage their audience by answering travel questions and sharing behind-the-scenes anecdotes. Their case shows how niche expertise combined with active community engagement creates strong followership and reliable promotional impact.
In both cases, the influencers succeeded globally by maintaining authenticity, specialised focus, and interactive content. These examples align with the statistics: authentic and relatable content draws in followers who become customers.
In a Nutshell
A good influencer today is a trusted storyteller and community leader, not just a billboard. They combine authenticity and expertise with a creative content strategy that deeply resonates with a global audience.
At DottsMediaHouse, our analysis confirms the most effective influencers are those who build genuine connections with their audiences. They reveal their true passions, engage regularly, and create high-quality content that aligns with their brand. When an influencer checks these boxes, both their audience and the partnering brands reap the benefits, higher trust, better engagement, and measurable results.
