This work explores the impact of influencers’ characteristics in the higher education and research sector and how they can help brands in this industry by shaping consumer attitudes. We propose a model in which influencers’ personal attributes such as social attractiveness, attitude homophily and interactivity, as well as followers’ perceptions of their characterizations (such as perceived expertise, perceived authenticity, and perceived trustworthiness) act as antecedents to brand trust. A total of 276 responses collected from and analyzed using structured equations modeling (SEM). The findings show that Social Media Influencers’ higher social attractiveness, attitude homophily, and interactivity lead to higher perceptions of authenticity, expertise, and trust among followers which positively impacts brand trust among them.