You've probably noticed that some individuals on social media will use their accounts to promote certain products and services.
They tend to have audiences made up mostly of people that match certain criteria, with interests in specific products.
When the account holder endorses a product, many of their audience is likely to buy the same thing.
Such is the volume of followers that some of these people have that any endorsement of a product can have a significant impact on the sales of that product.
How Many Followers Does It Take To Be An Influencer?
There is no single answer to this question.
There is no magic number you need to pass in order for the klaxons to go off and the ticker tape to fall in congratulations at having upgraded your influencer status.
The numbers can vary considerably according to which field you are in, how committed your followers are, and what you expect to gain.
You could say that you are an Instagram influencer once a brand decides you are an influencer but, still, different brands are likely to have different expectations for them to brand somebody as an influencer.
However, there are some ballpark figures that will help give you the kind of online presence that you will need in order to be able to call yourself an influencer.
1. Nano Influencer
Social media nano-influencers tend not to be stars or a celebrity influencer, but everyday people.
The sort of people you are unlikely to have heard about unless you are interested in particular products.
Their audience tends to be friends and family, and other people who have stumbled across them online.
Nano-influencers tend to have only around 1,000 or so followers, although this might reach up to approximately 5,000 in some cases.
Despite these relatively low numbers, they can still be a reasonably effective Instagram influencer.
This is because they tend to interact more closely with their audience.
Social media nano-influencers can also be useful because their low-key status helps give them a 'girl next door' persona that allows other people to associate with them more easily.
Of course, a business can also collaborate with many nano-influencers, helping to make up for the relatively low number of influencers' followers.
How much nano-influencers can expect to make can also vary considerably, and different platforms are considered more valuable than others.
2. Micro Influencer
Micro-influencers are still everyday people, but they have taken their influencer marketing to the next level.
Micro-influencers will make more of an effort to create good quality content, and this tends to mean that they will attract many followers.
Indeed, micro-influencers are likely to have up to around 100,000 followers, although this number is often lower.
Micro-influencers tend to focus on a particular niche, and they are often considered authorities in that niche.
They also tend to have relatively high levels of interaction with their followers.
Again, how much micro-influencers can expect to make can also vary considerably, and different platforms are considered more valuable than others.
3. Macro Influencer
Macro-influencers are people who the general public is more likely to know of, and, in many cases, they became well-known thanks to the internet.
They tend to have more than 100,000 followers, but this figure can be far higher.
Macro-influencers tend not to need to go looking for companies that will use them as an Instagram influencer.
Instead, macro-influencers tend to be approached by big brands looking to increase their brand awareness.
The sheer volume of followers means macro-influencers do not interact with individual followers as much as nano and micro-influencers.
This means less of an impact on each follower, but having such a broad audience means they can be very influential overall.
4. Mega Influencer
Social media mega influencers tend to be global, household names.
These include the most famous actors, the most successful musical artists, and the most recognizable sportspeople.
Mega-influencers will often have little knowledge of a product they endorse, and their many followers will tend not to belong to a particular product niche.
However, mega-influencers will have such a large following that any products they endorse will reach a vast audience, resulting in a considerable upturn in product visibility and sales.
Social media mega-influencers are already likely to be relatively wealthy, and they can also expect to make the following amounts through endorsing products.
3 Pro Tips On How To Become An Influencer
Pro Tip #1: Craft An Audience
Pro Tip #2: Create & Sell Your Story
Tip 3: Implement A Marketing Strategy