Small influencers should inform, brands can persuade: when rational content works

Andria Andriuzzi () and Sandra Arrivé
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Andria Andriuzzi: UJM - Université Jean Monnet - Saint-Étienne, COACTIS - COnception de l'ACTIon en Situation - UL2 - Université Lumière - Lyon 2 - UJM - Université Jean Monnet - Saint-Étienne
Sandra Arrivé: IESEG School of Management, UMR 9221 – LEM – Lille Economie Management, F-59000 Lille, France

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Abstract: In today's age of influencers and growing interest in rational (i.e. informative or persuasive) content on social media, marketers need to understand what type of content is most effective. However, it is often unclear what kind of content should be promoted by brands and influencers, especially small influencers (under 100,000 followers). Across two experiments, we found that when small influencers generate persuasive (vs. informative) content, consumers are less likely to engage and purchase. Persuasion knowledge theory suggests consumers perceive persuasive intent, creating scepticism that negatively impacts brand trust and marketing outcomes. This pattern was not observed for brands, where we found no difference between rational content types. This research highlights the importance of adapting content to channels and contributes to content and influencer marketing literature.

Keywords: Persuasion knowledge; Scepticism; Influencers; Content marketing; Brand engagement; Scepticisme; Influenceurs; Persuasion; Marketing de contenu; Engagement envers la marque (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-05486123v1
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Published in Journal of Marketing Management, 2026, 42 (1-2), pp.91-118. ⟨10.1080/0267257X.2025.2579742⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05486123

DOI: 10.1080/0267257X.2025.2579742

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