Unlock the Power of Niche Influencer Marketing

Hi there,

Welcome to 2025! I hope you’re stepping into this new year feeling refreshed, energized, or at least a little less disoriented than I feel trying to remember what day it is. (The week between Christmas and New Year’s is kinda like Vegas, right? It’s murky, involves lots of indulgences, and what happens there … stays there.)

As we make our way back into all things influencer marketing, one thing seems already clear: 2025 is going to be all about niche outreach.  The demand for highly targeted creators has been growing, and the data shows just how much things have shifted. Brands are prioritizing authentic conversations over vanity metrics, looking for influencers who align deeply with their audience’s specific interests, lifestyles, and values. This is a noticeable shift in strategy, and it’s already showing results that matter.

Here at Sway Group , we’ve seen a change in client priorities. In 2023, an estimated 60% of our proposals called for niche influencers. In 2024, that number climbed to 75%. And that doesn’t even factor in geography-based niches: if you include location-specific asks, the percentage would be even higher.

Why the uptick? Brands are figuring out that niche creators can reach specific audiences in a way big-name influencers just can’t. Whether it’s someone talking to sleep-deprived new parents or connecting with eco-conscious Gen Zers, these influencers feel real, relatable, and able to make a difference.

But here’s the challenge: finding the right creators isn’t as simple as plugging a few keywords into a platform. Knowing that an influencer’s audience is 60% female millennials in California is a great start, but it only scratches the surface. What about the influencer herself? Is she female? A millennial? Actually based in California? Does she fit the brand’s vision with details that really matter—like having kids under 3, owning a dog, or speaking Spanish?

These are the nitty-gritty specifics that can make or break a campaign, yet they’re often missing from traditional platforms. Without a way to dig deeper, it’s easy to end up with a mismatch that looks good on paper but misses the mark when it comes to real-world impact.

That’s where our proprietary dashboard comes in. It’s integrated on the back end with Creator IQ, so we get first-party API data on the influencers’ audiences and reach, and then we take it further. Our dashboard gives us detailed insights into who these influencers actually are. With over 51,000 creators in our network, we’re able to find those perfect matches that other platforms miss.

This approach lets us deliver the level of specificity that brands need for niche campaigns. Because at the end of the day, it’s not just about data; it’s about the story behind the numbers. Who is the person speaking to your audience, and what makes them the right fit for your message?

Want to see how niche influencer marketing can work for your brand this year? Take a look at this Digiday piece I was quoted in recently, or reach out anytime. We’d love to help you kick off the year with a campaign that gets it right.