What changed this year across Instagram and short-form video — pricing benchmarks, category growth, and where brand budgets are moving.
The creator economy crossed a quiet threshold this year: brands now spend more on creator partnerships than on traditional digital display in several categories. Here's what our data across hundreds of campaigns is telling us.
Short-form video keeps eating the feed
Reels and short video now drive the majority of discovery for creators under 500K followers. Static posts still convert well for considered purchases, but the top of the funnel has firmly shifted to video-first formats.
Pricing is stabilising
After two volatile years, rate cards are settling. Micro creators (10K–100K) have seen the steadiest demand, with brands favouring three smaller, well-matched creators over one expensive mega name.
Where budgets are moving
D2C and tech brands are reallocating toward always-on creator programmes rather than one-off bursts. The brands seeing the strongest returns treat creators as a long-term channel, not a campaign line item.
