The latest info on influencer marketing trends, micro influencer news, and the world of social media
How to Get Verified on TikTok in 2026: The Complete Guide
TikTok’s blue checkmark is more than a status symbol – it’s a sign of credibility and authenticity that can elevate your social media presence. With over 1.5 billion monthly users on TikTok, standing out matters. This is especially true for micro influencers, content creators, e-commerce entrepreneurs and Amazon sellers leveraging the platform for influencer marketing. Getting verified on TikTok in 2026 can boost trust and visibility for your account, helping you drive engagement and even sales. In fact, over one-third of users under 60 have bought something via TikTok Shop, so a verified badge reassures viewers that you’re the real deal – a legitimate creator or brand they can confidently follow or buy from.
Stack Influence understands the power of micro influencers in today’s marketing landscape. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explain what TikTok verification is, why it’s important, TikTok’s 2026 verification requirements, how to apply step-by-step, and tips to improve your chances of success. How to get verified on TikTok in 2026 is the burning question – and we’ve got all the answers for micro influencers and small creators aiming for that coveted blue checkmark.
TikTok verification is the process by which TikTok confirms the identity and notability of an account, awarding a blue checkmark badge next to the username. This badge appears on your profile, in search results, and even next to your name in comments – instantly signaling to others that TikTok has confirmed your account is authentic and belongs to the person or brand it claims to represent. It helps users distinguish official accounts from fan pages, impostors, or copycats.
Verified status on TikTok has traditionally been reserved for public figures, celebrities, big brands, and other notable entities to prevent impersonation. However, you don’t need to be extremely famous to get verified on TikTok – accounts of all sizes have earned the badge by meeting TikTok’s criteria. In other words, even micro influencers and up-and-coming content creators can achieve TikTok verification if they demonstrate authenticity and notability. Unlike some other platforms, you cannot simply purchase TikTok verification (there’s no subscription or paid program for it) – it must be earned through TikTok’s approval. TikTok doesn’t charge any fees for verification, and any third-party offering to “sell” verification is not affiliated with TikTok.
In summary:
Getting verified on TikTok brings tangible benefits for influencers and brands beyond just bragging rights. Here are a few key reasons why that blue check matters, especially for micro influencers and entrepreneurs in the influencer marketing and e-commerce space:
In short, TikTok verification can bolster your reputation, safeguard your identity, increase your content’s visibility, and open doors to growth. For a micro influencer building their personal brand or an e-commerce business tapping into TikTok’s huge audience, those benefits can significantly drive ROI. It’s no surprise everyone from content creators to companies are keen to learn how to get verified on TikTok in 2026.
Earning TikTok verification isn’t random – TikTok has clear criteria your account must meet to be considered. TikTok officially outlines five key requirements for a verified badge. Before you apply, make sure your account checks all of these boxes:
TikTok emphasizes that follower count and likes are not part of the verification criteria. This is a common misconception – many assume you need millions of followers to qualify. In reality, “TikTok doesn’t look for a specific number of followers when assessing accounts for verification”. Instead, they evaluate the factors above (activity, authenticity, completeness, notability, security). That said, having a strong follower growth trajectory and engagement can indirectly help by making you appear more notable (we’ll cover tips on that later). But there’s no hard minimum number of followers required. TikTok cares more about quality and impact than sheer quantity when it comes to verification – a relief for micro influencers who might not have a huge follower list yet.
Lastly, make sure you’re following TikTok’s Community Guidelines and Terms of Service. Any history of violations or content removals can hurt your chances. Verified accounts are expected to be role models for the community; TikTok won’t verify an account that repeatedly breaks the rules.
Once your profile meets the requirements above, it’s time to apply for verification. TikTok now allows users to submit a verification request within the app – a feature that has rolled out globally (though availability can vary by region). Here’s how to get verified on TikTok by applying through your account settings:
After submission, patience is key. TikTok’s team manually reviews verification requests, so it may take a few weeks for a decision. If your request is approved, congrats – you’ll see the blue checkmark appear on your profile! If your request is denied, TikTok will typically provide feedback on why. Don’t be discouraged – you can apply again after 30 days of receiving a denial. Use that time to strengthen any weak areas: perhaps you need more media coverage or to increase engagement. Many creators don’t succeed on the first try, so think of it as a learning experience.
Important: Never trust any emails or DMs claiming to “verify” your TikTok for a fee. TikTok will not email you out of the blue to ask for personal info or payment for verification. Scammers often target aspiring verified users – so be alert. The only legitimate ways to get verified are via the in-app process or TikTok’s official form/representatives (usually for those with TikTok account managers).
Now that you know the official process to request that badge, let’s focus on what you really came for: how to improve your odds of getting verified. Meeting the basic requirements is just step one. Next, we’ll dive into practical tips and strategies that can help a micro influencer or brand become a standout candidate for TikTok verification.
Simply applying for verification is easy – the real work is making your TikTok account worthy of the blue checkmark. TikTok is looking for accounts that are authentic, notable, and active. Here are eight proven tips to help you stand out as a verification candidate (and generally grow your TikTok presence), curated especially for micro influencers and emerging creators:
By following these tips, you’ll significantly improve your chances of seeing that blue check next to your TikTok name. It might take some hustle – creating standout content, networking, and promoting yourself – but the results (both in terms of verification and general TikTok success) are well worth it.
Getting verified on TikTok in 2026 is an achievable goal for micro influencers, content creators, and brands who commit to authenticity and excellence on the platform. The verification badge can unlock new opportunities in influencer marketing, from attracting brand deals to driving more confident shoppers for your e-commerce or Amazon store. But beyond the badge, the journey of meeting TikTok’s standards – producing great content, engaging your community, and building your personal brand – will set you up for long-term success as a creator.
Remember, TikTok verification is never guaranteed – but if you follow the steps and strategies outlined in this guide, you’ll put yourself in the best possible position. Focus on what you can control: your content, your interactions, and your cross-platform presence. Over time, your notability will grow and TikTok is likely to take notice.
Good luck on your journey to get verified on TikTok, and enjoy the process of leveling up your influence! With the right approach, you might find the verification badge in your notifications sooner than you think. Now, it’s time to apply these tips, hit record on your next TikTok, and show the world (and TikTok’s team) what makes you notable.
Best Content Marketing Tools 2025: Micro-Influencers & ROI
For content creators and micro-influencers – as well as e-commerce entrepreneurs like Amazon sellers – the right tools streamline your workflow and amplify your reach. Influencer marketing thrives on authentic content, and leveraging proper tools helps in everything from planning to publishing and analysis. In fact, because micro-influencers tend to have higher engagement rates (around 3.8% vs 1.6% for celebrity influencers), brands often see better ROI when working with these creators. Yet only 9% of B2C marketers consider themselves experts in content marketing technology (40% rate their proficiency as “intermediate”). This means there’s a huge opportunity to get ahead by adopting and mastering the best content marketing tools available. Whether you’re crafting Instagram and TikTok campaigns or optimizing blog content, the tools below will help you boost engagement, gather UGC, and drive ROI in 2025.
Staying competitive in 2025 requires juggling multiple content channels, formats, and metrics. New platforms and trends emerge quickly, and more competitors are investing in content – so marketers need to continually up their game. The good news is that content marketing tools can automate tedious tasks, surface insights, and keep you organized. For example, Google Analytics is widely regarded as a must-have tool for tracking how your content performs. By using the best tools, even small teams or individual creators can punch above their weight: automating social posts, finding optimal keywords, repurposing user-generated content (UGC), and analyzing results in real time. This is especially crucial for micro-influencers and e-commerce brands. Micro-influencers produce valuable UGC like unboxing videos, demos, and reviews that build social proofstackinfluence.com. With the right toolkit, you can seamlessly capture that content and repurpose it across your website, emails, and ads. For instance, 61% of social media users are more likely to trust a brand if it’s recommended by a friend or influencer (versus just 38% trusting brand-produced ads). Content marketing tools help you harness that trust by integrating influencer content into your broader strategy and measuring its impact. In short, using modern tools is the key to scaling your content marketing efficiently and staying ahead of the competition.
In 2025, these ten content marketing tools stand out for their ability to help marketers plan, create, distribute, and optimize content (including influencer content). Let’s dive into how each tool can boost your content strategy:
One of the best ways to scale your content (especially on social media) is by leveraging micro-influencers and their user-generated content. Platforms like Stack Influence make this process much easier. Stack Influence (built by experienced Amazon sellers) is focused on connecting e-commerce brands with vetted micro- and nano-influencers to generate authentic UGC at scale. Using a platform like this, a small Amazon seller can launch a campaign and have dozens of micro-influencers posting product reviews, unboxing videos, and lifestyle photos that you can repost or even use in ads. The platform handles the heavy lifting – from AI-powered influencer matching to campaign logistics – so you can efficiently run micro-influencer campaigns without manual hassle. In short, influencer marketing tools like Stack Influence are invaluable content marketing aids: they streamline finding the right creators, managing outreach and deliverables, and tracking ROI on influencer-driven content. The result is a library of authentic UGC and social proof that brands can leverage across their marketing channels.
HubSpot offers a comprehensive suite of tools for content management, social media, sales, and marketing in one platform. It goes beyond simple website editing by delivering a wide-ranging toolkit to improve conversions – including options for A/B testing pages, hosting content, team communication, and robust analytics to track goals. HubSpot isn’t necessarily the very best at every single feature, but its breadth makes it a clear market leader in content marketing software. Notably, it integrates with 300+ apps (from Salesforce CRM to Google Workspace) so it fits seamlessly into your workflow. Even better, there’s a free tier, which means small businesses and creators can start using HubSpot’s content and CRM tools at no cost.
Hootsuite is one of the longest-running social media management tools, and it remains a go-to for content marketers. It brings all your social accounts – Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn, etc. – under one roof, accessible via a single dashboard. This all-in-one approach makes it easy to schedule posts across multiple platforms and monitor everything in one place. Crucially, Hootsuite can publish your content at times when your followers are most likely to engage, ensuring your posts hit peak impact. It also provides in-depth analytics showing how each post performs and when your audience is most active. These insights help you discover what content your viewers prefer and refine your social media strategy accordingly. Hootsuite even offers social listening (to track brand mentions) and a unified inbox for all comments/DMs– so you’ll never miss a conversation. For teams, you can curate a library of pre-approved content for easy sharing, and its integrations with tools like Trello, Canva, and Slack further streamline your workflow.
Semrush is an all-in-one solution for SEO, content marketing research, and competitor analysis. The platform rolls SEO, paid traffic data, social media tracking, content planning, and PR research into one neatly designed interface. In practice, Semrush lets you perform keyword research to identify high-volume search terms, audit your website’s SEO health, and even spy on competitors’ search rankings and backlinks. You can also use Semrush’s Topic Research and Content Analyzer tools to find popular articles in your niche and track the performance of your own content. Essentially, Semrush covers end-to-end content marketing needs: find out what your audience is searching for, create optimized content, then measure how it performs. It’s a powerhouse for data-driven marketers – simplifying a process that would otherwise require many separate tools. (Honorable mention in this category: Ahrefs, another SEO platform, is also beloved for in-depth keyword and backlink insights. Many teams use either Semrush or Ahrefs to guide their content strategy.)
