Where Do You Belong? 4 types of Influencers Based on Follower Count
Gone are the days when only celebrities got all the attention from brands. Now, even social media creators with as few as 1,000 followers can catch a brand’s eye and become influencers.
In today’s fast-growing influencer marketing industry, it is not just about the number of followers you have. Brands are also interested in how engaged your audience is and how uniquely you can promote their products. Your niche matters too — if it is focused and not too crowded, you might land a great deal with a well-known brand.
So, what type of influencer are you? Knowing this can help you on your journey to become an influencer, understand your value, and get recognized for it.
Who Are Influencers?
Influencers are people on social media with significant followers. They work with brands to promote different products and services. By sharing their experiences and opinions online, they help advertise these products.
Followers often trust influencers for tips on fashion, lifestyle, and more. When an influencer recommends or uses a product, their followers might also want to buy it. Collaborating with brands helps influencers build their brand while boosting sales and loyalty for companies.
What Do Influencers Do?
Influencers wear many hats when it comes to creating content for social media. Here are some of their essential tasks:
- Creating Content: Filming and photographing images and videos for social media posts.
- Researching Brands: Learning about brands and their products to make engaging promotional content.
- Writing Captions: Crafting captions that resonate with their followers.
- Engaging with Followers: Responding to comments and messages to build a strong community.
- Collaborating: Working with marketing teams to help create or support social media campaigns.
By handling these tasks, influencers connect with their audience and help brands reach new customers.
How Much Do Influencers Make?
How much an influencer earns varies widely. It depends on a few crucial factors: the size of their following, the number of brand partnerships they have, and how successful their sponsored content is.
If you have a larger audience, you can often charge more for your posts. But numbers don’t cut it alone — engagement is also crucial. Brands look for influencers whose followers actively like, comment, and share their posts.
In addition, collaborating with well-known brands can significantly boost your earnings. Popular brands often have bigger budgets for influencer marketing, meaning they can pay more for quality content.
Furthermore, influencers who work with international brands may earn more than those who only partner with local companies. By expanding your reach and building a strong, engaged community, you can increase your chances of earning higher income as an influencer.
4 Types of Influencers Based On Follower Count
While many different types of influencers exist, they are grouped into four main types based on their follower count:
- Nano Influencers: 1,000–10,000 followers
- Micro Influencers: 10,000–100,000 followers
- Macro Influencers: 100,000–1 million followers
- Mega Influencers: 1 million + followers
Check out each type and see what makes them unique.
1. Nano Influencer
Nano influencers have between 1,000 to 10,000 followers. Their small audience does not mean their impact is insignificant. Their followers are often highly engaged and trust their opinions. Nano influencers usually have strong, personal connections with their audience, leading to higher engagement rates.
These influencers often cater to a specific community, whether it is a local area, an online niche, or a career field. This focused audience can be valuable for brands looking to target a particular demographic.
Nano influencers are a great choice for brands with a smaller budget but want to tap into influencer marketing and reach new audience demographics. They are more affordable than those with larger followings and their high engagement rates can offer excellent value.
2. Micro Influencer
Micro influencers have between 10,000 to 100,000 followers. While they have more followers than nano influencers, they still maintain a high level of authenticity and engagement. Micro influencers often specialize in a particular niche, making them experts in their field.
These influencers are not celebrities –they build their following through high-quality content and trust. People follow micro influencers for their valuable insights and closer relationships, making them ideal brand ambassadors.
Micro influencers are perfect for brands that want to leverage an influencer’s expert status and close relationships with their followers. Their audience is usually highly interested in their content, providing your brand with strong engagement and influence in a specific niche.
3. Macro Influencer
Macro influencers have between 100,000 to 1 million followers. They have a much larger reach than nano and micro influencers and are often content creators who have turned their social media presence into a career. These influencers are “Internet famous” and could be bloggers, vloggers, podcasters, or social media stars.
Macro influencers generally have higher engagement rates than mega influencers but less niche-specific engagement than nano and micro influencers. Their content appeals to a broader audience.
Brands use macro influencers to boost brand awareness through exposure campaigns. They offer a good balance between reach and engagement, making them suitable for brands with a moderate budget aiming for widespread visibility.
Mega Influencer
Mega influencers have more than 1 million followers and are usually celebrities. They have a wide online following but tend to be expensive to work with. Their audience is very broad, spanning numerous demographics and interests, which might not always be ideal for targeted marketing.
Mega influencers’ fame often outweighs their genuine influence. People follow them for their celebrity status rather than a close relationship or trusted opinions. This can result in lower engagement rates compared to influencers with smaller, more connected audiences.
Mega influencers are best for campaigns aiming for maximum reach. However, while they can garner millions of views and likes, it is challenging to measure how much of this translates to actual influence or sales within your target market.
See also: 7 Types of Influencers Based on Niche and Industry
Wrapping Up
We hope you have identified where you belong in the influencer ranking scale. Knowing this makes it easier to understand your worth and how to position yourself to brands.
In addition, you can leverage your strengths, connect more authentically with your audience, and effectively promote brand credibility, awareness, and sales.
