Brands cut TikTok-specific campaigns by 48% in 2025 while user-generated content (UGC) collaborations surged 133%, according to data from influencer marketplace Collabstr‘s annual report analyzing more than 21,000 collaborations and 200,000 creators.
The shift reflects ongoing uncertainty about TikTok’s regulatory future in the United States following the 2024 law requiring ByteDance to divest its U.S. operations or face a ban. The platform went dark for U.S. users for several hours in January 2025, and TikTok campaigns fell from 41% to 21% of total engagements on Collabstr’s platform year over year.
Instagram maintained its position as the leading platform for influencer marketing, accounting for 40% of campaigns, followed by platform-agnostic UGC at 35%. YouTube engagements grew 1%, potentially capturing TikTok creators expanding their presence on the long-form video platform.
Micro-Budgets and Spending Patterns
Nearly 80% of brand collaborations cost under $300, with another 18% landing between $301 and $1,000. Only 2% of engagements exceeded $1,000, underscoring the shift toward scalable, cost-efficient creator strategies. More than 40% of UGC campaigns came from companies spending less than $5,000.
The average cost of UGC campaigns declined 5.7% year over year, from $209 to $197. According to Adweek, cited in the report, UGC content drove 29% higher conversions than non-UGC campaigns.
Platform Pricing Shows Wide Gaps
Collabstr analyzed 472,000 packages and 21,000 collaborations to determine platform-specific pricing. Twitch creators commanded the highest average asking price at $398 per engagement, followed by YouTube at $311 and Instagram at $214. However, actual payouts diverged significantly from listed rates, with Twitch creators averaging $127 per engagement.
YouTube led in average payouts at $255 per engagement, down 63% year over year from $418. Instagram followed at $193, with TikTok at $186 and UGC at $154. X recorded the lowest payouts at $76, representing just 1% of total platform engagements.
The report notes that Twitch generated $115 million in revenue from in-app purchases in 2025, with 72% of its user base aged under 34. Twitch creators attract highly engaged audiences through gaming, commentary, ASMR, and lifestyle content.
Content Format Performance
Instagram Reels led both brand requests and reach, followed by Instagram posts, TikTok videos, YouTube Shorts, and YouTube videos. However, engagement metrics revealed different performance patterns.
YouTube videos generated the highest engagement at 6%, followed by Instagram Reels at 5%, YouTube Shorts at 4.5%, Instagram posts at 3.5%, and TikTok videos at 2%. The data indicate that while short-form content dominates impressions and demand, long-form YouTube videos drive deeper engagement through likes, comments, and shares.
Self-Improvement Niches
Athlete & Sports emerged as the fastest-growing influencer niche, up 108% year-over-year, followed by Skilled Trades at 103%. Four of the five fastest-growing niches, including Health & Fitness at 76% and Adventure & Outdoors at 67%, reflect trends in wellness and self-improvement content.
The report notes that 58% of 16-24-year-olds and 49% of 25-34-year-olds follow athletes on social media. Additionally, Zippo reports that more than 70% of self-improvement social media content is shared organically.
Travel replaced food and drink as the fifth most-searched niche, joining Lifestyle, Beauty, Fashion, and Health & Fitness. The analysis was based on 2.3 million searches on Collabstr’s platform.
Skilled Trades creators charged the highest average rates at $309 per collaboration, followed by Education at $307 and Entrepreneur & Business at $295. The report attributes higher rates to audience intent, noting that expertise-based niches attract followers actively seeking guidance and solutions, increasing conversion potential.
The most affordable niches included Beauty at $210, Cannabis at $214, and Gaming at $214. These categories attract large numbers of creators, leading to competitive marketplace dynamics and lower rates.
Gender Pay Gap Persists
Male creators earned an average of $205 per engagement in 2025 compared to $166 for female creators – a 24% gap. Both averages declined year over year from $291 and $208, respectively, but the disparity persisted.
Female influencers accounted for 80% of the creator base on Collabstr’s platform, with male influencers at 18% and 2% unidentified. Women dominated product-discovery categories, with Lifestyle at 25%, Beauty at 17%, and Fashion at 15%. Male creators were concentrated in Lifestyle (20%), Comedy & Entertainment (10%), and Health & Fitness (10%).
The United States drove 66% of all collaborations, followed by the United Kingdom and Canada. Los Angeles and New York remained the top U.S. cities for influencer talent, with Miami, Houston, and San Diego completing the top five. Houston and San Diego replaced Atlanta and Dallas from the previous year’s rankings.
Image credits: Collabstr The full report is available here
Cecilia Carloni, Interview Manager at Influence Weekly and writer for NetInfluencer. Coming from beautiful Argentina, Ceci has spent years chatting with big names in the influencer world, making friends and learning insider info along the way. When she’s not deep in interviews or writing, she's enjoying life with her two daughters. Ceci’s stories give a peek behind the curtain of influencer life, sharing the real and interesting tales from her many conversations with movers and shakers in the space.
