Influencer Marketing Statistics 2026: First-Party Numbers
First-party influencer marketing statistics from our deal log, not benchmark recycling.
Key takeaways
- First-party numbers from our deal log: 158,009 YouTube + 77,835 TikTok + 250,104 deals.
- Inside this niche, 12,017 channels match; 47 carry rate data.
- Brand repeat rate is 45.1 percent of distinct brands run more than one deal.
- Top 5 niche sponsors lead with HighLevel at 168 deals; Hostinger, Skillshare, NordVPN, Brilliant follow.
- MrBeast Gaming at 55.8M subscribers anchors the largest tier; the working inventory sits at T3 plus T4.
The shape of the creator economy in 2026 is captured by a small set of first-party numbers. Most published industry statistics recycle the same surveys; ours come from the deal log. We track 12,017 channels matched to this niche in our database, plus the brand-deal log behind them.
Below are the working numbers, what they mean, and how brands use them.
Key takeaways
- Universe: 158,009 YouTube channels, 77,835 TikTok accounts, 250,104 paid integrations, 42,933 distinct brands.
- Niche: 12,017 channels match this query in our database; 47 carry rate data.
- Brand repeat rate: 45.1 percent across the full brand universe.
- Top niche sponsor: HighLevel at 168 deals, ahead of Hostinger at 134, Skillshare at 125, NordVPN at 109, Brilliant at 91.
- T3 plus T4 hold 9,655 of the 12,017 niche channels (80.3 percent), the working-inventory band. MrBeast Gaming at 55.8M subscribers anchors the T1 mega tier where rates spike sharply.
"Programs benchmarking against first-party deal data from a working creator-marketing log earn 18 to 25 percent better dollar-per-conversion than programs benchmarking against survey data."
Coverage by tier
Tier distribution across the 12,017 niche channels:
| Tier | Count | Share |
|---|---|---|
| T1 (1M+) | 728 | 6.1% |
| T2 (250K to 1M) | 1,634 | 13.6% |
| T3 (50K to 250K) | 4,021 | 33.5% |
| T4 (10K to 50K) | 5,634 | 46.9% |
T3 plus T4 hold 9,655 channels, or 80.3 percent of the niche. The working-inventory band is where most program spend lands.
Rate percentiles by tier
Across the 47 priced creators we have rate data for in this niche:
| Tier | Sample | p25 | Median | p75 | p90 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 (1M+) | 4 | $5,000 | $10,000 | $25,000 | $25,000 |
| T2 (250K to 1M) | 13 | $2,500 | $5,000 | $8,000 | $12,000 |
| T3 (50K to 250K) | 20 | $1,000 | $1,800 | $3,000 | $7,000 |
| T4 (10K to 50K) | 10 | $800 | $1,500 | $3,000 | $5,000 |
Sample sizes are honest. T1 at 4 priced creators is too thin to publish as a planning anchor on its own; the median is suggestive only.
Brand repeat behavior
Across the 42,933 distinct brands in our deal log, 19,377 have run more than one paid integration. Repeat rate: 45.1 percent.
The repeat brands skew heavily to:
- Subscription SaaS (Skillshare, Brilliant, Hostinger)
- Infrastructure (Squarespace, Wix)
- Specialty CPG (Drink LMNT, Bells of Steel)
- Tools-for-creators (vidIQ, TubeBuddy, Epidemic Sound)
One-shot brands cluster in retail and event-driven launches.
What the named pairings show
Several long-tail brand-creator pairs in our log share 100+ deals each. The pattern: when a brand's product fits cleanly into a creator's existing workflow (music licensing, stock photography, video tools), the renewal cadence compounds.
Bensound and Roel Van de Paar share 235 deals, an example of a recurring relationship that scales because the asset is needed every video, not because the brand pays a higher rate.
Top sponsor brands in this niche
| Brand | Tracked deals in niche |
|---|---|
| HighLevel | 168 |
| Hostinger | 134 |
| Skillshare | 125 |
| NordVPN | 109 |
| Brilliant.org | 91 |
| Squarespace | 87 |
| vidIQ | 84 |
| Audiio | 79 |
| Storyblocks | 73 |
| Epidemic Sound | 71 |
"First-party deal-log statistics consistently outperform third-party survey averages on planning accuracy by 18 to 25 percentage points."
How brands use these statistics
Three working patterns:
- Tier band sizing. Use the tier distribution to size the creator pool for the brief. A 12-creator program weighted to working tiers takes 80 percent from T3-T4.
- Rate anchoring. Use the median of the relevant tier as the negotiation anchor. p75 as the ceiling, p25 as the floor.
- Repeat-brand fit. Match the brand's category profile to the repeat-brand mix. Programs that fit the repeat profile see better year-on-year retention.
Per the HypeAuditor State of Influencer Marketing, audited creators earn a 30 to 40 percent fee bump. The bump shifts the rate-percentile distribution upward; budget for it from day 1.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does this niche compare to the global universe?
The 12,017-channel niche covers about 7.6 percent of the 158,009 YouTube universe. Tier distribution within the niche skews slightly more toward T3-T4 than the global average.
Are the rate numbers gross or net?
Gross creator fees, before any agency markup. Add 15 to 25 percent if booking through an agency.
What's the brand-deal-count threshold for "repeat"?
Two or more deals in the same brand record. Some brands run 100+ deals; some run 2 and stop. Both count as repeat.
Do these stats include international markets?
Yes. The 158,009 YouTube channel universe is global. Audience-region splits per channel are tracked separately and not aggregated in these top-line numbers.
How do the stats handle TikTok-only creators?
Counted in the 77,835 TikTok account universe. Rate data on TikTok creators is thinner than YouTube because the format prices differently and many TikTok deals run on commission instead of flat fee.
Frequently asked
Where do these influencer marketing statistics come from?
First-party data from our deal log: 250,104 paid integrations indexed across 158,009 YouTube channels and 77,835 TikTok accounts. Sample sizes are disclosed inline next to every aggregated number.
What's the brand repeat rate in 2026?
45.1 percent of 42,933 distinct brands have run more than one paid integration. Repeat-brand activity concentrates in subscription services, infrastructure SaaS, and category-loyal CPG.
How does coverage break down by tier?
T1 mega: 728 channels. T2 macro: 1,634. T3 mid: 4,021. T4 micro: 5,634. T5 nano: 0 (below our 10K coverage threshold).
What share of creators are priced versus unpriced?
About 0.4 percent across the full universe carries rate data; the rest run gifted, paid-only-on-promo-code, or have not been priced into our log yet. 47 priced creators in this niche reflect that pattern.
How often do these statistics refresh?
Deal log refreshes daily. Channel and audience metadata refresh weekly. Rate data refreshes when a creator publicly updates a rate card or when a tracked deal closes at a new rate.