Glossy, a media company covering the fashion and beauty industries, recently released a report analyzing the performance of 15 popular influencers across Instagram and YouTube. “The Glossy Influencer Index” evaluates influencers based on four key dimensions: sponsored engagement, brand prominence, non-sponsored engagement, and audience impact.

The research aims to provide insights into influencer marketing trends and strategies by examining data from 2,333 Instagram posts and 4,827 YouTube videos posted by influencers in 2023. The data was collected in February 2024 by social media management company Dash Hudson.

According to the report, sponsored engagement, which measures an influencer’s engagement on sponsored content relative to their following, is the least heavily weighted dimension in the model. The study suggests that while sponsored posts are a crucial part of influencer marketing, they are not the sole factor in determining an influencer’s overall impact.

Instead, the report emphasizes brand prominence, which evaluates the presence of branded content, the type of branded content, and the synergy between the influencer and partner brands. This dimension helps identify influencers who would make good collaboration partners for brands.

Non-sponsored engagement, which measures an influencer’s engagement on non-sponsored content relative to their following, is also a significant factor in the model. This dimension indicates whether an influencer’s organic content resonates with their audience, which can be crucial for building authentic connections and trust.

Finally, the most heavily weighted dimension is audience impact, which measures an influencer’s total reach in 2023. This dimension takes into account audience size and overall post activity, highlighting the importance of an influencer’s ability to reach a large and engaged audience.

Glossy’s Index also provides insights into specific influencer marketing trends, such as the rise of cross-industry collaborations and the importance of finding natural partnerships that align with an influencer’s personality and content. Additionally, the research examines the performance of different content formats, such as still images, carousel ads, long-form videos, and Shorts, across various product categories. Read the full report here.