Exploring new platforms for influencer marketing: Beyond Instagram and TikTok

As a DTC brand, your first thoughts about influencer marketing naturally drift to TikTok and Instagram. And that's fair—they're excellent starting points with massive audiences.

But relying solely on these platforms means putting all your eggs in one basket. The day your favorite influencer platform shuts down or changes its algorithm (again) is the wrong time to diversify your marketing strategy. You need to start today.

DTC brands are already expanding their influencer presence beyond the obvious choices. Here's why—and where—you should be building your brand presence before your competitors beat you to it

Why should you explore beyond Instagram & TikTok?

Your audience is not there on these platforms

Not everyone lives on Instagram and TikTok. Depending on your product, your ideal customers might be spending their time elsewhere.

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Many professionals focus on LinkedIn, tech enthusiasts gather on Discord, parents connect on Pinterest, and Gen X might still prefer Facebook. Missing these audience segments means missing sales opportunities. Creating platform-specific influencer strategies helps you reach these valuable customer segments where they actually spend their time.

These platforms might not be there forever

Remember Vine? MySpace? Google+?

Social platforms can disappear or lose relevance quickly. Even giants aren't immune to disruption.

Building influencer relationships across multiple platforms creates resilience in your marketing strategy. When (not if) the next platform shift happens, you won't be scrambling to rebuild your entire influencer program from scratch.

The cost on these platforms is rising

Instagram and TikTok influencer rates have skyrocketed as competition intensifies. What cost $500 two years ago might run $2,000 today.

Emerging platforms typically offer better rates as they compete for brand attention. By diversifying your influencer strategy to include up-and-coming platforms, you can secure partnerships at lower costs while these channels are still developing their monetization strategies.

Content saturation makes it harder to stand out

Scroll through Instagram or TikTok and you'll see endless sponsored posts from competing brands.

Users are developing "promotion blindness" from the sheer volume of branded content. Success isn't just about chasing the most eyeballs. You need to accumulate attention across multiple platforms. The aggregate reach across several smaller platforms can match or exceed what you'd get on mainstream channels.

You should also go where your competitors aren't. On newer or niche platforms, there's less competition for attention, giving your brand better visibility and allowing you to build a loyal following before these spaces become crowded.

TL;DR

Before we dive into the details, here's a snapshot of alternative platforms for your influencer marketing strategy. See which ones align with your brand goals at a glance, then read on for deeper insights into each platform.

5 platforms for influencer marketing beyond Instagram and TikTok

YouTube

Recent data from Global Media Insight indicates that YouTube has over 2.5 billion monthly active users as of March 2025.

Think with Google notes that over 40% of global shoppers have bought products discovered on YouTube. Assuming 10% of searches have purchase intent, with a monthly search volume of 35 billion, this translates to approximately 3.5 billion monthly searches with purchase intent.

These impressive numbers only tell part of the story. Let's look beyond audience size to see why YouTube is an effective influencer marketing channel.

Why YouTube

YouTube videos stick around much longer than content on other platforms. When content is posted on Instagram or TikTok, it typically gets buried in feeds after a day or two. People scroll past it, and it's gone.

But YouTube videos keep working for brands for years. Many consumers regularly discover products from videos that were published 3-4 years ago.

This happens because of how YouTube fundamentally works.

Unlike other platforms that prioritize recency and trends, YouTube functions more like a library or archive. Its search algorithm heavily favors relevance to the search query, watch time, and engagement—not just when the video was posted.

When someone watches a YouTube review, they're usually already thinking about buying something. They're not just passively scrolling—they're researching. This means the people who find your influencers’ videos on YouTube are often much closer to making a purchase than those who see content on other platforms.

Who should try YouTube

Brands with products that benefit from demonstration or education are perfect for YouTube. This includes tech products, beauty items, home goods, and anything with features that need explaining. Brands aiming for detailed storytelling or positioning themselves as thought leaders will find YouTube's longer format ideal.

Companies with higher-priced items also benefit, as consumers typically research expensive purchases more thoroughly, making YouTube's in-depth review content particularly valuable for conversion.

Twitch

Twitch is a live streaming platform primarily focused on video game content, though it has expanded to include other categories.

The platform's user base is substantial and active, with 7.3 million unique streamers going live at least once a month. In 2024, viewers consumed a staggering 20.8 billion hours of content on Twitch—more than double YouTube Gaming's hours watched.

Demographically, Twitch offers access to younger audiences that can be hard to reach elsewhere. Over 73% of Twitch users are under 35 years old, with 41% between 16-24 and 32% between 25-34. While the audience skews male (65%), the female audience (35%) has been steadily growing.

Now let's look at beyond the numbers.

Why should brands collaborate with influencers on Twitch

Twitch offers high audience engagement through live interaction.

While YouTube and TikTok provide passive viewing experiences, Twitch streamers actively engage with their audience in real time, answering questions and responding to comments. This creates authentic product moments that feel more like recommendations from a trusted friend than traditional advertising.

The platform's extended watch times (often 2+ hours per session) allow for deeper brand integration and repeated exposure.

Viewers develop strong relationships with streamers, making influencer recommendations particularly impactful. And with categories expanding beyond gaming to food products, beverages, and more, brands from various industries can find relevant streaming partners.