BuzzSumo helps you answer the million-dollar question: What content will resonate with my audience? This tool analyzes the most shared and trending content across the web for any given topic. By scouring social media and news sites, BuzzSumo shows you which articles, videos, or posts are getting significant shares, engagement, and backlinks in your industry. You can instantly see what’s performing well and use those insights to brainstorm high-performing content ideas of your own. For example, if certain blog topics or TikTok challenges are going viral in your niche, BuzzSumo will surface them so you’re not left in the dark. The tool also provides content performance breakdowns (engagement by platform, backlink counts, etc.) so you can reverse-engineer why a piece of content succeeded. By identifying these trends, content creators and micro-influencers can craft posts that are more likely to gain traction. In short, BuzzSumo is like having a real-time radar for audience interests – a must for any content marketing strategy that aims to ride the wave of what’s hot.
Visual content is king in the era of Instagram and TikTok, and Canva is the go-to design tool for those who aren’t professional designers. This free, user-friendly platform offers a vast library of templates and a drag-and-drop editor, allowing you to create eye-catching graphics in minutes. Marketers love Canva as a “watered-down Photoshop” that’s incredibly accessible – you can design everything from social media posts and Pins to blog infographics, YouTube thumbnails, presentations, and more. Why is this important? Studies have shown that articles with at least one image are twice as likely to be shared on social media, and generally people engage more with content that includes visuals. Canva helps you capitalize on that by making it easy to add custom visuals to every piece of content. It includes thousands of attractive templates that you can customize to match your branding (for example, templates for Instagram Stories, LinkedIn banners, email headers, etc.). Even micro-influencers or Amazon sellers can use Canva to create professional-looking product photos, promotional graphics, or story content without hiring a designer. With features like one-click background removal and a huge stock photo library, Canva ensures your content stands out in crowded feeds.
Email isn’t dead – in fact, it’s often the glue that holds your content marketing funnel together. ConvertKit is an email marketing platform that has become extremely popular among creators, bloggers, and small businesses for its simplicity and power. It’s built to make email marketing easy while still offering advanced capabilities as you grow. With ConvertKit, you can design clean email newsletters, set up automated email sequences (drip campaigns), and segment your subscribers with tags – all through an intuitive interface. It’s often associated with content creators and indie publishers because of its emphasis on building relationships via email rather than just “blasting” promotions. Some standout features include easy-to-create forms and landing pages to capture subscribers (so you don’t need a separate landing page builder), and a visual automation builder that lets you send targeted content based on subscriber behavior. ConvertKit also integrates with e-commerce platforms and membership sites, which is great for creators selling products or subscriptions. In many ways, it’s a top choice for anyone whose content marketing involves nurturing an audience over time. (Of course, other email tools like Mailchimp or Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) are also solid – Brevo in particular packs email, SMS, chat, and CRM features into one affordable platform. But ConvertKit’s focus on creators gives it an edge if your brand is personality-driven.)
Loomly is a social media management tool that shines for content planning and team collaboration. Think of Loomly as your digital content calendar with superpowers: it not only lets you schedule posts in advance, but it also suggests fresh content ideas and optimization tips to improve your posts. For example, Loomly can recommend trending topics or hashtag suggestions to help your organic and paid social posts perform better. When you’re running out of ideas of what to post next week, Loomly has your back with inspiration. Another killer feature is its collaboration workflow – you can have your team (or client) review and comment on posts within the platform before they go live. Once a post is published, Loomly keeps your team in the loop so they can promptly respond to any comments or questions from the audience. This is great for brands that want to stay responsive on social media. Loomly also neatly organizes all your content assets (photos, videos, post drafts) in one place, acting as a content library so you can reuse and remix material easily. In essence, Loomly streamlines the entire content lifecycle: brainstorm → schedule → publish → respond → analyze. For micro-influencers or solo entrepreneurs, it’s like having a smart assistant that ensures you never miss a posting opportunity or overlook an engagement. And for larger teams, it keeps everyone coordinated and on-message.
When it comes to measuring content marketing success, Google Analytics remains indispensable. GA’s latest version (GA4) provides a wealth of data on how people find and engage with your content. It tracks your content performance using metrics like session duration (how long users spend on your page), bounce rate (percentage who leave without interacting), total users, and more. The tool shows which pages receive the most traffic and even how many visitors return to your site, indicating what content keeps people coming back. You can also set up conversion goals (e.g. form submissions, product purchases) to tie content to tangible outcomes. Importantly, GA4’s analytics can attribute traffic sources – so you’ll know if that spike in blog views came from Google search, a Facebook post, an email campaign, or a micro-influencer’s shoutout. For content marketers, this is gold: you can double down on channels and topics that perform well, and tweak or trim the ones that don’t. In fact, Google Analytics is often the first tool marketers check each morning, underscoring its must-have status. And despite its enterprise-level capabilities, it’s completely free. With new machine learning features, GA4 can even predict user actions (like the probability a user will make a purchase), helping you anticipate which content is most likely to drive ROI. In summary, without analytics, you’re flying blind – GA ensures every content decision you make is backed by data.
Great content marketing involves a lot of moving parts – from brainstorming ideas and writing drafts to design, publishing, and promotion. Trello is a beloved project management tool that helps content teams (even if that “team” is just you and one freelancer) keep track of it all. Trello uses Kanban boards with cards and lists to visually organize tasks. For content marketing, you might have columns like “Ideas,” “Writing,” “Design,” “Scheduled,” and “Published.” Each piece of content is a card that you move along the workflow. This way, everyone can see at a glance what stage each piece is in. According to Meltwater, Trello makes project management a breeze: you can easily move cards based on timelines or team member assignments, and everyone stays on the same page about what’s done and what’s left to do. Deadlines, checklists, attachments, and team comments can all live on the card, centralizing communication. The benefit is clarity and accountability – no more guessing if that blog post is still being edited or if the Instagram carousel is ready to publish. Trello is especially handy for coordinating campaigns that involve multiple contributors (writers, designers, approvers) or recurring content like weekly social posts. By using a tool like Trello for your content calendar, you ensure that nothing falls through the cracks and your content pipeline keeps flowing smoothly.
Category
Example Tool(s)
Purpose / Key Benefit
All-in-One Marketing
HubSpot Marketing Hub
Comprehensive platform covering CMS, social, sales, and analytics in one. Integrates with 300+ apps; offers a free tier for new users.
Social Media Management
Hootsuite
Schedules and auto-posts across Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, etc. from one dashboard. Provides detailed cross-platform analytics to optimize posting times.
Content Research & SEO
Semrush
All-in-one SEO toolkit for keyword research, competitor analysis, and content performance tracking. Helps increase organic traffic by finding what your audience is searching for.
Trend Discovery
BuzzSumo
Finds trending topics and most-shared content in your niche in real time. Reveals which articles or videos are gaining traction so you can create timely, high-impact content.
Influencer/UGC
Stack Influence
Platforms that connect brands with micro-influencers and manage campaigns at scale. Streamline finding creators, handling outreach, and collecting UGC for use in your marketing.
Visual Design
Canva
Easy graphic design tool with thousands of templates for social posts, videos, infographics, and more. Empowers non-designers to create pro-quality visuals, boosting engagement.
Email Marketing
ConvertKit
Email automation tailored for creators and small businesses. Simplifies building sign-up forms, landing pages, and drip campaigns to nurture your audience.
Project Management
Trello
Organizes your content calendar and tasks on Kanban boards. Keeps everyone aligned on content production stages, deadlines, and responsibilities.
The content marketing landscape is more complex than ever, but the right toolkit can be a game-changer. Each of the tools above addresses a crucial piece of the puzzle – from content ideation and creation, to distribution and amplification, to analysis and optimization. By leveraging the best content marketing tools for each task, marketers and creators can save time and work smarter, not harder. For example, instead of manually searching social feeds for trends, you’ll know exactly what’s hot via BuzzSumo. Rather than guessing when to post, Hootsuite’s analytics show you the optimal schedule. And rather than hoping your efforts pay off, Google Analytics will confirm which content actually drives conversions. This data-driven, streamlined approach is how micro-influencers turn small followings into big results, and how lean e-commerce startups outmaneuver larger competitors.
Perhaps most importantly, using these tools together creates a compounding effect. Imagine: you find a trending topic with BuzzSumo, craft a blog about it with insights from Semrush, design catchy visuals for it in Canva, promote it via Hootsuite at peak times, amplify through micro-influencers on Stack Influence, capture leads in ConvertKit, and track the whole campaign in Google Analytics – that is a recipe for content marketing success in 2025. By integrating influencer-generated UGC, you also build trust and authenticity into your content, which leads to higher engagement and sales.
In summary, whether you’re a solo content creator or a brand marketing team, adopting the best content marketing tools will elevate your strategy. They empower you to plan better, execute faster, and measure what matters. In a year of algorithm changes and ever-evolving consumer behavior, a well-stocked toolset is your competitive edge. So equip yourself, stay agile, and let these tools do the heavy lifting – freeing you to focus on creating content that truly resonates and delivers results. Here’s to working smarter with your content marketing in 2025 and beyond!
In today’s influencer marketing landscape, staying ahead of the competition is more challenging – and crucial – than ever. Brands across e-commerce and social media are investing heavily in micro-influencer campaigns, user-generated content (UGC), and creator partnerships. In fact, 86% of U.S. marketers will partner with influencers in 2025, meaning your competitors likely are too. This boom, spanning from Instagram and TikTok to Amazon’s bustling marketplace, has turned influencer marketing into a $17+ billion industry where over 80% of companies use influencers for promotion. To succeed in this crowded arena, businesses (from DTC brands to Amazon sellers) must gather competitive intelligence – actionable insights on what rivals are doing – and use it to inform their own strategy.
Competitive intelligence tools make this data-gathering task easier, faster, and more effective. Rather than manually scouring your competitors’ every move, the right platforms aggregate key insights: social media trends, SEO keywords, customer reviews, sales rankings, and more. Whether you’re monitoring how a rival’s TikTok content drives engagement or how a competing Amazon listing climbs the ranks, these tools do the heavy lifting. The result is a clearer picture of the market so you can outsmart your competition – for instance by spotting content gaps, benchmarking engagement rates, or discovering which micro-influencers are fueling a competitor’s success. Below, we explore why competitive intelligence matters and the top competitive intelligence tools (with a focus on influencer marketing and e-commerce) you should consider in 2025.
Influencer marketing moves quickly – what worked last year might flop now. Competitive intelligence keeps you informed on the latest shifts so you’re not flying blind. For example, micro-influencers (creators with tens of thousands of followers) have surged in popularity due to their high engagement and authentic connection with audiences. Data shows micro-influencers can generate far higher engagement rates than macro-celebrities, and 56% of marketers say micros and nanos drive better ROI than bigger influencers. If your competitors are leveraging a network of small creators to promote products on Instagram or TikTok, you’ll want to know – and respond with a strategy of your own.
