{"id":11818,"date":"2023-05-18T07:20:22","date_gmt":"2023-05-18T13:20:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/?p=11818"},"modified":"2025-02-27T22:55:54","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T05:55:54","slug":"types-of-influencers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/types-of-influencers","title":{"rendered":"30 Types of Instagram Influencers To Know (With Examples)"},"content":{"rendered":"

You have a distinctive voice and you have amazing content, but you\u2019re not sure how to promote it. You\u2019ve heard how a majority of marketers \u2013 around<\/span> 72%<\/span><\/a> \u2013 are using influencer campaigns on Instagram to promote their businesses. But you may be wondering if your unique brand has a place in the influencer sphere.<\/span><\/p>\n

The answer is:<\/strong> Yes, it does! And we\u2019re going to show you how to enter that sphere, regardless of how big your target audience is or what kind of niche you create content or products in.<\/span><\/p>\n

First, we\u2019ll explain what Instagram influencers are and what makes them, well, influential. Then we\u2019ll teach you 30 different types of social media influencers (yes, 30!), and how to select the one that will promote your brand most effectively.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lastly, we\u2019ll show you the real steps to becoming an influencer, so that you can begin using this social media strategy to your business\u2019s advantage as quickly as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

Are you ready to get started? Let\u2019s go!<\/span><\/p>\n

What are<\/span> Instagram Influencers?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s start with the basics. What are influencers on Instagram? Who are they, and why do marketers, brands, and businesses use them to promote their goods and services?<\/span><\/p>\n

An influencer is someone on social media who influences other people \u2013 typically their followers on a social media platform \u2013 to perform a specific action.<\/span><\/p>\n

In most cases, that action is to buy a product. But it can also be to sign up for a subscription or a course; follow and engage with a sponsor; or spread awareness about a special cause or a hot-button issue.<\/span><\/p>\n

Influencers persuade their followers to perform an action by posting content to their feeds. This is called an influencer campaign, and on Instagram, it can consist of content such as photos with captions, Instagram Stories, and Instagram Reels.<\/span><\/p>\n

An effective influencer will use more than one method of persuasion.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example,<\/strong> if they\u2019ve partnered with a brand to show off their product, they might demonstrate the product in a Reel, as well as post pictures of themselves using it with a lively description of their experience in the caption.<\/div><\/div>\n

Regardless of how the influencer markets the product, you can always tell when their content is promoted by a brand because it will have the hashtag #ad or #sponsored somewhere on it. Those labels are required, so that users aren\u2019t deceived into thinking they\u2019re looking at a completely authentic, unpaid recommendation.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2021 alone, around<\/span> 3.8 million Instagram posts<\/span> featured the #ad hashtag, which was an almost 30% increase from 2020. All those posts aren\u2019t just chaffing in the wind, either. In the<\/span> Influencer Benchmark Report for 2021<\/span><\/a> by Influencer Marketing Hub, 90% of marketers who were surveyed believed that influencer campaigns are an effective form of marketing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another compelling reason to become an Instagram influencer to promote your brand or business is the sheer number of users on the platform. The number of users is expected to reach a whopping<\/span> 1.35 billion<\/span> by the end of 2023! If you can gain the interest and engagement of even a miniscule fraction of that large group, your influencer campaign will be extremely successful.<\/span><\/p>\n

And you can do it, too! But, to get started, you need to know what type of influencer you should become.<\/span><\/p>\n

5 Types<\/span> of Influencers Based on Follower Count<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"Graph<\/p>\n

The first five types of Instagram influencers you should become familiar with are defined by their follower count.<\/span><\/p>\n

Believe it or not, you don\u2019t have to have millions or even hundreds of thousands of followers to become a popular, influential Instagram profile. In fact, some marketers prefer much smaller counts! We\u2019ll explain why as we dig into each of the five types below.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Nano<\/span> Influencers<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Nano influencers<\/span> are accounts with less than 10,000 followers<\/strong>. As such, their posts tend to be more personal, less curated, and more genuine (at least in appearance). A significant percentage of their followers may be friends and family, rather than random strangers on the internet.<\/span><\/p>\n

A couple of examples<\/strong> of popular nano influencers are Lisa Carrol (@lisacarrol<\/a>), a fashion designer, who has close to 6,000 followers; and Denise Albert (@denisealbert<\/a>), an activist and journalist with nearly 6,800 followers.<\/div><\/div><\/span><\/p>\n

Despite their small fanbases, nano influencers are influential because the people who do follow them value and trust their opinions, recommendations, advice, etc. This means they also get more engagement<\/a> from their followers, with whom they have a more intimate connection since they are so few in number.<\/span><\/p>\n

The downside of becoming a nano influencer is you only have a small pool of followers to sell to. This might not be a problem if the product or service you\u2019re selling is high in price, which means you don\u2019t need as many buyers. But if you want widespread fame and attention, you may want a bigger reach.<\/span><\/p>\n

