Micro vs Macro Influencers - Which is Best for Your Brand Strategy

Table of Contents

What Are Micro- and Macro-Influencers?

Micro- and macro-influencers are categories describing influencers with varying follower counts. These affiliate publishing partners may be bloggers, content creators, deals or review sites, or even media outlets. However, the defining characteristic of micro- and macro-influencers is the size of their audiences.

Micro-influencers are generally publishers with a total audience of a few thousand to 100,000 followers. On the other hand, macro-influencers have an audience of 100,000 to 1,000,000 followers. You may also see terms like nano-influencers (those with 1,000 to 10,000 followers) and mega-influencers (those with audiences of 1,000,000 or more) when learning about affiliate types. For this guide, we’ll focus on micro- and macro-influencers.

Key Differences Between Micro- and Macro-Influencers

Take a look at some of the main differences between micro- and macro-influencers to help determine which type of influencer is right for your brand.

Reach and audience size: As mentioned, reach and audience size are the defining differences between these types of affiliates. Micro-influencers are primarily focused on cultivating close relationships with audiences of less than 100,000, while macro-influencers have built a platform with at least 100,000 followers across various digital touchpoints.
Engagement rates: If you’re less inclined to consider micro-influencers, think again. Micro-influencers generally have more engaged audiences, with engagement rates ranging from 7% to a whopping 20%. On the other hand, macro-influencers often average consistent engagement rates of about 5% despite more views and followers.
Audience trust: In many cases, micro-influencers may have a more personal—and, therefore, more trusting—relationship with their followers. As a result, a product or service recommendation from a micro-influencer might carry more weight than one from a macro-influencer. That said, macro-influencers have a broader reach and can get products or services in front of more potential buyers.