Competitive intelligence also helps e-commerce sellers (like Amazon marketplace vendors) thrive. On Amazon, a rival might be outselling you thanks to better keywords or more reviews; on social media, a competitor’s viral TikTok campaign might be siphoning your potential customers. By monitoring these moves, you can learn why they’re succeeding. Benchmarking your performance against competitors’ – whether it’s social engagement, share of voice, or conversion rates – highlights where you need to improve. In short, informed decisions driven by competitive insights can be the difference between simply meeting targets and blowing past them.
To harness these insights, equip yourself with tools built for the job. Below is a list of powerful competitive intelligence tools (all from reputable companies) that help brands – including Amazon sellers, DTC marketers, and content creators – analyze the competition from every angle. Each tool addresses a different facet of competitor research, from social media analytics to SEO, reviews and beyond. Let’s dive in:
When it comes to micro influencers, Stack Influence is a go-to solution for brands. This platform connects e-commerce brands with everyday content creators at scale, making it easy to run product seeding campaigns and collect authentic UGC. While not a traditional “spy” tool, it gives you a competitive edge by automating micro-influencer campaigns and tracking their impact. With Stack Influence, you can quickly see which influencers are driving conversations about your product (or even your competitor’s product) and gather testimonials and social proof to strengthen your marketing. In essence, it’s a way to outflank competitors with sheer volume of grassroots content. (Imagine having 100 happy micro-influencers posting about your brand while your competitor has just 5 paid celebs!) Stack Influence’s fully managed platform helps brands scale this strategy efficiently, tapping a vetted network of 11 million+ micro influencers across all niches. By flooding your market segment with genuine buzz and high-engagement posts, you build an advantage that’s hard to beat. (Stack Influence is our featured tool, built to help brands large and small maximize micro-influencer ROI.)
Sprout Social is a well-known social media management tool, and it shines for competitive analysis on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), and more. Sprout’s built-in competitor analytics dashboard shows you everything about your rivals’ social media performance in one place. Want to know how often a competitor posts, which hashtags they use, what their audience growth looks like, and how much engagement they get? Sprout Social aggregates those metrics into an actionable competitor report. For instance, you can compare your Instagram post frequency and follower growth side-by-side against a key competitor’s – invaluable for spotting trends. If a rival’s engagement spikes on TikTok, you’ll catch it and can investigate the content or challenge driving it. Sprout also offers social listening, so you can monitor conversations about competitors or industry keywords. In short, this tool keeps you in the loop on your competitors’ social strategy, helping you benchmark and refine your own approach in real time.
Ahrefs is famous as an SEO tool, but it doubles as a powerful competitive intelligence platform for content marketing and search rankings. If your competitor has a blog, YouTube channel, or any content that drives Google traffic, Ahrefs will unveil their secrets. Using Ahrefs’ Site Explorer and Batch Analysis, you can plug in competitor websites and immediately see key stats: domain authority, top keywords they rank for, how much organic traffic they get, and their backlink profile. This is crucial for content creators and brands who rely on search and SEO – it shows where competitors are getting their audience. For example, Ahrefs can tell you that a competing e-commerce brand ranks #1 for “best fitness trackers 2025” on Google and gets thousands of visits from it. You might decide to create better content for that keyword or target alternative phrases they’re missing. The tool even tracks backlink growth, so you see if a rival’s content is earning media coverage or influencer mentions. In the context of influencer marketing, Ahrefs helps identify which content or product reviews are boosting your competitor’s SEO – knowledge you can use to craft your own high-ranking content and outperform them online.
When evaluating competitors in a product or software category, G2 is indispensable. G2 is basically the “Yelp for software” – a huge platform of peer-to-peer reviews for SaaS, tools, and even some consumer products. If you’re in e-commerce or software, search your product category on G2 to see how you stack up. You’ll find competitors’ ratings, reviews, and even market segmentation info. For example, an Amazon seller of a kitchen gadget could check G2 (or similar review aggregators) for feedback on rival products or tools. G2 provides insights into customer satisfaction and pain points: what users love about a competitor (maybe “great quality, fast shipping”) or complain about (“poor customer support”). It even breaks down reviewer demographics, industries, and company sizes. All this is gold for competitive intel – it reveals where your competitors delight or disappoint customers, so you can adjust your positioning. Are they targeting a niche you’ve overlooked? Is their pricing strategy praised or panned? G2 will tell you. In short, G2 lets you eavesdrop on the voice of the customer for your competitors, helping you refine your product and marketing based on real-world feedback.
Competitive intelligence isn’t just about social and content – it’s also about the business itself. Craft.co is a tool that compiles comprehensive company data for competitors, from financials to operations. Originally used for supplier vetting, it doubles as a competitor intelligence goldmine, especially for medium-to-large brands. With Craft.co, you can quickly look up a competitor’s key stats: revenue (if available), employee headcount, funding rounds, office locations, recent press releases, and even job openings. Why does this matter? If you’re an e-commerce startup and notice a rival is rapidly hiring influencer marketing managers or opening a new Los Angeles office, those are clues to their strategy. Craft.co refreshes data in real time, so you won’t miss a major development like an acquisition or product launch announced in a press release. Essentially, it’s a one-stop hub to stay updated on the corporate moves your competitors are making. For influencer marketers, knowing a competitor’s big-picture strategy (expanding product lines, entering new markets, increasing ad spend, etc.) lets you anticipate their next moves and respond proactively.
For Amazon sellers, Helium 10 is the go-to suite for competitor analysis on the marketplace. Amazon is a fiercely competitive ecosystem, and Helium 10 provides tools to dissect your competitors’ performance on the platform. For example, the Market Tracker & Xray tools show you a product’s estimated sales, revenue, keyword rankings, and even how many reviews it’s getting – all crucial for benchmarking your Amazon listing against others. You can uncover which keywords a top competitor ranks for (using the Cerebro tool) and see how your listing compares, keyword by keyword. Helium 10 essentially lets you peek behind the curtain of any Amazon product’s success: you learn what’s working (best-selling keywords, pricing strategy, review velocity) and what’s not. It even tracks pricing changes and sales rank trends over time (via Trendster) so you can react if a rival drops their price or surges in rank. Armed with these insights, Amazon and e-commerce sellers can optimize their listings to match or beat the competition. As Helium 10’s own team explains, the right data makes it “feasible to track your competitors and stay ahead of them,” helping sellers identify what’s working for competitors and where they can improve. In a nutshell, Helium 10 gives you the full competitive picture on Amazon – invaluable for any brand that sells on the platform.
In the fast-paced world of social commerce and influencer-driven marketing, knowledge truly is power. Competitive intelligence tools arm you with that knowledge – from real-time social media analytics to deep insights into SEO, reviews, and sales trends. Instead of guessing or reacting late, you’ll proactively spot opportunities and threats. Maybe you’ll discover a rising TikTok micro-influencer boosting a competitor’s sales and get them on your team first. Or perhaps you’ll notice competitors neglecting a keyword where your content can dominate. By leveraging the tools above (and yes, by partnering with platforms like Stack Influence to amplify your micro-influencer strategy), you position your brand to outsmart and outperform. 2025 will undoubtedly bring new challenges and trends in influencer marketing, but one thing is constant: staying informed is the key to staying ahead. With a well-stocked toolkit and a finger on the pulse of your competition, you can confidently navigate the ever-evolving landscape – and even set the trends that others scramble to follow.
Staying on top of Twitter trends (on the platform now rebranded as “X”) is essential for anyone in social media marketing. Knowing how to find Twitter trends in 2026 can help micro influencers, content creators, e-commerce brands, and Amazon sellers ride the wave of what’s popular in real time. Twitter’s trending topics highlight the most talked-about subjects on the platform – from breaking news and pop culture to niche industry buzz – giving marketers a direct line to audience interests. In this blog, we’ll break down how Twitter trending topics work, where to find them, and ways to leverage them for influencer marketing success. By the end, you’ll be equipped to use trends strategically, whether you’re planning an influencer campaign on Stack Influence or creating UGC content that taps into the latest conversations.
Twitter (X) is known for its always-changing trending topics, which reflect the conversations a large number of users are engaging in at any moment. These trends can be tailored to each user based on factors like who you follow, your interests, and your location. In other words, Twitter’s algorithm personalizes the “Trends for you” that you see so they’re relevant to your world. For example, a micro influencer who follows mostly e-commerce and tech accounts might see different trends than a casual user interested in sports. The platform’s algorithm also prioritizes fresh content, highlighting topics people are talking about right now rather than yesterday’s news. This means trending topics are very timely and can change quickly as new hashtags or keywords gain momentum.
Importantly, Twitter’s system groups related hashtags and keywords into single trending topics for clarity. For instance, #MondayMotivation and #MotivationMonday would be counted together as one trend since they refer to the same idea. Twitter has also added context to trends: you’ll often see a brief description, news headline, or an example tweet attached to a trending topic, answering the question “why is this trending?”. This extra context helps users (and brands) understand the trend’s background at a glance.
Example of the Twitter “What’s happening” section showing trending topics on desktop.
Finding trending topics on Twitter is straightforward once you know where to look. Here are the 5 best ways to find Twitter trends in 2026:
To summarize these methods, here’s a quick reference table of where to find Twitter trends:
MethodWhere to Find ItBest ForTrends “For You”Home timeline sidebar or Explore page (default view)Personalized trends based on your interests and network.Trending (All Users)Explore page > Trending tab; or change location settingsBroadly popular topics worldwide or in a specific region.Search & HashtagsTwitter search bar (web or app)Discovering emerging or niche trends by keyword/hashtag.Twitter Topics to FollowMore > Topics menu on TwitterSeeing tweets on specific subjects (industry, hobby, etc.) in your feed.Social Listening ToolsExternal platforms (Brand24, Hootsuite, etc.)Real-time tracking of relevant conversations and hashtags beyond the obvious trends.
Finding trending topics is only half the game – the real magic lies in how you use those trends. Here are some tips for marketers, influencers, and sellers to make the most of Twitter trends:
In 2026, knowing how to find Twitter trends and use them wisely is a must-have skill in any social media toolkit. Twitter (X) trending topics serve as a real-time pulse of online culture and consumer sentiment. For micro influencers, they spark ideas for timely content; for brands and Amazon sellers, they offer opportunities to join conversations that can humanize your marketing; for content creators and UGC enthusiasts, trends are ready-made prompts to showcase creativity. The key is to stay authentic and strategic – focus on trends that align with your message and audience. By utilizing the platform’s built-in features (Explore tabs, Trends settings, Topics) and augmenting with advanced tools for deeper insights, you’ll never be in the dark about “what’s happening” on Twitter.
