Building influencers' credibility on Instagram: Effects on followers’ attitudes and behavioral responses toward the influencer

TLDR

Influencer‑brand collaborations have surged, yet prior work has largely examined their commercial impact on brand perception while overlooking how such promotions influence influencer credibility and follower relationships. This study investigates how influencers’ promotional actions shape their credibility and followers’ attitudes and behavioral responses toward the influencer. The authors surveyed followers of a popular influencer to test a model linking promotional actions, perceived credibility, attitudes, and behavioral intentions. Greater perceived influencer‑product congruence boosts followers’ credibility and attitude ratings while reducing perceptions of paid communication; credibility, in turn, drives positive behavioral responses such as continued following, imitation, and recommendation, offering actionable insights for influencers and brands.

Abstract

Collaborations between influencers and brands have become increasingly popular in recent years. Previous research has mainly focused on influencer marketing as a commercial action designed to enhance followers' perceptions and reactions toward promoted brands, ignoring the consequences of these promotional actions on influencers' credibility and their relationships with their followers. This research sheds light on the topic by exploring how influencers' promotional actions affect their credibility, and followers' attitudes and behavioral responses toward the influencer (i.e., to continue following, imitate, and recommend them to other users). A study addressed to the followers of a popular influencer was carried out to test the research model. The results showed that perceived influencer-product congruence positively affects followers' perceptions of the credibility of, and attitude toward, influencers, and negatively affects perceptions of paid communication. Followers' perceptions that influencers have been paid to take part in promotional activities harms their credibility; however, credibility is essential for generating positive attitudes toward the influencer. Finally, both perceived credibility and attitude foster positive behavioral responses toward the influencer; influencers must enhance these factors to retain their influencing capacity. This research provides managerial implications for influencers and brands that can help enhance followers' experiences when exposed to promotions on social media.