India’s Valentine’s Day social media content tilts more towards self-love than couples

New Delhi: Valentine’s Day influencer marketing in India is seeing a noticeable shift away from traditional couple-led romance, with content centred on singles, self-love and practical gifting recording stronger engagement on social media. This is according to a new analysis by Qoruz, a creator intelligence and collaboration platform.

The report examined creator content published between February 5 and 14 over a three-year period, analysing posts across Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and X. It tracked creator participation, engagement trends, content formats and category-wise performance to understand how Valentine’s conversations are evolving online.

The scale of Valentine’s Day content has grown significantly, but sustaining engagement has become more challenging. The number of influencers participating increased from 32,000 in 2023 to 59,000 in 2025. Engagement rose from 102 million in 2023 to a peak of 215 million in 2024 before moderating to 180 million in 2025. The data indicates that while more creators are contributing to Valentine’s narratives, audience attention is becoming harder to hold consistently.

Based on creator participation during the February 5–14 window and prevailing influencer pricing in India, Qoruz estimates that brand spending on Valentine’s Day influencer collaborations has grown at an average annual rate of around 40–45% between 2023 and 2026. Spends are estimated to have increased from Rs 20–Rs 25 crore in 2023 to a projected Rs 60–Rs 75 crore in 2026.

A key change highlighted in the findings is the rise of singles and self-love narratives. Content focused on individuals accounted for 37% of Valentine’s posts and recorded the highest average engagement rate at 5.4%. Couple-centric romantic content made up 35% of total posts, with an average engagement rate of 3.5%, while gifting and practical Valentine’s themes contributed 22%. Niche and experimental formats formed the remaining share.

The data suggests that Valentine’s Day is no longer defined solely by romantic couples, but reflects a broader range of personal interpretations of the occasion.

“One pattern that keeps repeating is how audiences often respond more to content that plays against the occasion, rather than following it straight,” said Aditya Gurwara, Co-Founder and Head of Brand Alliances at Qoruz.

“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.”

Entertainment, fashion, beauty and food creators were found to be driving most of the engagement around Valentine’s Day. Entertainment creators accounted for 24% of all creator activity, followed by fashion at 16% and beauty at 15%. Couple creators contributed 11% of total posts, underlining the shift away from couple-first storytelling.

Female creators led the conversation, accounting for over 63% of Valentine’s content published, with engagement largely driven by solo lifestyle and entertainment creators.
“What’s changing around Valentine’s season in India is not just content. It’s how the funnel is being built,” said Praanesh Bhuvaneswar, Co-Founder and CEO of Qoruz. 

“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.”

In terms of category participation, gifting and personal care accounted for 24% of overall creator activity, followed by fashion and accessories at 21% and FMCG at 18%. Hospitality and sexual wellness brands also saw notable participation, reflecting a wider interpretation of Valentine’s Day beyond conventional romantic gifting.

Brands including Amazon Fashion, Myntra, Flipkart, Amazon India, GIVA, Plum BodyLovin’, Nykaa, Mamaearth, Plum Goodness, TRESemmé and SUGAR Cosmetics were highlighted for maintaining consistent creator-led activity across the past three Valentine’s Day cycles. The report notes that sustained visibility was built through short-form video and creator-native storytelling that extended Valentine’s narratives beyond February 14.

Overall, the analysis indicates that Valentine’s Day conversations on social media are becoming more selective and concentrated. While creator participation continues to increase, content rooted in singles, self-love and everyday moments is seeing stronger engagement, with couple-led narratives remaining present but no longer dominant. The shift reflects how audiences are engaging with the occasion in more personal and varied ways, favouring familiarity over spectacle.