Vendor reportAspire, 2026

Engagement rate is highest for nano creators at 6.29% and drops to 1.80% for mega creators

Shortlisting creators

Average Engagement Rate by Influencer Follower Count Tier

Average Engagement Rate by Influencer Follower Count Tier
Follower tier (follower count)	Average engagement rate (%)
Nano (2.5K - 25K followers)	6.29%
Micro (25K - 60K followers)	5.77%
Mid-tier (60K - 250K followers)	4.33%
Macro (250K - 1M followers)	3.71%
Mega (1M+ followers)	1.8%

Reader Note:: Aspire's own platform data for 2025, aggregated across creators who connect their accounts to it. The report does not say what engagement rate is divided by, how many posts sit behind each tier, or anything about the tiers beyond the follower bands: nano is 2.5K-25K followers and mega is 1M+. Engagement falling as an audience grows is a long-established pattern; the exact figures belong to this platform's mix of brands and campaigns.
Evidence:: Observed behaviour
Vendor interest:: High — This comes from a company with a commercial interest in this market, so it is not a neutral source.
Sample:: Mixed methods: Aspire internal platform data from creators and campaigns, plus surveys of nearly 900 marketers and creators; exact split and sampling method not disclosed.

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Comparing yourself against a similar segment, and choosing what to test next.

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Saying that one thing caused another, or predicting what you would get.
This comes from a company with a commercial interest in this market, so it is not a neutral source.
This is an aggregated or average number that covers very different cases. Real results in a particular segment may differ.
The source never says how this number was measured.
The source says how much it looked at, but not how any of it was chosen.

Influencer selection is mainly based on engagement rate and audience demographics (94% and 88%), with only 25% using social listening on what consumers discuss

Share of marketers using each data input to select influencers, and what it measures
Data input	Usage (%)
Engagement rate (Influencer output)	94%
Audience demographics (age, gender, location) — Influencer audience	88%
Past campaign performance data (Influencer track record)	81%
Audience interest / affinity data (Influencer audience)	78%
Follower count and reach metrics (Influencer scale)	72%

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Sponsored posts got more engagement when influencers had either very low or very high ad loads, and did worst in the middle

In creator selection, brand fit mattered most and follower count mattered least

Most Important Factor Brands Use When Selecting New Creators to Work With
Selection factor	Brands (%)
Creator suitability or fit for brand	22%
Content performance	17%
Working with a diverse group of creators	14%
Brand affinity, or a history of posting about your client	12%
Follower audience demographics	10%

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Engagement rate is highest for nano creators at 6.29% and drops to 1.80% for mega creators

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