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Generative AI is everywhere now. You see it in content, campaigns, customer experiences, and even internal workflows. It promises speed, scale, and efficiency, but there’s a harder question sitting underneath all that progress; Do your audiences actually trust it?

Trust in the Age of AI: What Consumers Really Think About AI Generated Content

Today, PR teams aren’t just tracking media coverage and share of voice. They’re also measuring how their brand shows up in AI-generated answers, search summaries, and large language models (LLMs). This new LLM visibility layer is quickly becoming a critical part of PR performance.

15 Must-Have PR KPIs and How to Track Them

See how one platform can power every decision across PR, communications, and marketing.

The Meltwater Blog

Blog Topics: Generative Engine Optimization, Media Intelligence, Media Relations, Social Listening, Consumer Intelligence, Influencer Marketing

Find out how you can leverage Facebook to boost your brand's online presence and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

Facebook Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage Instagram to boost your brand's visual appeal and gain a competitive edge. Explore our category page today!

Instagram Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage LinkedIN to grow your professional network and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

LinkedIn Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage TikTok to elevate your brand with creative content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

TikTok Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage X / Twitter to engage your audience effectively and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

X / Twitter Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage YouTube to create engaging video content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

YouTube Blog | Meltwater

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is transforming how brands show up in AI-powered search. Explore insights, strategies, and best practices to help your content rank and resonate across conversational engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot.

Explore insights and strategies for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to help your brand stay visible and discoverable in AI-powered search.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Blog Collection | Meltwater

Every day billions of conversations take place on social media: tweets, posts, comments, blogs, reviews, podcasts, and much more.
Learn how to use social listening to make sense of all of that data.

On our social listening category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around social listening and social media monitoring. Read more.

Social Listening Blogs | Category

Business Reputation Management: What does it take to add reputation management to your marketing strategy? More importantly, how do you keep your reputation sparkly and shiny? Here’s your all-access guide to online reputation management for the long term.

On our reputation management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around business reputation management. Read more.

Reputation Management Blogs | Category

From your brand's logo to your website, your social media presence to your customer support—these elements combined are what constitutes a brand in the minds of customers. But, there are thousands of other businesses that have a logo, website, social media presence, and website. So, how can you position your business on the market and make it stand out from the competition?
The key to success is branding & brand management!

On our brand management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around brand management. Build your strategy and reach your goals!

Brand Management Blogs | Category

Competitive intelligence and the act of collecting competitive data can be seen as growth drivers for a company. Our guide will help you understand the concept of competitive intelligence (CI) by answering questions such as: What is the definition of competitive intelligence? How is competitive intelligence useful to organizations? What is the goal of competitive intelligence? And more.

On our competitive intelligence category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around competitive intelligence. Learn how to stay ahead.

Competitive Intelligence Blogs | Category

Let’s dive into the customer journey framework and how to optimize the process by creating a customer journey map and using metrics that matter when analyzing the customer journey.

On our customer journey category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Customer Journey Blogs | Category

What Is Data Analytics? [Beginner’s Guide 2023]
How can I grow my business? 
How do customers interact with my newly launched product?
How do I increase the productivity of my employees?
How do I know if my marketing efforts are working?
We have just two words for you...Data analytics!

On our data analytics category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around AI and data analytics. Technical and still easy to understand.

AI & Data Analytics Blogs | Category

Public relations and media relations can add impact to any marketing strategy. It’s an opportunity for brands to grow their reach beyond traditional sales messages. PR helps to shape the image you want people to have of your brand.
So, what is PR and how do you use it? This guide shows you everything you need to know to build a strong public relations foundation.

On our public relations (PR) category page, you find all our blogs covering public relations and communications topics. Step up your PR game.

Public Relations (PR) Blogs | Category

We all know exactly what the roles of sales or accounting are in a company, right? We might even have a slight idea of what the IT guys are doing.
But there is another business discipline, that plays a crucial role in organizations, even more so during the pandemic – internal communications!
But what exactly do we mean by that, what purpose does it serve and what steps can you take to ensure you and your employees will communicate effectively?

