You may have noticed that some people on social media use their accounts to promote certain products and services.
Their audiences tend to consist primarily of people who meet certain criteria and are interested in a particular product.
When an account holder endorses a product, many of their audience are likely to buy the same thing.
Some of these people have such huge following numbers that any endorsement of a product can have a significant impact on sales of that product.
People who have these social media accounts are called influencers .
How many followers does it take to become an influencer?
There is no single answer to this question.
You don’t need to pass on a magic number to make the klaxons ring, the ticker tapes drop, and congratulations on upgrading your influencer status.
These numbers can vary widely depending on your field, how engaged your followers are, and what you expect to earn.
Once a brand has decided that you are an influencer, you can say you are an Instagram influencer, however, different brands may have different expectations of them to brand someone as an influencer.
However, there are some ballpark numbers that will help you get the online presence you need to be able to call yourself an influencer.
There are four main categories of influencers.
Below is each type and what it means.
1. Nano-influencers
Social media nano-influencers are often not star or celebrity influencers, but ordinary people.
The kind of guy you’re unlikely to have heard of unless you’re interested in a specific product.
Their audience tends to be friends and family, as well as others who stumble across them online.
Nano-influencers tend to only have around 1,000 or so followers, although in some cases they can reach around 5,000.
Even though these numbers are relatively low, they can still be quite effective Instagram influencers.
This is because they tend to interact more closely with the audience.
Social media nano-influencers are also useful, as their low-key status helps give them a “girl next door” persona, making it easier for others to relate to them.
Of course, businesses can also partner with many nano-influencers, helping to compensate for the relatively small number of influencer followers.
How much money a nano-influencer can expect to make can also vary widely, with different platforms considered more valuable than others.
Here is an approximation of what a nano-influencer might charge:
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Instagram: $10–$100 per post
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YouTube: $20–$200 per video
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TikTok: $5–25 per post
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Twitter: $2–20 per tweet
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Facebook: $25 to $250 per post
An example of a nano-influencer is Bristolfoodcritic.
As the name suggests, this popular influencer focuses on fine dining in the Bristol area.
2. Micro-influencers
Micro-influencers are still normal people, but they have taken influencer marketing to a new level.
Micro-influencers will work harder to create high-quality content, which often means they will attract many followers.
In fact, micro-influencers may have as many as 100,000 followers, although this number is usually lower.
Micro-influencers tend to specialize in a specific niche, and they are often considered an authority in that niche.
They also tend to have relatively high levels of interaction with followers.
Likewise, how much money a micro-influencer can expect to make can vary widely, with different platforms considered more valuable than others.
Here’s an approximation of what a micro-influencer might charge:
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Instagram: $100–$500 per post
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YouTube: $200–$1,000 per video
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TikTok: $25–125 per post
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Twitter: $20–100 per tweet
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Facebook: $250–$1,250 per post
An example of a micro-influencer is hellorigby.
You’ve probably never heard of her — but unless you’re interested in her niche, there’s no reason you should.
Hellorigby focuses on the style and beauty niche and currently has just under 25,000 followers on Instagram.
3. Macro influencers
A macro influencer is someone the public is more likely to know about, and in many cases they have become known thanks to the internet.
They often have over 100,000 followers, but that number can be much higher.
Macro influencers often don’t need to look for companies that use them as Instagram influencers.
Instead, macro-influencers are often approached by big brands looking to increase brand awareness.
Large follower counts mean that macro-influencers don’t interact with their individual followers as much as nano- and micro-influencers.
This means less influence per follower, but having such a wide audience means they can be very influential overall.
The following is an approximation of what a macro influencer might charge:
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Instagram: $5,000–$10,000 per post
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YouTube: $10,000–$20,000 per post
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TikTok: $1,250–2,500 per post
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Twitter: $1,000 to $2,000 per tweet
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Facebook: $12,500–$25,000 per post
An example of a macro influencer is Logan Paul – a name many of you may have heard of.
