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Influencers have taken over social media in many different areas. That’s why Influencer marketing has evolved remarkably over the past years, and now, more businesses need to incorporate this type of marketing to grow their business. Therefore, they look for different types of influencers for collaboration.
Furthermore, collaborating with influencers is one of the best methods of building brand awareness and generating leads.
Before you start influencer marketing, let’s see which type of influencers can help you more.
Let’s get started!
How to find Instagram influencers
Knowing the different types of influencers is the first step you should take in order to choose the right one for your brand. But how can you find the right influencer among all these types of Instagram influencers?
There are so many ways to do so. Google is an option. Search for influencers in your niche to come up with countless names. You can also do the same on Instagram and find influencers in different niches by their particular hashtags.
Using Influencer marketplaces such as Ainfluencer is another possible way.
Ainfluencer
Ainfluencer is an influencer marketplace that makes the process of finding influencers so easy. It is a free and easy-to-use marketplace that lets you search for different types of influencers through filters such as gender, location, hashtags, number of followers, etc.
Types of Instagram Influencers Based on Follower Count
There are four types of influencers on Instagram based on their followers, including mega, macro, micro, and nano. Let’s define who they exactly are.
We will discuss the pros and cons of working with each type of influencer, and give you examples of each type to further learn about their differences.
1. Mega Influencer
Let’s start with the top of the summit, where Mega influencers stand. With more than 1M followers, they have the highest reach among all types of influencers. These influencers have a huge impact on society and the marketplace because of their large audience. They can be celebrities or bloggers in any niche.
Pros and cons of working with mega influencers
Collaborating with mega influencers has some benefits and downsides. Let’s start with the benefits.
- Massive Reach: Mega influencers can help you reach a massive and diverse audience. Since thousands of people see their Stories and posts, they can help businesses increase their brand awareness.
- Credibility: Many people trust mega influencers. Therefore, they feel more trusted in what they offer. Mega influencers can help you boost your credibility and trustworthiness, as they are often seen as experts or authorities in their niche or industry.
However, there are some disadvantages in working with this type of influencer that you must consider.
- Incredibly Expensive: It is usually difficult to work with mega influencers, as they often charge high fees and have many brands competing for their attention and endorsement.
- Diverse Group of Followers: Mega influencers have an extremely diverse group of followings, which means that if your product belongs to a specific niche, a mega influencer is not the best option.
Mega influencer example
Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano)
Needless to say, Cristiano Ronaldo is a Portuguese professional footballer and among the top Instagram models. As a mega influencer with more than 602M followers on his Instagram account, he is the influencer with the most followers on Instagram. Additionally, in 2021, he was announced the world’s highest-paid athlete by Forbes.
2. Macro Influencer
Macro influencers have 100k to 1M followers. Unlike mega influencers, the popularity of macro influencers on social media stems mainly from their expert and internet-related activities, such as professional blogging or vlogging. If you want a great mix of reach and influence, macro influencers are the best among all types of influencers.
Pros and cons of working with macro influencers
Here are the benefits of working with macro influencers:
- Specialized in Specific Niche: As macro influencers are experts and professionals in specific niches, they have targeted audiences and will be more reliable brand ambassadors for you.
- Creative Content Production: They are not as known as celebrities to only share a photo and get millions likes. Rather, they are more aware of trends and what hashtags to use to bring more followers. So, you can count on their help in content creation.
What are their downsides?
- Expensive for Small Businesses: Although macro influencers cost less than mega influencers, we should note that they charge brands much more than micro influencers. So, they are still not the best choices for startups and small businesses.
- Low Engagement Rate: You should also consider the fact that having so many followers makes it increasingly difficult for macro influencers to engage with their followers efficiently. So, they may lack authenticity and credibility.
Macro influencer example
Lauren giraldo (@laurengiraldo)
One great example of macro influencers is Lauren Giraldo, an American actress and social media influencer with 977K followers. She is active in many fields, especially beauty and skincare. She is on the list of best skincare influencers and can be a great option for many brands for their influencer marketing campaigns.