On our internal communications category page, you find all our blogs about internal comms topics. Learn about the intranet, internal newsletters, and more.

Internal Communications Blogs | Category

As the internet has taken root in more areas of our lives — everything from entertainment to shopping to paying bills and more — traditional marketing is becoming less impactful. As any marketer knows, you need to focus on where your audience is if you want to reach them. Since the average person spends about seven hours a day online, it’s no surprise that content has maintained its hold on marketers.

Here's a closer look at what content marketing is and why it matters more than ever in our digital-first economy.

On our content marketing category page, you find blogs about content marketing topics. Learn about strategies, KPIs, tips, and more. Make your content king!

Content Marketing Blogs | Category

The rise of the influencer marketing space – today a $10 billion industry, growing 50% per year – is one of the clearest examples of how social media is transforming traditional marketing. These days having a business website, presence on social, PR coverage, and your own content isn’t enough to compete.
We'll dive into the intricacies of influencer marketing to help ensure that you're equipped with the insights needed to be successful in this space.

On our influencer marketing category page, you find blogs about influencer marketing topics. Build your strategy, find influencers, and measure results.

Influencer Marketing Blogs | Category

Have you just launched a new product or service that you want to get the word out about? Maybe you want to share with consumers why it is awesome and how it is so much better than the one your competitors offer.

Well, then, there is one thing you can't do without...Marketing!

On our marketing category page, you find blogs about marketing topics. Learn about all the different angles and types of marketing and improve your results.

Marketing Blogs | Category

In this guide, we want to give you a peek into the definition of social media management, the daily schedule of a social media manager, social media platforms to promote your business, and the do’s & don’ts of social media management.
Are you ready to begin the journey of becoming a social media superstar?

On our social media management category page, you find blogs about social media management topics. Build and manage your online community.

Social Media Management Blogs | Category

Building a following and using social media platforms to reach a wider audience requires a well-planned social media marketing strategy. In this guide, we’ll be looking at why social media marketing is so essential and how you can make it work for your business.

On our social media marketing category page, you find blogs about social media marketing topics. Learn how to get the highest paid social ROI!

Social Media Marketing Blogs | Category

In the fast-evolving realm of digital marketing and public relations, utilizing the right tools is crucial for success. Our interdisciplinary category showcases all the pertinent tools for digital marketing & PR. These tools help in enhancing your online presence and effectively reaching target groups, whether through reputation management, influencer marketing, or social media management.

On our digital marketing and PR tools category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Digital Marketing & PR Tools Blogs | Category

It happens every day: A customer searches online for a product or service you offer. They find your business, but before making a decision, they read reviews of your company and a few others. Negative reviews intermix with positive feedback — some outdated, some recent, and some unfair. Instead of choosing you, they go with a competitor, and you’ve lost a sale without even realizing it.

This is the challenge that online review management aims to solve. Reviews are the digital word-of-mouth marketing, with the power to build trust and shape opinions around the clock. That's why this is such a crucial piece of reputation management — if your reviews aren’t in tip-top shape, you could risk losing business and taking hits to your brand’s reputation.

Every review tells a story about your business. And yes, you can be in control of the narrative. Here’s what you need to know about online review management and how to make reviews work for you.

Why Is Online Review Management Important?

How to Monitor Online Reviews Effectively

Online review management is the intentional, proactive process of earning, monitoring, responding to, and taking action on your online reviews.

Successful brands don’t wait for people to leave online reviews; instead, they take the lead by sending reminders when customers make a purchase or running review campaigns. 

And when those reviews start pouring in, they’re monitoring the feedback for helpful insights and potential harm to their brand image. 

Managing customer reviews should be an ongoing priority. The more positive reviews you receive, the more they can offset the occasional negative review. And when you do receive a negative review, you can use that feedback to make impactful changes in your business — and emerge stronger than before.

