When a brand looks at influencer marketing, the first question is almost always "how many followers do they have?". That's the wrong place to start. The number matters, but it's the last thing to look at. Let's go through the influencer tiers, when each one is worth it, and the criteria we actually use to choose a creator for a brand.
The influencer tiers, in short
The following defines the tier, and each tier has a different character:
- Nano (up to 10k followers): small but very close audience, personal tone, high engagement.
- Micro (10-100k): the tier most used by return-focused brands, a good balance of reach and relationship.
- Mid and macro (100k-1M): wide reach, useful for awareness, higher costs.
- Mega and celebrity (over one million): a lot of visibility in little time, great for a launch, serious budgets.
The follower myth
More followers does not mean more results. Micro creators often have far higher engagement than macro ones, in some cases several times as much, because their audience feels close to them and trusts them. A large but cold profile brings visibility without reaction. For a brand that wants to sell or build trust, the audience's real attention is worth more than the number printed on the profile.
The criteria we actually use
Follower count is only the starting point. Before proposing a creator to a brand we look at more:
- Real audience: who actually follows them, by age, area and interests, and how much of that audience is on target for the brand.
- Quality engagement: comments, saves and shares, not just likes.
- Aesthetic and tone: the creator's way of storytelling has to sit well next to the brand.
- Credibility: consistency between what they post and what they promote. A credible creator does not burn the trust of their audience.
- Track record: how they handled other brands and whether the audience reacted well.
When micro is worth it, when macro is
There is no best tier in absolute terms, there is the right one for the goal:
- Want to sell, get a product tried, or speak to a niche? Micro creators, with a loyal audience and sustainable costs, are often the most efficient choice.
- Want to make a new brand known quickly, or add weight to a launch? A macro creator or a well-known face brings visibility and authority fast.
- Have an SME with a limited budget? Better several on-target micro creators than one big name that eats the whole budget at once.
The mix strategy
In most campaigns the answer is not "either micro or macro", but a mix. A bigger face gives coverage and credibility to the message, several micro creators carry it into the right communities with a closer tone. Together they cover both awareness and relationship, something a single tier struggles to do on its own.
How we choose
We start from the brand's goal and the audience it wants to reach, then select creators for aesthetic, real audience and credibility, with the real numbers of the profiles in hand. We don't propose a name because it's trending, but because it's the right one for that campaign. That's the difference between a collaboration that goes unnoticed and a story people remember. You can see our method on the Services page.