Not everybody can be Alix Earle. But does everybody want to be? These days, more and more people are hanging up their pipe dreams of fame and followers for something more realistic: being niche.
Micro-influencers (creators with 10,000 – 100,000 followers) are taking the Internet by storm, with an increasing number of people choosing to actively engage with and follow smaller accounts on Instagram and TikTok. Mega-influencers are no longer the unequivocal apex predators of the influencer food chain. The authenticity, niche focus, and closer relationships with followers make them more impactful than their larger counterparts.
It wasn’t always this way. There was a simpler time when the world of influencer marketing was dominated by accounts with millions of followers and bona fide A-list celebrities. People loved seeing what they couldn’t have, living vicariously through their favorite creators, and it seemed like influencer marketing was a linear function where x = millions of followers and y = effectiveness.
And then it wasn’t.
Eventually, people grew tired of Los Angeles influencers posting “relatable” videos from apartments that cost more monthly than their followers earn in a year. The countless unboxing videos, despite owning one of almost everything, got old. Viewers wanted something — someone — they could actually relate to. Coupling this with Gen Z’s increasing desire to have their personalities and aesthetics be as esoteric and “gatekept” as possible, microinfluencers and nanoinfluencers (creators with 1,000 – 10,000) became the new norm.
For microinfluencers, it’s not just about their audiences seeing their content, but the creators making their audiences feel seen. It’s much easier to feel closer to someone with 10,000 followers than it is to someone with 1,000,000. Authenticity works in favor of microinfluencers, and lately, it seems to be a more valuable currency than actual cash.
It comes down to engagement versus reach. Bigger accounts can definitely have their videos hit millions of timelines and TikTok For You Pages, but how helpful is that when eyes roll and fingers scroll after seeing a blue checkmark? On the other hand, while microinfluencers aren’t getting the same kind of reach, their followers are usually compelled to engage with content more frequently. The likes, shares, and comments are still definitely there — and that’s what the brands really care about.
The statistics also reflect this: microinfluencers generate average engagement rates between 1.8% and 10.98%, consistently higher than those of macro-influencers, who average only 0.61–2% engagement, depending on the platform (Statusphere, 2025). In addition, brands collaborate with an average of 30 micro-influencers per campaign, a 36% year-over-year increase. It pays to be yourself.
The influencer economy has been turned on its head in recent years, truly democratizing the content creation industry and making it clear that anyone can be an influencer. This marks a shift in the way people consume content as well. People are preferring down-to-earth, relatable content more than they used to, which means the extravagance and (very obviously) paid advertisements from bigger accounts are taking a backseat. This might mean a shift in the way larger influencers interact with their followings, or that the concept of a macroinfluencer is on its way out completely.
What we do know: the best thing you can be is yourself. The brands prefer it anyway.