Your business reviews are public. Every time someone reads a review, they’re getting to know your company a little better. 

More than nine in 10 people say online reviews affect their buying decisions. They trust reviews and view them as credible sources of information. But reviews can only deliver on these expectations when brands take the time to property monitor and manage them.

People aren’t shy about sharing their feedback, especially in public places like Google Business Profile, which accounts for more than half of all online reviews. Reviews are highly accessible for users, plus they’re essentially free marketing tools for businesses.

While review platforms like Google have simplified the way people leave feedback, there’s also a dark side to the process. Anyone can post a review about a business or brand online, even if they’ve never purchased from you.

Without ongoing customer review management, your brand might suffer from false or misleading reviews. Bad reviews can drive good business away, and you shouldn’t lose customers at the expense of bad actors.

Your customers might be posting reviews in places you aren’t currently checking, which makes it harder for you to manage and monitor online feedback. Let’s explore some steps you can take to improve your business review management online.

Regardless of industry or customer base, most businesses will get reviews on one or more of the following platforms:

These will be the most important places for you to check for new reviews. Make sure you’ve set up your business profile on these platforms so that people can more easily find you and leave feedback. Having a clear profile lets your customers know they’re reviewing the right business.

Also, your customers might use other review platforms that are more specific to your industry. For example, doctors might collect patient feedback on HealthGrades.com or Doctor.com. Hotels and attractions often rely on TripAdvisor. 

You can centralize your efforts by directing customers to the review platform you want them to use. For example, your feedback surveys, receipts, and home page might include links or QR codes to your Google Business Profile. This will let you generate more reviews in the same place, which gives potential customers a more in-depth look at your business.

TIP: Online review site G2 has named Meltwater one of the Top Media Monitoring Platforms. Check out the full report!

Use tools and automation for review monitoring

Review management tools like Meltwater’s media intelligence and social listening can automatically alert you when someone leaves a new review. AI features also analyze the sentiment of reviews and help you prioritize your outreach and responses.

These tools can also help you see the “bigger picture” of your brand’s online health. For example, a few bad reviews could indicate shifts in sentiment or a brewing crisis. Custom alerts will allow you to get ahead of the conversation and mitigate brand damage.

Click here and fill out the form below for a Meltwater demo to see how easy it is to manage online reviews and safeguard your brand's reputation!

Once you get a review, good or bad, it’s best to respond to the review to let your customers know you see and hear them. There’s an art to responding to reviews, so let’s look at some best practices to guide your words.

Your customers took the time to leave their feedback, so brands should make it a point to acknowledge every review. Even if the review is positive or lacks detail, responding to a review shows your customers you care about their feedback.

Acknowledgements don’t have to be long-winded. A simple thank you can go a long way in reinforcing a positive brand image.

More than half of consumers expect companies to respond to their reviews. Responding as soon as possible benefits you just as much as your customer:

Brands can take quick action to correct mistakes, mitigate damage, and potentially win back disgruntled customers.

It’s subjective, but most people expect a response to their review within seven days. They also agree that reviews older than three months aren’t relevant, so responding as soon as possible helps you extract the most benefits from each review.

A cardinal sin of digital marketing: It’s never wise to delete a negative review — even if you think it’s bogus.

Consumers are emphasizing transparency from the businesses they buy from. If they see a negative review one day and it’s gone the next, it could reflect even more poorly on your brand image. 

Don’t think of a bad review as all bad, though. In many cases, poor reviews offer opportunities for redemption. Crafting a good response can show you care about others’ experiences, and how you handle a situation could encourage others to do business with you (even if someone else was blatantly dissatisfied).

Craft professional responses to your reviews (especially bad reviews)

No matter what the review says, be sure to maintain professionalism in your response. While some people might love reading a juicy argument online, your business review page isn’t the place for it. 