Who should try Twitch

Gaming brands have an obvious home on Twitch, but the platform works for many others too. Products that complement streaming sessions—like energy drinks, snacks, computer gear, and apparel—see strong performance. Brands targeting Gen Z and younger Millennials will find their core demographic here.

Companies willing to embrace creativity in their partnerships succeed most on Twitch. The platform rewards authentic integration rather than scripted promotion. Brands comfortable with live, unfiltered content—where streamer reactions can't be edited—will find Twitch's authenticity drives stronger consumer trust than heavily produced content on other platforms.

Pinterest

Pinterest has 553 million monthly active users as of 2025, with 89.9 million users in the United States alone. The platform is experiencing strong growth, with a 23.2% year-over-year audience increase as of January 2024, making it the second fastest-growing social media platform after Instagram.

Pinterest's audience has some unique characteristics worth noting.

While 69.4% of users are women, the male audience is growing. The platform's largest audience segment is women aged 25-34 (20.4%), followed by women aged 18-24 (19%). Importantly, one-third of Pinterest shoppers have an annual income exceeding $100,000, making it a prime platform for luxury brands and higher-priced items.

Who should try Pinterest

Home décor, fashion, beauty, and food brands find natural success leveraging influencer marketing on Pinterest, as these categories align perfectly with the platform's visual search and discovery strengths. Luxury brands should particularly consider Pinterest given its affluent user base, with one-third of users earning over $100,000 annually.

Brands with products that require planning and consideration before purchase benefit from Pinterest's role as a planning tool. Users often create boards for future purchases, making it ideal for products with longer consideration cycles.

Companies targeting women aged 18-34 will find their core audience on Pinterest, though the platform is gradually attracting more male users. Brands seeking to reach Millennials and Gen Z should take note that Pinterest is particularly popular with these generations, with projections showing 26.1 million Gen Z users by 2025.

Podcasts

While people often scroll Instagram or TikTok to fill time or seek quick entertainment, podcast listeners actively choose specific content that aligns with their interests and delivers value.

They're not just passively consuming content — they're engaged with ideas, perspectives, and information they consider worthwhile. When these trusted voices recommend products, it carries significant weight.

Loyalty factor

Podcast listeners also demonstrate remarkable loyalty.

While social platform algorithms constantly push users toward new content creators, podcast listeners actively subscribe to shows they enjoy and return to episode after episode. This consistency means your brand message reaches the same audience repeatedly, building familiarity and trust over time that's nearly impossible to achieve through algorithmically-driven platforms.

Listeners hear their favorite hosts personally vouching for products, often sharing their own experiences. Since podcast hosts risk their credibility with each recommendation, listeners tend to trust these endorsements more than typical influencer posts.

Mentally more engaged

Podcast listeners are also in different consumption modes than social media users.

They're often engaged in activities like commuting, exercising, or household chores - times when they're not actively looking at screens but are mentally engaged. This creates unique opportunities to reach people when they're not bombarded by competing visual messages.

Who should try podcasts

Direct-to-consumer brands offering subscription services or products that solve specific problems thrive with podcast advertising. The longer format allows hosts to thoroughly explain product benefits and use cases, making complex offerings easier to understand.

Challenger brands looking to disrupt established categories benefit from the educational nature of podcast advertising. If your DTC offering is competing against legacy brands by doing something differently—whether more sustainable, more convenient, or more personalized—the podcast format gives you space to explain your unique value proposition clearly.

LinkedIn

Its professional context creates an environment where thought leadership and industry expertise are valued over entertainment or aesthetics. This makes it ideal for B2B brands and companies selling professional development products or services.

LinkedIn influencers typically build their following through demonstrated expertise rather than lifestyle content or entertainment value. Their endorsements carry significant weight because their professional credibility is directly tied to their recommendations. When an industry expert with 50,000 followers endorses a business tool or service, it functions more as peer validation than traditional influencer marketing.

Who should try LinkedIn

While LinkedIn is primarily recognized for B2B marketing, direct-to-consumer brands can also find success on the platform, especially those with products that intersect with professional life.

DTC brands offering products that enhance workplace productivity or professional appearance can perform well on LinkedIn. This includes:

• Premium office furniture,
• Professional attire
• Tech accessories
• Productivity tools.

These products naturally align with LinkedIn's professional context and can be positioned as investments in career advancement.

For DTC brands considering LinkedIn, the key is positioning products. You need to frame your products as tools for career advancement, workplace efficiency, or professional presentation rather than pure personal enjoyment.

Bringing it all together

Juggling influencers across YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitch, and podcasts alongside your Instagram and TikTok campaigns can get messy fast. Different content formats, metrics, and relationship dynamics on each platform can leave your team drowning in spreadsheets and missing opportunities.

This is where having a solid home base for your influencer program makes all the difference. While you might need to scout for your LinkedIn thought leaders or podcast hosts through different channels, you still need one place to track all these relationships, communications, and results.

That's where SARAL can help.

Think of it as mission control for your expanding influencer universe.

You can manage relationships, track campaigns, handle payments, and measure performance across your entire influencer network. Talk to us. It'll take 20 minutes of your time and might just save hundreds of hours this year. Schedule your demo here.

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