The term “power couple” isn’t just reserved for Hollywood icons anymore. With the average person spending nearly 2.5 hours per day on social media, influencer couples are becoming one of the hottest commodities on the internet.
Unlike traditional celebrity endorsements, brands that partner with influencer couples can leverage relatable creators who inspire followers through engaging, high-quality content. These influencers provide honest endorsements of the products and services they promote and can be the perfect match for marketers looking to tie the knot with their next brand champion.
But partnerships with influencer couples don’t come without risk.
Brands that don’t do their due diligence on influencer couples could find themselves in the middle of an awkward love triangle. And a volatile relationship between two influencers could blow the whole brand partnership up without notice.
Let’s take a closer look.
Partnering with influencer couples: The pros and cons
Pros
A two-influencer package
Partnering with influencers is the best way to leverage talented creators who have earned the full attention of their audience. But partnering with two creators at once doubles the influence your brand gains and helps you reach a broader and more diverse audience.
These creator teams have the potential to be the perfect 1-2 punch for marketers. Many influencer couples also combine valuable skill sets—like social media management and photography—to become a true powerhouse for the brands they partner with.
Romantic inspiration
Influencer couples are pros at date planning, cute gift ideas, and travel inspiration. Most even curate blogs and discuss these topics at length to help their fans plan something special for their own significant others.
Brands in any niche can find value in partnering with influencer couples. Consumers are more likely to take recommendations on products and services to heart when they come from creators they know and trust. The added benefit of the emotional connection that forms when content is created by a romantically involved influencer duo only increases the value of partnering with influencer couples.
Parenting tips and trends
Not every influencer couple is into the party and travel lifestyle, and many are regular parents with busy schedules. These couples are some of the most relatable creators on social media—especially for older demographics.
Some couples do continue to travel after starting a family and offer advice for others hoping to do the same. But most parents are living their best life at home, showcasing just how wonderful—and occasionally hectic and stressful—it is to be a full-time mom or dad.
Cons
Breakups happen
Influencer couples might seem like a match made in heaven on social media, but you never know when there’s trouble in paradise. The end of an influencer relationship could leave your brand at a crossroads.
If the couple shares a handle, all the engagement and following built throughout their relationship disappears. Even if one influencer keeps the handle active, half the account’s reach is likely lost, and the partnership dynamic changes completely.
If each influencer has their own account but regularly collaborates on their partner’s content, brands might have to choose which creator gets to keep the partnership. This decision could alienate fans and create issues that didn’t exist when the collaboration began.
Unrealistic lifestyle expectations
The story for many influencer couples begins when they fall madly in love, quit their 9-5 jobs, and decide to travel the world together.
Some couples make their followers believe they can live like this, too. The “wanderlust” lifestyle might be attainable for some of them. But for the vast majority of people, quitting their jobs to travel full-time is unrealistic for innumerable reasons.
Influencers who fit this mold could come off as inauthentic to some consumers. Before you partner with an influencer couple, be sure their lifestyle is representative of your target audience.
More challenging to find ideal brand alignment
Just because the couple is a great match for each other doesn’t mean they are a good match for your brand. They are two creators—often with two separate groups of fans—and both need to align with your target audience.
Before agreeing to a partnership, make sure to get some background on both creators. If one turns out to have a checkered past or values that don’t align with your brand, consumers could be turned off from the partnership altogether.
How to approach influencer couples
Instagram is the most popular platform for creators and is the best place to begin if you are just getting started marketing with influencer couples. While the platform favors audiences 35 and under, many brands partner effectively with creators who reach nearly every demographic.
Influencer couples reach most demographics, as well. From young couples venturing abroad at the drop of a hat to older couples staying in with the kids, Instagram is your best bet for finding an influencer couple to suit your marketing needs.
When you find a couple that aligns with your brand’s mission and values, take the following steps:
- Follow them on social.
- Drop a comment or two under a recent post to engage with their content.
- Dig deeper into that influencer (other channels, Google search, etc.) to get to know them.
- Send them a quick direct message to introduce your brand and express interest in a collaboration.
- Be sure to follow best practice rules for partnering with creators. Do not offer a collaboration publicly in post comments. Make sure that your first pitch occurs privately in a DM or email.
Brands with successful couple partnerships
1. The Mosaic App
The Mosaic App provides users with photo editing software and story templates on a single platform. Over the last year, the company has leveraged the photo editing and social media storytelling skills of numerous influencer couples who demonstrate how they can easily create high-quality content and compelling social media narratives using the app.
2. OkiOki
OkiOki is a mattress company based in California with a goal of “bringing honesty and transparency to the mattress industry.” The company uses genuine endorsements from influencers who actually use its product to help achieve its mission.
Like most of us, COVID lockdowns kept many social media influencers at home in 2020. OkiOki used the opportunity to educate customers on the importance of a good night’s sleep and offer them an affordable solution.