Remember, trends come and go, but how you react can leave a lasting impression. Whether it’s capitalizing on a fun hashtag holiday or responding deftly to a sudden viral news item, being agile with trending topics can significantly boost your engagement and relevancy. Marketers at Stack Influence often remind brands that tapping into micro influencer networks who are already riding relevant trends is one of the most effective ways to amplify your message. In short, keep your finger on the pulse of Twitter trends, and let those insights inform your influencer marketing and content strategies. By doing so, you’ll ensure your brand is not only part of the conversation – it’s helping lead it, trend by trend, tweet by tweet.
In the fast-paced world of social media and e-commerce, planning is everything. That’s where content calendars come in. If you’ve been wondering what is a content calendar, think of it as a strategic schedule or roadmap for all the content your brand plans to publish. From Instagram posts and blog articles to email newsletters and influencer collaborations, a content calendar helps organize what will be posted when and where, so you can stay consistent and intentional with your marketing. In this 2025 guide, we’ll break down exactly what content calendars are, why they’re so important (especially for micro-influencers, content creators and brands), and how to create one that drives results.
A content calendar – sometimes called an editorial calendar – is essentially a planning framework that outlines your upcoming content by date and channel. It is often presented as a calendar or spreadsheet detailing each piece of content, the platform it will appear on, the publication date, and any other relevant details (such as the content’s topic, author, status, and goals). In other words, it’s a dynamic blueprint guiding all your content creation, publication and promotion across multiple platforms.
By using a content calendar, marketers and creators can map out every stage of content production – from brainstorming and drafting to scheduling and posting – in one centralized schedule. This keeps everyone on the same page and ensures your content strategy is executed consistently. Not only does a content calendar let you plan ahead, but it also provides a big-picture view of your content mix so you can balance different formats (social media posts, videos, blogs, etc.) and align content with key dates (holidays, product launches, campaigns).
Key features: A good content calendar can take many forms – a simple spreadsheet, an actual calendar, or a dedicated project management tool. Regardless of format, most content calendars will include certain common elements for each content item. For example, Business News Daily notes that a typical calendar entry outlines what the content is, when/where it will be published, who is responsible for creating it, and any important deadlines or notes. Below is a summary of the key components you’ll usually track in a content calendar:
Content Calendar Element
Description
Publish Date & Time
When the content will go live (specific date and/or time).
Channel/Platform
Where it will be published (e.g. Instagram, Blog, Email).
Content Title/Topic
The title or brief description of the content piece.
Content Format/Type
The form of content (blog post, social media image, video, etc.).
Responsible Creator
Who is responsible for creating or posting the content.
Status
Current stage (e.g. Idea, Draft, In Review, Scheduled, Published).
Notes/Assets
Additional info like hashtags, links, images, or campaign notes.
Goal/Metric
The goal or KPI for the content (engagement, traffic, sales, etc.).
Example of a spreadsheet-style content calendar (HubSpot editorial calendar template). This spreadsheet lists blog content by publish date, author, title, keywords, target persona, and call-to-action (CTA). Using a simple spreadsheet or Google Sheet is a common way to start a content calendar.
As shown above, a content calendar gives structure to your content plan. It can be as detailed or as high-level as needed. Some creators include columns for every step (due date, publish date, promotion links, etc.), while others keep it simple with just dates and topics. The key is to have a clear schedule of upcoming content that everyone on your team can reference. When used properly, your content calendar becomes a single source of truth for upcoming campaigns and posts – a living document that guides your daily and weekly content efforts.
Why invest time in building a content calendar? Simply put, it’s a game-changer for staying organized and strategic with your content. Here are some of the biggest benefits:
In essence, a content calendar is more than a planning tool – it’s a strategy tool. It brings structure, consistency, and clarity to your content marketing. Instead of flying by the seat of your pants, you’ll be executing a thought-out plan. That means stronger branding, a more cohesive voice, and ultimately better ROI on your content efforts.
Creating a content calendar might sound daunting, but it’s quite straightforward when broken into steps. You don’t need fancy software to start – just a clear idea of your goals and some planning time. Below is a step-by-step guide to building a content calendar that works for you:
1. Lay the Foundation: Set Goals and Audit Your Content – Begin by clarifying the goals and scope of your content efforts. Ask yourself: What do I want to achieve with my content? It could be increasing brand awareness, driving e-commerce sales, growing a social media community, etc. Define your target audience and the key topics or themes that align with their interests and your brand. It’s also wise to audit your existing content at this stage – look at what you’ve already published to see what performed well and what gaps exist. For example, if you find your audience responds well to how-to videos but you haven’t made one in a while, plan to add a few to the calendar. Also, consider any ongoing campaigns or seasonal events you need to build content around. Laying this strategic foundation will inform everything that goes into your calendar. (Tip: Jot down important dates – holidays, product launches, sales – that you know of, as you’ll want content lined up for those.)
2. Brainstorm Content Ideas and Keywords – With goals and themes in mind, do a brainstorming session to generate content ideas for the upcoming period (e.g., the next month or quarter). This is a great time to involve your team or review customer FAQs and social media comments for inspiration. Conduct some quick keyword research to see what your audience is searching for in your niche, as this can spark ideas and help your content get discovered. For instance, if you notice people searching for “DIY product tutorials” related to your category, you might add a tutorial blog post to your calendar. Aim for a mix of content types – perhaps educational how-tos, user-generated content spotlights, influencer collaborations, product announcements, etc., all tied back to your main topics. Don’t worry about scheduling them just yet; focus on coming up with a healthy list of ideas first. You can always refine and prioritize them based on what fits your strategy and bandwidth.
3. Choose Your Calendar Format/Tool – Next, decide how you will organize and track the content calendar. If you’re just starting or have a small team, a simple spreadsheet (Excel or Google Sheets) might suffice. Spreadsheets are flexible – you can label columns for each piece of info (date, title, channel, owner, status, etc.) and fill in rows for each content piece. In fact, many free content calendar templates are available online (HubSpot offers popular ones) if you want a quick starting point. On the other hand, if you prefer a more visual or automated system, consider a project management tool. Platforms like Trello, Asana, Airtable, or CoSchedule allow you to create calendars with drag-and-drop cards, assignment of tasks, and even automated publishing reminders. According to research, about 76% of content marketers use some kind of calendaring or collaboration tool to manage content planning. The ideal tool depends on your needs – for example, a solo content creator might love Google Calendar or Notion, whereas a marketing team might need a robust tool with workflow features. Pick one that you find easy to use and that your team will actually adopt. The goal is to have one central calendar that everyone refers to.
4. Populate the Calendar with Content Topics and Dates – Now comes the fun part: filling in your calendar. Start assigning tentative dates or time frames to the content ideas you brainstormed. For instance, decide which blog post goes out each week, which days you’ll post on Instagram or TikTok, and so on. Be realistic about your publishing cadence – how often can you create quality content? (Quality should trump quantity, so don’t overcommit.) Many brands find a rhythm, such as 3 blog posts per month, social posts daily, 2 emails per month, etc., but tailor this to your resources. As you schedule topics, also note the channel/platform for each (e.g., YouTube video vs. Twitter thread) and assign a content owner if you have multiple team members. This way everyone knows their responsibilities and deadlines. Ensure you’re covering a variety of content types and aligning with any key dates: for example, if you have a new product launch on July 15th, you might schedule teaser posts the week before and a big announcement on launch day. Fill all these into the calendar. At this stage, it’s also helpful to include any known keywords or hashtags you plan to use, as well as the call-to-action for each piece (e.g., “sign up for webinar” or “use promo code”). The more details you include, the less scrambling later. Once populated, your calendar becomes a clear timeline of content that shows what will be published when.
5. Review, Collaborate, and Adjust Regularly – A content calendar isn’t a “set it and forget it” tool – it should be a living document that you and your team review and adjust over time. Hold a quick review meeting (weekly or bi-weekly) to look at the upcoming content on the calendar: Is everything on track? Do any topics need to be tweaked or updated? Perhaps a new trend or news development popped up – you might decide to insert an extra post about it or shift your schedule. Don’t be afraid to rearrange the calendar as needed; flexibility is one of its strengths. Remember, the calendar is there to serve your goals, not to be a rigid plan you can’t change. Encourage your team (or yourself if you’re solo) to look ahead on the calendar so there are no surprises. This also helps with collaboration – for example, if a social media manager sees that a blog post is slated for next week, they can prepare promotional tweets or pins in advance. Regular check-ins ensure that everyone remains on the same page, much like a project timeline keeps an influencer campaign running smoothly from start to finish. Lastly, as you publish content, track its performance and gather insights (as mentioned in the benefits section). Every few months, take a step back and assess if your content calendar strategy is helping meet your goals, then refine it. Over time you’ll develop an efficient workflow where the content calendar essentially runs like clockwork, and your marketing feels far more organized.
By following these steps, you’ll have a practical content calendar in place. It might be fairly simple at first – that’s okay. The key is that you’ve answered “what is our content plan?” in a documented way. As you gain experience, you can make your calendar more sophisticated, but even a basic calendar brings tremendous clarity and peace of mind to content planning.
Content calendars are especially valuable in the realms of influencer marketing and e-commerce, where timing and coordination are everything. If you work with influencers (or are a micro-influencer yourself), or if you run an online business (like an Amazon seller or DTC brand), a content calendar can synchronize all the moving parts of your campaigns. Here’s how:
In all these cases, the content calendar serves as a glue between different collaborators and channels. It keeps campaigns organized, timely, and aligned with overall marketing objectives. Rather than managing content in silos or on-the-fly, both influencers and brands can use calendars to see the whole picture of their content strategy. This is increasingly important in 2025 as content volumes grow and audiences expect consistency. By deploying a content calendar for your influencer marketing or e-commerce activities, you ensure that every Instagram post, YouTube video, and blog article is part of a cohesive plan driving toward your goals.
To wrap up, what is a content calendar? It’s your secret weapon for strategic and stress-free content marketing. A content calendar takes the guesswork out of “what should I post today?” and replaces it with a clear, structured plan. By laying out your content schedule in advance, you’ll maintain consistency, collaborate better with teams (and influencers), and make sure every piece of content serves a purpose. Whether you’re a micro-influencer planning your feed, an e-commerce brand launching new products, or a content creator trying to grow on social media, a content calendar is an essential tool to keep you organized and on track. In fact, in today’s competitive landscape, it’s hard to imagine a successful content strategy without one. So, if you haven’t already, start building your content calendar now – brainstorm those ideas, mark those dates, and map out your path to consistent content success. Your future self (and your audience) will thank you!
International marketing is a huge opportunity for growth in today’s digital era. Social networks and e-commerce have made it easier than ever for brands to reach customers across borders – in fact, over 63% of the world’s population now uses social media. Global e-commerce sales are projected to hit around $6.42 trillion in 2025, so expanding internationally can unlock massive new audiences and revenue streams for your business. From e-commerce startups and Amazon sellers to established retail brands, anyone can “go global” with the right game plan. But learning how to prepare your brand for international marketing is essential – you can’t just flip a switch and expect instant worldwide success. In 2025, brands need a thoughtful strategy that considers cultural differences, local competition, and emerging channels like micro-influencers and UGC (user-generated content). This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to get your brand ready for international marketing success.
