The Influencer Follower-Count Era Is Ending

Podcast: The Business of Fashion Podcast · The Business of Fashion

Opublikowano: 2026-08-19

For years, follower count was the clearest shorthand for a creator's value — more followers meant more reach, more brand deals, more money. But social media doesn't work that way anymore. TikTok's For You page, Instagram's suggested posts and other algorithmically curated feeds mean creators can reach huge audiences without those people ever following them. At the same time, affiliate marketing platforms like LTK and ShopMy are giving brands a much clearer picture of who actually drives sales, with smaller creators often outperforming bigger names. In this episode, senior correspondent Sheena Butler-Young talks to BoF US Editor Dia...