Alexis Kestler
Influencer marketing has become an essential part of every marketing strategy. As consumers increasingly look to influencers for advice and recommendations, partnering with the right influencers can significantly boost brand awareness, drive engagement, and increase sales.
But with so many different types of influencers today, how do you know which ones are best suited to promote your brand?
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll explore the 20 most popular categories of influencers to help you find the perfect brand partners across social media in 2023.
How to Find Instagram Influencers
Before diving into the different influencer categories, it‘s important to understand where and how to actually find influencers relevant to your niche and ideal audience.
Using an Influencer Marketplace
One of the most efficient ways to connect with influencers is through an influencer marketplace like Ainfluencer. This makes searching simple with filters for categories, follower counts, locations, languages, interests, and more.
Ainfluencer also shows detailed analytics for each influencer, including audience demographics and engagement rates. You can even directly message influencers about partnership opportunities.
By streamlining the entire influencer search and discovery process, a platform like Ainfluencer saves tons of time and legwork trying to find the right partners.
Types of Instagram Influencers by Follower Count
While influencers create diverse content across countless niches, the most common way to categorize them is based on the size of their audience. Generally there are four tiers of influencers according to follower count:
1. Mega Influencers
1 million+ followers
At the top level are mega influencers like celebrities, A-list stars, and icons with over one million loyal followers. Just a single sponsored post from one of these influencers can reach an enormous audience, generating massive awareness for brands instantly.
Pros
- Massive reach
- Increased credibility
Cons
- Very expensive
- Less niche audiences
Example: Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano)
With over 602 million Instagram followers, footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is the #1 most-followed person on Instagram.
2. Macro Influencers
100,000 – 1 million followers
Next are macro influencers who have between 100,000 to one million followers. This category includes established online experts like prolific bloggers, YouTube stars, and industry leaders who attract sizable yet still targeted audiences with their authority and depth of niche content.
Pros
- Specialized, devoted niche audiences
- Quality, professional content
Cons
- Prices still relatively high
- Engagement rates may be lower
Example: Lauren Giraldo (@laurengiraldo)
As a fashion blogger, actress, and entrepreneur with nearly one million Instagram followers, Lauren Giraldo is a quintessential macro influencer partner for clothing and beauty brands.
3. Micro Influencers
10,000 – 100,000 followers
Micro influencers represent regular everyday social media users who nonetheless maintain impressive, highly-engaged followings of 10,000 to 100,000 followers. They build authority organically by frequently posting about specific passions and fields of expertise.
Pros
- High engagement rates
- Affordable
Cons
- Harder to contact
- Less content resources
Example: Jenn (@jennexplores)
The Canadian travel influencer shares wanderlust-inducing photography from adventures across 82,000 Instagram followers.
4. Nano Influencers
1,000 – 10,000 followers
Finally, nano influencers are normal people with followings between 1,000 to 10,000 engaged social media supporters built through consistent, quality niche content. These grassroots influencers offer authenticity at scale.
Pros
- Super engaged communities
- Very affordable
Cons
- Narrow, hyper-targeted reach
- Unknown reliability
Example: Reannoin Jean (@whatwouldreado)
Fashion blogger Reannoin Jean channeled her 6,800 Instagram followers into brand sponsorships for companies like Lyft through stylish outfit posts.
So in summary, mega influencers have the reach while micro and nano influencers drive the highest engagement. Finding the right balance for your specific brand goals is key.
Types of Influencers by Category
In addition to tiering by audience size, influencers can also be segmented by their niche or category. Let‘s analyze some of the most popular influencer categories dominating social media today.
5. Celebrity
Famous actors, musicians, athletes, and public figures with mass follower counts.
Example: Beyoncé (@beyonce)
As one of the world‘s biggest pop stars, Beyoncé‘s 316 million "Beyhive" members offer brands unmatched awareness.
6. Lifestyle
Inspirational influencers sharing glimpses into trendy, aspirational lifestyles.
Example: Julie Sariñana (@sincerelyjules)
Through her 7.8 million Instagram followers, LA fashion blogger and designer Julie Sariñana offers #lifegoals content.
7. Fashion
Models, designers, and style gurus defining the latest fashion trends.
Example: Chiara Ferragni (@chiaraferragni)
Boasting 29 million Instagram fans, this Italian influencer heads The Blonde Salad empire of media and ecommerce.
8. Beauty
Makeup artists, estheticians, and beauty entrepreneurs for cosmetics brands.
Example: Huda Kattan (@hudabeauty)
As the founder of Huda Beauty, makeup mogul Huda Kattan leverages her 53 million Instagram following with tips and trends.
See also: 110 Brands Looking For Brand Ambassadors [November 2023 Update]
9. Sports & Fitness
Athletes, trainers, and wellness professionals inspiring healthier lifestyles.
Example: Ece Vahapoglu Alpay (@ecevahapoglu)
This famous Turkish yoga teacher earns sponsorships from activewear brands with workout motivation for her one million Instagram fans.
10. Travel
Globetrotting influencers encouraging audiences to explore new places.
