A glance at the subscriber counts, likes, followers, etc., of your favorite influencers, is enough to tell you that not all influencers are alike. Each one reaches different audiences and to differing degrees. This means that just because a micro-influencer has a smaller reach than a macro-influencer doesn’t mean that their audiences overlap.

This is crucial information for brands that are looking to leverage influencers in their marketing campaigns. Partnering with macro-influencers isn’t always possible, nor is it always ideal. For example, you can use micro-influencers to reach widely different audiences, and then let word-of-mouth spread more awareness. In any case, understanding the tiers of influencers is a critical part of figuring out who to partner with.

Here’s a guide to influencer tiers.

The Influencer Tier List

There are four tiers of influencers: mega, macro, mid-level, and micro. Here’s what each tier means and when and who should work with them:

The Mega Influencer Tier: Mega influencers refer to personalities with over 1,000,000 followers on a platform. We’re not considering followers cumulatively across platforms, since there’s a significant overlap between an influencer’s follower base across platforms.

These influencers are the cream of the crop in terms of reach and include personalities like PewDiePie, Kylie Jenner, or Chloe Ting. Since they’re so large, most don’t usually engage with their audience directly and are expensive to recruit. Working with mega influencers is good for one-off product promotions, as sustained work with them is expensive.

The Macro Influencer Tier: Macro influencers refer to personalities with between 300,000 and 1,000,000 followers on a platform. They have a fairly large and diverse audience, and they don’t cost as much as mega influencers. They’re also constantly trying to grow their audience, so partnering with them can pay dividends in the future.

The Mid-Level Influencer Tier: Mid-level influencers have between 50,000 and 300,000 followers on a platform. These are people who are likely to continue growing in the foreseeable future and will be willing to team up for sponsorships. Extended campaigns with them are financially fruitful and viable.

The Micro-Influencer Tier: These influencers have between 5,000 and 50,000 followers on a platform. Since they’re smaller, they typically engage directly with their audience and are very responsive. This loyal base means sponsorships are likely to have high conversion rates.

Regardless of which influencer you’re looking for, we can help. Get in touch with us, at Afluencer, to find the top social media influencers and various new influencer marketing programs.