International marketing (or global marketing) means promoting your products or services outside your home country. It goes beyond simply shipping worldwide – it’s about adapting your branding and campaigns to resonate with consumers in different countries and cultures. Effective international marketing can dramatically increase your reach to new customers, diversify your revenue streams across markets, and strengthen your brand’s overall resilience. The rise of digital platforms has made global expansion more accessible than ever. Even if you haven’t actively targeted overseas markets yet, people anywhere can discover your brand online through search or social media. The internet is borderless – new audiences may be finding you without you realizing. Embracing international marketing intentionally ensures you make the best impression on those global audiences.
Why focus on global marketing in 2025? Simply put, operating globally is becoming essential for growth. Reaching international consumers can fuel faster sales growth and protect you from depending too much on one market’s economy. It also gives you valuable insights into customer behavior in different regions, which can spark new product ideas and improvements. By preparing your brand for international marketing now, you set the stage to go global and tap into the huge e-commerce boom happening worldwide. Let’s look at the benefits and challenges you should be aware of before diving in.
Expanding your brand internationally requires work, but it comes with big upsides for those who execute well. Here are some key benefits of a global marketing strategy:
In short, international marketing opens the door to exponential growth. But it also comes with challenges and complexities you must navigate. Before you launch global campaigns, make sure you understand what hurdles to expect – and how to overcome them.
While the world is more connected than ever, marketing across borders isn’t without challenges. Here are some major hurdles brands face in international marketing, and tips on handling them:
As you can see, going global has many moving pieces – cultural adaptation, building local trust, translation, compliance, logistics, and competition to name a few. It might sound daunting, but with a structured approach you can tackle each challenge step by step. Next, we’ll outline exactly how to prepare your brand for international marketing success, one step at a time.
So, how do you actually get ready to market your brand globally? Here is a step-by-step game plan:
Figure: An infographic illustrating six essential strategies for global expansion. To succeed internationally, brands should embed themselves in the local market (through culture and language), implement multi-channel promotions tailored to each region, do the legal and regulatory homework for compliance, build an effective local team or partnerships (e.g. local sales reps or distributors), maintain clear and consistent communication across global teams, and stay flexible with the business model to adapt to each market’s needs. These steps echo the importance of localization, cultural understanding, and strategic planning in any international marketing initiative.
One of the most powerful tools in your international marketing toolkit is social media. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube let you connect with global audiences instantly – but you need the right strategy to maximize their impact across different countries. Here are a few social-focused tips to complement the steps above:
Social media truly levels the playing field for international marketing – a clever TikTok video or Instagram Story can reach thousands of potential customers overseas overnight. By tailoring your social strategy to each market and fostering real connections, you’ll build a vibrant global community around your brand.
Expanding your brand into international markets is an exciting journey. By now, you should have a solid understanding of how to prepare your brand for international marketing in 2025. It comes down to researching your opportunities, adapting to local cultures, leveraging modern channels like micro-influencers, and handling the operational details that come with global business. With a well-crafted strategy and the willingness to learn and iterate, even a small company can make a big impact on the world stage.
Remember, international success doesn’t happen overnight – but each step you take (from translating your website to signing that first overseas influencer) is building your brand’s global presence. Stay patient, be culturally curious, and learn from each market you enter. Monitor your results closely and don’t be afraid to pivot your approach as you discover what works best in each locale. By following the steps and tips in this guide, you’ll be well on your way to going global with confidence.
In a world where social media, influencer marketing, and e-commerce connect us all, the brands that thrive will be the ones that can think globally and act locally. You have the tools and knowledge – now it’s time to execute. Here’s to seeing your brand reach new heights across continents in 2025 and beyond! Stack Influence and other experts are here to support you on your international marketing journey. Good luck, or as they say in French, bonne chance!
As Instagram continues to evolve, one notable feature is the ability to hide like counts on posts. Knowing how to hide likes on Instagram can be valuable for micro influencers, content creators, e-commerce brands, Amazon sellers, and anyone aiming to focus on authentic engagement over vanity metrics. Hiding Instagram likes can reduce social pressure and help shift attention toward content quality and meaningful interactions. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explain why you might want to hide likes, and provide a step-by-step walkthrough on hiding like counts on Instagram – both on your own posts and on posts you see in your feed – with plenty of tips for influencer marketing and UGC (user-generated content) along the way.
There are several reasons creators and brands choose to hide Instagram likes:
Instagram gives you control over hiding like counts in two ways: (1) hiding likes on other people’s posts in your feed, and (2) hiding like counts on your own posts (either when posting or after posting). Below, we break down how to do both. Follow these simple steps to turn off or hide like counts on Instagram:
If seeing others’ like counts tempts you to compare or you simply find it distracting, you can disable like counts on posts you view in your feed. This will make Instagram show “Liked by and others” instead of a number. Here’s how to hide likes on others’ posts:
Creators can also hide the like count on their own posts so that followers cannot see how many likes the post receives. If you prefer to publish without any public like count, you can do this for each post. You have the option to turn off the like count while posting. Here’s how:
Pro Tip: In the same Advanced Settings menu, you have other useful controls like turning off commenting for that post or adding alt text for accessibility. It might be worth exploring these if you want further control over interactions on your content.
Maybe you’ve already posted something and forgot to hide the like count, or you changed your mind about displaying the likes on a particular post. No worries – Instagram lets you hide like counts even after a post is live. To hide likes on an existing post:
That’s it – with these quick steps, you can hide likes on any new or existing Instagram post. You remain in full control of which like counts are visible on your profile.
One common question is what happens to your analytics when you hide likes. The good news is that only the public-facing counts are hidden – privately, you can still monitor how your content is performing. Even if you hide like counts on Instagram, you (the content owner) can still see the number of likes your posts received, and so can anyone with access to your account’s insights.
In summary, hiding likes offers a more private and focused experience for viewers without sacrificing your ability to gauge performance internally. This balance is why many micro influencers and brands feel comfortable hiding likes – it curbs unhelpful social comparison while still letting them measure content success behind the scenes.
One concern for influencers and brands is whether hiding like counts will affect engagement rates or user behavior on Instagram. Will people stop liking posts if they can’t see counts? Will your overall engagement drop? The reality is nuanced: some studies observed a slight decline in total likes when Instagram experimented with hidden likes, but the impact isn’t as dramatic as you might think, and it varies by audience. Here’s what the data shows:
In 2019, Instagram trialed hiding likes in several countries. A study by HypeAuditor analyzed over 154,000 influencers’ accounts to see what changed. In some regions, influencers experienced up to a 25–30% drop in like counts during the test, while other areas saw little to no change. For example, Brazilian mid-sized influencers saw a significant decrease (in one tier, roughly a 29% drop in likes) whereas British influencers saw almost no drop on average. Micro influencers (5k–20k followers) in particular generally saw only minor decreases in like activity – in the UK there was just a 3.7% decline, while Brazil saw about a 15% decline for that tier. These mixed results suggest that hiding likes can lead to slightly fewer likes given, but it doesn’t uniformly tank engagement. Factors like user demographics and how people use the platform play a role.
Importantly, a dip in “likes” doesn’t necessarily mean a dip in overall engagement or campaign success. Many marketers argue that if hiding likes causes some users to like fewer posts, those users might be focusing on other actions – like leaving comments or sharing content. In other words, the quality of engagement may improve even if the quantity of double-taps goes down. As one social media coach noted, “comments are more genuine engagement and that’s what I focus on now” rather than likes. In countries where likes were hidden, some creators observed no major negatives; in fact, some saw improved interaction in terms of comments and authentic conversations. The general consensus from early testers was that this change was positive, especially among younger audiences who felt it made Instagram a healthier space.
From an influencer marketing standpoint, hidden likes have not proven to hurt influencer performance. Brands and influencers have adapted by sharing metrics internally when needed. If an influencer’s like counts are hidden, they can simply include that data in reports to brands (e.g. screenshotting their Insights or using a platform that shows hidden metrics). In fact, many in the industry see this shift as “not necessarily a negative change” for influencer marketing. It forces marketers to look beyond one superficial metric and evaluate influencers on content quality, audience fit, and genuine engagement (comments, clicks, conversions). These are the metrics that truly matter for ROI – and those remain as accessible as ever.
Bottom line: Hiding likes might slightly reduce the number of passive likes your posts get, but it does not hinder meaningful engagement. If your content is compelling, people will still interact with it (through comments, shares, saves, and other actions). In some cases, removing the public scorecard even improves community interaction by encouraging a focus on conversation over competition.
Now that you know how to hide likes on Instagram and the potential effects, the final question is: Should you do it? On the other hand, you might choose not to hide likes if you find that the visible social proof actually helps your engagement (for instance, some influencers feel a high like count can attract even more engagement in a snowball effect). It can also be useful for new influencers to publicly showcase engagement when pitching to brands – though even then, most brands care about more than just likes. If you do leave likes visible, just remember not to overly fixate on them. Whether visible or hidden, likes are one of the least important metrics for success on Instagram. Far more critical are metrics like comments, shares, saves, swipe-ups, story interactions, and link clicks – actions that reflect deeper interest and drive outcomes.
In conclusion, hiding likes on Instagram is a personal and strategic choice. Instagram has given users control so you can decide what’s healthiest for your mental state and best for your content strategy. Many micro influencers and brands are embracing the change as it cultivates a more authentic atmosphere for influencer marketing and user-generated content. As marketers at Stack Influence like to remind clients, the true mark of success on social media is quality engagement and influence, not a counter of hearts. If hiding likes helps you achieve a more positive online presence and focus on what matters (building real connections and delivering value), then flipping that switch might be a great move in 2026.
TikTok’s explosive growth shows no sign of slowing down, with roughly 1.6 billion users active on the platform as of early 2026. For content creators and micro influencers, standing out in this massive crowd is a real challenge. The good news is that the best hashtags for TikTok creators can be a game-changer when it comes to boosting discoverability. By using strategic TikTok hashtags, creators – from everyday influencers to e-commerce entrepreneurs – can increase their chances of reaching the For You Page (FYP), connecting with niche communities, and even driving product sales. (Just think of the viral power of hashtags like #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt, which turned TikTok into a shopping engine for Amazon sellers and e-commerce brands in 2024.) In this blog, we’ll dive into what TikTok hashtags are, why they matter in 2026, which trending hashtags to know about, and how to find the best TikTok hashtags for your content. Let’s get started!
TikTok hashtags are words or phrases preceded by the “#” pound sign (for example, #foryou or #microinfluencer). Just like on Instagram or Twitter, hashtags on TikTok serve to categorize content and make it easily discoverable. When you add a certain hashtag to your video caption, that video becomes indexed under that topic – so if someone searches or taps that hashtag, your content can appear in the results. This allows creators to join trending conversations or niche topics by using the right tags.
In practice, TikTok hashtags function as a discovery tool. Users often browse or follow hashtags to find content in a specific genre or community. For example, a user looking for home décor ideas might search #HomeDecor or a book lover might explore #BookTok (the TikTok subculture for book enthusiasts). Creators who include those tags on relevant videos increase the likelihood of their content showing up for interested viewers. In short, hashtags help bridge creators and audiences by interest – they’re the connective tissue between your video and the people who’d love to see it.