Don’t engage in a he-said, she-said situation. Be empathetic in your response and provide a way for the reviewer to get in touch with you to discuss further, if necessary.

Online reviews can and do happen without your involvement. But just like writing your own story to ensure a happy ending, you can take control of the review process and fill your feed with more positive feedback.

Here’s some inspiration to help you earn good reviews from happy customers.

Ask customers for a review after every purchase.

Automate the review process with online review management tools.

Make it easy for the customer to leave a review (e.g., QR codes or links to your review site).

Run dedicated review campaigns and contests.

Never pay a review farm for online reviews. Most review sites can tell the difference between a real review and a fake one. If you pay for reviews, it can make your company appear dishonest and untrustworthy.

If you do suspect you’re a victim of a fake review (and it doesn’t put you in a good light), don’t panic. Deleting the review isn’t an option, at least not right away. 

Instead, you can try these tactics to mitigate the review’s damage:

Look for red flags of a fake review, such as having no record of that customer or vague or overly dramatic language.

Report the review to the review platform (e.g., Google, Yelp!).

Create a professional response indicating you suspect a fake review, like this: “We take customer feedback seriously and strive for the best service. However, we don’t have any record of your experience. Please reach out so we can resolve this."

Focus on generating more positive reviews to outweigh the bad ones.

In some cases, where a fake review is causing damage to your brand, you may be able to pursue legal action. This is often a worst-case scenario, last-resort move.

Tracking all of your online reviews can feel like a full-time job, especially if you’re using multiple review sites and/or get a high volume of reviews. The right tools can help you stay on top of review management and even automate some of the process of generating and responding to reviews. Here are a few essential tools to improve your review management.

Meltwater’s AI-powered intelligence platform gives you a bird’s eye view of your brand’s reputation. It tracks reviews and mentions across the biggest variety of review sites, forums, and media outlets. The platform alerts you in real time when there’s a new review or mention waiting for your attention. 

Natural language processing tools analyze the sentiment of each message and spot recurring trends or patterns in feedback. They provide brands with a clear picture of what people are saying and how they’re saying it. You can customize different ways to score mentions and feedback, see when spikes in mentions occur, and get AI overviews of what every analysis means.

Want to see Meltwater's reputation management capabilities in action? Click here and fill out the form for a demo!

Sprout Social unifies review management so you can see all of your reviews from a single dashboard. The platform works across all major review sites, Apple Store, Google Play, and employment sites like Glassdoor so you can see what people are saying about your company. 

You can filter reviews by platform, coordinate responses, and track review trends over time to see the impact of reviews on your image. You’ll also see when to take action on reviews and get a basic analysis of the tone of each review.

Tip: Take a look at other Sprout Social alternatives.

InMoment offers more than just review management. The platform digs deeper into each review to show you the sentiments and data behind the feedback. For example, it can surface recurring keywords or phrases your customers use about your business, which can help you gauge the tone of their responses and even learn what they like or dislike about your brand.

The platform also consolidates data to give you an overview of how your reviews look to the public. Tracking and monitoring sentiment around your brand can help you avoid potential crises and stay in tune with your customers’ preferences.

Your reputation isn’t something to leave to chance. Meltwater helps you manage your brand image with real-time alerts, ongoing media monitoring, and AI-driven insights to learn what your data is telling you — and how to act on it.

Meltwater’s comprehensive media platform helps you prioritize review management. With a bird’s eye view of all of your reviews and a centralized way to respond to them, you’ll never miss a chance to make a strong impression. 

Request a demo to learn more about how Meltwater's suite of solutions can help you manage online reviews and safeguard your brand's reputation.

Online Review Management: How to Monitor and Improve Brand Reputation

Are we at the beginning of a branded Substack boom? Some strong signs point to yes. Not only does the newsletter platform boast five million paid subscribers, but Google searches for “Substack” recently outnumbered those for “newsletter” for the first time ever since it launched in 2017. Everyone from discerning fashion enthusiasts to broadcast TV news anchors are flocking to the platform in search of some fresh air, and a growing number of brands are following suit. If your brand is considering doing the same, read on for some inspiration from the forefront of the Substack wave. But first, let’s check out how big this buzz really is.

