The types of influencers brands need to know

Influencer marketing is now one of the most effective marketing channels for brands and businesses from all walks of life. The industry is now worth over $14 billion and shows no signs of slowing down.

TikTok has become one of the newest and most promising platforms that is constantly evolving for influencer marketing that brands can no longer ignore about their social media strategies.

As different social platforms require varied marketing approaches and strategies, there are various types of influencers that can be more or less adapted according to the specific needs of brands. Understanding what these types are will inform creative briefs and influencer selection criteria for your next campaign.

When planning an influencer campaign on TikTok, defining the type of influencer to work with should be the first step. A significant factor in marketing effectiveness is knowing how to reach the right audience — and choosing creators with a relevant audience will make that easier.

Influencers can be classified into 3 broad categories. The most common and obvious criterion is the number of followers they have on TikTok and on the platforms.

They can also be divided according to their niche, and content goals. There are plenty of other ways to define the types of influencers on TikTok, but these are the most relevant ones to consider when planning your next campaign.

Let's look at each of them:

• By number of subscribers
• By niche
• By content goals

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Types of TikTok influencers by number of followers

The number of followers an influencer has is important for any brand that wants to run an influencer marketing campaign on TikTok. There are 6 types of influencers that are commonly used based on the number of subscribers, from smaller to larger ones.

NANO INFLUENCERS

Nano influencers generally have between 5,000 and 50,000 followers on TikTok. These creators tend to be linked to a particular niche or sub-niche, which can limit their reach. On the other hand, they are the creators with the best engagement rates because their audience is extremely targeted, and their content is aimed at a very specific interest group.

Nano influencers easily maintain a close relationship with their followers. They have established trust and a great relationship with their audience and are often regarded as experts in their niche. By working with a nano influencer, you can target a very narrow and highly engaged audience group.

MICRO INFLUENCERS

Then, micro influencers can have between 50,000 and 150,000 followers on TikTok. Micro-influencers are the most common type of creators on TikTok.

Similar to nano influencers, they focus on a specific niche but around more popular topics. They also have high engagement rates and their audience is more likely to act on their advice, but benefit from a slightly wider reach because their niche is less narrow. Small businesses tend to work with these types of influencers as a great option to reach their campaign goals at a reasonable cost.

Micro-influencers gained more exposure in 2022, and more brands are now planning to use them in their campaigns to maximize impact per impression.

MID-SIZED INFLUENCERS

Influencers with 150,000 to 750,000 followers on TikTok are called mid-sized. They are at the point of transition between small-scale and large-scale influencers — bigger than micro, but not quite macro.

Most of the time, their content focuses around specific hobbies, and they attract a group of followers who share those interests.

MACRO INFLUENCERS

Macro influencers are part of the big league, reaching 750,000 to 2,500,000 followers on TikTok. Compared to the previous types, macro influencers tend to cover multiple topics and follow the latest trends. They don't limit their content as much as smaller influencers usually do.

Their audience sees them as experts, but they seem less accessible to the public. In most cases, they have multiple social channels and a large presence on all of them.

As their content is more varied and they have a greater number of followers, their reach is wider; the downside is that their content receives lower engagement compared to nano and micro influencers in particular. Running a marketing campaign with an influencer of this size will ensure much wider exposure, but brands should ensure that their products integrate seamlessly on their TikTok page without appearing too promotional.

MEGA INFLUENCERS

When a creator has over 2,500,000 followers on TikTok, they fall into the category of mega-influencers.

They often capture a large audience with diverse and varied interests. They are highly regarded for the quality of their content, and their fans consider them celebrities in their respective niches.

Brands need to spend a larger budget working with mega-influencers. They may bring a lot of attention to your brands, but the content is unlikely to be relevant to their entire audience, so again, engagement will generally be lower.

INFLUENCERS/CELEBRITIES

Celebs built their popularity outside of social media and then joined TikTok. They could be movie or music stars, successful entrepreneurs, or media moguls.

Their main appeal to brands is their wider social and cultural importance and their ability to connect with and transmit brand values at a deeper level. Clearly, celebrities are well known to the general public and can influence their buying decisions significantly — but will be more difficult to obtain and, of course, require larger budgets.

Types of TikTok influencers by niche

Another way to categorize TikTok influencers is to look at their target niche (or sub-niche). There are endless niches to consider, but some popular ones include the following.

