17 Types of Influencers: Which Should You Become?

There are generally five different levels of influencers. A larger following usually equates to higher earning potential, but bear in mind that this isn’t a clear-cut rule.

In some cases, brands are willing to pay more for influencers with smaller, more engaged audiences. Nevertheless, there are a few things you should know about what to expect at these different influencer tiers as you build up your following.

1. Nano influencer

Nano influencers have between 1,000 and 10,000 followers.

But don’t get too excited if you’re already at this follower count. Your followers also need to demonstrate a high level of engagement with your posts. This is what differentiates a nano influencer from a regular social media user.

Nano influencers post content that’s not so much inspirational or aspirational as it is relatable and genuine. They’re influential because their content feels more personal and real.

Because nano influencers have a smaller following, they tend to partner with local brands that want to improve their brand visibility and sales within a specific community. That said, global online brands may seek out partnerships with them as well.

2. Micro influencer

Micro influencers have between 10,000 and 50,000 followers.

Many micro influencers focus on a particular topic or produce a specific type of content on social media. This is how they’re able to move beyond nano influencer status. So brands in niches with unique needs are likely to connect with these influencers.

Unlike the kinds of influencers that have massive reach, micro influencers can still realistically connect with individual followers. This is an advantage as it gives these influencers and their social media channels an authentic feel and strengthens engagement.

3. Mid-tier influencer

Mid-tier influencers have between 50,000 and 500,000 followers.

In this tier, you tend to find influencers with a lot of marketing savvy. They’re often not just on a single social media platform. They’re on multiple sites and likely have a blog, podcast, or newsletter that helps them connect with new followers all the time and keep existing ones super engaged with their content.

Because of this, they bring a lot of value to the table. This allows them to partner with brands of all sizes in a variety of ways, like through affiliate marketing, sponsored content, and brand ambassadorships.

4. Macro influencer

Macro influencers have between 500,000 and 1,000,000 followers.

To amass this sort of following, macro influencers generally work for years to grow their personal brand and refine the quality of their content. Multichannel marketing is crucial for this type of influencer as it enables them to connect with as many people as possible on a regular basis.

Unlike mid-tier influencers, though, a macro influencer’s status and reach is worth a lot more to big businesses and enterprises. For this reason, they’re likely to partner with only a couple brands a year on huge campaigns.

5. Mega influencer

Mega influencers have 1,000,000 followers or more.

The most famous social media influencers are mega influencers. Unlike many other influencers who work their way up from nano status, mega influencers tend to be celebrities who were already famous before they became influencers. These influencers usually work with big-budget brands, who pay them for their celebrity status and broad reach rather than for their dominance in a particular market.

Mega influencers have massive reach and clout. They rake in huge payouts from big brand collaborations and single campaigns, making them the highest-paid influencers out there.

In order to become a successful influencer, you need to be able to gain the trust and loyalty of your followers, and that usually comes with having something meaningful, insightful, or enjoyable to share. For your posts to have these characteristics and captivate a dedicated audience, you usually need to hone in on a particular area of interest.

Which niche is best for you depends on your interests as well as what sorts of industries or activities you have real experience with. You should also be passionate about the content you’re sharing so you can do it long term without risking burnout.

Here are some of the most popular (and lucrative) influencer niches to consider.

6. Fashion or beauty influencer

Fashion and beauty influencers create content related to style trends. They may create how-to posts and tutorials demonstrating how to pull off the latest looks or inspirational posts where they model the latest styles or makeup trends themselves.

A fashion or beauty influencer’s goal isn’t to simply be an aspirational style icon. These influencers often aim to empower their followers to experiment with cool and cutting-edge products, techniques, and trends or learn how to achieve their fashion goals.

Brands with clothing lines, makeup products, skincare regimens, and so on seek out these types of influencers to promote their products.

7. Health and wellness influencer

Health and wellness influencers generally narrow down what area of health they want to focus on as opposed to taking a general approach. For example, these influencers might create content about one of the following topics:

• Somatic yoga
• Journaling for personal transformation
• Tips for specialty diets (keto, vegan, gluten free, etc.)
• Coping strategies for a particular psychological disorder
• Trauma healing strategies

These influencers bring with them deep expertise in oftentimes sensitive areas, so they have to take a careful approach when creating content for their audience.

In addition to being mindful about content creation, they have to be more intentional about the brand partnerships they accept. There’s a lot of money to be made in the health and wellness space, but not if the partner doesn’t resonate with their content or audience.

