You don’t need a celebrity partner to break through the noise this holiday season. Compared to posts from public figures, niche creators drive higher engagement rates and the cost of content can be a fraction of the investment needed to partner with A-list talent. But how do you find the niche needle in the holiday haystack? We tasked our team to identify up-and-coming creators we love in our feeds and are ripe for elevating your brand’s holiday campaigns, making them more relatable, engaging, and, of course, festive! But before you dive in, here are four tips for a successful partnership:

1. Let Them Lead: They know their community best, so trust their creative POV.
   
2. Go Niche to Reach Mass: Leverage social listening to uncover and capitalize on highly engaged and positive pockets of conversation + pair it with paid media to make a broader impact.
   
3. Familiar, Yet Unexpected: Aim for content that’s unexpected yet authentic to avoid predictability without straying from your brand’s identity.
   
4. Clear Brief = Better Results: Get clear on what specific role your creators play in your overall marketing mix. No one tactic can do everything.
   

Get ready to tee up that Collab post!

1. @trinity_rodman

Niche: Women’s Soccer Culture
Why We Love Them: There’s a new wave of US Women’s National Team players taking over the soccer world and Trinity is leading the line to speak. The 22-year-old forward is showing her flash on and off the field inking partnerships with Oakley, Adidas and even harnessing the power of the sun with Red Bull. If the US Women go the distance in Paris, Rodman is sure to be a household name.

2. @daundrylay Laundry Day

@daundrylay

Biking with Ed @Ed Sheeran

♬ original sound – LAUNDRY DAY

Niche: Harmonized Acoustic Crooning
Why We Love Them: Laundry Day is a boy band (of sorts) from New York City. While their airy guitar-laced single “Jane” has racked up over 18M streams on Spotify, the group brings out their true personality on their TikTok page. Instead of ingesting their songs into the platform, Laundry Day takes to the streets to post crooning acapella covers of their songs. While the content is raw and unfiltered, they stick to their brand and it works!

3. @chacekitchen

@chacekitchen

Steak Salad Sundays Part 20🥩🥗 Steak Salad Ingredients: * 1 cup spring mix * 1 cup arugula * sliced steak (I used rib eye) * handful of blackberries * handful of Persian cucumbers, sliced into rounds * 1/3 avocado, sliced * handful of pistachios, chopped * handful of green onions, chopped * handful of mint, chopped * handful of croutons * crumbled feta or goat cheese * Boursin dressing Creamy Boursin Dressing (I doubled the recipe in the video): * 1/2 cup olive oil * 2 tbsp white wine vinegar * 2 cloves garlic, minced * 1 tbsp fresh dill * 1 tbsp fresh parsley * 1 tbsp fresh chives * 1-2 tbsp hot honey * 1 tbsp dijon musty * 1/2 tsp salt * 1/4 tsp pepper * 1 large spoonful of @Boursin Cheese #steaksaladsundays #steaksalad #steak #cooking #dinner #saladrecipe #saladrecipes #easydinnerideas

♬ Sunday – HNNY

Niche: Steak Salad Series
Why We Love Them: When it comes to content, specifically in the food space, consistency is key. And what’s more consistent than a weekly series that plays directly into your bio which reads “home cooking & easy-ish recipes.” Every Sunday, you can expect to stop your scroll with a new episode of Chace’s series “Steak Salad Sundays” which is currently on week 26. Every year, people experience kitchen burnout over the holidays. A Steak Salad Sunday: Leftovers Edition could be your brand’s way in.

4. @bradfordwilsongolf

Niche: Golf + Fashion + Mental Health Trifecta
Why We Love Them: YouTube creators and the rise in popularity of the Netflix series “Full Swing” have evolved golf beyond a stuffy sport played only at country clubs. In 2024, anyone can play golf. Bradford Wilson is a shining highlight of breaking down the stigma of golf, specifically surrounding mental health. Wilson is 1/3 of a podcast called “Group Therapy” and has been featured on “Full Swing” and highlighted by brands such as Titleist and Malbon. But with only 20K followers on Instagram, there’s more brand partnership potential to unlock.

5. @renovationhusbands

@renovationhusbands

HERE WE GO AGAIN! So excited to get the attic project started. What do you think it should be? #renovationproject #renovationseries #atticrenovation

♬ Love You So – The King Khan & BBQ Show

Niche: Renovation + Relationship Inspo
Why We Love Them: David and Stephen have been remodeling their home for the last 5 years, and they finally finished their attic renovation. This holiday season will be their first with all three floors redone – just think of all the festive decor, seasonal entertaining and tips for hosting family and friends content ripe for brand integrations. Better yet, they have a relatable relationship that’s a feel-good stop in your scroll.

With these rising, influential stars in your corner, your brand’s holiday campaigns will get the humanized glow-up needed to resonate. 

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Disclaimer: The Social Lights does not have an existing relationship with any of the creators featured above. We are their admirers, not their managers, and are ready to help you partner with them.