The Influencer Playbook Campaigns Can’t Afford to Ignore in 2026

Online influencers are no longer an experiment: they’re infrastructure.

In 2025, for the first time, influencers and content creators will receive more advertising revenue than traditional media.

Political campaigns, on the other hand, are late to the party.

Since launching the first influencer program at the White House, I’ve worked with over 2,000 creators, executing over 700 campaigns in the last year alone. I’ve learned that most campaigns treat influencers like glorified retweet machines. But they can be so much more than that. 

Eighty-six percent of consumers make at least one purchase per year based on an influencer recommendation. Nearly half say influencer content drives their purchasing decisions daily, weekly or monthly. And 69 percent of consumers trust influencer recommendations more than brand messaging.

Now replace “purchase” with “vote” or “volunteer signup.” 2026 is primed to be the year of the midterm influencer.

A trusted introduction from a creator to your candidate is gold for building awareness, credibility and actionable data. But campaigns that treat influencers like unpaid PR flacks—demanding specific copy, ghosting them between asks or throwing them in the press pool—burn through relationships fast.

The campaigns winning with influencers understand that they are not buying ads. They are earning introductions.

Provide Access, Not Just Talking Points

Only using influencers to repost your graphics or share your campaign videos is a waste of their strengths. Give them something their audience can’t get anywhere else. 

This could mean:

• A five-minute, one-on-one with the candidate (with time to set up their shot)
• Inviting a creator to introduce the candidate at an event
• Behind-the-scenes access to debate prep, canvassing or campaign HQ
• A reserved spot at press briefings or exclusive background sessions

The goal isn’t publicity. It’s relationship-building that produces authentic content their followers actually want to watch.

Provide the Message, Not the Words

The world’s best copywriter can’t sound like a 23-year-old bro in Florida or a mom of 10 in Michigan. Don’t try.

Give creators the raw materials—talking points, key messages, opposition research—and let them translate it into their voice. Campaigns that demand script approval are missing the entire point: a real, trusted introduction to your candidate. If you can’t trust them with the message, don’t work with them.

Be Prepared to Pay

You can usually get the first post or two for free. But if you want an ongoing relationship, budget for it.

In the consumer space, the rule of thumb is $10 per 1,000 followers. In politics, it varies wildly based on topic, reach and impact. Start with trading access for content. If it works, move to a retainer, per-post payment or, ideally, performance-based compensation tied to actions like email signups, landing page clicks and video views. Creators who feel valued stick around. Ones who feel used do not, and could turn on you. 

Don’t Just Connect When You Need Them

Creators aren’t on-demand amplification machines. They’ll say no to posts that don’t fit their brand–and that’s fine. Keep them in the loop with bi-weekly or monthly updates. Text works better than email. Share wins, losses, and upcoming opportunities. Build the relationship before you need it. And when they decline? Don’t ghost them. You’ll need them again.

And a final idea . . . Embed a Creator or Empower Staff to Fill the Role

Corporate America is leaning hard into employee-generated content. People trust people, but your candidate has limited time (and temperament) to film “day in the life” videos. 

Consider hiring a smaller creator as a campaign staffer to serve as your “digital spokesperson.” They can share behind-the-scenes content, counter attacks in real-time and humanize the campaign in ways official comms can’t.

Can’t afford to hire? Empower a staffer to play this role. Look at the last three White House administrations, which gave comms staffers their own official social accounts (the “45,” “46,” and “47” accounts) to echo the President’s message and share insider moments. 

A final word of caution: Influencers aren’t journalists. They may share screenshots, private messages or embarrassing moments if it serves their brand. Keep all written correspondence professional, even in text threads. And aligning with the wrong creator can cost you a news cycle. Do your due diligence: check the second (and third) page of Google, run Reddit searches and, if the stakes are high enough, have a lawyer review their history.

The Bottom Line

Fifty-nine percent of marketers plan to increase their influencer spend in 2025. Consumer brands aren’t doing this out of charity, but because it works.

The campaigns that win in 2026 won’t necessarily be the ones with the flashiest TV ad. They’ll be the ones that built relationships with creators early, gave them real access and treated them like strategic partners instead of free media.

The influencer revolution isn’t going away. Don’t let your campaign get left behind.

Sondra Clark built the first-ever White House influencer program. A veteran of the RNC, Heritage Foundation, and Conservative Partnership Institute, she now works with over 2,000 influencers, shaping national policy and ideas.