Glossary

What is a macro-influencer?

Ask someone for their definition of a social media influencer, and most people probably imagine a macro-influencer. Why is that? And what makes someone a macro-influencer?

What is a macro-influencer?

A macro-influencer tends to be an original content creator, celebrity, or sports star with between 200,000 and 1 million followers.

Even if you’re not following any macro-influencers, you’ll probably still see their posts on your friends’ and family members’ feeds when they engage with them.

For many smaller content creators starting on their influencer journey, becoming a macro-influencer tends to be the desired end goal. After all, they’re loved by brands and used in high-profile marketing campaigns. Macro-influencers also generate incredible online revenues and enjoy a certain level of fame, both in the real world and online.

Why do brands like working with macro-influencers?

When you reach the level of followers that a macro-influencer can hit with a single social media post, you can see why brands choose to collaborate with them. They are social media stars, and a single social media post can promote a brand to nearly 1 million followers.

A macro-influencer can provide brands with epic levels of instant:

  • Campaign engagement
  • Brand awareness and authority
  • Website traffic and online sales
  • Return on investment (ROI)

Great, so why do some brands choose not to work with a macro-influencer?

While working with a macro-influencer can bring impressive benefits, our recent Aspire survey shows that only 7% of marketers choose to work with mega and macro-influencers.

For starters, collaborating with a macro-influencer can be incredibly expensive.

A frequently posting macro-influencer will often employ a team around them to produce the volume of high-level content that followers love. These can include using professional photographers, editors, and agents - who aren’t cheap. Unfortunately, these additional costs can often outweigh the benefits a brand will gain by working with an influencer of this size.

Also, a macro-influencer cannot provide the levels of follower engagement that micro and nano-Influencers provide. This is often pivotal to ensuring a brand’s advertising appears organic.

To learn more about different types of influencers and how to get started with influencer marketing, explore our guide.

Learn more about Aspire

Save time without sacrificing returns. Uplevel your influencer marketing campaigns with Aspire.

Request a Demo