Everything you need to know to work with creators during Election 2026 from the most experienced team in political influencer marketing.
Tips and Tricks from the People First Team: Nicole Dunger ,Val Cheney, Francesca Dell’Acqua, Elena Dell’Acqua, Ryan Davis, Amy Wisniewski, & Jorden Segal.
When we started People First in 2019, we spent a lot of time educating digital strategists in politics and advocacy on why influencers matter to their goals. Regardless of all the conversations we had over the years, it was the Democrats’ failure to win the internet in 2024 and, by extension, the election that finally pushed influencers to the forefront of the conversation.
Because of this, we’re hearing from campaigns and organizations about 2026 earlier in the cycle than ever before. So if you are looking to jump in on the influencer strategy as well, here are some tips and takeaways from our team of digital organizers based on tens of thousands of posts we’ve collaborated on with creators over the past six years.
1. Political vs. Non-Political Creators
Understanding the difference in audience and appeal between political and non-political creators is essential when planning a creator program.
Political creators are invaluable for energizing the base. They excel at driving fundraising, volunteer signups, list growth, and rapid response, and they help campaigns reach voters already tuned into Democrats.
However, non-political creators are where you actually reach independents and moderates, the “normies” who rarely follow campaigns directly. These creators bridge campaigns into general election audiences by offering trust and relevance in spaces where traditional political content simply doesn’t land. In close races, they are often the difference between being seen and being invisible.
2. Creators Are Not Just Celebrity Endorsements
One of the biggest mistakes in influencer marketing (especially in 2024) is treating creators like traditional celebrities.
Swapping a movie star for a TikTok creator may generate quick impressions, but it does not build durable influence. Research consistently shows that people trust friends and family far more than movie stars.
Our analysis of over fifteen thousand creator posts shows that microinfluencers with fewer than twenty thousand followers deliver 2.4x times higher engagement than macro creators, and their audiences are more likely to share geography and lived experience. Macro creators (100k+ followers) still play a role in top down awareness, but the strongest strategies blend top down and bottom up influence to drive real impact.
3. It’s About More Than Organic Reach
Organic reach matters, but it is only one part of a high-impact creator strategy.
Paid whitelisting lets campaigns boost creator content directly from the creator’s profile using tools like Meta’s Paid Partnership tag, scaling authentic messages to highly specific audiences such as suburban parents in a single state. People First supports creators through Meta’s political authorization process so campaigns can fully leverage this tactic.
Content repurposing extends value by using creators’ videos, images, and quotes across campaign social channels and paid placements like streaming programmatic. Featuring real community voices deepens authenticity, and rights should always be secured to maximize long-term value.
4. Don’t Over-Direct Creators. Let Them Go Off Script.
Creator content works best when it doesn’t feel like advertising.
Creators need key messages and clear CTAs, not scripts and micromanagement. They have spent the time cultivating their following, so we need to trust them to understand how their audiences scroll and speak. The most powerful political content often comes from off-the-cuff reactions, real-time commentary, and even going live. Tight scripting and multiple rounds of edits can strip away everything that made a creator compelling in the first place. To avoid the Creativity Suppression Cost, give your creators as much freedom as possible.
5. Creator Brainstorm Sessions and Briefings
Get creators engaged in your campaigns through briefings and brainstorms.
Creator briefings can be held virtually or in person and are a powerful way to introduce a cohort of creators to a candidate or issue. Our Creators for Kamala Zoom event was the largest gathering of creators ever brought together for a GOTV rally, and Zohran was able to build on his momentum with a major creator GOTV briefing of his own.
Creator brainstorms, which we offer as Creator Panels, bring together specific creators based on their audience demographics to help campaigns and organizations reach targeted voters by understanding what content, themes, and formats resonate most. Make influencers co-creators of your campaign content.
6. Get Local: Street Level Interviews & Place-Based Storytelling
Creators filming meaningful local locations like parks, community centers, and small businesses can naturally connect personal stories to the policies or advocacy groups that protect those spaces. Emotional connection precedes persuasion.
Creators can also capture authentic voter perspectives through short, interview-style conversations in their communities. These grounded, real-world voices make political issues feel tangible rather than abstract.
Trick: Mentions of local landmarks feeds the algorithms with a reason to place content in front of your target voters.
7. Be Interactive: Use Story Tools and Live Streaming
Polls, Q&As, and collaboration posts bring audiences into the content rather than leaving them as passive viewers. Co-created posts with aligned creators expand reach and strengthen trust networks across communities.
Creators who function as true community leaders will be especially influential in 2026. Going live, running broadcast channels, publishing Substacks, and engaging followers in real time builds trust, loyalty, and long-term influence.
8. Make Civic Participation Feel Simple
Many people feel disconnected from political power. Creators can lower those barriers by sharing deadlines, key dates, and local actions in accessible formats. When political participation feels manageable, people are far more likely to engage.
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People First is the most experienced creator agency in politics, with the largest opt-in creator database in social impact. We help candidates and organizations run modern, end-to-end creator campaigns. Reach out to learn more.