The trend: Brands are increasingly engaging with nano-, micro-, and mid-tier influencers—creators with up to 10,000, 50,000, 500,000 followers, respectively—and shifting away from macro- and mega-influencers with larger followings.

The numbers:

• Nano-influencers maintain the highest engagement rate across influencer categories on Instagram at 6.23%. On Instagram, there’s a notable trend of engagement rates decreasing as follower count increases.
• TikTok generally outperforms other platforms in terms of engagement rates across influencer sizes, but nano-, micro-, and mid-tier influencers maintain the highest engagement. Per a study from Influencer Marketing Hub, nano-influencers had a 10.3% engagement rate on TikTok in 2024, while micro-influencers came in at 8.7% and mid-tier landed at 7.5%.
• But the engagement rate trend is consistent regardless of platform. Nano-influencers have the highest overall engagement rate (2.53%), and engagement decreases as follower count increases, with mega-influencers averaging .92%, per a HypeAuditor report cited by Shopify. And the higher the engagement rate, the more likely followers are to make a purchase.
• TikTok is dominated by nano-influencers, representing 87.7% of all influencers on the platform. Instagram follows a similar pattern: Nano-influencers represent 75.9% of its influencers, per the HypeAuditor study.

Why it matters: Ninety-two percent of consumers trust recommendations from individuals like friends and family members over brands, per Nielsen—and smaller influencers are often seen as peers rather than celebrities or advertisers.

These influencers provide targeted reach that allows brands to connect with niche audiences more likely to relate to specific offerings. Combined with higher engagement rates and a more trustworthy persona, working with smaller influencers is a must-have, not a nice-to-have.

Our take: Partnering with nano-, micro-, and mid-tier influencers enables brands to tap into deeper authenticity and niche audiences, translating to more meaningful engagement and higher ROI than broader, but less personal, macro-influencer campaigns.

Regular collaboration with smaller influencers will help cultivate brand advocates within grassroots communities—planting seeds for sustained growth and deeper customer loyalty over time.