Brands cut TikTok-specific campaigns by 48% in 2025 while user-generated content (UGC) collaborations surged 133%, according to data from influencer marketplace Collabstr‘s annual report analyzing more than 21,000 collaborations and 200,000 creators.
The shift reflects ongoing uncertainty about TikTok’s regulatory future in the United States following the 2024 law requiring ByteDance to divest its U.S. operations or face a ban. The platform went dark for U.S. users for several hours in January 2025, and TikTok campaigns fell from 41% to 21% of total engagements on Collabstr’s platform year over year.
Instagram maintained its position as the leading platform for influencer marketing, accounting for 40% of campaigns, followed by platform-agnostic UGC at 35%. YouTube engagements grew 1%, potentially capturing TikTok creators expanding their presence on the long-form video platform.
Micro-Budgets and Spending Patterns
Nearly 80% of brand collaborations cost under $300, with another 18% landing between $301 and $1,000. Only 2% of engagements exceeded $1,000, underscoring the shift toward scalable, cost-efficient creator strategies. More than 40% of UGC campaigns came from companies spending less than $5,000.
The average cost of UGC campaigns declined 5.7% year over year, from $209 to $197. According to Adweek, cited in the report, UGC content drove 29% higher conversions than non-UGC campaigns.
Platform Pricing Shows Wide Gaps
Collabstr analyzed 472,000 packages and 21,000 collaborations to determine platform-specific pricing. Twitch creators commanded the highest average asking price at $398 per engagement, followed by YouTube at $311 and Instagram at $214. However, actual payouts diverged significantly from listed rates, with Twitch creators averaging $127 per engagement.
YouTube led in average payouts at $255 per engagement, down 63% year over year from $418. Instagram followed at $193, with TikTok at $186 and UGC at $154. X recorded the lowest payouts at $76, representing just 1% of total platform engagements.
The report notes that Twitch generated $115 million in revenue from in-app purchases in 2025, with 72% of its user base aged under 34. Twitch creators attract highly engaged audiences through gaming, commentary, ASMR, and lifestyle content.
Content Format Performance
Instagram Reels led both brand requests and reach, followed by Instagram posts, TikTok videos, YouTube Shorts, and YouTube videos. However, engagement metrics revealed different performance patterns.
YouTube videos generated the highest engagement at 6%, followed by Instagram Reels at 5%, YouTube Shorts at 4.5%, Instagram posts at 3.5%, and TikTok videos at 2%. The data indicate that while short-form content dominates impressions and demand, long-form YouTube videos drive deeper engagement through likes, comments, and shares.
Self-Improvement Niches
Athlete & Sports emerged as the fastest-growing influencer niche, up 108% year-over-year, followed by Skilled Trades at 103%. Four of the five fastest-growing niches, including Health & Fitness at 76% and Adventure & Outdoors at 67%, reflect trends in wellness and self-improvement content.
The report notes that 58% of 16-24-year-olds and 49% of 25-34-year-olds follow athletes on social media. Additionally, Zippo reports that more than 70% of self-improvement social media content is shared organically.
Travel replaced food and drink as the fifth most-searched niche, joining Lifestyle, Beauty, Fashion, and Health & Fitness. The analysis was based on 2.3 million searches on Collabstr’s platform.
Skilled Trades creators charged the highest average rates at $309 per collaboration, followed by Education at $307 and Entrepreneur & Business at $295. The report attributes higher rates to audience intent, noting that expertise-based niches attract followers actively seeking guidance and solutions, increasing conversion potential.
The most affordable niches included Beauty at $210, Cannabis at $214, and Gaming at $214. These categories attract large numbers of creators, leading to competitive marketplace dynamics and lower rates.
Gender Pay Gap Persists
Male creators earned an average of $205 per engagement in 2025 compared to $166 for female creators – a 24% gap. Both averages declined year over year from $291 and $208, respectively, but the disparity persisted.
Female influencers accounted for 80% of the creator base on Collabstr’s platform, with male influencers at 18% and 2% unidentified. Women dominated product-discovery categories, with Lifestyle at 25%, Beauty at 17%, and Fashion at 15%. Male creators were concentrated in Lifestyle (20%), Comedy & Entertainment (10%), and Health & Fitness (10%).
The United States drove 66% of all collaborations, followed by the United Kingdom and Canada. Los Angeles and New York remained the top U.S. cities for influencer talent, with Miami, Houston, and San Diego completing the top five. Houston and San Diego replaced Atlanta and Dallas from the previous year’s rankings.
Image credits: Collabstr
The full report is available here