There have been over 3 million mentions of Substack from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025, in broadcast, news, blogs, product reviews, and more than a dozen social media channels including X, Bluesky, Reddit, and Pinterest.

Our social listening analysis found that mentions of Substack have increased by nearly 90% over the past six months (from October 2024 through March 2025) compared to the six months prior. And though mentions of Substack spiked twice in July 2024, they didn’t begin their recent rise until early this year. 

Interestingly, over the past year, some of the furthest-reaching mentions of Substack have come from The New York Times, which has cited newsletters on the platform in multiple pieces like profiles, author interviews, movie roundups, and even political reporting. Meanwhile, a Pinterest post featuring an air fryer S’mores recipe drove the most engagement with its link to a cooking Substack newsletter. With so much attention on the platform, now is the perfect time for brands across industries to look into how to make the most of this growing channel.

Substack isn’t the place for conventional email marketing, per the platform’s content guidelines. Instead, brand and commercial newsletters, which “may be subject to additional verification”, need to deliver original, editorial content that appeals beyond just the fans of a particular service or product. That’s no small task, requiring dedicated time and resources that not every brand can or should prioritize. Still, there are already some notable brands making it work, especially in the beauty and fashion sectors. Here are a few of the brands demonstrating how Substack marketing can be done.

https://littlebookofsleep.substack.com/ 

Smart alarm clock and lamp brand Loftie uses its “Little Book of Sleep” Substack to examine the cultural history and significance of sleep. Launched in February 2025, the blog includes dispatches from multiple writers covering topics like the history of the pillow, depictions of beds in art, and the latest news in sleep. Though it’s new, Loftie’s Substack is an example of how to use newsletters to elevate the lifestyle around a brand.

More than 80,000 people subscribe to “The M Dash”, a Substack by womenswear brand M.M.LaFleur. Geared for career-focused women, the newsletter publishes interviews, work advice, and brand news. However, its style guides incorporating brand pieces and real insights from its stylists are the biggest draw. With so many shoppers looking for examples of how items look on real people, as well as how to style them, “The M Dash” is using Substack to solve that problem for its potential customers.  

Resale platform The RealReal has drawn over 2,000 subscribers to its fashion Substack “The RealGirl.” Instead of showing off multiple voices, the newsletter is written from the perspective of an anonymous, RealReal-obsessed fashionista called The RealGirl. Also launched in February 2025, “The RealGirl” is just getting started. However, it is already a great example of how a brand can use Substack to embody their ideal customer and wield the influencer appeal that brings so many readers to the platform in the first place. 

Fellow resale platform Vestiaire Collective doesn’t operate its own Substack. Instead, it sponsors posts with popular fashion and lifestyle newsletters including Why Not?, Long Live, and Night Shade, by Ghia founder and CEO Melanie Masarin. Other companies like Amigo, Free People, Net-a-Porter, and Goop have also gone for the influencer route on Substack, a great option for brands who don’t want to devote the time and resources required to launch and sustain a full-fledged blog.

Learn more about The RealReal, Vestiaire Collective, and the booming secondhand fashion sector in our exclusive report: Consumer Insights: Luxury Fashion Resale. 