Why bother with hashtags at all? In 2026, TikTok’s algorithm and community trends make smart hashtag use more important than ever. Here are some key benefits of using hashtags on TikTok:
In short, using the best hashtags for TikTok creators in 2026 is a must-do for growth. It places your videos in front of the right people, boosts your visibility, and even helps with branding and community-building. Given TikTok’s vast user base, strategically chosen hashtags are often the difference between a video that flops and one that takes off on the FYP.
Knowing the landscape of popular hashtags is helpful for any creator. While “best” hashtags will always depend on your niche, it’s useful to keep an eye on overall TikTok trends. In 2026, some hashtags consistently dominate across the platform due to their broad appeal. For example, tags like #fyp, #foryou, #viral, and #trending remain hugely popular and appear on countless videos. These general hashtags are tied to TikTok’s culture (everyone wants to hit the For You Page or go viral), so including one of them can sometimes give the algorithm a nudge. In fact, #fyp and its variations (#foryou, #foryoupage) have become ubiquitous on TikTok – they’re essentially the default tags for attempting to broaden reach.
Aside from general tags, TikTok is organized into vibrant subcultures and interest communities, each with their own popular hashtags. Here are a few noteworthy niche hashtag categories in 2026:
Of course, TikTok hashtag trends can change fast. New challenges or memes can spawn breakout hashtags that go from zero to millions of views in days. For instance, if a song or joke goes viral, you might suddenly see a hashtag like #LetMeDoItForYou trending (as happened with a meme in early 2026). It’s wise to periodically check TikTok’s Discover page or Trend reports for the latest trending hashtags. TikTok’s own Creative Center (under the “Trends” section) publishes a real-time list of popular hashtags and how they’re performing. Keep an eye on those if you want to jump on timely trends while they’re hot.
Pro Tip: Don’t just copy-paste the top 10 trending tags into every post. The best TikTok hashtags for creators are those that fit your content. It’s more effective to use a relevant niche hashtag than a super-popular one that has nothing to do with your video. In the next section, we’ll explore how to actually find the right hashtags for your unique content.
Finding the perfect hashtags is part art, part science. Instead of guessing, use these strategies to identify the best hashtags for TikTok creators in your niche:
TikTok hashtags aren’t just for solo creators – they play a huge role in influencer marketing campaigns and social commerce (shopping via TikTok). If you’re a brand, retailer, or even an Amazon seller, understanding TikTok hashtags can unlock real business results. Let’s look at how hashtags intersect with the worlds of micro influencers, online sellers, and UGC campaigns:
To summarize, TikTok hashtags are integral to influencer marketing and e-commerce success. They act as discovery beacons – helping brands find influencers and helping influencers find audiences – and they can even directly drive sales when a trend catches fire. If you’re marketing on TikTok in 2026, you should be intentionally leveraging hashtags to maximize ROI, whether through viral challenges, product discovery tags, or community building.
For TikTok creators, influencers, and brands alike, mastering hashtags is a low-cost, high-impact way to improve your content performance. The best hashtags for TikTok creators will always depend on your specific goals and audience, but the principles remain the same: do your research, use relevant trending tags, and engage with niche communities through hashtags. In this rapidly moving TikTok landscape, it pays to stay agile – keep experimenting with new hashtags, monitor what works, and adjust your strategy as trends evolve.
Remember, a hashtag itself won’t make a boring video interesting – quality content comes first. But given quality content, the right hashtags will ensure it reaches the right people at the right time. Whether you’re a micro-influencer trying to grow your follower count, an entrepreneur building an audience for your product, or a content creator aiming for the next million-view viral hit, a smart hashtag strategy is key to unlocking TikTok’s potential. So go ahead and put these tips into practice. Happy tagging, and see you on the For You Page!
In the era of private social interactions, direct messaging has emerged as a secret weapon for micro-influencers and brands alike.* From nurturing customer relationships to sparking influencer partnerships, Direct Messages (DMs) offer a personal touch that drives real engagement. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore what DMs are, why they matter for influencer marketing and e-commerce, and how to leverage them effectively in 2025.*
A Direct Message (DM) is a private communication sent on social media or messaging platforms, visible only to the sender and recipient. Unlike public comments or posts, DMs allow users to converse one-on-one. Every major platform has its own DM system, each with some quirks:
In essence, DMs are the digital equivalent of a private chat or text message, but taking place within social networks. This channel has transformed how creators, customers, and brands communicate behind the scenes.
It’s no coincidence that social media usage is shifting from public feeds to private conversations. Stories and DMs are surging in popularity as users seek more personal connections. In fact, WhatsApp has even overtaken Facebook as Meta’s most-used app – a clear sign that private messaging is how people want to interact. For micro-influencers (creators with roughly 5K–100K followers) and the brands working with them, this trend is a golden opportunity. Here’s why DMs have become an influencer marketing powerhouse:
Let’s connect the dots on how influencer marketing, e-commerce, and DMs work together. Consider a brand that sells an eco-friendly skincare line online. They want to spread the word via micro-influencers on Instagram and TikTok. Here’s how DMs become their secret weapon:
In summary, DMs act as the glue in the micro-influencer marketing process – finding influencers, nurturing partnerships, engaging customers, and gathering content. They offer a low-friction, high-touch way to communicate at every step of the customer journey.
While DMs are incredibly powerful, they’re also a more personal space – meaning marketers and creators must approach with the right etiquette. Bombarding someone’s inbox with a salesy pitch can do more harm than good. To ensure your direct message strategy actually builds goodwill (and avoids getting you unfollowed or ignored), keep these best practices in mind:
In 2025 and beyond, direct messages are proving to be the secret sauce for engagement in both influencer marketing and customer communications. For micro-influencers, DMs offer a way to connect authentically with followers and build a loyal fanbase one conversation at a time. For brands – from nimble Amazon sellers to big e-commerce players – DMs provide a direct line to customers and creators, enabling you to foster relationships that drive real ROI (a single DM-led interaction can convert a skeptic into a customer or a fan into a brand advocate).
As you craft your social media and influencer strategies, make sure DMs have a central place. Treat your DM strategy as you would any important marketing channel: set guidelines, train your team (or yourself) on proper etiquette, and integrate it into your overall customer journey. Whether it’s answering a product question within minutes on Instagram, or reaching out to a TikTok micro-influencer with a collaboration idea, those direct messages can produce outsized results.
In summary: DMs are more than just chat messages – they’re relationship-building tools. Use them to be human, be helpful, and be proactive, and you’ll find that this “secret weapon” can drive engagement, trust, and sales in ways that few other channels can. So slide into those DMs – respectfully and strategically – and unlock the full potential of one-on-one connections in your marketing. Here’s to forging stronger bonds in the DMs and watching your community grow! 🚀
Co-branding is everywhere in today’s market – from McDonald’s Oreo McFlurry to co-branded credit cards – and it’s winning over both consumers and marketers. In fact, 71% of consumers enjoy when multiple brands team up to offer a unique product. This collaborative marketing strategy allows companies to reach new audiences, boost credibility, and even break into markets they couldn’t reach alone. With the rise of micro influencers, influencer marketing, and e-commerce (think Amazon sellers and Shopify brands), understanding what is co-branding has never been more important. In this 2025 guide, we’ll explore what co-branding is, how it works, its benefits, and how influencers and e-commerce sellers can leverage co-branding (with plenty of examples, tips, and trends along the way).
Co-branding (also known as a brand partnership) is a marketing strategy where two or more brands collaborate on a shared product, service, or campaign. In essence, the partners combine their strengths and audiences to create something new that features both of their brand identities. Academic research defines co-branding as “capturing the synergism of combining two well-known brands into a third, unique product”. In other words, a co-branded initiative results in a new offering rooted in the core attributes of each partner.
For example, McDonald’s partnering with Oreo to create the Oreo McFlurry is a classic co-branding move – the product carries both brand names and appeals to fans of both brands. Another popular example is Nike’s collaboration with Sony’s PlayStation on limited-edition sneakers, merging a sportswear giant with a gaming brand to excite both sneakerheads and gamers. These examples show how co-branding typically works: each brand brings its own reputation and fanbase, and together they create a product or experience that neither could offer alone.
Co-Branding vs. Co-Marketing: It’s important not to confuse co-branding with co-marketing. Co-branding involves co-creating a product or service with another brand (both logos/brands appear on the offering), whereas co-marketing is a joint promotional campaign for mutual benefit. For instance, if two companies simply team up on a combined advertisement or giveaway (promoting each other’s separate products), that’s co-marketing – each retains its own product but they share marketing efforts. Co-branding, on the other hand, means a deeper integration – the brands develop a product together or package their offerings as one, sharing the spotlight and often the costs. Co-branding usually signals a stronger alliance than a one-off co-marketing promo.
Co-branding comes in many forms. Businesses – from global brands to small e-commerce sellers – can get creative with how they partner up. Here are some common types of co-branding and what they mean:
These categories aren’t exhaustive, but they illustrate that co-branding is a flexible concept. Whether you’re a global brand or an Amazon marketplace seller, any scenario where two names appear on one product or promotion can be considered co-branding. The key is that both brands contribute value – be it ingredients, technology, reputation, or audience – and share the outcome (and credit).
When done right, co-branding can be a win–win (in fact, win–win–win if you count the consumer).
Of course, to reap these benefits, the partnership needs to make sense. A mismatched co-branding effort can confuse customers or backfire, which is why it’s crucial to choose the right partner and plan the collaboration carefully (more on that in a bit). When synergy is there, co-branding can drive revenue, expand your customer base, and create lots of buzz – all while sharing the effort and risk with an ally.
In recent years, influencer marketing and the boom of UGC (user-generated content) have added a new twist to co-branding. Today, influencers and content creators (even micro-influencers with niche followings) have essentially become their own brands – which means an influencer partnering with a company can be a form of co-branding too. This is especially relevant for e-commerce brands and Amazon sellers looking to stand out.
How Influencers Co-Brand with Companies: When a popular content creator co-creates a product or lends their name to a brand’s offering, that’s effectively co-branding. We see this often with larger influencers (celebrity YouTubers launching a makeup line with a cosmetics brand, for example). The influencer’s personal brand and the company’s brand both appear on the product, each adding value: the company provides the product infrastructure, and the influencer provides the creative direction and built-in audience. The result is a co-branded product that fans perceive as a special collaboration. Even micro-influencers (those with tens of thousands of followers or fewer) can do this on a smaller scale – for instance, a micro-influencer in the fitness niche might partner with a small activewear brand to release a limited-edition apparel item featuring their logo or design input.
