<jats:sec> <jats:title>Purpose</jats:title> <jats:p>Amid the rapid rise of virtual influencers in digital marketing, a critical gap exists in understanding when they are more effective than their human counterparts. To address this, drawing on mind perception theory, this study investigates how the alignment between influencer type (virtual vs. human) and product type (search vs. experience) influences consumer purchase intentions.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Design/methodology/approach</jats:title> <jats:p>Across three pre-registered studies, we demonstrate a matching effect where virtual influencers better promote search products and human influencers better promote experience products. We also identify self-referencing as the mechanism and demonstrate two boundary conditions (purchase purpose and need for cognition).</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Findings</jats:title> <jats:p>The results reveal that virtual influencers are more effective at promoting search products. Conversely, human influencers are more persuasive for experience products. This matching effect is mediated by self-referencing. Furthermore, the effect is moderated by the consumer's purchase purpose and their individual level of need for cognition.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title>Originality/value</jats:title> <jats:p>This research offers a theoretical framework to explain the differential effectiveness of virtual and human influencers through the lens of mind perception theory. It identifies self-referencing as the psychological mechanism driving the influencer-product match and delineates crucial boundary conditions (purchase purpose and need for cognition). Ultimately, these insights provide an actionable framework for marketers, guiding them to align influencer selection with strategic communication goals.</jats:p> </jats:sec>