This Substack is a weekly dispatch from the Saie office that gives readers a peek at the people and culture behind the beauty brand. The recurring “Trending at Saie HQ” newsletter highlights the products and experiences currently piquing the team’s interest. Meanwhile, interviews with makeup artists, highlights from recent activations, and product announcements speak more directly to the customer. Notably, Saie also uses its newsletter to emphasize its brand values. For example, on International Women’s Day, it shared recommendations of other women-owned businesses with more than 4,000 subscribers.

https://theonlyjaneonjeans.substack.com/about 

For denim company The Only Jane, its Substack “Jane on Jeans” isn’t just a side project, it is a core aspect of the brand that is linked on its main website. Run by founder and designer Jane Herman, it delivers her personal jean reviews, styling tips, and recommendations to over 9,000 subscribers. And thanks to Jane’s expertise and passion for fashion, and jeans in particular, the blog appeals to the kind of style enthusiasts that make up The Only Jane’s target audience. There’s even a paid subscription tier that gives readers exclusive access to AMAs with Jane and early access to store sales. Other popular, company founder-led Substacks include Alex Mill’s Somsack Sikhounmuong and Crown Affair’s Dianna Cohen. Look to them for examples of how organization leaders can use their personal newsletters to build brand identity and audience engagement.

Last but not least, luxury brand Tory Burch gives its over 4,000 subscribers a monthly dose of fashion and style insight with its “What Should I Wear” newsletter. The recurring “Women at Work” series features recommendations from fashionable industry insiders and entrepreneurs, while other issues include fashion week recaps and gift guides. Check it out to see how to make a newsletter something subscribers look forward to hitting their inboxes every few weeks.

Much like Reddit’s growth, Substack’s rise points to a growing segment of consumers who are seeking out new perspectives and personalized recommendations outside of the top social media platforms and traditional media outlets. Joining every new platform that pops up isn’t a workable marketing strategy, but brands should be on the lookout for new and fresh opportunities for identity-building on platforms like Substack and beyond. In the coming year, expect even bigger names to join the site and highlight their brand personalities. (For example, Selena Gomez’s buzzy beauty brand Rare Beauty just launched its Substack last week.) But only the ones with heart, and the right resources, will stick. 

How Brands Are Leveraging the Substack Boom

While influencer marketing is nothing new, it is, in 2025, still revolutionising the way that brands reach, attract, and engage with consumers. It started as a niche marketing strategy for globally-recognised brands, but has since become a mainstream marketing tactic, allowing businesses across industries to partner with like-minded influencers, building credibility and boosting sales.  

According to our Global Digital Report 2025, 33.6% of South Africa’s social media users say that they follow influencers and online experts. With a significant percentage of the South African population actively engaging on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, influencers, ranging from celebrities to micro-influencers, play a crucial role in shaping consumer behaviour. When utilised correctly, influencer marketing rarely looks like marketing in the traditional sense: it leverages a deeper level of involvement and relies on culturally resonant content, enabling brands to build more meaningful connections with diverse audiences. 

Micro-influencers, in particular, offer brands a hyper-targeted and cost-effective way to connect with curated communities. And in 2025, advanced analytics give brands the tools needed to further refine their influencer marketing strategies. 

As digital connectivity continues to expand in South Africa, influencer marketing is set to become even more integral to brand success in 2025 and beyond.

Putting the Spotlight on Micro and Nano-Influencers

The Preference for Authentic and Relatable Content

The Role of AI and Data in Influencer Marketing

AI Tools for Influencer Discovery and Campaign Analysis

Conclusion: Preparing for the Future of Influencer Marketing with Meltwater

In South Africa, the influencer marketing landscape is thriving, with more and more local personalities gaining prominence. This is true on a global scale: music star Tyla has collaborated with Dolce & Gabbana and Louis Vuitton since her rise to fame; Zozibini Tunzi, Miss Universe 2019, has millions of followers and a strong social media presence; and Siya Kolisi has acted as the face of international brands like Adidas, Oakley, and Dove.

The micro-influencer scene in South Africa is flourishing, too.

Given the diverse groups of people, industries, and interests in South Africa, there is ample room for micro-influencers to find their niche, create relevant content, and grow their follower base. The rise of micro-influencers has been matched by the influencer marketing buy-in from small and medium-sized companies, who are increasingly recognising the value of collaborating with those who have a deep knowledge of the local culture - and by extension, consumer behaviour. 