Influencers as Co-Branding Amplifiers: Even if an influencer isn’t an official co-creator of the product, brands often involve influencers to promote co-branded campaigns. Micro-influencers in particular are an excellent channel to bring visibility to a partnership. Because these creators have dedicated, highly engaged audiences, their endorsement of a co-branded product comes off as more authentic – almost like a friend recommending it. A recent marketing article notes that micro-influencers are “real prescribers” who can authentically showcase the co-branded offering to niche communities, driving interest and trust. For example, imagine two small Etsy shops (one makes handmade jewelry, the other crafts phone cases) decide to co-brand a joint holiday gift bundle. They could send samples of this bundle to a group of micro-influencers in lifestyle and fashion. Those influencers would then post about this cool two-brand combo to their followers, effectively highlighting both brands at once. This is exactly what happened in France: a jewelry brand (Cléor) and a phone case brand (Oh My Case) partnered on a holiday giveaway and used micro-influencers on Instagram to spread the word – the campaign boosted both brands’ images and reach by exposing each to the other’s audience.
Why this Matters for Amazon Sellers: If you’re an Amazon seller or small online business, co-branding might not mean partnering with Coca-Cola or Nike – it could mean teaming up with an influencer or another complementary small brand. For instance, an Amazon seller of specialty coffee could co-brand a bundle with a local pastry mix brand, so customers buying one get the other’s product too, marketed as a combined set. Both brands could feature in the Amazon product listing and packaging. Additionally, that coffee seller might work with a coffee-loving micro-influencer to create a special roast named after the influencer’s brand – a co-branded coffee blend sold exclusively on Amazon. These kinds of collaborations help differentiate products in marketplaces like Amazon, where thousands of sellers compete on similar items. They also generate plenty of content: influencers will post unboxing videos, reviews, and how-tos, giving the co-branded product tons of UGC exposure across social media.
The Power of UGC and Community: Co-branding efforts that involve influencers naturally produce user-generated content (photos, videos, reviews created by real people). This UGC is marketing gold for e-commerce. Brands can repurpose influencer content – a great Instagram photo or TikTok video featuring the co-branded product – in their own marketing channels. Such content acts as social proof, showing customers authentic experiences with the product. Moreover, when an influencer and a brand partner up, you often get the influencer’s community and the brand’s community talking to each other about the collab. That buzz can drive sustained interest and sales even beyond the initial campaign. It’s a bit like word-of-mouth on steroids: influencer-driven co-branding campaigns spark conversations that no traditional ad could replicate.
Stack Influence and Micro-Influencer Campaigns: There are now platforms dedicated to connecting brands with micro-influencers to facilitate these kinds of collaborations. Stack Influence, for example, is a leading micro-influencer marketing platform that helps e-commerce companies run product seeding campaigns at scale. It links brands with a vetted network of everyday content creators to generate buzz, authentic reviews, and social media content. With solutions like this, even an emerging Amazon seller can execute a co-branding-style campaign (partnering with dozens of micro-influencers who each act as a mini co-brand on promotional content). The Stack Influence platform automates matchmaking and campaign management, making it easier to launch co-branded micro-influencer promotions that drive UGC, engagement and sales. The takeaway: in 2025, co-branding isn’t just for giant companies – influencers and small online brands can “stack” their influence together to achieve more impact than they could alone.
Co-branding can yield impressive results, but it requires careful planning and alignment between partners. Whether you’re a major brand planning a high-profile alliance or a small seller brainstorming a co-branding idea with an influencer, keep these best practices in mind:
Finally, don’t forget to celebrate and promote the partnership success. Co-branding is as much about publicly demonstrating a alliance as it is about the product itself. Share the story behind the collaboration with the press or on your blog. Consumers love to hear the “inside scoop” of how two favorites came together. It humanizes the brands and can deepen loyalty.
In an era of hyper-connected consumers, co-branding has emerged as a powerful strategy for growth. We’ve broken down what co-branding is: essentially, a partnership where brands unite to create something new, combining their audiences and strengths. Whether it’s two retail giants launching a joint product or micro-influencers teaming up with Amazon sellers for a unique promotion, the core idea is the same – stronger together. Co-branding, when aligned well, can drive authentic buzz, expanded reach, and increased sales that single-brand efforts might struggle to achieve.
As we head through 2025, expect to see even more creative co-branding in the wild. Social media and e-commerce have made it easier than ever for brands (and individuals with personal brands) to find each other and collaborate. From influencer marketing mash-ups to cross-overs between unlikely industries, co-branding is reshaping marketing playbooks. Brands of all sizes are realizing that collaboration often drives better ROI than going it alone – after all, when one wins, the other wins too.
In a world of polished Instagram feeds and viral TikTok challenges, a new social platform turned heads by asking users to be real. If you've been wondering what is BeReal, you're not alone. This once–viral photo-sharing app took Gen Z by storm with its unfiltered approach to social media. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explain what BeReal is, how it works, and why it’s influencing trends in micro influencers, influencer marketing, e-commerce, and user-generated content (UGC) in 2025. By the end, you'll see how an "anti-Instagram" app built on authenticity is reshaping how content creators, Amazon sellers, and brands think about social media marketing.
BeReal is a photo-sharing social media application (launched in 2020 by French developers Alexis Barreyat and Kévin Perreau) that takes a radically different approach from Instagram or Facebook. Its core idea is simple: users can post only once per day, at a random time prompted by the app. When the daily alert hits ("Time to BeReal!"), you have just 2 minutes to snap and share a photo of whatever you're doing in that moment. Uniquely, the app uses both front and back cameras to capture a dual-view image — showing your surroundings and your selfie simultaneously. There are no filters, no edits, and no staged uploads allowed; in fact, if you miss the 2-minute window, your post is marked late for all to see. And you won't even see your friends’ posts until you share your own, a clever way BeReal ensures everyone “gives” authenticity before they “get” it.
In short, BeReal is all about authenticity. It’s often dubbed the "anti-Instagram" because instead of aspirational, staged images, it pushes users to share mundane, unedited slices of life. As one social media expert put it, “BeReal... is a once-a-day photo sharing app trying to bring authentic content into our social media lives.” The app’s ethos is captured in its very name and tagline – your friends, for real.
BeReal burst into popularity by 2022, striking a chord with users (especially Gen Z) who were hungry for “real” content over picture-perfect posts. Generation Z has a keen eye for inauthenticity – 89% of Gen Z say authenticity matters more than polished advertising – and BeReal arrived at the perfect time to offer an antidote to the highlight-reel culture. The app had zero flashy filters or ads, just everyday life, and that novelty drove massive curiosity and downloads.
By mid-2022, BeReal’s unfiltered approach made it the #1 free app on the Apple App Store in the U.S. Users loved the voyeuristic yet relatable thrill of seeing what friends were actually doing at a random moment – whether it was writing an essay in sweatpants or cooking instant noodles. In an era when Instagram was pushing shopping features and TikTok was churning endless algorithmic videos, BeReal felt refreshingly human. Its dual-camera format also created buzz; this unique feature “caused shockwaves, with Instagram and TikTok both adopting the feature” soon after (e.g. TikTok Now is a BeReal-like feature). BeReal proved that unpolished content can captivate, especially a young audience tired of social media pressure.
Crucially, BeReal tapped into the power of peer-level influence. The app shows you content only from friends (or friends-of-friends), not mega-celebrities. In a way, every user becomes a micro influencer to their own circle, sharing honest recommendations or daily routines. This mirrors a broader trend in marketing: people trust “people like me.” For example, Gen Z is 3X more likely to trust a product recommendation from a micro-influencer than from a traditional celebrity. The success of BeReal underscored that authentic, user-generated content (UGC) resonates more than overly branded posts. Even on other platforms, consumers now seek out down-to-earth creators and genuine reviews. As a result, brands and Amazon sellers are increasingly partnering with micro influencers who create casual, real-life content, blurring the line between a friend’s post and an ad.
It didn't hurt that BeReal gained a reputation as a drama-free, ad-free zone. In the early days, no brands or celebrities had official accounts on BeReal, and the app contained no advertising. In contrast to influencer-saturated platforms, this made the experience feel more authentic and “safe” from commercialization. Users could relax knowing they weren't being sold to – a major plus when *80% of BeReal users say they “don’t feel sold to” on the platform. This authenticity vibe has been so strong that even outside BeReal, we saw trends like “deinfluencing” (creators telling followers what not to buy) and unfiltered “photo dumps” gain traction in 2023, as audiences craved more honesty from content creators.
BeReal’s journey from niche app to social media sensation – and its recent struggles – can be told through some eye-opening statistics. Below, we break down the key numbers illustrating BeReal’s rise and fall:
Takeaway: BeReal was the breakout social app of 2022, demonstrating the appeal of spontaneous, authentic content. However, retaining users has been hard – once the novelty wore off, many drifted away. The app’s active community today, while much smaller than its peak, is deeply engaged and still mostly Gen Z. For marketers and content creators, BeReal’s boom-and-bust cycle is a lesson in how quickly social trends can rise and fall – but also how a core demand for authenticity isn’t going away.
With BeReal’s user base shrinking from its highs, you might ask: does BeReal matter for brands or influencer marketing in 2025? The answer is nuanced. BeReal was never designed as an influencer marketplace – in fact, its original appeal was being free of influencers, ads, and overt marketing. There were no official brand accounts allowed and no algorithms to boost content creators’ reach. In many ways, that’s exactly why users loved it. The app felt like a genuine space to connect with friends without commercial noise.
However, the ethos behind BeReal absolutely carries lessons for influencer marketing and e-commerce. Here are a few key points for brands, Amazon sellers, and content creators to consider:
BeReal might not have maintained its white-hot popularity, but its impact on the social media and marketing landscape is undeniable. It proved that users, especially young ones, are craving more authenticity and less polish in their online interactions. For influencers, content creators, e-commerce brands, and Amazon sellers, the lesson is clear: get real with your audience. Whether or not BeReal itself survives long-term, the authenticity trend it spearheaded continues to shape influencer marketing in 2025 and beyond.
As you craft your next marketing campaign or influencer collaboration, ask yourself: “Am I being as genuine as possible with my audience? Is this content something a friend would actually say or share?” If you can infuse that BeReal-style honesty into your strategy – showcasing products in real-life use, leveraging micro influencers for relatable storytelling, and engaging customers like a peer – you'll tap into the same forces that made BeReal a viral hit. In the age of skepticism toward advertising, realness is a superpower for brands.
In summary, what is BeReal? It's more than just an app for candid selfies – it's a sign of the times. It's a reminder that social media doesn't have to be a highlight reel; it can be a genuine connection point. And for marketers and creators, it's a call to embrace authenticity as not just a buzzword, but a north star for content strategy. The platforms may change (today BeReal, tomorrow something new), but the brands and influencers who succeed will be those who keep it real with their communities. After all, being real never goes out of style.
Pinterest is often the unsung hero of brand growth – a visual discovery engine where millions of users actively seek inspiration, products, and new ideas. Unlike other social platforms dominated by fleeting posts, content on Pinterest has a long shelf life and continues to drive traffic over time. In this guide, we’ll explore how Pinterest can grow your brand in 2025, covering its massive audience reach, high shopping intent, micro-influencer marketing opportunities, and strategic features you can leverage for sustained success. Let’s dive into why Pinterest is a game-changer for e-commerce businesses, Amazon sellers, content creators, and anyone looking to boost brand awareness through influencer marketing and UGC (user-generated content).