3. Micro Influencer
Instagram micro influencers are individuals who have 10K-100K followers. They are usually well-known in specific niches and are considered knowledge leaders in their field. In other words, micro influencers are often experts in a particular area, such as beauty, fashion, fitness, gaming, and so on.
Accordingly, they are considered the best types of influencers for collaboration, and most brands are looking for micro influencers for their influencer marketing campaign.
Pros and cons of working with micro influencers
Here are the pros of working with micro influencers:
- High Engagement Rate: Although micro influencers do not have the massive reach of previous types of influencers (mega and macro), their followers care enormously about their posts and Stories. And that’s the reason they are much more likely to influence their audience.
- Cost-Effective: They have a high engagement rate and do not cost too much.
Although they might be the best option for most brands, they have a few cons:
- Limited Resources and Skills. They may not have the same quality or profession as larger influencers.
- Hard to Find. There are many micro influencers out there who are creating content in different fields. They may not have the same experience, which makes it harder to manage and coordinate with them.
If you are looking to increase brand engagement, these influencers are your go-to option.
Micro influencer example
Jenn (@jennexplores)
The travel influencer, Jennifer Fast, is a Canadian travel writer and photographer. She well-known micro influencer with about 82k followers. Since she loves traveling, she is passionate about inspiring others to expand their horizons and explore as much of the world as possible. She is also a great source if you are looking for ways to make money as a travel influencer.
Want to become a travel influencer and make money on Instagram?
4. Nano Influencer
The last category of the four types of influencers belongs to nano influencers, who have between 1K and 10K followers. You can easily find nano influencers by the number of their followers.
They are very influential and active within their local neighborhoods or communities and have the highest engagement rates. These influencers aim to get regular people to share brand products or services with their family and friends.
Pros and cons of working with nano influencers
- Engaged with Their Followers: Since they don’t have a huge number of followers, they can easily communicate and bond with them. So, their engagement rate is usually more than other types of influencers.
- Cost-Effective: Nano influencers are the most affordable type of influencers because they don’t charge brands much. Furthermore, in some cases they don’t charge at all to create a partnership with brands and gain more followers. So, they are the best option for businesses with low budgets.
Some of their drawbacks are:
- Number of Followers: The main idea of influencer marketing is to put your brand’s name in front of lots of people. That’s not possible with nano influencers because they have the fewest followers.
- Low Reliability: Nano influencers are usually new to this world. So, less people know and trust them. They also don’t have the tools and creativity that other types of influencers have.
Nano influencer example
Reannoin Jean (@whatwouldreado)
With almost 7K followers, Reannoin Jean is a perfect example of a nano influencer. As a stylist and fashion blogger with high engagement rate, she has collaborated with many small brands such as Lyft, Dunkin’, Target, Evian, and Absolut.
Types of influencers based on types of content or niche
Now that you know the different types of social media influencers based on follower count, it’s time to get familiar with them based on category.
#5 Celebrity
Among all types of influencer categories, celebrities are first and foremost. Celebrities are people who have become famous due to their talent or career. They can be actors, singers, athletes, etc., and their fans usually see them as idols or heroes.
Beyoncé (@beyonce)
Beyoncé is an American singer, songwriter, and actress, born in Houston in 1981. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of Destiny’s Child, which is one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. She is now one of the most famous celebrities on Instagram, with more than 316M followers.
#6 Lifestyle
One of the top influencer categories belongs to Lifestyle influencers. They showcase their everyday routine and lifestyle and present themselves as having a perfect life. Basically, these influencers have built their fame and followings basically on social media platforms.
Lifestyle bloggers don’t have a specific niche; they create content based on their personal routine. Accordingly, they can promote fashion products to kitchen tools or even travel tips! But, they aren’t experts in any of them. Yet, this influencer category is still a perfect choice for brands who want to promote their products to different types of people.