8. Lifestyle influencer

Lifestyle influencers create content that inspires people to do more with certain aspects of their personal lives. This is an incredibly broad area to specialize in. For instance, a lifestyle influencer’s content might revolve around one of the following topics:

• Home decor
• Dating and relationships
• Homesteading
• Habits and routines
• Hobbies
• Van life
• Luxury living
• Event and party planning

The type of content created by this type of influencer varies widely. Some lifestyle influencers take a more personal approach, making their lifestyle feel achievable to a broader range of people. Those going after a more affluent audience need a more polished and exclusive feel.

Brands of all types and sizes seek out lifestyle influencers. Who they offer paid partnerships to ultimately depends on what sort of life the influencer is promoting and who their target audience is.

9. Food or drink influencer

These types of influencers on social media are all about that foodie life. Some food and drink influencers create content that revolves around what they make from the comfort of their homes, sharing recipes, tips, and tools with their audience.

Others create content about the food and drinks that others are making, taking their cameras with them as they venture out to restaurants, cafes, bars, and other culinary hot spots.

There are a variety of brands that might seek out collaborations with this type of influencer. For instance, local restaurants would likely be interested in nano influencers in their community. Brands that make kitchen gadgets and cookware, on the other hand, would likely go after influencers with larger online audiences or even celebrities.

10. Fitness influencer

Fitness influencers are a sub-niche of health and wellness influencers. They specifically focus on fitness and exercise, and they usually come from a relevant professional background—like working as a gym trainer, bodybuilder, or fitness instructor.

These influencers create content that inspires their followers to get physically fit in a way that works for them. So it’s not all glamor shots of their physiques. They share videos with workout routines, safety tips, nutritional guidance, and more.

Fitness influencers have a ton of options when it comes to sponsorships. They can partner with brands that make activewear, fitness equipment, sports drinks, supplements, and more.

11. Travel influencer

Travel influencers tend to adopt a unique area of interest that helps them appeal to a certain type of traveler. For example, a travel influencer may focus on one of these topics:

• Digital nomad life
• Cruise ships
• Budget travel
• Luxury travel
• Cultural immersion

Travel influencer content varies depending on the niche. For instance, some influencers showcase their luxury lifestyle as they jet around the world. Others feature more lowkey content, focusing instead on giving their followers practical travel tips and guidance.

You can make great money as a travel influencer from partnerships with airlines, hotels, and travel agencies. Local travel influencer content can be profitable as well, though the income will likely come from collaborations with brands that sell more general products like travel gear, tours, and so on.

12. Gaming influencer

Gaming influencers are a big deal on video-heavy social media platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Twitch, where they can share prerecorded content or live stream their video gaming sessions for their audience to see.

Gamers might discuss news and trends in the industry, though the most popular content tends to involve actual gameplay. These influencers share their gaming experiences, providing followers with helpful tips, engaging walk-throughs, tutorials, and more.

For many gaming influencers, the ultimate goal is to catch the eye of one of the big companies in the space, such as agencies that develop video games, gaming platforms, or brands that make gaming furniture or accessories. However, gaming influencers can also partner with companies who single out gamers as part of their target user base, like food delivery and energy drink brands.

13. Technology influencer

Tech influencers share in-depth insights and general content related to industry news, new technological devices, and experience using different gadgets. They mainly talk to their followers about the latest and greatest IT products and help them evaluate the quality and applications of new technologies.

The video content produced by a technology influencer is especially helpful as they review different products and show off their features in real time. They also discuss tech trends, new product releases, industry rumors, and more.

One of the benefits of being an influencer in this space is the free stuff you’ll get. And that’s not all—if you’re really good at what you do, tech companies will make sure you’re the first one to try out their new products.

14. Entertainment influencer

Entertainment influencers come in two varieties—those who provide the entertainment and those who comment on it. Common examples of entertainment influencers are comedians and social commentators.

Platforms like TikTok and Instagram make it easy to produce your own entertainment content. From memes to Duets and parody videos to dance routines, you don’t need to be a famous comedian, dancer, or entertainer to produce this kind of content for millions of fans.

Then there are those influencers who discuss the entertainment industry. They might do movie reviews or recap the latest season of a popular TV show. Companies in and around the entertainment industry look for these types of influencers who can help them get closer to fans.

15. Parenting influencer

Parenting influencers create content about parenthood. Their content can be humorous, making light of their day-to-day challenges in parenting. Alternatively, it can be more serious, offering advice on a wide range of topics related to raising children. Other kinds of content can be more straightforward and educational in nature, like reviews of children’s products, clothing, or toys.

This is a niche you’ll need to be careful with as there’s a high risk of entering sensitive territory with your content. You’ll also need to carefully vet your brand partners, ensuring that whatever services or products they offer are safe and appropriate for your followers.