With 180,000 Instagram followers, Logan has a larger audience than the average macro influencer.
However, aside from his online presence, he’s not well-known and probably not as influential as a super-influencer.
Regardless, Logan still benefits greatly from his Instagram influencer marketing career.
4. Super Influencers
Big social media influencers tend to be global household names.
These include the most famous actors, the most successful music artists and the most famous athletes.
Super-influencers often have little knowledge of the products they endorse, and many of their followers often do not belong to a specific product niche.
However, a super-influencer will have such a large following that any product they endorse will reach a large audience, resulting in a huge increase in product awareness and sales.
Social media super-influencers may already be relatively wealthy, and they too can expect to earn the following amounts from endorsing products.
Here’s an approximation of what a super-influencer might charge:
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Instagram: $10,000+ per post
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YouTube: $20,000+ per post
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Douyin: $2,500+ per post
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Twitter: $2,000+ per tweet
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Facebook: $25,000+ per post
Figures as high as $10,000 for a single Instagram post are not uncommon.
Perhaps the ultimate example of a social media macro influencer is Kim Kardashian.
Kim is a household name around the world with 18.6.<> billion Instagram followers.
Not only does Kim have a wide following, but many of them also turn to her for the latest fashion.
If Kim makes her own post with a particular product, the manufacturer can expect sales to skyrocket.
3 Pro Tips on How to Become an Influencer
Starting out as an influencer can be tough, so we’ve listed three pro tips to help you get on the right track.
Pro Tip #1: Build an Audience
If you’re trying to sell to the wrong people, you won’t do well.
With this in mind, you need to think about your target audience before you start.
If you have a specific product, you need to make sure your social media accounts attract people who are interested in that product.
You want to do your research and understand what your ideal audience is looking for and wanting.
Once you understand and know exactly what they want, you can begin to warm them up by showing them content that answers their questions.
It’s important to understand what turns them on and what turns them off.
You should also consider using the right tone and messaging.
If you find that your social media isn’t getting the engagement you want, try sending out your content differently, and try talking to them differently.
Pro Tip #2: Create and Sell Your Story
Do you know what makes you stand out from the competition? your story.
The closer an audience is to an Instagram influencer, the more likely they are to be loyal to them and trust them.
One way to help with this is to tell your audience more about you, and an effective way to do this is to tell them a personal Instagram Story.
Telling about something that happened to you in the past, or how you became an influential person, can help your audience get to know you better.
Instagram Stories also make it easier for your audience to connect with you.
They may be able to put themselves in your shoes and imagine going through the same things as you.
This helps strengthen the connection between the influencer and its audience and helps attract the right type of audience to your social media accounts.
Tip 3: Implement a marketing strategy
A very effective way to market yourself as a famous influencer is to use paid advertising.
These are often very affordable, and they can help you get noticed among countless other influencers.
Just make sure your ad is targeting the right people, using the right keywords will help you do that.
You should also make sure your social media accounts are using the correct hashtags on your Instagram bio and anywhere else that will help your audience find you.
Also, try to make sure your Instagram account isn’t flooded with posts promoting your merchandise.
If you set it to spam, chances are you’ll start using your audience.
Instead, only post when you have something relevant and exciting to say.
Remember, every social media post doesn’t have to be a sponsored post or an endorsement.
Focus on maintaining your relationship with your audience, and when you endorse a product, more people are likely to follow your lead.
When you serve your audience first and foremost, that’s when you will form a lasting and healthy relationship with your ideal person.
Once you get that right, people will always come back for more.
conclusion
First off, most of us need to start with nano-influencers.
As you get a handle on how it works, you’ll slowly begin to develop an enthusiastic audience who will defend your brand.
Everything you post and publish will help to keep growing your audience. As your audience grows, big brands will be willing to pay you more to work with them.
If you’re planning to start a successful influencer marketing career, follow the basic guidelines above and you’re already part of the road to success.