Julie Sarinana (@sincerelyjules)
The famous Julie Sarinana is a lifestyle influencer with 7.8M followers. On her Instagram account, she usually shares about her everyday life, experiences, and favorite things.
As she says, she loves to inspire her followers by sharing them her lifestyle. “I hope sharing parts of my life and journey can somehow inspire you to live out your own dreams!” – Julie wrote. Her slogan is “Dream, Believe, Achieve.”
#7 Fashion
Undoubtedly, among all the categories of influencers Fashion influencers have the most attention. They use their social media accounts to share their personal style and promote brands.
Fashion influencers can be people with large followings, like bloggers and celebrities or everyday individuals who post their outfits on social media. Whether big or small, this group of social media influencers play a crucial role in the fashion world and help create trends and change how people dress.
Chiara Ferragni (@chiaraferragni)
To introduce you to one of the best fashion influencers, we travel to Italy! Chiara Ferragni, born in 1987, is one of the famous Italian Instagram influencers who is a fashion influencer and designer with more than 29M followers on her Instagram account.
She launched her fashion blog, ‘The Blonde Salad’, in 2009 and has since leveraged it into a global retail business. In addition, she was ranked first on the Forbes’ Top Fashion Influencers’ list in 2017.
#8 Beauty
A beauty influencer is a person who has knowledge and information about the beauty industry. They usually share cosmetic reviews or tutorial videos on makeup, hairstyles, or skincare. Most of the top beauty influencers have launched their own cosmetic brands.
Huda Beauty (@hudabeauty)
One of the top beauty influencers is Huda Kattan with over 53M followers on Instagram. She is a makeup artist, blogger, and the founder of wishfulskin. Don’t miss her viral makeup videos!
#9 Sport/ Fitness
This influencer category is very broad because different groups of influencers are considered fitness influencers, such as:
- Yoga Influencers,
- Health Influencers,
- Runners,
- Crossfit Influencers,
- Wellness Influencers,
- Weight loss Influencers.
As their name indicates, fitness influencers are athletes, gymnasts, nutritionists, or other individuals who try to inspire their followers to have a healthier lifestyle by posting daily workout routines and mindfulness practices, healthy recipes, herbal treatments, fitness and yoga sessions, etc.
Since most of the time they are sharing their workouts, gym clothing brands usually collaborate with fitness influencers to promote their products.
Ece Vahapoglu Alpay (@ecevahapoglu)
Born in Istanbul in 1978, Ece Vahapoglu Alpay, is one of the best Instagram fitness influencers, a famous wellness influencer, and a yoga trainer with 1M followers on her Instagram.
Additionally, she is the spokesperson for the ‘Sports for All Federation of Turkey,’ and author of so many books, including ‘60 Günde İdeal Mutfak,’ which means ‘Ideal Kitchen in 60 Days.’ As the book’s name suggests, it is about following a better and healthier life with a great and healthy diet.
#10 Travel
Who doesn’t love the dreamy photos and videos that these influencers share? Travel influencers are among the types of social media influencers who have the power to influence and inspire people to pursue their travel goals. Therefore, they use social media platforms, especially Instagram, to give their followers advice on where to go and what to do while out of the country.
Camila Coelho (@camilacoelho)
The 10M followers on her Instagram shows how people trust Camila Coelho. Born in 1988, Camilla is a Brazilian fashion, beauty, and travel influencer. Besides sharing fashion and beauty looks and trends, she also shares travel tips on both her blog and Instagram account.
#11 Parenting
Becoming parents is challenging for some people, especially when they have their first child. Parenting influencers are those who could provide parents with advice and information to raise responsible children and can be mommy bloggers, celebrities, pediatricians, etc. Each person is influential for a different reason, but all offer valuable advice to parents.
These influencers provide guidance, advice, and sometimes new ideas on various topics related to parenting and child development.
