What Should Brands Prioritize in Influencer Marketing in Q3 2026?

Hyperiser’s Q2 2026 Report examines not only the growth in branded content across Turkey’s influencer ecosystem, but also how that growth is distributed across platforms, brands and influencer segments. Its most important conclusion for Q3 planning is clear, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube can no longer be treated simply as different distribution channels for the same strategy.

Key Takeaways

• Branded content volume grew by 12.5% in the second quarter, but the pace and drivers of growth varied by platform.
• The top 10 brands’ share of total branded content declined, although content volume remained heavily concentrated among three major brands.
• Contrary to a common assumption, Q2 data shows that smaller accounts do not deliver the highest performance on every platform. The strongest-performing influencer segments varied by platform and category.
• Platforms differ not only in reach and engagement rates, but also in the content and collaboration models that perform best.
• Disclosure practices continue to vary across platforms, while regulatory changes are paving the way for greater standardization in how advertising relationships are identified.

Growth by Platform

Total branded content volume grew by 12.5% in the second quarter. On TikTok, content production increased by 56%, while the average engagement rate rose to 2.98%. In other words, the increase in content volume did not come at the expense of engagement performance. Instagram grew by 20%, maintaining its central position in Turkey’s influencer marketing ecosystem. On YouTube, Shorts’ share of total content increased by 7 percentage points from Q1 to Q2.

These figures show that growth is not being driven by a single platform or content format. TikTok is expanding rapidly as a branded content space, while Instagram maintains its established position and high content volume.

Q3 planning should assess TikTok’s rapid growth in content volume, Instagram’s weight in the market, and the rising share of Shorts on YouTube separately.

Content Is Spreading, but Concentration Remains

The top 10 brands’ share of total branded content fell from 63% to 46% over the course of a year. At first glance, this suggests that content production is spreading across a broader group of brands. However, the market remains highly concentrated: Trendyol, Hepsiburada and Trendyolmilla together account for 42% of total branded content. The other seven brands in the top 10 account for just 4% combined.

Two dynamics are at work. Brands outside the top 10 are producing more content, while the highest-volume segment of the market remains concentrated among three major players. Looking only at market leaders therefore provides an incomplete picture of the competitive landscape.

Brands should also monitor emerging mid-tier players in their categories and track shifts in content volume. Otherwise, they risk overlooking the expanding part of the market.

High Performance Is Not Tied to a Single Segment

A common assumption in influencer marketing is that smaller accounts generate higher engagement. Data from Turkey shows that influencer segments need to be evaluated by platform and category.

On TikTok, the most successful branded content came predominantly from Mid and Macro influencers. The largest accounts did not automatically deliver the highest performance. On Instagram, some high-volume categories presented a different picture, with Mega/Celebrity influencers continuing to account for a significant share of the highest-engagement collaborations.

Influencer segments therefore cannot be selected according to a single performance ranking applied across every platform. A strategy built around high-profile influencers may deliver results on Instagram but fail to generate the same response when transferred directly to TikTok.

Engagement rate alone is not enough for benchmarking. Performance should also be assessed in relation to the influencer segment, content model and platform dynamics that produced it. The same engagement rate can result from two entirely different strategies.

Steps Toward Standardizing Disclosure Rules

The use of collaboration labels differs noticeably across platforms. On TikTok, #işbirliği (#collaboration) has largely become the shared standard, appearing in 79% of relevant content. On Instagram, several terms, including #reklam (#ad), #işbirliği, #ortaklık (#partnership) and #davet (#invitation), continue to be used side by side.

Following the regulation that took effect on August 1, clearly identifying advertising content has become even more important. New transparency requirements for AI-generated advertising have also introduced an additional area of oversight within campaign processes.

Disclosure should become a standard pre-publication check across all campaigns. Particular attention should be paid to Instagram campaigns, where a wider variety of disclosure labels is used. The process should not be left to the influencer alone; the responsibilities of the brand, agency and influencer should be defined from the outset.

Platform Choice Is Also a Creative Choice

The differences between platforms revealed by the Q2 data extend beyond audience size and content format. The way successful collaborations are built also varies by platform.

On Instagram, large and recognizable names continue to play a prominent role in some categories. On TikTok, the distinctive content style of mid-sized accounts stands out. On YouTube, channel size matters less than how naturally a brand fits into the content audiences already choose to watch.

Platform choice should therefore not be treated as a distribution decision made at the end of a campaign. The content concept, influencer segment and success metrics should be defined together with the choice of platform.

Conclusion

As the industry grows, balancing reach with authenticity, adapting to evolving regulations and developing data-driven strategies are becoming increasingly important for brands.

The clearest message from the Q2 data is that Instagram, TikTok and YouTube are not distribution channels for the same campaign plan. Each requires a different approach to influencer scale, content and performance expectations. The priority for Q3 planning should be to define the role each platform will play from the outset, rather than adapting the same campaign across all three.

Explore Hyperiser to analyze Turkey’s influencer ecosystem through up-to-date data and build more effective influencer strategies.