With so many influencer types and creators to suit every industry niche, it can be challenging to choose the right one for your marketing campaign. We’re sure you’ve heard the ROI hype, and it is definitely something to get excited about: influencer marketing is rated among the top forms of digital marketing, so finding the perfect partner is even more important.

This post looks at 7 types of influencers, explores ways in which they can be a good fit for your brand, and will help you understand the types of campaigns each influencer is best suited to.

If you’d like to dive a little deeper, we’ve created an ebook to help you further understand the unique benefits of each influencer category from micro-influencers and your own customers, to KOLs, rising influencers, celebrities, and everything in between.

Understanding influencer types:

Nano influencers

WHO ARE THEY?

• 1,000 – 5,000 followers 
• Most active on Instagram, Facebook, and Linkedin.

WHY WORK WITH THEM?

• High engagement rates
• Genuine affinity with your brand 
• Cost-effective partnerships

PERFECT FIT FOR:

• Local and national brand awareness
• Event promotion 
• Promoting seasonal product lines

Micro-influencers

WHO ARE THEY?

• 5,000 – 15,000 followers
• Most active on Instagram

WHY WORK WITH THEM?

• High engagement rates 
• Highly targeted, niche audiences 
• Genuine affinity with your brand 
• Cost-effective partnerships 

PERFECT FIT FOR:

• Brand awareness 
• Product reviews 
• Product how-tos 
• Niche product launch

Check out this post on how micro-influencers can transform your business. 

Organic influencers

WHO ARE THEY?

• They’re individuals who are already part of your brand community, such as customers, subscribers, or followers

WHY WORK WITH THEM?

• Reach your target customer demographic 
• Genuine affinity with your brand 
• Authentic content creation 
• Cost-effective partnerships

PERFECT FIT FOR 

• Brand awareness 
• Product reviews 
• Product how-tos 
• Referral marketing

Check out this post on the best way to discover organic influencers. 

KOL (Key Opinion Leaders)

WHO ARE THEY?

• 5K – 500K followers 
• Most active on Linkedin, Twitter, and blogs.

WHY WORK WITH THEM?

• Raise brand awareness
• Boost brand credibility
• Specialist knowledge makes impactful content

PERFECT FIT FOR 

• Thought leadership 
• B2B partnerships 
• Brand awareness 
• Event promotion

Rising Star Influencers

WHO ARE THEY?

• 100K – 500K followers
• Most active on Instagram, YouTube & TikTok

WHY WORK WITH THEM?

• Raise brand awareness 
• Boost sales 
• Reach new audiences 
• Build your brand’s social presence

PERFECT FIT FOR 

• National/Regional awareness 
• Driving web traffic 
• Product launch

Mega Influencers

WHO ARE THEY?

• 500K+ followers 
• Most active on Instagram, YouTube & TikTok

WHY WORK WITH THEM?

• Raise brand awareness
• Mass-market promotion 
• Reach a mainstream, broad audience 
• Build your brand’s social presence

PERFECT FIT FOR 

• Brand awareness 
• Driving web traffic 
• Product launch 
• Affiliate campaigns

Celebrity Influencers

WHO ARE THEY?

• 1M+ followers 
• Most active on Instagram and Twitter.

WHY WORK WITH THEM?

• Global brand awareness
• Mass-market product promotion 
• Build brand image & reputation 
• Celebrity endorsement boosts sales

PERFECT FIT FOR 

• Large-scale ad campaigns 
• Brand ambassador 
• Sponsored content 
• Event host or patron

Check out this post on working with macro-influencers and celebrities.

As you can see, there are types of influencers to suit every brand and campaign. Once your goals are defined you’ll be in a position to choose the best type of influencers to work with.

If your brand is in a niche industry then nano or micro-influencers are a great choice given their tight-knit communities created around specific topics.

If your brand is aiming to develop industry leadership and brand awareness then reaching out to key opinion leaders (KOL) is a good way to achieve this using channels such as industry media, podcasts, and journals.

If you have a sizeable community of customers or subscribers then consider the advantages of leveraging them as brand advocates. Their genuine experience of your products or services makes them the perfect fit for promoting your brand to others!

Prepare for your influencer search with the guide below. It’s full of helpful tips for choosing the best influencer types for your campaign and practical strategies to kick-start your search!

Don’t forget, influencer selection can be time-intensive if done manually, so it’s a good idea to carry out large-scale searches using multiple search criteria on a dedicated platform such as Upfluence. Use 20+ filters to search according to location, gender, follower size, keywords, and performance metrics!