Sarah Harrison (@sarah.harrison.official)
Formerly known as Sarah Nowak, Sarah Harrison is a German model and a mom blogger on Instagram who posts about her life and children, Mia and Kyla. Sarah and her husband, Dominic Harrison, are founders of mother and baby skincare brand, Samion. She also posts fitness and fashion content on her Instagram account, which has more than 3M followers.
#12 Photography
Instagram is the world of photos. You may have seen wonderful photos on this platform and wondered who has captured these beautiful moments.
Photography influencers are individuals who upload photos on social media platforms such as Instagram, hoping they get noticed by many other people. Instagram photographers also share sponsored posts to advertise companies to earn income. These influencers can be anybody from a stay-at-home mom to a celebrity.
Jord Hammond (@jordhammond)
Travel photographers are so popular on Instagram, and Jord Hammond is one of them. This British photography influencer and storyteller travels to different countries and shares his photos and stories on his website and Instagram account, which has attracted more than 834K followers.
He has a new perspective on the world of travel photography and inspires people to voyage more.
#13 Music
One of the other types of influencers is music influencers. A music influencer is someone who has a strong voice and opinion on the newest released songs and albums. They share their opinion on different aspects of songs. Although anyone can be a music influencer, only some have been fortunate enough to gain fame.
Conan Gray (@conangray):
Want to hear a great voice? Conan Gray is a top music influencer with 7.6M followers on Instagram. This American singer and songwriter rose to fame by releasing singles and EPs in 2017. Afterwards, he launched his website and gained more and more followers on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.
#14 Food
Undeniably, Food influencers have taken over the internet. They are sources of what’s hot in the world of cooking and baking and can change how people feel about a particular food. They share reviews of foods and restaurants besides pictures of delicious meals. This influencer category can divide into different groups, such as:
Rosanna Pansino (@rosannapansino)
Rosanna Pansino is an American food influencer on Instagram, YouTuber, baker, actress, and author. She started the cooking series Nerdy Nummies, a famous baking show on YouTube, in 2010.
Moreover, she has published two cookbooks and has released her baking line with Wilton’s cooking company’s cooperation.
Her Instagram account has more than 4.5M followers.
#15 Gaming
Among several types of influencers, gaming influencers are in high demand these days.
They share everything related to games, from playing video games professionally to sharing their opinion on gaming content. Their career lets them play games online while being viewed by thousands of people at once.
Myth (@mythig_)
Ali Kabbani, also known as Myth, is an American gamer and gaming YouTuber born in 1999. In addition to featuring famous games, he is also a gaming video creator. He is a renowned gaming Instagram influencer with 6M followers.
#16 Pet
Having cute pets at home is not easy. Sometimes they need more care than a child. That’s when pet influencers come to save your lives. Pet influencers are new influencer types in online marketing.
As mentioned, pets are an integral part of many houses, and more and more pet owners have made an account for their furry friends to put their pictures, videos, and Stories online. They use their pets’ accounts to sell products and services, such as clothes, food, toys, and furniture for pets.
Some pets have also made their way onto TV shows.
Matilda Ferragni (@matildaferragni)
Have you seen a dog influencer? Let’s meet Matilda Ferragni, who rose to fame as the dog of Italian fashion designer and blogger Chiara Ferragni. She shared her dog’s first photo in November 2012, which earned her more than 388K Instagram fans.
#17 Virtual
The world of influencer types gets more surprising. After pet influencers, it’s time to meet some non-human accounts: Virtual influencers.
These influencers are digital characters with human characteristics and features designed to be Instagram influencers. Since these artificial influencers are created by computer graphics software, they are new to most businesses. Yet, they have become a significant part of the digital marketing industry.
Aside from other types of influencers, virtual influencers are notable for many businesses as they are far from real people’s drama.
Miquela (@lilmiquela)
Lil Miquela, a famous American CGI influencer, was created by Brud, an AI company, in 2016. As well as being an influencer model with 2.7M followers on Instagram, she is also a singer and YouTuber. Surprisingly, she has worked with so many famous campaigns such as Calvin Klein, Dior, and Prada.