This shift towards local influencers not only enhances brand authenticity and awareness but also fosters stronger connections with target audiences.

While the terms are loosely used, Meltwater's influencer management tool defines micro-influencers as individuals with a follower count between five thousand and thirty thousand, and nano-influencers with between five hundred and five thousand followers. Micro-influencers are, almost always, focused on a hyper-niche such subject (think vegan cuisine, sustainable fashion, or indigenous art).

Despite their smaller follower counts, micro and nano-influencers often record higher engagement rates than their heavy-hitting counterparts. This is because their close-knit communities allow for more personalised interactions. It is this that makes them invaluable partners for brands aiming to build trust and authenticity. 

If you look for them, you’ll find that micro-influencer campaigns are more commonplace than first expected – even in 2025. Numerous South African beauty and wellness brands have robust influencer marketing strategies, partnering with those influencers that either make use of the brand already, or share similar values. 

On average, small and medium-sized companies report a return on investment of R6 for every R1 spent when partnering with micro-influencers. This ROI, an average of 600%, truly highlights the effectiveness of micro-influencers in reaching and resonating with local audiences. 

Meltwater Marketing Tip: For a comprehensive breakdown of how influencers can help you reach new audiences and grow your business, check out our free Ultimate Guide to Influencer Marketing.

In the last few years, there has been a distinct shift in the influencer marketing landscape. 

While celebrity endorsements still hold value, people (and brands) are increasingly turning to everyday influencers who share authentic, relatable stories. This likely stems from a number of factors, including the rise in AI content and a skepticism towards hard-sell branding messages. The result is a movement away from polished, scripted advertisements and towards content that feels real and genuine.  

South African audiences, in particular, place a high value on authenticity and personal engagement. Trust plays a crucial role when it comes to purchasing decision-making, and micro-influencers, who interact closely with their followers, can be a key element in shaping brand perception.

The beauty lies in the pre-existing relationship built over time. Because of this, their brand collaborations or recommendations feel more like advice from a friend than a corporate sale.

The rise of local content creators who know how to find and build their audience on TikTok and Instagram has further cemented this trend. They accurately reflect the everyday realities, cultures, and challenges of South Africans — whether it’s a mom sharing her daily routine, a student giving budget-friendly advice, or a fitness enthusiast providing practical health tips.  

Instead of glossy, high-production campaigns, brands that embrace this style of storytelling, aligning themselves with the lived experiences of their audience, are likely to see the results of content that resonates on a deeper level.

Naturally, influencer marketing and AI and data analytics are closely linked. Data (engagement rates, views, click-through rates, repeat customers, drop-off times, to name a few) gives brands the insights to make more informed decisions. Furthermore, AI streamlines the process, from identifying the right influencers to summarising campaign performance and providing key insights. As AI continues to evolve, so will influencer marketing in South Africa, becoming more strategic, personalised, and results-driven.

One of the easiest ways to develop an influencer marketing strategy in 2025 is to make use of AI-powered platforms, such as the Meltwater Influencer Marketing tool. It allows you to discover influencers using visual search. This unique feature uses AI to surface influencers that match a desired visual, allowing you to find the perfect brand partner. Beyond this, the in-app workflows, comprehensive database, and extensive reporting take the workload out of working alongside influencers. Everything from performance analysis to payments are housed under the same dashboard, giving both the brand and the influencer the necessary insights to maximise every campaign.

Alongside data analytics, predictive analytics minimise any brand risk by providing insights into potential influencer performance and audience engagement. Predictive analytics can shape campaign strategies before any on-the-ground work begins, through the identification of influencers who are likely to yield high engagement rates, which platforms are resonating with which industries, and what the overall campaign budget may entail.

By working with an AI tool, brands can navigate the influencer landscape with greater precision and effectiveness.

