Fashion brands are spending less on paid influencer posts and more on getting creators to wear their clothes for free. It makes sense, since budgets are tighter and shoppers trust a creator who chose an outfit themselves more than one who was paid to wear it.
But creators see it differently, and brands that rely on them to sell clothes should know why.
Why Fashion Brands Are Moving Toward Earned Media
Brands have less to spend than they used to, and they want to know where every dollar goes. Socially Powerful’s Earned Media Report found that the use of earned media has grown by 22.7% globally as brands turn from paid advertising to cheaper, more natural-looking approaches. Earned media means coverage you don’t pay for directly, such as a creator wearing your coat in a video because they like it.
Shoppers have also changed what they want to see. The report points to the de-influencing trend, where people tell each other not to buy something just because an influencer promoted it, and it notes that 79% of consumers say user-generated content strongly affects their purchases.
Many brands now run hashtag challenges, contests and other campaigns that get customers to make content themselves. For fashion, where people want to see how clothes look on real bodies in real outfits, that makes a lot of sense.
Where Influencer Seeding Fits In
One of the most common earned media tactics is influencer seeding, where a brand sends products to creators with no payment and no fixed deal, and lets them decide whether to post. For a large fashion brand, doing this well means choosing the right creators, getting sizes and styles right, and following up across several countries, which is why many work with an influencer seeding agency like Socially Powerful.
The report is clear about the trade-off. Seeding costs far less than paid work and looks authentic to shoppers. The only real downside is that once the box is sent, the brand gives up control over how the product is shown. A creator might style a piece in a way the design team never intended, or leave it out of the video completely.
What This Means for Creators
Creators are not all happy about the direction. The report found that gifted PR boxes are now one of the most common things creators receive, often arriving as inbound offers that crowd out paid ones.
Beauty and lifestyle creator Taryn Lewis told the report’s authors that gifting can be exciting, but it doesn’t cover her costs or reflect the value of her work. Gaming and tech creator Josh Samoj said some brands he had paid partnerships with have switched to gifted boxes and in-game items instead.
The report also notes that creators’ views change as their careers do. Newer creators are often glad to receive free products while they build a portfolio and make contacts with brands, but established ones tend to be much more selective, and many now want steady, long-term work in place of a free item and some exposure.
Why Mid-Tier Creators Are Most at Risk
Creators have good reason to care. According to the report, brand partnerships have long been the most consistent way for creators to earn, well ahead of merchandise or platform subscriptions, so a move toward gifting takes away their main source of income.
The report warns that creators in the middle are the most exposed. They don’t have the reach of the biggest names, and they cost more than smaller creators whose engagement rates often give brands a better return. If brands lean further on earned media, these mid-tier creators could end up with fewer paid opportunities than anyone else, which could strain the creator economy as a whole.
Why Brands Still Need Both
At the end of the day, earned media should complement paid work. Paid partnerships give a brand control over its image and give creators a steady income. Earned media extends reach and builds trust, but it can’t be directed in the same way.
The report highlights Fenty Beauty and Oner Active as brands that mix the two well, by reposting customer content, thanking people who buy and choosing mid-tier creators as ambassadors. It also suggests making earned collaborations more attractive, using affiliate links that pay creators directly, invitations to exclusive events and trips that build a closer bond with the brand.
And since younger shoppers follow creators who are still building their audience, it recommends that brands start working with new talent early.
The Question That Remains
The report ends on an open question: will earned media keep taking over, or will brands move back toward paid? For fashion, the more useful question is how much of each makes sense. Brands that treat gifting as a free replacement for paid work risk losing the creators who give them the most. Those that use it alongside fair pay and real relationships are more likely to keep them.