Big-name influencers might dominate headlines, but brands are discovering that their best returns often come from creators with smaller, more engaged followings. Nano influencers—everyday people with under 10K followers—are transforming how products reach genuine, interested audiences.

What makes these smaller creators so effective, and how can brands find the right ones to partner with? Let's dive into the details.

Who is a Nano Influencer, and Mega Influencer?

Nano Influencers are everyday people who've built a dedicated following in their niche. They usually have less than 10K followers. Think of your local fitness enthusiast sharing workout tips, or an illustrator who connects with art enthusiasts.

Mega Influencers are social media celebrities with millions of followers. They create highly produced content and typically work with major brands on large-scale campaigns. While their reach is enormous, their connection with individual followers is not as strong as nano influencers.

When we look at the social media landscape, the difference between nano and mega influencers goes far beyond just follower counts. Here are some factors to differentiate between the two:

The 5 reasons why nano influencers deliver better results

They build genuine trust and drive real engagement from their audience.

There's something called "reference groups" in consumer behavior. These are the people we look to when making purchasing decisions. We're more likely to trust and act on recommendations from people we consider part of our reference group - people who feel relatable and accessible.

That's why nano influencers are so effective - they feel like friends or peers rather than distant celebrities. They typically have 1,000-10,000 followers and maintain authentic connections with their community through regular interactions and shared interests. Their recommendations come across as sincere word-of-mouth rather than paid advertising, leading to higher conversion rates despite their smaller reach. Plus, their content tends to be more niche-focused and personally crafted, resonating deeply with their specific target audience.

It's quick and easy to get a response from a nano influencer.

When you message nano influencers for collaborations, you typically get a response within 1-2 days. They aren't drowning in thousands of DMs like mega influencers who take weeks to respond (if they respond at all).

Nano influencers manage their own social media accounts. No dealing with agents, managers, or PR teams - you're talking directly to the creator who'll be featuring your product.

This direct connection matters because:

• You discuss ideas with someone who actually creates the content
• Rates and requirements are discussed directly, avoiding back-and-forth with management
• Initial conversations often lead straight into brainstorming content ideas

To further improve your chances of getting a response from an influencer, check out our email template guide here.

They'll work for commission and not upfront payment

Unlike mega influencers who demand hefty upfront payments, nano influencers are often open to earning through sales commissions.

Brandslike Hexclad and collagen brand like Obvi have capitalized on this by running massive affiliate programs targeting small influencers who dream of monetizing their following.

This helps infleuncers show their potential so that brands trust her enough to partner with them for upfront payments, or product collabs.

But, it also helps brands:

• Zero upfront investment: Brands only pay when sales happen, making it a risk-free way to test new influencer partnerships.
• Direct trackable ROI: Each nano influencer gets a unique discount code or affiliate link, making it easy to see exactly how many sales they drive. This clear data helps brands make informed decisions about scaling partnerships.

Can help you give influencer-generated content

Nano influencers naturally become consistent content creators for your brand when working on commission. Since they're actively trying to make sales, they regularly create fresh photos, videos, and reviews featuring your products. This gives brands a steady stream of authentic content without additional production costs.

Most nano influencers gladly allow brands to repost their content with simple credit - they see it as a win-win where they get exposure to the brand's larger audience. For example, Gymshark uses the images and videos from ambassadors as promotional and educational content for its social media channels.

For example, Fashion Nova uses influencer-generated content in their product catalogue—it's filled with influencer photos showcasing various items. This variety and volume of content would cost millions to produce traditionally, but through influencer partnerships, the brand gets fresh, diverse content daily.

Even for paid usage rights (like using content in ads or on websites), nano influencers charge significantly less than mega influencers.

Fashion brand Princess Polly regularly uses their nano influencers' try-on videos in their website product galleries, getting professional-quality content at a fraction of traditional production costs.

Multiple nano influencers create better brand visibility than one mega creator

Working with nano influencers helps your brand appear everywhere on social media naturally. Instead of spending your entire budget on one mega influencer, you can partner with 20-30 nano influencers. This means your product gets talked about in many different communities and social circles at the same time.

A few years ago, the founder of 1st Phorm Any Frisella said in an interview —

“Now, we have our Legionnaire program with over 4,000 social media influencers who represent 1st Phorm. And it’s not because we post pictures of protein powder. It’s because we know how to have in-person conversations online”

“4,000 social media influencers” — this highlights the scale at which influencer marketing becomes effective to drives massive sales.

While partnering with prominent figures can give you a boost of visibility, achieving consistent, daily traction requires partnering with a large number of creators.

When potential customers see your product being used and recommended by different people they follow, it builds familiarity and trust. It's more convincing to see ten trusted creators genuinely using your product than seeing one celebrity post about it once.

How to find nano influencers: 3 proven methods

Most brands waste hours scrolling through Instagram or overpay on marketplaces to find influencers. Below you can find three targeted methods to build your nano influencer network efficiently.

Leverage SARAL for targeted discovery

SARAL is an all-in-one influencer marketing platform, buit specifically for DTC brands. It streamlines your search by letting you filter creators by niche, location, and audience size. Simply input your criteria, and the platform generates a curated list of potential collaborators.

Create a landing page for your influencer marketing program

Instead of endless outreach, let creators come to you. Build a dedicated landing page for your brand ambassador program that includes:

• Information about your brand
• Clear qualification criteria
• Commission structures
• A simple application form

One of our favorite infleuncer landing pages is from Snif, the perfume brand.

Promote your page across your social channels and email list to attract creators who already resonate with your brand values.

Take Outway, for example – their founder Rob Fraser announced their affiliate program launch directly on Twitter, actively bringing it to potential creators rather than waiting for them to discover it.

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Hashtag research

This method will work on a social media platform where influencers use hashtags regularly and abundantly.

Start by listing hashtags directly related to your product - these are your core hashtags. For a skincare brand, this might be tags like #skincareproducts. Then expand into lifestyle hashtags that capture your target audience's interests, such as #selfcaresunday or #morningrituals. Finally, add expert hashtags used by professionals in your space.

Browse through posts under these hashtags. Evaluate potential influencers based on:

• Their niche
• Content quality and style
• Engagement rates

When you find promising profiles, check their last few weeks of content to ensure they align with your brand values and have experience with product promotions.

Reach out via DM or email with personalized collaboration proposals. This method, while more time-consuming, often yields highly relevant partnerships with creators who already create content in your niche.

💡 SARAL Tip: Try our free Chrome extension to analyze potential influencers' profiles before reaching out. This helps you verify engagement rates and audience authenticity without any upfront investment.

What to Avoid: Influencer Marketplaces

While marketplaces promise convenience, they often deliver inflated prices for mediocre results. Most quality nano influencers avoid these platforms, preferring direct brand relationships. Skip these expensive middlemen and invest your budget in building authentic partnerships through the methods above.

Scale your influencer marketing with SARAL, without adding more complexity

finding genuine nano influencers is like searching for needles in a haystack of Instagram filters and fake followers. And once you find them? Tracking conversations across 20 different DMs while measuring who actually drives sales... it's a nightmare.

That's where SARAL can help. SARAL helps brands like yours:

• Discover high-performing nano influencers in your specific niche
• Track engagement rates and audience authenticity in real-time
• Manage multiple creator relationships from one dashboard
• Measure ROI and sales attribution for each partnership
• Scale your influencer program without scaling complexity

Leading brands are already using SARAL to build powerful nano influencer networks that drive consistent sales and authentic engagement. Don't waste time scrolling through social media or overpaying on marketplaces.

Book a 30-min personalized demo today and join brands that are getting better results with nano influencers.