influencer-strategy

Influencer Strategy (creator selection, contracting, measurement)

Tiers are roles, not sizes

nano  (~1k-10k)    cheapest per post, high comment intimacy; local/niche proof and cheap volume
                   testing of angles. Most ops overhead per unit of reach.
micro (~10k-100k)  workhorse: real topical authority, negotiable, enough volume to A/B creators.
mid   (~100k-500k) meaningful single-post reach with retained community trust; anchors a wave.
macro/celebrity    reach, credibility transfer, PR value. Priced like media, not word of mouth;
                   low CPE, weaker comment-level trust, key-person risk.

Bands differ by platform and market — re-cut them from your own data; the tier's job is the point. Portfolios beat single tiers: macro/mid for reach and legitimacy, micro/nano for coverage, repeatability and cheap creative learning.

Select on fit, not follower count

Rank on audience overlap with the target (geo, language, age, interest — from the creator's own audience export, not a guess) · topical authenticity (do they use the category unpaid?) · comment substance and sentiment · brand-deal density, since back-to-back sponsorships convert poorly · brand-safety history. Follower count only sets the price band; an audience 70% outside your market is expensive at any CPM.

CPM / CPE as planning inputs

CPM = fee / (expected impressions / 1000)
CPE = fee / expected engagements   ← define engagement: likes+comments+shares+saves
CPV = fee / expected views         ← state the platform's view definition; they differ
expected impressions ≈ MEDIAN views of the creator's last N comparable organic posts

Use recent medians, never peaks and never follower count. Sanity-check the resulting CPM against your paid CPM for the same placement. These are estimates: pay on deliverables and terms, and negotiate a make-good clause if delivered reach lands far below the stated median.

Brief, creative freedom, and contract terms

Give only the non-negotiables — single message, mandatory and prohibited claims, hook window, CTA and link/code, delivery spec. The creator owns format, voice, script and edit; that native voice is what you are buying, and word-for-word scripting reads as an ad and loses the trust you paid for. Approve a concept or outline instead of line-editing. The contract must then fix: