Potential voters are expecting more election content from influencers as the U.S. presidential race enters its most intense phase — but agencies will have to strike the right balance in their creator strategies, content types and the variety of platforms.
Agencies expect TikTok to play a major role in the creator space over these final months, but there’s also a growing movement to tighten brand safety measures across social channels. They also say it will be important to diversify their creator partnerships, seeing as not all brands want to engage in politics. And while the exact amount of political ad spend going toward influencers is hard to measure, estimates point to social channels attracting a larger share of digital spending in elections. (More on that later.)
“We’re vetting influencers more closely, as many brands prefer to steer clear of political conversations and, therefore, want to work with influencers whose content does not discuss politics,” said Sarah Gerrish, senior director of creator and influencer at Movers+Shakers. “On the other hand, some brands believe it’s important to engage in these conversations, opting to collaborate with influencers who are vocal about political issues.”
Growing creator political content and brand safety
Influencer marketing platform Collective Voice issued an influencer and brand strategies report this week that found 76% of consumers want election content from creators. Additionally, the survey noted that 46% of influencers are adjusting their content and partnership strategies around the election. On the follower side, 45% of consumers mentioned they are more likely to support influencers who align with their values, and 33% are more likely to buy promoted products from them.
“As affiliate strategies gain traction, we’re witnessing a shift where creators play a pivotal role,” said Clair Sidman, vp of marketing at Collective Voice. “Creators not only validate [return on investment], but also enhance brand visibility through significant earned media value.”
Paying attention to the timing of election posts will be key, noted Gerrish. “Political news will dominate social media during this time, so it’s crucial that our messaging doesn’t get overshadowed or lost in the noise,” Gerrish said. “Being mindful of when and how we share content ensures that our campaigns remain impactful without competing with the election’s intensity.”
Increasing engagement is one thing, but agencies say they also need to lock down brand safety measures this election season. While creator marketing company Open Influence is not currently posting political creator content, the firm is applying stricter measures around reviewing creators’ history of political content. They present this to clients as a matrix outlining a creator’s political stance, consistency of messaging and alignment with brand values, explained Diana Perlov, senior director of client success at Open Influence.
“This doesn’t mean avoiding creators who engage with political topics — it means gaining a comprehensive understanding of the frequency and tone of their political posts before partnering with them,” Perlov said.
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