Parker Woodroof, Ph.D.In a digital world where attention spans are short and ad-blockers are everywhere, brands are turning more than ever to influencers. But what actually makes an influencer successful? Turns out, it is not just their follower count.
A new study by Parker Woodroof, Ph.D., associate professor of marketing at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Collat School of Business, and his co-authors sheds light on the hidden ingredients behind influencer effectiveness.
Published in the Journal of Interactive Marketing, the study, titled “Signals for Success: The Intersection of Influencer Linguistic Personality, Content, and Follower Size,” analyzes 961 Instagram posts from 71 fashion influencers. It identifies how influencers’ use of language and images significantly affects engagement, especially in relation to their follower size.
Agreeableness matters
The researchers used IBM Watson’s Personality Insights tool to measure the influencers’ “linguistic personality,” or the psychological traits gathered from their language. Among the Big Five traits — extroversion, agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness and emotional stability — agreeableness was the most influential.
Cooperative and compassionate language was shown to build trust with followers.
“Language is more than a communication tool; it shapes perceptions, builds trust and fosters relationships,” Woodroof said.
Traits that are typically viewed as influential in social media, like extroversion and openness, did not show a significant impact on engagement rates unless follower size was factored in.
Content and authenticity
Agreeableness and authenticity in content contribute to the effectiveness of influencer strategies.The research explored the impact of content characteristics.
Posts featuring the product front and center hurt engagement, supporting the idea that obvious sales pitches turn audiences off.
Posts where the influencers themselves appeared were generally more engaging, particularly for those with larger followings. Hashtags were shown to boost discoverability, but excessive hashtags lowered engagement. Emojis did not have a statistically significant effect.
Number of followers
A key point in the study’s findings is that an influencer’s follower count alters what strategies work best for their audience.
“For users with lower follower size, extroversion, openness, agreeableness and emotional stability were more impactful,” Woodroof said.
The study shows that micro-influencers with between 10,000 and 100,000 followers should focus on being relatable and emotionally expressive. Macro-influencers should project a more polished and trustworthy personality.
Key takeaways for brands
Woodroof’s research showed that brands should find influencers with personality and content strategy, and understand how those elements interact with follower count.
“Selecting the right influencer is only part of the strategy,” Woodroof said. “Brands must also consider the linguistic personality and content elements that will maximize consumer interaction.”
The research offers a blueprint for influencers and brands alike: Speak warmly, show yourself and not just the products, and understand that one size does not fit all when it comes to followers.