Understanding influencer persuasion: facial and vocal pleasantness, social presence and dual involvement processes

Purpose While social media influencers are pivotal in contemporary branding, the role of their nonverbal communication in shaping audience engagement remains underexplored. This paper aims to investigate how nonverbal immediacy percepts – specifically facial and vocal pleasantness and perceived social presence – facilitate a dual-pathway process of narrative transportation and parasocial relationships, offering deeper insights into consumer responses toward recommended brands. Design/methodology/approach Grounded in the Extended Elaboration Likelihood Model and Narrative Transportation Theory, data from 626 followers were analyzed using structural equation modeling to test the proposed conceptual model. Findings Results show that vocal pleasantness and social presence are significantly associated with both narrative transportation and parasocial relationships, whereas facial pleasantness is not. These involvement processes are sequentially connected and positively linked to electronic word-of-mouth and purchase intentions toward brands, reflecting a receptive state aligned with the internalization of the influencer’s narrative and the underlying brand message. Practical implications Brands should prioritize influencers who master vocal delivery and social proximity to optimize persuasive power and authenticity in over-curated digital environments. Originality/value The core contribution lies in establishing a processing-oriented model that demonstrates the primacy of auditory and presence-driven cues over facial affect. By combining the Extended Elaboration Likelihood and Narrative Transportation perspectives, the current framework elucidates how nonverbal affective frames function as pivotal elements that reduce cognitive resistance toward persuasion and strengthen relational bonding within influencer marketing.