February has been an interesting month for influencer platforms as more than ever, it feels like content is returning to normal rather than being pandemic and Covid-focused. We are seeing more travel, entertainment and general conversation move away from coronavirus and audiences are ready for it. This report is produced in collaboration with our technology partner, Dyzio.
Key insights from most engaging organic influencer posts from the first two weeks of February 2022:
- Reels continue to perform and create viral moments for influencers.
- Posts tagging two influencers have a much higher engagement rate as they have the benefit of two audiences engaging with the content fast, signalling to Instagram that this is a post that should be prominent on the platform.
- Comedy creators are growing fast via Reels. As most people would expect, a post by Munya Chawawa is in this mid-month most engaged report. However, newcomer Moses Duckerell is delivering a higher engagement rate.
- In the West, beauty Reels focused on creating Euphoria-style looks are hugely compelling (see this post by Sydney-based creator Rowi Singh, which has a 44% engagement rate).
- Rogue posts which are completely out of character for influencers can drive huge engagement and give insights into what the influencer’s audience likes about them. Like this dedication by Mike Tindall to his grandmother-in-law, The Queen, which had an engagement rate of 36%.
Top 15 most engaging organic influencer posts (mid-February 2022)
1. Ramona Jones: lifestyle creator Jones gained huge visibility via her dreamy throwback Reel taking her audience around the bluebell woods of Coton Manor. This influencer’s video content mirrors her photography – idyllic English cottagecore that’s incredibly pleasant to watch. Sometimes the simplest things perform the best (ENGAGEMENT RATE: 109%).
2. Talia Mar and Simon Minter: the couple posted a joint announcement they had moved in together. Nothing in-depth, no information about their new place. However, a lot of people – including many influencers – turned out to digitally congratulate them (ENGAGEMENT RATE: 65%).
3. Charlotte Barker: need evidence travel is back on the cards? Well, this Reel by Barker – in which she demonstrates “cute passport makeup” – should definitely be considered. If you decide to replicate it, bear in mind adding artificial moles and freckles is not a good idea when it comes to pictures for official documents. As many of her followers pointed out (ENGAGEMENT RATE: 59%).
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4. Taylor Ward and Riyad Mahrez: another joint post, in which the couple announced from a beach in the Maldives that they are expecting a baby. Cue hundreds and thousands of followers, friends and fellow influencers posting congratulatory messages (ENGAGEMENT RATE 55%).
5. Jack Bridgland: the creative director and photographer shared imagery from his GQ cover shoot of Robert Pattinson and the crowd went wild. It’s easy to see why – Pattinson has adopted a statement punk rebel look for the magazine’s latest edition while modelling tailoring by Yelena Travkina (ENGAGEMENT RATE 51%).
6. Dean Edwards: the only food post to make it into this mid-month chart. This Reel shows a fish cooking as ASMR, proving you can’t predict what the internet wants (ENGAGEMENT RATE: 51%).
7. Mikai McDermott: this very watchable Valentine’s style Reel features four outfits styled to perfection for the Gen Z/ younger millennial audience. There was a lot of tutorial content themed around February 14th this year but McDermott’s work outperformed it all (ENGAGEMENT RATE: 48%).
8. Moses Duckrell: humorous skits are Duckrell’s specialty and he has a rapt audience on TikTok thanks to his brilliantly observed videos. He’s also a content creator for COPA90 and now his profile is growing on Instagram too, evidenced by this video earlier this month. Our thoughts? He’s going to be a star in 12 months – call him now (ENGAGEMENT RATE: 32%).
9. Stacy Cartledge: another countryside, cottagecore Reel which led to a huge moment for Cartledge. This one focuses on the lush green great outdoors of Cumbria, with the creator noting how she longed for open fields and big skies. Her audience agreed (ENGAGEMENT RATE: 33%).
10. Aoife Cullen: this makeup artist describes herself as the face of futuristic beauty and this Reel – in which she demonstrated how to create an “extraterrestrial” look – is definitely representative of the direction eye makeup is headed. Think acid-toned eyeliner, used very skilfully (ENGAGEMENT RATE: 37%).
11. Olivia Neill: the first of two highly engaged posts from the Brit Awards 2022. Neill basically shared a photo dump of her look for the night, a very Gen Z spin on Y2K which her audience adored (ENGAGEMENT RATE: 31%).
12. Nicky Newman: this post is heartfelt but also heartbreaking. It is by Newman’s partner “Mr Gosling” and he thanks her audience for supporting her through incurable stage four breast cancer and her mission to drive awareness of the disease (ENGAGEMENT RATE: 31%).
13. Nella Rose: the remarkable rise of this Gen Z broadcaster and YouTuber was cemented with the announcement she was hosting the red carpet at the Brits 2022. This post is her sharing her look for the night and her audience was proud (ENGAGEMENT RATE: 29%).
14. Char Ellesse: in this post Ellesse states one very clear thing – makeup artists and hair stylists who can’t work with Black skin or hair should not be allowed to qualify. This training should be mandatory and her audience agrees (ENGAGEMENT RATE: 27%).
15. Munya Chawawa: the master of satire struck gold again by imagining Drake’s reaction to Rihanna’s pregnancy announcement. And, as usual, it was *chef’s kiss* (ENGAGEMENT RATE: 27%).
By Sara McCorquodale, CEO and founder of CORQ. Picture credit: Mikai McDermott.
