Lefty reveals how reality TV has become brands' fastest influencer pipeline
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Lefty reveals how reality TV has become brands' fastest influencer pipeline
Date posted on DIARY directory: Tuesday 25th August 2026
Influencer marketing platform Lefty has published new research on how reality TV dating shows have become one of the fastest and most reliable talent pipelines for brands, using Love Island UK Season 13 as a case study.
Season 13 ran on ITV2 from June through July 2026, with Julia Majchrzak and Lorenzo Alessi crowned as winners. However, Lefty’s analysis of Instagram growth across the cast from 1 June to 10 August 2026 found that runner-up Jasmine Muller outgrew every other islander, gaining 743,577 followers in 76 days - more than double the pace of anyone else in the villa - driven largely by fan-created TikTok edits of her pairing with Lorenzo, which reached audiences who had never previously watched the show.
Love Island UK Season 13 – fastest-growing Instagrammers:
| Handle | Total Followers Gained | Engagement Rate |
|---|---|---|
| @jasminegmuller | 744K | 37.9% |
| @juliamayska | 407K | 30.5% |
| @ellechadwickk | 293K | 15.8% |
| @charleenmurphy | 231K | 7.8% |
| @aidan.mzz | 197K | 40.1% |
| @angelistagundax | 171K | 95.1% |
| @lorenzoxalessi | 127K | 51.7% |
| @samrajtoor | 111K | 41.1% |
| @priyajaswal_ | 83.8K | 24.8% |
| @mica_harris | 47.9K | 48.7% |
Key insights for brands:
- Build a live shortlist during the show, not after it - By the time the finale airs, the best-positioned cast members already have several offers on the table. Brands need to track TikTok sentiment and comment velocity in real time during the show’s run. Charleen Murphy’s Kash Beauty deal and Lorenzo’s Vogue slot both closed within days of the finale - only possible because groundwork started while the show was still airing.
- Sign attention, not outcomes - This season’s fastest and most interesting placements went to people who didn’t win. Brands should track engagement and fan-content volume per contestant independently of their in-show result, and be willing to move on someone who was eliminated early if the audience decided they mattered.
- Rank talent with existing brand ties higher - Jasmine Muller entered the villa with over 100,000 followers, an existing fashion label and prior sponsored content with Savage X Fenty. Someone who already knows how to produce on-brand content and has an engaged audience used to seeing sponsored posts is lower risk and faster to activate than an unknown.
- Buy into the narrative, not just the face - Reunion or couple-based campaigns that reference in-show moments consistently outperform generic influencer posts, because they tap into what the audience already emotionally invested in rather than simply borrowing a follower count.
For more information, visit lefty.io.