The Breakdown on Influencer Tiers
Influencers come in multiple following sizes, and generate a wide range of impressions and engagement rates depending on multiple factors. In other words, the number of followers doesn’t necessarily guarantee a certain number of impressions or specific engagement rate. Depending on your business’ budget and the goals of your campaign, it’s important to weigh the costs and benefits of each type of influencer — Quality over quantity they say! Below is a description of the four different influencer tiers we abide by at Foodie Tribe (since there isn’t a generalized standard!), and our recommendations for when to choose which type, according to our prior experiences.
Nano Influencers
Nano influencers typically have under 5k followers, and are great to work with if you’re on a tight budget. Since they’re just getting started with their accounts and have smaller followings, they often charge less, but that doesn’t always mean they have low engagement rates. Nano influencers are very in tune with their followers’ needs and desires, so they actually tend to have high engagement rates because of their organic connections and genuine relationships with their audience members. Nano influencers can also be beneficial if you’re targeting a niche location or audience because their followers are often local (to where the influencer is based) and loyal. At Foodie Tribe, we typically only accept influencers with 5k followers or more. But on occasion, if an influencer has less than 5k followers, yet a professional and aesthetically-pleasing feed and receives an adequate number of likes and comments, then we might accept them! As mentioned before, nano influencers stand for authenticity; they would never promote brands they don’t genuinely believe in. Two examples of nano influencers who are a part of our Tribe are @sishoodofthetravelingfork and @theshookslife!
Micro Influencers
At Foodie Tribe, we classify micro influencers as those who have between 5k and 25k followers. We suggest that your company considers working with them if engagement is one of your top KPIs. This is because micro influencers, like nano influencers, typically have high engagement rates, despite their smaller followings, since they form genuine and authentic relationships with their followers (who in turn become loyal “commenters” and “likers”). Micro influencers tend to focus on a specific niche audience and are likely to participate in one-on-one conversations with their followers to get to know them. Micro influencers differ from nano influencers because their accounts aren’t brand new. In fact, micro influencers have more established relationships with their followers and are more familiar with the type of content that will likely result in higher engagement. While they tend to cost more than nano influencers, micro influencers will often be more cost-effective than power and macro influencers. Some of our micro influencers include @raleighfoodtrap, @asoulfulkitchen, @flavorofphilly, and @i_on_the_valley!
Though the average reach and average impressions vary per influencer, you can expect the numbers to fall within the ranges below for micro influencers:
Range for average reach: 4,000 - 8,500
Range for average impressions: 5,000 - 10,000
Range for average engagement rate: ~3% - ~6%
Use this formula to calculate engagement rate: Total likes + total comments per post ÷ follower count x 100.
*Similar to average reach and average impressions, there is no concrete range for engagement rate. Engagement rate varies across the board.
Power Influencers
We consider power influencers to be those who have between 25k and 100k followers. Consider working with power influencers if your campaign has a healthy budget (between $15k-$20k). Power influencers typically have reasonable rates for the amount of content you request for your campaign, and the content will be exposed to an extensive and diverse audience. Power influencers still tend to have great one-on-one relationships with their followers… They were in fact micro back in the day! Some of our power influencer Tribe members include @jaymeesire, @tastethesix, @themiamimenu, and @eating_longisland!
Though the average reach and average impressions vary per influencer, you can expect the numbers to fall within the ranges below for power influencers:
Range for average reach: 9,000 - 36,000
Range for average impressions: 9,000 - 45,000
Range for average engagement rate: 0.3% - ~3%
Once again, engagement rate varies frequently across the board. For example, a power influencer with 38k followers might have an average engagement rate of 3%, while another power influencer with 63k followers might have an average engagement rate of 0.9%. If engagement is particularly important to your campaign, we suggest looking for influencers who have an average engagement rate of 2-3%.
Macro Influencers
Here at Foodie Tribe, macro influencers are those with 100k+ followers. They’re typically the most expensive tier of influencers due to their extensive following, so the larger your budget, the more inclined you’ll be to work with them. Macro influencers are capable of reaching a broad range of followers, and typically target multiple niche audiences and demographics simultaneously. Macro influencers participate in brand partnerships often, and thus are familiar with the process and know exactly which type of content will appeal to their audience. While they may not have the ability to form intimate relationships with their followers (and often have lower engagement rates than micro influencers), macro influencers are valued by their followers and are accustomed to creating professional, aesthetically-pleasing, and engaging content that will likely lead to brand awareness. It’s most beneficial to use macro influencers when you want to reach a diverse audience with different interests in various geographic locations. A few macro influencers who are a part of our Tribe include @teresa_, @stickaforkinme, @DCfoodporn, and @cookinwithmima!
Range for average reach: 65,000 - 282,000
Range for average impressions: 70,000 - 309,000
Range for average engagement rate: 0.2% - ~1.1%
Since it’s common for influencers in this tier to have lower engagement rates, it’s important to understand that the influencer’s reach and impressions are just as important (if not more important) than their engagement rate. A lower engagement rate for influencers in this tier is not something to hone in on. Their high reach and impressions will make up for their lower engagement rates.
From our experience, we have noticed that the best results come from working with a combination of nano, micro, power and macro influencers. It’s also helpful to pinpoint the exact goal of your campaign. In other words, what do you value most: impressions, leads, engagement rate, reach, or brand awareness? Once you’ve determined the purpose of your campaign and what you hope to get out of it, then you can choose the type of influencers you want to move forward with!
*Note: The average reach, impressions and engagement rates provided above are general ranges and do not apply to every influencer in the tier. Certain influencers may fall above or below the numbers we provided.
Need help choosing the best influencers for your campaign? Reach out to us, we’d love to assist!