Influencer marketing is not without its challenges, one of which is influencer fraud. These are accounts with bots or fake followers, inflated engagement rates, and staged partnerships – in short, accounts that look and act like influencers, but do not have the dedicated following that makes influencer marketing so successful.

While consumers are highly discerning, especially in South Africa, brands may not have the same depth of insight and therefore inadvertently partner with fraudulent accounts. This unwanted association does the opposite of credible influencer marketing, causing distrust and hesitation from a savvy audience.

Meltwater Marketing Tip: To combat influencer fraud, AI-driven tools like Meltwater Influencer Marketing give brands access to pre-vetted influencers (as well as information like engagement quality and audience demographics).

Beyond technology, and regardless of industry or market position, brands must look to prioritise transparency and alignment in collaborations. Through long-term partnerships and authentic content, brands will foster credibility and build trust with audiences.

Another challenge is balancing influencer marketing costs with measurable ROI.

Influencer rates vary based on audience size, level of engagement, platforms of choice, and numerous other factors, but brands have to protect their investment and achieve real value. For this reason, working with micro and nano-influencers often provides better ROI than celebrity influencers, and at a fraction of the cost.

Meltwater Marketing Tip: You can also measure the ROI of each influencer campaign from within the Meltwater platform, thanks to automated reporting and analytics.

To maximise ROI in 2025, brands need an influencer marketing strategy that aligns budget with campaign goals:

1. Look to leverage performance-based partnerships.

Brands can negotiate pay-for-performance models, such as commission-based collaborations or bonus incentives. This way, marketing spend is tied to actual results.  

2. Prioritise long-term partnerships.
Collaborating with influencers for ongoing campaigns rather than one-off posts creates deeper brand affinity and trust. Additionally, long-term partnerships often come at a lower cost per engagement compared to single posts.  

3. Use AI and analytics to optimise spend.

AI-driven tools can help brands assess influencer performance before committing to partnerships. Platforms like Meltwater Influencer Marketing analyze engagement rates, audience demographics, and historical performance – which makes it easier to find influencers that align with campaign objectives, and manage and measure performance. In addition, the platform allows you to manage contracts and payments within the app. 

As South African brands navigate influencer marketing in 2025, three key trends stand out:

- The rise of micro and nano-influencers. They’re a recipe for brand success: authentic connections, niche audiences, shared values.

- The growing emphasis on authentic content. Audiences gravitate towards genuine, relatable content over traditional scripted endorsements.

- Further integration of AI and data analytics. Tools and technologies that both identify suitable influencers and measure campaign performance effectively.

To stay ahead of the curve, brands should consider the following influencer marketing strategies:

1. Prioritise authentic engagement – by collaborating with influencers who resonate with your brand values.

2. Leverage AI – by using AI-powered tools to gain insights into influencer performance and audience demographics.

3. Adapt to new platforms –  and new influencers and trends, staying engaged with audiences where they are most active.

Meltwater's Influencer Marketing capabilities help you manage every step of your campaign, from finding influencers to tracking metrics. The platform boosts brand recognition, streamlines processes, and enables data-driven decisions that drive revenue. 

For more information, simply fill out the form below to get in contact with our team:

Influencer Marketing in South Africa: Top Trends to Watch in 2025

As many of us in the marketing, public relations and communications industries know, it's not uncommon for journalists to receive hundreds of media pitches every week, and, sadly, only a small portion of them are relevant to their chosen beat or publication.

So to help prevent PR spam from flooding your inboxes and to comply with global data protection laws such as GDPR, Meltwater has created a space where journalists can either add own their profile or update a profile that has been created for them under applicable privacy laws. 

This blog post aims to provide some insight into the PR manager’s workflow and how having a journalist profile in Meltwater can improve your media relations. 

Journalists Can Unsubscribe From Specific PR Pitches

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Influencer Marketing in South Africa: Top Trends to Watch in 2025

The Best Approach to Media Relations: Benefits of Having a Journalist Profile on Meltwater

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