Also, if you become a nano Instagram influencer to add an extra stream of revenue for you or your business, you\u2019ll want to treat it as a side hustle. In general, such a small follower count is not effective for generating a lot of sponsorship offers. As it is, you\u2019ll typically earn just $10-$100<\/strong> for every sponsored post, according to<\/span> Shopify<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the other hand, nano influencers\u2019 low rate is more attractive to smaller businesses who are unable to pay premium prices for more popular influencers.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Micro<\/span>-Influencers<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Micro-influencers have between 10,000-50,000 followers<\/strong>. They have a slightly larger audience than nano influencers, and as such they tend to receive more engagement.<\/span><\/p>\n

Simultaneously, however, since their follower count is considered \u201csmall\u201d by social media standards, they still enjoy the same advantages that Nanos do. Their content tends to be more intimate and personal, their feeds are not as carefully curated, and in general, they appear more authentic.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once again, though, you likely won\u2019t earn much money just from being a micro Instagram influencer<\/a>. The typical pay rate for a micro-influencer per post is $100-$500<\/strong>. That\u2019s great for a part-time gig, but not for a full-time career. It\u2019s also an affordable option for businesses who want to start their own influencer campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n

A couple of examples<\/strong> of micro-influencers are Chantell Coustol (@thechann16<\/a>), a wellness\/parenting influencer with over 11K followers; and Chelsea Homer (@chels_homer<\/a>), who is a videographer and a mom and has 13K followers.<\/div><\/div><\/span><\/p>\n

3. Mid-Tier<\/span> Influencers<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Mid-tier influencers sit right in the sweet spot between the smaller nano and micro levels and the elite macro and mega levels. Accounts with followers between 50,000-100,000 followers<\/strong> tend to fall into this category.<\/span><\/p>\n

One advantage that mid-tier influencers have over macro and mega influencers is, since their follower counts are lower, their audiences are more targeted. And the advantage they have over nano and micro-influencers is that they reach a lot more people, so brands are more likely to want to sponsor more of their posts.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s here at the mid-tier level that influencers can start making more money. The going rate for mid-tier influencers starts at $500<\/strong> and goes all the way up to $5,000 per post<\/strong>. That\u2019s also an affordable price to pay for most brands.<\/span><\/p>\n

Two examples<\/strong> of popular mid-tier Instagram influencers include Lauren Carey (@girlgoneabroad<\/a>), an Travel Photographer who has over 57.4K followers; and Stefan Warecka (@techmagnet_yt<\/a>), an Tech influencer who is nearing 52.4K followers.<\/div><\/div><\/span><\/p>\n

4. Macro<\/span> Influencers<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Now we\u2019re getting into the big players! Macro influencers have anywhere from 100,000-1,000,000 followers.<\/strong> These are accounts with huge reach, and as such they\u2019re often sought after by bigger brands.<\/span><\/p>\n

With more popularity comes a larger rate \u2013 $5,000-$10,000<\/strong> per post! But it\u2019s worth it because of the influencer\u2019s sheer selling power.<\/span><\/p>\n

From an influencer\u2019s perspective, that kind of fame does come with a huge responsibility. You\u2019ll have to put a lot of time and energy into content creation and promotion to gather, as well as maintain up to 1 million followers.<\/span><\/p>\n

A couple of macro<\/strong> Instagram influencers you may recognize include Helena Coelho (@helenacoelhooo<\/a>), a Lifestyle influencer with 697K followers; and Peyton Pratte (@choosing_balance<\/a>), a Food influencer account that posts pictures of Healthy food that has 692K followers.<\/div><\/div><\/span><\/p>\n

5. Mega<\/span> Influencers\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Mega influencers are by far the largest, most recognized profiles on Instagram. (Some of them are your favorite celebrities!) They always have over 1 million followers<\/strong>, and they typically get the Verified blue checkmark to indicate that they are a well-known public figure.<\/span><\/p>\n

To promote your posts on a mega influencer account, you can expect to pay upwards of $10,000 \u2013 per post! But that\u2019s a small change for a big brand that wants their sponsored posts<\/a> seen by millions of people.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s certainly not a small change for influencers, though! The challenge, of course, is getting that many followers when you\u2019re not already a recognizable public figure. But with time, quality content creation, marketing, and lots of patience, anything is possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

Popular mega influencers<\/strong> include Selena Gomez (@selenagomez<\/a>), an actress and beauty influencer with 416M followers; and Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano<\/a>), a professional footballer who has 583M followers.<\/div><\/div><\/span><\/p>\n

25 Types<\/span> of Influencers Based on Content<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"Different<\/p>\n

So far, we\u2019ve covered the types of influencers that social media marketing experts<\/a> define based on the number of followers to an account. There are many more types, however, that are based on the content an influential account produces or promotes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Among the 25 types of influencers with examples<\/strong> listed below, you\u2019re sure to find one that describes your personal brand or business.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

1. Fashion<\/span> Influencers<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Fashion influencers post content centered around clothing, shoes, and other apparel. Many of them have their own brand, while others may collaborate with big-name clothing labels on campaigns.<\/p>\n

\n