3. American Express
American Express is a perfect company for brands to emulate when it comes to developing long-term relationships with successful social media creators. The #AmexAmbassadors program includes creators of every follower size and offers partners access to parties, trips, and experiences while turning them into the faces of the brand.
Top 10 influencer couples to follow
1. Katerina and Yinon Horwitz
Katerina and Yinon met in line at a New York City restaurant and have been traveling the world together ever since.
The couple regularly posts tips for traveling to their favorite exotic destinations, including Greece, Bora Bora, and Jamaica. But lately, they’ve been hunkered down in their Miami home documenting their pregnancy journey and how the first-time parents-to-be are preparing for the big arrival.
You can also follow Katerina and Yinon on Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, and on their blog.
2. Us the Duo
Michael and Carissa Alvarado met in 2012 and eventually formed the pop music group Us the Duo.
The couple leveraged their success making fun social media music videos to build a full-blown career that has taken them on international tours and led to five studio albums. Michael and Carissa recently took a break from the road to welcome their new baby daughter Xyla, who has become a social media sensation in her own right.
You can follow the family’s journey on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Twitch, and TikTok.
3. Shanaze Reade and Teddy Edwardes
Shanaze Reade is a former Olympic BMX and track cyclist from the UK. Her partner Teddy Edwardes is the founder of LICK, an event planning company “for queer women, by queer women.” The high-energy couple regularly posts photos of their party lifestyle and inspiration to live life to the fullest.
You can follow Shanaze on Facebook and Twitter, and you can follow Teddy on YouTube, Twitter, and TikTok.
4. Tim Chantarangsu and Chia Habte
Tim Chantarangsu is an actor, rapper, and former host of the popular MTV show Wild ‘N Out. He is married to the successful beauty blogger and esthetician Chia Habte. The couple is best known for posting hilarious videos on their respective social media accounts and day-in-the-life content with their daughter Veyda.
You can follow Tim on Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok. Catch more of Chia’s content on Twitter.
5. The Globetrotter Guys
Sion and Ben are the British duo known as the Globetrotter Guys. The couple travels the world together and documents “the best in gay travel and adventure.”
The Globetrotter Guys have recently traveled to Guatemala, the Philippines, and Hong Kong, among other exotic destinations. They most recently partnered with Royal Caribbean and Atlantis Events—the world’s largest gay travel company—for a weeklong Caribbean cruise.
Follow the Globetrotter Guys on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest to find out where they end up next.
6. Positravelty
Kelly Castille and Kody Workman, known online as Positravelty, are American photographers with a passion for adventure. The couple quit their jobs to travel the world and have visited 31 counties together.
Kelly and Kody are known best for creating stunning visual content, including a few dangerous stunts that followers definitely shouldn’t try at home.
Keep up with the Positravelty journey on TikTok, Pinterest, Twitter, and on their blog.
7. Travel Mad Mum
Travel Mad Mum proves that your traveling lifestyle doesn’t have to end when you start a family. Mommy blogger Karen Edwards runs the Travel Mad Mum social media accounts. She offers tips for traveling with little ones, like flying with a baby, packing for a baby, the best destinations for family travel, and tons of other helpful information for parents eager to see the world.
You can follow the family of six on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and their blog.
8. Saltinourhair
Hannah and Nick form the traveling duo known online as Salt in our Hair. The Dutch couple currently lives in Colombia, pursuing their passion for photography and capturing the world one destination at a time. They also share photography, blogging, and social media tips with their 260,000 Instagram followers.
You can also follow Hannah and Nick’s adventures on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and their blog.
9. Tom Daley and Dustin Lance Black
Tom Daley is a British diver and Olympic gold medalist. He is married to Dustin Lance Black, an Oscar-winning screenwriter and LGBT rights activist. Tom and Dustin regularly appear in each other’s content and give their fans a look into their daily lives, style inspiration, and updates on life achievements and milestones.
You can follow Tom on Twitter and Facebook. Dustin is also on Twitter and Facebook.
10. Explorerssaurus
Raquel Janeiro and Miguel Mimoso, best known as Explorerssaurus on Instagram, are a Portuguese couple dedicated to exploring the globe. Raquel and Miguel don’t just want to travel the world themselves, they want others to make a living as travel influencers and offer courses on how to get started.
Raquel and Miguel’s adventures can be found in their newly published book titled The Adventures, Tips, and Secrets of the Most Famous Travelers on Instagram. You can also follow Explorerssaurus on Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook.
Conclusion
Brands can maximize the impact of their budgets by partnering with influencer couples. By leveraging the skill sets and engaged following of two talented creators simultaneously, brands can maximize their reach and impact with consumers who genuinely trust and admire the personalities behind their favorite accounts.
But partnering with influencer couples doesn’t come without its potential drawbacks. Before jumping into a collaboration, brands need to understand the risks that come with partnering with a real-life couple and thoroughly vet both creators before going steady with an influencer couple.
Learn more about influencer marketing: Influencer Marketing 101
