The year 2025 brought significant changes to influencer marketing. Audience size is no longer the main measure of success, reach is declining due to algorithm changes, and brands are focusing on long-term collaborations. At the same time, the importance of smaller and medium-sized influencers is growing, audience behaviour is changing, and influencer marketing is definitively moving from the experimental stage to become one of the key communication channels for brands.
"The year 2025 confirmed for us that influencer marketing is no longer a supplementary channel, but a stable part of brand marketing strategies," says Tomáš Urbánek, managing director of the TK media agency. The number of social media users in Czechia is growing. Around 83% of the adult population uses social media. "The number of influencers is also growing significantly, by about 30% year-on-year," he adds.
According to TKM, 2025 was significantly stronger than 2024. New brands of all sizes are still entering the market. External data from Sociallyin statistics show that global investment in influencer marketing reached USD 32.55 billion (approximately CZK 750 billion) in 2025, underscoring the long-term growth of this segment. Influencers thus became key trust carriers in 2025, with 69% of consumers stating that they trust creators' recommendations more than direct brand advertising, with Generation Z's trust rate eight times higher than that of older generations.
Audience size no longer matters
One of the major turning points of 2025 is the fact that audience size no longer matters. While large influencers saw their reach decline due to algorithm changes, medium and smaller creators experienced steep growth. "Competition is increasing, and everyone has to work extremely hard to deliver the numbers that partners are used to," explains Urbánek. Smaller influencers with loyal audiences are thus achieving high levels of interaction.
It is becoming increasingly difficult for new brands to establish cooperation with the biggest creators. Influencers prefer long-term contracts, and without prior experience, it is often unrealistic to connect with them. "With top influencers today, without a history or personal relationship, you have virtually no chance of establishing cooperation. This naturally closes the market," addsJakub Michalovský, executive director of TK media.
According to the agency's internal statistics, investment in influencer marketing increased by 20% year-on-year in 2025, especially among large brands. "On the contrary, some smaller and medium-sized brands that have been following the same strategy for the last five years may have problems with the effectiveness of influencer marketing and reduce their investment," adds Urbánek.
The battle for the first few seconds and the renaissance of YouTube
The attention span of social media users is declining significantly, and creators must grab their attention in the first few seconds, otherwise users will skip them. Paradoxically, however, extremely long formats, such as hour-long vlogs, are also successful. "Users are willing to devote time to content if it is authentic and they have built a relationship with the creator," says Michalovský.
YouTube, which is definitely not a dead platform, has seen the greatest progress. "Hour-long vlogs about travel, everyday life, cleaning or educational content maintain their viewership and loyal audience. YouTube's role is thus shifting towards more premium and long-term collaborations, where deeper storytelling makes sense," adds Urbánek.
The dominance of UGC and authenticity
The largest volume of investment went into video content, specifically UGC (User Generated Content) and CGC (Creator Generated Content) formats. "Greater emphasis is placed on authenticity than on technical quality. Viewers feel that they are watching a recommendation from a satisfied customer, not a classic advertisement," says Tomáš Urbánek. Brands use this type of content mainly on their own channels: in online campaigns, on social networks and in e-shops. "The popularity of UGC and CGC lies primarily in their credibility and ability to quickly capture attention," he adds.
Outlook for 2026. AI as an opportunity and a threat
In 2026, working with AI tools will be a key trend. "AI can be a huge opportunity for analytics and creation if creators use it wisely and without losing authenticity," concludes Jakub Michalovský. The spread of misinformation and inconsistent content moderation by platforms remain a risk, so credibility and a quality relationship with the audience will be the most important commodity for brands and creators.
Source: mediaguru.cz