16. Animal or pet influencer

Animal influencers devote their content to certain types of animals. For instance, you’ll find whole Instagram channels on raccoons, foxes, and other adorable wild creatures that people love as well as channels dedicated to tips on wildlife conservation, dog training, dog grooming, and more.

Pet influencers are a subset of the bigger animal niche. These types of influencers create channels that feature their pets. While dogs and cats are the most common, you’ll find pet influencers that feature hamsters, turtles, hedgehogs, and more.

As a pet influencer, there are so many routes to go when it comes to monetization. Pet stores, pet accessory brands, pet insurance companies, veterinary services, animal rescue groups, and others will be looking to generate awareness and/or increase sales through your platform.

17. Business influencer

Business influencers primarily create content that helps people make more money, get more clients, or expand their business. There are so many ways to do this, which is why there are many sub-niches within this category.

Here are just a few examples of business influencer topics:

• Finance
• Marketing
• Productivity
• Entrepreneurship
• Women-owned businesses
• Industry-specific business tips

This type of content tends to be straightforward and practical. The influencer either shares inspirational quotes atop eye-catching graphics or they speak directly to their followers through videos and podcasts, providing them with invaluable advice on how to start or grow their businesses.

Business influencers can certainly land big brand deals if they have a large enough audience. However, sponsored content and affiliate partnerships will likely make more sense because of the nature of their content.

There are millions of influencers on social media. So how do you break through all the noise and establish yourself as someone worth listening to? To find out, there are a few other details you should know about influencer categorization, platforms, and strategies.

What is an influencer on social media?

A social media influencer is someone who uses platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to create a personal brand that attracts followers. One of the ways that influencers differ from content creators is that influencers primarily use social media platforms, and their main motive is to build trust and influence that can be leveraged in brand deals rather than purely educate or entertain their audience.

Brand partnerships are the cornerstone of social media content monetization and account for the majority of an influencer’s earning potential.

For their part, brands work with influencers on social media because of the strong relationships and trust they build with a devoted follower base. These followers will be more inclined to try a product that one of their favorite influencers has recommended.

What types of platforms do influencers use?

Influencers can use all types of social media channels to build a following. These are the most popular platform options for social media influencers:

• Instagram: This is the social media platform that many brands gravitate toward when they’re looking to start a new influencer campaign. It’s also the least restrictive and most flexible in terms of what kind of content you can share, so most influencers will find it valuable to use.
• TikTok: This might be the newest of the social media sites, but it’s among the most influencer-friendly. TikTok offers several monetization features. One of the main ways to make money on TikTok is the TikTok Creator Marketplace, which helps connect TikTok influencers with brands.
• YouTube: This video-sharing platform is a great option for influencers who create video tutorials, vlogs, unboxing videos, and even podcasts. YouTube also offers the highest earning potential, meaning there’s plenty of money to be made as a YouTube influencer.
• Twitch: You can reach high earnings on Twitch as a live streamer. Twitch influencers are often gaming influencers or e-sports influencers.
• Facebook: Facebook is still a popular social media platform for influencers, but it’s no longer at the very top of the list of platforms that influencers or brands gravitate toward.
• LinkedIn: Business or career influencers would do well to set themselves up on LinkedIn. You can write articles, share posts, and even build your own niche-specific group as a LinkedIn influencer.
• Pinterest: This platform is a good choice for influencers that aim to inspire. The key to being a Pinterest influencer is to create amazing, pin-worthy visuals that complement other content, such as high-quality blog posts, how-tos, and infographics.
• Snapchat: This platform has a surprisingly strong user base, even if it might not be the first platform that comes to mind for many influencers. In fact, research shows that it’s the number one social media platform used by 18–29 year olds. It’s ideal if you want to post short-form video content.

Which type of influencer has the highest engagement rate?

Research consistently shows that nano influencers have the highest engagement rates. The trend seems to be that the higher your follower count, the greater your reach but the lower your engagement rate.

Additionally, research shows that TikTok is the platform where social media posts get the highest average engagement rate—and they’re miles ahead of any other platform. This means that TikTok influencers (particularly at the nano level) get the most engagement of any other type of influencer.

Average Influencer Engagement Rates per Post by Social Media Platform

Source: Statista data on influencer engagement rates in 2022.

Whatever type of influencer you become, your engagement rate will be one of the leading factors determining your attractiveness to brands. And engagement isn’t just determined by the type of content you create or the platform you use. Understanding your audience and connecting with your followers will be the key drivers of your success.