Back-to-School Influencer Marketing Tips for 2025: What’s Driving Results This Season
Back-to-School (BTS) season is no longer just about supplies and sales. It’s a $118B opportunity to drive full-funnel results through creator-led storytelling. As students, parents, and educators shop with purpose, brands are turning to creators to build trust, inspire purchases, and shape the season’s must-haves.
At Captiv8, we’re seeing four major trends driving performance in 2025:
1. Creators Are the New Curriculum
Creators are no longer a “nice to have” during BTS – they’re essential. With 74% of consumers making purchases based on creator recommendations and 7 in 10 saying they trust creators more than traditional advertising, authentic partnerships are redefining how families and students shop. Whether it’s a daily routine video or a classroom-ready haul, creators are driving high-intent engagement and real conversion.
2. Timing Is Everything
60% of consumers begin their BTS shopping by late July, with some starting as early as June. To break through during this competitive window, brands must activate early and align with creators’ real-life milestones, like college move-ins, first-day outfits, and classroom setups, before they hit the feed.
3. Full-Funnel Strategies = Full-Season Impact
Back-to-School campaigns in 2025 are designed to do more than build awareness; they’re built to drive action. With audiences actively shopping across social platforms, brands are embracing creator strategies that connect discovery, engagement, and conversion in a single journey.
Shoppable content, affiliate links, and in-platform purchasing tools are making it easier for consumers to buy in the moment, while giving brands real-time insight into performance. Tactics like curated storefronts and platform-native checkout options, such as TikTok Shop, are bridging inspiration and transaction in more seamless ways than ever before. By focusing on measurable outcomes, brands can better align creator content with real consumer behavior and purchasing decisions.
4. Meet Audiences Where They’re Spending
With inflation top of mind for 76% of consumers, the pressure to spend wisely is high. Creators play a critical role in helping audiences make smart, trusted decisions, bridging product discovery and purchase with relatable, value-driven content. Through our priority TikTok partnership and integrated affiliate tools, Captiv8 ensures brands show up where decisions are made.
Power Your BTS Campaign with Captiv8
From Gen Z college students to multitasking moms and classroom-ready educators, Captiv8 helps brands activate the voices that matter. Whether you’re launching a new product or boosting back-to-school sales, our end-to-end platform supports every stage, from strategy to scale.
Explore our 2025 BTS Solutions to see how creators are driving results this season, and don’t miss our roundup of the top 10 influencers to follow this BTS season.
About Captiv8
Captiv8 is the leading influencer marketing platform that empowers brands to connect with consumers through authentic creator partnerships. By leveraging cutting-edge technology and data-driven insights, Captiv8 helps brands drive engagement, loyalty, and sales in the ever-evolving social landscape. Rated the #1 Best Influencer Marketing Company by MarTech, Captiv8 is also the enterprise marketer’s choice influencer tool. Captiv8 is ranked #1 Influencer Marketing Software for Enterprise Businesses for ten consecutive quarters and a Leader in Affiliate Marketing by G2.
