How Many Followers do You Need to be an Influencer?
The word ‘influencer’ has become a buzz word in social media circles, with more and more people trying to carve out their own place as influencers in their respective networks. But the question that many aspiring influencers, and their current followers, want an answer to is: How many followers do I need to be an influencer?
In today’s social media landscape, the answer is more complex than a simple numerical figure. Here’s our guide to the numbers behind influencer marketing and the criteria you need to meet to grow your follower count and become an influencer.
What is an Influencer?
Before we dive into the details of how many followers you need to be an influencer, let’s start by defining what an influencer is. An influencer is someone who has the power to influence the purchasing decisions of their followers, by using their influence and personal opinions or contacts. This means that influencers take a large part in how a brand interacts with its audience, as they are seen as an expert in their field.
Many influencers have become successful in their field due to their passion, dedication and hard work. They build an engaged and loyal audience, offer data-driven advice, and truly enjoy their content and community.
Influencers reach the audiences that brands may not have the capacity to reach through their own channels. This helps brands to extend their appeal and communicate their messaging to a broader audience.
The Different Types of Influencers
Not all influencers are the same. To determine how many followers you need to be an influencer, it’s important to take into account the different types of influencers out there and the engagement levels associated with them.
Let’s take a look at today’s most popular influencers and their associated follower levels.
• Micro influences: This type of influencer typically has between 1,000 to 100,000 followers. They focus on a specific niche and provide their followers with specialized product recommendations.
• Macro influences: This type of influencer usually has between 100,001 to 1,000,000 followers. They often post content that appeals to a wider, general audience, and they tend to have larger engagement levels because of their wider reach.
• Celebrity influencers: This type of influencer usually has more than 1,000,000 followers. They can make or break a brand with their endorsement and as such, they tend to command high fees for their services.
How to Count Followers
In order to determine how many followers you need to be an influencer, the first step is to count the number of followers you have currently. There are various ways to do this, such as viewing your social media analytics, or even just manually counting your followers.
To add a layer of accuracy to your numbers, it’s important to limit your count to ‘real’ followers, as many influencers and brands buy followers from various sources. An easy way to do this is to use a social media audit tool, such as Followerwonk. These tools will give you an accurate count and help you weed out any fake followers.
Once you have a true figure of your followers, you will be able to determine which category of influencer you are and the associated follower count that needs to go with it.
Ideas to Increase Your Follower Count
Having an accurate count of followers is an important first step in understanding how many followers you need to be an influencer. But what if your follower count is not high enough yet?
We’ve provided some tips below that can help you to increase the size of your audience and reach the influencer level.
• Use hashtags: Using relevant hashtags in your posts is the quickest and easiest way to increase your visibility. Use popular and trending hashtags that are relevant to your content and niche, as this will ensure your posts are seen by more people.
• Comment on popular posts: Commenting on the posts of other influencers in your niche is a great way to reach new audiences. Make sure to leave meaningful comments, as this will help you build relationships with influencers who might be willing to collaborate with you in the future.
• Utilize the power of video content: Video content will help you stand out from the competition, as it’s a great way to capture people’s attention. It’s also a great way to showcase your personality and build a connection with your audience.
• Run competitions: Competitions are a great way to increase engagement and attract new followers. Make sure the prizes you offer are both relevant and appealing to your target audience, as this will help you attract the right people.
It’s important to note that to become an influencer with a larger follower count, you need to focus on quality as well as quantity. Having a large follower count is no good if these followers are not engaging with your content.
So, while the exact figures of how many followers you need to be an influencer vary, by following the tips outlined in this article, you should be able to find the right balance of quality and quantity that will help you achieve your influencer goals.