Self-love content make up 37% of valentine’s posts: Report

Influencer marketing around Valentine’s Day in India is shifting away from traditional couple-focused romance, with content centred on singles, self-love and practical gifting drawing higher engagement, according to a report by creator intelligence platform Qoruz.

The report analysed influencer content published between February 5 and 14 over three years across Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and X. It tracked creator participation, engagement trends, content themes and category performance.

According to the data, the number of influencers posting Valentine’s-related content rose from 32,000 in 2023 to 59,000 in 2025. Engagement levels fluctuated during the period. Valentine’s content generated 102 million engagements in 2023, rising to 215 million in 2024 before easing to 180 million in 2025.

Based on creator participation during the Valentine’s period and prevailing influencer pricing in India, Qoruz estimated that brand spending on Valentine’s Day influencer collaborations grew at an average annual rate of about 40-45% between 2023 and 2026. Spending increased from Rs 20-Rs 25 crore in 2023 to a projected Rs 60-Rs 75 crore in 2026.

The report found that singles and self-love content accounted for 37% of all Valentine’s posts and recorded the highest average engagement rate at 5.4%. Couple-centric romantic content made up 35% of posts, with an average engagement rate of 3.5%. Gifting and practical Valentine’s themes represented 22% of posts, while niche and experimental formats accounted for the remainder.

Commenting on the report findings, Aditya Gurwara, co-founder and Head of Brand Alliances, Qoruz, said, “One pattern that keeps repeating is how audiences often respond more to content that plays against the occasion, rather than following it straight. On Valentine’s Day, humour, friendship, and even anti-romance narratives tend to travel faster than traditional couple content. It’s not because people dislike romance. It’s because familiar tropes stop surprising them. Content that lightly subverts the occasion makes people laugh, tag friends, and share. That contrast is what captures attention on social feeds.”

The report showed that entertainment, fashion, beauty and food creators generated most of the engagement. Entertainment creators accounted for 24% of creator activity, followed by fashion at 16% and beauty at 15%. Couple creators contributed 11% of total posts, while female creators accounted for more than 63% of Valentine’s content.

Praanesh Bhuvaneswar, co-founder and Chief Executive, Qoruz, said, “What’s changing around Valentine’s season in India is not just content. It’s how the funnel is being built. Sales will spike for categories like chocolates or gifting every Valentine’s anyway. The real question for brands is who captures demand, not whether demand exists. That’s where creators come in. Mega and A-list creators are increasingly being used to set the mood and create top-of-funnel awareness. Micro and nano creators, across cities and regions, are the ones taking audiences through everyday stories that trigger action. Together, they’re shaping desire at scale and converting it within the same season. You only see this shift when you look at how budgets are layered across creator tiers, not just at engagement numbers.”

Gifting and personal care brands led influencer participation at 24%, followed by fashion and accessories at 21% and FMCG at 18%. Hospitality and sexual wellness brands also saw increased participation.

Across these categories, brands such as Amazon Fashion, Myntra, Flipkart, Amazon India, GIVA, Plum BodyLovin’, Nykaa, Mamaearth, Plum Goodness, TRESemmé, and SUGAR Cosmetics stood out for consistent creator-led activity over the last three Valentine’s Day cycles.

Brands are leveraging short-form video, creator-native storytelling, and formats that extended Valentine’s narratives beyond just February 14.

The report said Valentine’s Day content is becoming more personal and less focused on spectacle, with singles and self-led narratives gaining prominence while couple-based storytelling continues to play a secondary role.