Example: Camila Coelho (@camilacoelho)
The Brazillian influencer chronicles her luxury fashion travels for 10 million wanderlust Instagram followers.
11. Parenting & Family
Mom, dad, and family influencers sharing parenting tips and home life moments.
Example: Sarah Harrison (@sarah.harrison.official)
3.1 million fans check German model Sarah Harrison‘s Instagram feed for a peek at her sweet daughters.
12. Photography
Talented smartphone and DSLR photographers posting stunning editorial images.
Example: Jord Hammond (@jordhammond)
UK travel photographer Jord Hammond documents dreamy international landscape panoramas for his 834,000 Instagram followers.
13. Music
DJs, musicians, and music reviewers shaping popular culture through unique sounds and takes.
Example: Conan Gray (@conangray)
Indie pop singer-songwriter Conan Gray entertains 7.6 million fans with his hit releases and behind-the-scenes moments.
14. Food
Chefs, restaurants, food bloggers, and niche diet experts serving culinary inspiration.
Example: Rosanna Pansino (@rosannapansino)
Baker Rosanna Pansino transforms 4.5 million Instagram followers into sales for her brand deals and cookbooks.
15. Gaming
Gamers, streamers, esports athletes, and game developers driving the play-to-earn revolution.
Example: Myth (@TSM_Myth)
At just 24 years old, pro gamer Myth already leads 6 million Instagram followers as a competitive Fortnite legend.
16. Pets
Cute and cuddly animal influencers with their own furry followings.
Example: Matilda Ferragni (@matildaferragni)
Even canines can become bonafide influencers, like fashion icon Chiara Ferragni‘s dog Matilda boasting 388,000 Instagram fans.
17. Virtual
Lifelike computer-generated CGI influencers modeled after real people.
Example: Miquela (@lilmiquela)
Influencer avatar Lil Miquela collaborates with major fashion brands through her 2.7 million Instagram follower metaverse.
18. Technology
Tech experts reviewing gadgets, apps, and the latest innovations.
Example: Michael Kukielka (@detroitborg)
Through detailed tech product videos on Instagram and 1.3 million YouTube subscribers, Michael Kukielka keeps audiences in the know.
19. Entertainment
Comedians, actors, producers and internet personalities making engaging videos.
Example: Joe Ando (@joeandohirsh)
Japanese entertainer Joe Ando keeps his 1.6 million fans laughing with funny anime skits and parodies.
20. Real Estate
Realtors, investors, architects, and interior design creatives marketing dream homes.
Example: Ryan Serhant (@ryanserhant)
Million Dollar Listing reality star Ryan Serhant sells luxury New York City real estate to his 1.5 million Instagram followers.
So in summary, as you strategize your influencer marketing approach you‘ll want to carefully handpick partners from relevant audience-building categories who create content that aligns well with your brand and products. The goal is authentic co-creation that provides value, not just direct promotional placements.
Influencer Marketing Facts & Stats
Now that you understand the different tiers and categories of influencers available to partner with across social media, let’s analyze some compelling facts about the growing opportunity of influencer marketing:
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Influencer marketing sees an average earned media value ROI of $5.20 for every $1 spent according to Nielsen, delivering 11x higher ROI than traditional advertising.
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90% of marketers say influencer marketing delivers highly effective results for raising brand awareness and driving conversions based on Linqia research.
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A staggering 73% of global marketers prioritize Instagram for influencer marketing campaigns over other platforms.
Clearly brands that fail to leverage social media influencers stand to miss tremendous competitive advantages. As consumers increasingly tune out conventional ads, influencer partnerships represent the future of digital marketing.
Finding the Best Influencers for Your Brand
As this guide demonstrates, you have plenty of influencer partner options to help promote nearly any brand or niche. But sifting through countless profiles without a streamlined system can becomeoverwhelming fast.
By leveraging a dedicated influencer platform like Ainfluecer, brands can precisely pinpoint and connect with their perfect influencers in minutes based on key parameters:
- Specific follower count tier
- Content topic category
- Audience demographics
- Post engagement metrics
- Location targeting
- Campaign management
Along with saving hours of manual research, Ainfluencer‘s all-in-one dashboard also makes it simple to manage outreach, collaborations, tracking, and payments at scale across all your influencers.
Ready to supercharge your brand with influencer marketing? Sign up for a free Ainfluencer account!
FAQs
1. What is a micro influencer?
Micro influencers are individuals who have between 10,000 to 100,000 social media followers. They build niche audiences by frequently posting quality content about specific interests and fields of expertise.
2. What are lifestyle influencers?
Lifestyle influencers are social media personalities who give followers a glimpse into their everyday lives and aspirational routines across areas like fashion, travel, health, and home decor.
3. Which type of influencer is best?
There is no singular "best" influencer type. Brands should select influencer partners based on elements like niche audience alignment, content quality, ideal follower count tier, and partnership pricing that makes sense for campaign budgets and goals.
4. How to find different types of influencers?
Influencer marketplaces like Ainfluencer allow brands to easily discover and connect with all tiers and categories of influencers in one place through detailed search filtering. This saves the manual effort of trying to identify and contact relevant influencers across different platforms.