#18 Technology
Smartphones, cameras, computers, and other cutting-edge tech gadgets are always on the radar of technology influencers. By testing technology products on the market, these influencers share their experiences, knowledge, opinions, and reviews with their audience.
Michael Kukielka (@Detroitborg)
One of the top Instagram tech influencers is Michael Kukielka. His reviews of cutting-edge technology products have earned him 113K followers and increased fame. Additionally, his YouTube channel has more than 1.3 million subscribers. Michael is regarded as an authority in the tech world, and both buyers and producers value his insights highly.
#19 Entertainment
The influencer category list is not complete with people who entertain their followers with knowledgeable and sometimes fun content they create. Influencers in the entertainment industry can be found in a variety of fields, including literature, music, film, and social media stars.
They are active on all major social media platforms. With the aid of curated entertainment content on various social media channels, they assist entertainment companies and channels in keeping and reaching a wider audience.
Joe Ando (@joeandohirsh)
With 1.6M followers, Joe Ando is a popular comedian on Instagram who frequently posts funny videos and photos of himself and jumps on trends with his own unique spin.
#20 Real estate
The last among all influencer categories are real estate influencers.
They gain a significant number of followers by posting about the real estate industry and providing homebuyers with information that will help them make the right decision about purchasing a home.
Real estate influencers are not always experts in real estate. They can be architects, designers, or individuals who post valuable content to help future homebuyers. Real estate influencers often collaborate with professionals in related fields to provide a well-rounded perspective on the market. Moreover, their insights extend beyond traditional home buying, encompassing topics such as short term rentals in Toronto to cater to a diverse audience seeking various housing solutions.
Ryan Serhant (@ryanserhant)
Ryan Serhant is a well-known real estate influencer, broker, author, and actor. He started his own real estate firm, SERHANT, in 2020, which is now one of the most active real estate companies in the United States. He has more than 1.5M followers on Instagram, and his feed includes inspiring images of luxury properties around New York City and Long Island.
Influencer Marketing Facts:
- Studies show that the ROI of influencer marketing is 11 times higher than that of traditional advertising.
- Notably, about 90% of marketers using influencer marketing believed that it was a very effective form of marketing for their business, reported Influencer Marketing Hub in 2021.
- HubSpot reported that 73% of global marketers preferred Instagram for influencer marketing in 2021.
As can be seen, collaborating with influencers is a must for brands and businesses to grow their market and gain new customers.
Conclusion
The number of influencers is increasing, and so is the need for influencer marketing. For promoting your business, you should first get familiar with the different types of influencers and then learn how to find them.
As mentioned earlier, you can use the Ainfluencer marketplace to find your targeted influencers and invite them to cooperate with you. You only need to sign up on this platform, which is free, and then start searching for influencers.
On Ainfluencer, we have separated influencers based on their follower counts, so, you only need to select which type of influencer you look for. Additionally, by selecting different factors such as category, gender, location, language, and hashtags, you can narrow down the list to make it more accurate with what you look for.
Want to start an influencer marketing campaign?
FAQs
Instagram micro influencers are individuals who have 10k-100k followers. They are usually well-known in specific niches and are considered the knowledge leaders in their field. In other words, micro influencers are often experts in a particular area, such as beauty, fashion, fitness, gaming, and so on.
Lifestyle influencers are those influencers who have built their fame and followings basically on social media platforms. They showcase their everyday routine and lifestyle and present themselves as having a perfect life.
As the social media landscape continues to evolve, so do the types of influencers who populate it. While some platforms may be dominated by a certain type of influencer, it’s important to remember that each one has its own unique advantages and disadvantages. It’s important to know your audience, campaign goals, and platform expertise.
Finding influencers gets much easier if you use an influencer marketing platform like Ainfluencer. This platform has an influencer finder tool that helps you find influencers based on four categories of influencer: mega, macro, micro, and nano. Furthermore, you can select the category of influencers so you will have a list of influencers who are aligned with your business.
