By Sam Bradley • May 18, 2026 •
Ivy Liu
Brand spending on social video is accelerating rapidly. One contributing factor could be the practice of amplifying influencer video content on platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Once an overlooked methodology that saw marketers use small budgets to top up reach on organic creator posts, amplification is now an essential element of influencer campaign planning.
Chris Robinson, interim head of paid media at Goat, said amplification budgets have been rising at a “steady trajectory,” in line with rising creator spending and the transformation of influencer marketing into a channel dominated by video content.
Social video spending is set to rise 13% in the U.S. this year, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), faster than investment in CTV. Marketers cited falling production costs for creative video assets and the ability to target audiences on social platforms as the primary drivers behind that.