With over 460 million people using Pinterest each month, the platform offers vast reach for brands. In fact, roughly one-third of all U.S. adults use Pinterest regularly, making it the 4th most popular social network in the United States (just behind Instagram). What sets Pinterest apart is its focus on discovery: 80% of Pinners have discovered a new brand or product on Pinterest. Users often turn to Pinterest to find ideas and brands rather than following people they know. Critically, 96% of Pinterest searches are unbranded – users search for “home office setup” or “holiday gift ideas” instead of specific brands. This means new brands have a huge opportunity to be discovered through smart content and SEO, even if they’re not yet well-known. By consistently sharing valuable, inspiring content in your niche (for example, styling tips if you’re a fashion seller or recipe ideas if you’re a food brand), you can tap into this discovery mindset and grow your brand’s visibility among high-intent consumers.
Key benefits for brand awareness on Pinterest:
Pinterest isn’t just about pretty pictures – it’s a shopping powerhouse. Three in four weekly Pinterest users say they’re always shopping or actively planning purchases. In fact, a whopping 85% of weekly Pinners have made a purchase based on a brand’s Pin. Unlike on many social networks where users passively scroll, Pinterest users often have a buyer’s mindset – they’re searching for things to try or buy. Over half of Pinners literally view the platform as a place to shop and find products.
This high purchase intent translates into tangible results for businesses. 44% of millennial Pinners have bought a product after seeing it on Pinterest, and on average Pinterest shoppers spend significantly more per month than those on other platforms. For e-commerce brands and Amazon sellers, this is huge. It means Pinterest can drive warm traffic to your product pages or Amazon listings – traffic that is primed to convert.
Moreover, Pinterest has been doubling down on shopping features. It introduced Product Rich Pins (showing real-time price and stock info), “Shop the Look” Pins, and a native shopping tab, making it easier than ever for users to go from inspiration to checkout. In 2023, Pinterest even announced a multi-year ads partnership with Amazon to bring more brands and relevant products onto the platform. When a user clicks an Amazon ad Pin, they’re taken directly to Amazon to purchase, creating a seamless path from browsing to buying. This partnership underscores Pinterest’s evolution into a full-fledged e-commerce hub and is great news for Amazon sellers – your products can gain extra visibility on Pinterest and benefit from Pinterest’s recommendation engine. Pinterest itself emphasized that brands and products are a critical piece of the user journey, enabling Pinners to go “from inspiration to action,” and its Amazon deal will scale these efforts of connecting high-intent users with products they’ll love.
How Pinterest drives sales:
1. High-intent traffic: Pinterest users often search with purchase intent (e.g. “workout outfit ideas” or “best camera for vlogging”), so they’re further down the funnel. By appearing in those searches, your brand reaches people ready to buy.
2. Seamless shopping features: Features like Shop tabs, buyable Pins, and integration with e-commerce catalogs let shoppers move from seeing your Pin to checking out in just a click or two. Half of Pinterest users view it as a shopping destination, not just a social site.
3. Off-platform conversions: Even if you sell on Amazon or your own site, Pinterest can send a steady stream of external traffic. This not only drives sales but can improve your product’s ranking on marketplaces like Amazon (thanks to the boost in external visits and conversions). It’s a win-win for Amazon sellers looking to expand beyond the crowded Amazon search results.
Influencer marketing isn’t just for Instagram and TikTok – Pinterest has its own thriving community of content creators and micro-influencers who can help grow your brand. In fact, Pinterest operates more like a search engine, which means influencer-created content on Pinterest can continue to generate views and engagement long after it’s posted. When a micro-influencer creates a beautiful Pin featuring your product (for example, a home décor micro-influencer styling a living room with your furniture piece), that Pin can rank in Pinterest search results and keep driving traffic for months. Collaborating with these creators thus yields long-term benefits beyond the initial “campaign” window.
Micro-influencers – creators with smaller (often 5k–50k) but highly engaged followings – are especially powerful on Pinterest. Their audiences trust their recommendations and niche expertise more than they would a generic ad or a mega-celebrity endorsement. Partnering with multiple micro-influencers allows you to target very specific interests (e.g. vegan baking, DIY home office hacks, travel with kids) that align with your brand. This approach creates a broader yet still highly engaged reach across Pinterest, as each micro-influencer reaches a slightly different community. It’s also typically cost-effective, giving you more content and impressions for your budget compared to hiring one or two macro-influencers.
What might an influencer collaboration on Pinterest look like? Brands often sponsor creators to produce Idea Pins (multi-page story-like Pins) or standard Pins that showcase the brand in an organic, creative way. For instance, a beauty brand might team up with micro-influencers to create Idea Pins for “5 Nighttime Skincare Routines” featuring the brand’s products, or a recipe blogger might Pin a recipe using an Amazon seller’s spice blend. Influencers can embed product links or tags in these Pins, so viewers can shop the content instantly. Because Pins are shareable, a great piece of content from an influencer can be saved by thousands of users, multiplying its reach over time.
Another big advantage is the user-generated content (UGC) aspect. Influencer posts double as authentic UGC for your brand – content that doesn’t look or feel like a formal advertisement. Pinterest is a place where polished aesthetics and authenticity both matter; influencers excel at combining these by telling personal stories and showing real usage of products. Brands can reshare this UGC on their own Pinterest boards (with permission) to build social proof. For example, you might create a board titled “How real moms use ” and pin Idea Pins from various micro-influencers or customers – giving potential buyers proof of concept from people like them.
Tip: Encourage your customers and followers to share their own pins featuring your products (perhaps via a contest or hashtag). This kind of UGC can then be added to your brand’s boards, showing a community around your product. It also creates a feedback loop: Pinners love seeing ideas from real people, which in turn inspires more users to try your product and share their experiences.
And don’t forget, you can find and manage influencer collaborations more easily than ever. Agencies and platforms like Stack Influence specialize in connecting brands with micro-influencers to produce scalable UGC campaigns. By teaming up with the right micro-influencers (e.g., a group of nano and micro creators on Pinterest who align with your niche), your brand can tap into authentic storytelling that builds trust with Pinterest’s audience. According to industry experts, collaborating with micro-influencers yields targeted marketing and high engagement while maximizing your marketing budget – exactly what a growing e-commerce brand or Amazon seller needs.
Pinterest is often called a “visual search engine,” and for good reason. Success on Pinterest has a lot to do with Pinterest SEO – optimizing your content so that it appears in users’ searches and feeds over the long term. Unlike a tweet or an Instagram Story that disappears in 24 hours, a Pin can keep gaining traction weeks and months later. Patience is essential, as Pinterest content often gains traction over time rather than immediately. This means the effort you put into creating quality Pins today can pay off in sustained traffic and brand exposure down the line. It’s not uncommon for a Pin to suddenly go viral or see a resurgence months after it was first posted, as it gets discovered by a new wave of users searching that topic.
To harness this, focus on evergreen, searchable content. Think about the keywords your target customers might search on Pinterest. For example, a seller of kitchen gadgets should create Pins around terms like “easy cooking hacks” or “best kitchen tools 2025” – topics that people will search year-round. Use relevant keywords in your Pin titles and descriptions (just like you would optimize a blog post for Google). Pinterest’s algorithm will reward you by showing your Pins to users interested in those topics. The fact that nearly all Pinterest searches are unbranded means you don’t have to be a household name to show up; you just need the right keywords and compelling visuals.
Why Pinterest content keeps working for you:
To maximize this evergreen effect, ensure your pins are high-quality and actionable. Use attractive, vertical images (Pinterest favors the 2:3 aspect ratio), overlay text on images to highlight the topic or benefit, and make sure your branding is present but not intrusive. Rich Pins (which pull in extra metadata like price, ingredients, or ratings) are a great tool to provide context that can improve your SEO and click-through rate. Over time, as you build a library of content, Pinterest can become a passive traffic generator – consistently funneling new leads, email signups, and customers to your business with content you posted long ago.
One often overlooked aspect of Pinterest is its community features and positive user mindset. Pinterest users famously describe the platform as a “positive corner of the internet” – in one study nearly 78% of Pinners felt positive after using Pinterest, a stark contrast to some other social apps. This optimistic vibe is good news for brands: it means users are in a receptive mood, open to engaging with content that inspires them. Content from brands doesn’t interrupt on Pinterest – it inspires, as Pinterest likes to say. If your Pins spark creativity or solve a problem, users will welcome them rather than scroll past.
To deepen engagement, brands can utilize Pinterest’s community and collaboration features. For example, consider creating Group Boards around your niche. Group boards are shared boards that multiple users (invitees) can pin to. By inviting influencers, brand advocates, or even customers to contribute, you not only get fresh content but also tap into those collaborators’ followings. This can exponentially increase your exposure. Collaborative boards essentially turn your customers and partners into co-marketers. An artisanal bakery, for instance, could host a group board for “Holiday Baking Ideas” and invite micro-influencers or fans to pin their favorite recipes (including ones using the bakery’s ingredients). Not only does this generate UGC, but it fosters a sense of community around your brand.
Pinterest has also rolled out a Community tab/feature where users can connect with others in their interest areas. Brands can participate here to build direct relationships with creators and fans. In fact, joining or even creating a Pinterest community is a no-brainer for brands to engage their niche and connect with the industry’s influencers. By actively answering questions, offering tips, or highlighting follower contributions, you humanize your brand and turn followers into advocates.
Ideas to boost engagement on Pinterest:
Finally, remember that Pinterest’s tone is inspirational and aspirational. Aligning your brand with that positive ethos can pay dividends. For example, if you’re in the wellness space, pin motivational quotes or affirmations alongside your product images. If you’re an Amazon seller in home décor, create boards not just for your products but for “Dream Home Inspiration” that includes broader ideas. By becoming a source of inspiration, you’ll earn followers who associate your brand with positive feelings – and brand sentiment is a big part of long-term growth. Pinterest provides the perfect environment to nurture that through community and content.
Pinterest is no longer a “nice-to-have” in your social media mix – it’s a must-have for brands, especially in e-commerce, looking to drive sustainable growth. We’ve seen how Pinterest can grow your brand through wider awareness (thanks to its huge user base and discovery-focused design), increased sales (due to high-intent shoppers and new shopping integrations), and deeper engagement (via influencers, UGC, and community features). Whether you’re an Amazon seller trying to boost external traffic, a DTC e-commerce brand aiming to build buzz, or a content creator monetizing your influence, Pinterest offers unique advantages that few other platforms can match in 2025.
To recap, focus on creating valuable, visually appealing content that inspires Pinners. Optimize your Pins with keywords, and don’t be afraid to invest in Pinterest influencer marketing – those micro-influencers and content creators can authentically amplify your reach in ways traditional ads might not. As the data shows, Pinners are not just browsing; they’re buying and trying. All you need to do is meet them where their interests lie.