The party believes that voters who might not be reached by radio and television will be drawn in by smaller content makers who have devoted online fan bases
In preparation for targeting “micro-influencers” in the 2019 general election campaign, UK political parties have designated a dedicated staff member to work with influencers and spread good messages about Keir Starmer’s party on TikTok and Instagram. This is according to Labour.
Political parties in previous British elections usually tried to court well-known celebrities for endorsements or large-follower YouTubers. But there’s going to be a shift in emphasis this election towards interacting with smaller but devoted “authentic” influencers.
Digital marketing specialists and political campaigners say that reaching specific audiences who are watching videos on their phones is the aim
“It’s not really about going after people who have millions of followers. One campaigner clarified, “It’s more about finding real people who talk about significant issues and can effectively communicate a message.
According to Labour candidates, the party has been teaching people to produce autonomously, influencer-style material, avoiding the collapsing local news sector. From headquarters, candidates can now be sure they will have support when interacting with influencers because the party recently hired a creator outreach manager, a role that is typical of many private-sector advertising campaigns.
A request for information from the party was not answered, but it is likely that throughout the general election campaign, pro-Labour influencers are being granted access to MPs, policy updates, and support.
The strategy serves as an example of how political parties are refocusing their resources to target people who do not rely on traditional news sources, rather than courting political journalists. Parties also believe that influencers are more reliable than specific media outlets and politicians.
According to Marco Ricci of the influencer firm Takumi, this change in consumption patterns is a result of consumers spending a lot of time on applications like TikTok since the 2019 general election.
“This is where people are now,” he clarified. A substantial portion of the populace cannot be reached by radio or television. The capacity to target your audience accurately is the main benefit of influencer marketing.”
In 2024, micro-influencers benefit from the evolving social media algorithms, where having a large number of followers is becoming less important than the ability to create engaging content.
According to Thomas Walters from digital influencer agency Billion Dollar Boy, it is logical for political parties to focus on TikTok as more voters turn away from traditional media outlets. “Generation Z is constantly on their phones and consumes a lot of news and opinions from TikTok creators,” he said.
However, Walters emphasized that this strategy should not be seen solely as a way to target young voters, as influencer content now reaches a wide range of age groups. He explained, “Linear TV viewership is declining rapidly. It’s a shift in audience attention driven by algorithms. The diversity and size of audiences today are much greater than in 2019.”
The UK’s political parties face the challenge of striking a balance between the benefits of collaborating with supportive influencers and the risk of backlash for appearing inauthentic. A mishandled attempt to engage with an influencer could lead to private messages being exposed and negative publicity, requiring parties to accept a certain level of risk when providing access.
The Conservatives have encountered difficulties in this realm, primarily due to their brand’s negative perception among younger voters. For instance, a video featuring Rishi Sunak and the food influencers TopJaw was swiftly deleted after receiving a barrage of negative comments from their audience.
The prime minister found success with a series of interviews with personal finance Instagram influencers at Downing Street around the time of the spring budget. His announcements regarding free childcare and national insurance cuts resonated well with an audience already interested in financial advice.
Labour’s stance on Israel’s invasion of Gaza has faced strong criticism from many younger online audiences. This presents a potential risk for content creators seeking to align themselves with Starmer’s party.
However, there is one frontier that UK political content has yet to breach: paying influencers to create content. In the USA, political campaigns regularly pay small-follower TikTok or Instagram accounts for supportive content.
While there are no laws prohibiting political parties from engaging in such practices in the UK, British advertising regulations mandate that paid social media promotions must be clearly labeled as adverts. As a result, any paid partnership is likely to appear less authentic.
Walters anticipated that the British public would not react positively to influencers accepting payment from political parties: “People want to believe that the individual endorsing the cause is genuinely committed to it – not just doing it for a paycheck. However, if individuals are given an opportunity to have their travel expenses covered to visit a factory with Keir Starmer, then it is acceptable to disclose that.”
Another influencer agency executive described paid political work as “high-risk, high-reward work if you can get it.” They noted that political parties can be attractive clients because they often have “no idea of value,” but cautioned that the risk of reputational harm to both the agency and the influencer is substantial.
Rather of focusing on a few well-known relationships, Ricci advised that the idea is to flood the space with material and experiment to discover what resonates: “The goal is to generate a buzz across multiple platforms.” You require a constant, steady momentum.”
He underlined that the audience must believe that an influencer’s endorsement is sincere for it to be effective, and he predicted that this would be a problem during the election: “You seek sincere votes, sincere people. How can one distinguish between an earnest recommendation and manipulative deception?”