Diversity is one of the most important parts of influencer marketing and it’s personal to me. I studied International Development, which taught me how culture, history, and power dynamics shape the way people communicate. We’re literally in a field where we influence people, shape opinions, and create trends. So if you aren’t thinking about diversity, you’re leaving out entire groups of people who deserve to be seen, which is not just bad marketing, it’s actually harmful. I care about this personally. I’m the child of immigrants, I’m Muslim American, and even though I’m white-passing, I’ve always known the importance of seeing people who look like you or share your background.
In influencer marketing, diversity isn’t just about checking a box. When you bring different backgrounds into a campaign, you also bring different perspectives, styles, and audiences. Each creator has their own community. When you overlook that, you lose out on impact, reach, and relevance.
I’ve seen brands mess this up over and over. Whether it’s brand trips, product launches, or full campaigns, some brands still default to the same narrow group of influencers. The internet has called them out, and to me that’s a good thing. Not just for the brands getting called out, but for everyone watching. It pushes us to do better. It pushes me to do better.
I’m still working on it every single day. I’m not perfect. But I make sure that in every campaign I run, I’m thinking about diversity. Not just who’s in front of the camera, but also how we message people, who we engage with, and how we show up as humans. One of the biggest misconceptions I hear is that diversity only matters when you’re picking influencers. It doesn’t. It shows up in how you talk to your audience, how you DM creators, how you respond to feedback, and how you market overall. Being a good marketer means being a good human first.
If you’re reading this and thinking about how to improve—you’re already doing something right. Just try. Keep trying. It matters.
