# 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](/content/blog/how-to-boost-brand-awareness-through-influencer-marketing/index.html) 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](https://learn.aspireiq.com/rs/982-DON-266/images/Aspire-2022-State-Of-Influencer-Marketing.pdf) 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](/content/glossary/micro-influencer/index.html) and [nano](/content/glossary/nano-influencer/index.html)-influencers provide. This is often pivotal to ensuring a brand’s advertising appears organic.

To learn more about different [types of influencers](/content/glossary/influencer/index.html) and how to get started with [influencer marketing](/content/glossary/influencer-marketing/index.html), explore our [guide](/content/blog/getting-started-with-influencer-marketing/index.html).