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GAMERS

These influencers are interested in specific types of games or gaming platforms. They share useful tips and advice, rate new titles, and play live. Their audience is passionate about the video game industry and enjoys watching them skilfully play games that they are also interested in. They can compete with other players and their fans will be cheering for them during their live streams.

SPORTS AND FITNESS

These influencers tend to motivate their followers to reach their health and fitness goals. They are the perfect partner for any nutrition, fitness, or sports equipment brand and can be further subdivided according to the type of activity their content revolves around.

BLOGGERS AND VLOGGERS

Bloggers and vloggers are one of the most popular types of influencers on TikTok. They can cover a range of topics, so may be relevant for most brands. Their content tends to be more detailed and thorough, and therefore in longer form. They attract viewers who want to delve deeper into a given topic and really get involved. Most of their revenue comes from partnerships with brands and affiliate marketing, so they need to be experts in generating traffic.

PHOTOGRAPHERS AND VIDEOGRAPHERS

These influencers generally fall into micro to mega categories in terms of following size. Their content is visually beautiful and draws viewers in.

VOYAGE

Travel is a very popular category on TikTok. Travel influencers offer travel tips, promotions, and reviews about the various places they visit.

The creators of this niche can promote a variety of brands - ranging from businesses selling hiking gear to travel agencies and hotels.

BEAUTY

The beauty and cosmetics niche is well suited to TikTok because it is easy to digest and highly visual. Beauty creators give beauty tips, skin care tips, and evaluate relevant products. They are the perfect choice for cosmetic brands.

FASHION

Fashion can be divided into different categories: clothing, jewelry, shoes, shoes, accessories, etc. A common way to partner with these influencers is by sending them products to try and share with their followers - also called a giveaway strategy for designers.

They'll typically use some sort of affiliate link in their content, caption, or bio link, making it easy to track traffic from their content to your brand.

PARENTING

When it comes to parenting, everyone needs tips and tricks. Parenting influencers are there to help. This type of influencers has a fairly limited but highly targeted audience. Promoting products for children such as toys, clothing or food or to make life easier for parents is the best option for them.

Types of TikTok influencers by content goals

Regardless of their following size or target niche, some influencers will pursue a specific objective through content that engages viewers on topics that are important to them.

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OPINION LEADERS

Thought leaders are generally innovators who like to share their latest ideas and achievements with their followers. They could be successful entrepreneurs or individuals working in well-known businesses. They are true experts in their field and have built a high degree of trust with their audience. Gary Vee could be considered one of them.

JOURNALISTS

Journalists are seen as a reliable and trusted source of information for many. On TikTok, they can have great engagement rates because their audience is actively looking for their opinions on topics that interest them. They usually have a pre-established presence outside of social media, so their audience already knows what they're talking about. Creators in this category can be picky when it comes to brand partnerships, of course, as they value their credibility more than commercial success on the platform.

ACTIVISTS

A political or social cause generally drives this type of TikTok influencers. They seek to make a positive change in society by sharing important messages with viewers. In some cases, their views aren't tailored for brands to partner with them, so due diligence is essential before engaging them. Brands should ensure that their beliefs and values align with your brand image.

DEFENDERS

Advocates are influencers who regularly share content around a specific business or product. Their aim is to improve the brand image; they really believe in the product they are promoting, sometimes even before getting contracts or sponsorships.

LOYALISTS

Finally, loyalists are creators who truly believe in the products and brands they promote. This goes beyond the campaign they are currently working on. They don't just do a sponsored post, get paid and leave.

Instead, they are happy to collaborate with the brand over an extended period of time and in a wider capacity than other influencers might be prepared to. For example by acting as official brand ambassadors who will be comfortable putting their name and personal brand behind yours.

Such creators may be more committed to helping your brand reach its campaign goals because they genuinely want to see it succeed with their content.

Conclusion

There are a lot of different types of influencers on TikTok that brands should know about.

Which type is best for your brand depends on your desired campaign results, especially the trade-off between engagement and reach.

The data suggests that engagement tends to be inversely proportional to the size of the follow—while nano and micro influencers have smaller reach, their engagement rates are much higher than those of mega-influencers or even celebrities, for example.

You'll also want to consider the creator's niche (or sub-niche) to make sure their audience is relevant to your brand, product, or service. Finally, you can consider their content goals, especially if you want to deliver messages that are more inspiring or based on brand values.