Nano, micro or macro: choosing a creator tier by budget
by CIA updated 21/09/2026 3 min read
Also available in: Tiếng Việt
Choosing a creator tier is not choosing a follower count, it is choosing between reach and conversion. Large channels give you people who see; small channels give you people who trust. For the same budget, mixing the two usually beats putting everything in one tier.
Three tiers and their problems
| Tier | Main strength | Weakness |
|---|---|---|
| Nano | Many people, each with a small but very trusting audience | High management cost: 20 small contracts take far longer than 1 large one |
| Micro | Balanced: enough audience to measure, close enough to be trusted | Heavily hunted, prices rise fast |
| Macro | Fast reach, brand endorsement value | Low engagement rate, diluted audience, high price |
The dividing lines between tiers have no common standard and every company sets them differently. So do not argue about labels — work out the real number.
The number that matters
An engagement rate alone buys nothing. Multiply it by median views to get absolute interactions per video:
Interactions per video = median views × engagement rate by views
Then divide by the price of one post to get cost per interaction. That figure is comparable between a nano channel and a macro one; a percentage is not.
Median views and engagement by views both come from one channel report run — 5 credits, 60 most recent videos. Small channels almost always rate higher, for the reason explained in what counts as a good rate.
Splitting a budget
There is no correct formula, but there is a usable way to think: split the budget by the objective of each part, not by tier.
- Need people to learn a new product exists: concentrate most of it in one or two larger channels.
- Need orders: several small channels in the same niche, at the same time.
- Need content for paid ads: choose whoever edits well, whatever the size — and write reuse rights into the contract, see the checklist.
The thing people forget
With many small channels, the real cost is not the booking fee but time. Twenty nano contracts mean twenty negotiations, twenty content approvals and twenty result reconciliations. Put your hours into the budget before concluding nano is cheaper.
Frequently asked questions
How many followers counts as micro? There is no standard. Every report sets it differently, so do not decide on the label. Use median views.
Can results from small channels be measured? It is harder, because small numbers are noisy. The usual approach is a unique discount code per channel.
How many channels should run at once? At least three, so you have something to compare. With one channel you cannot tell whether the result came from the channel or the product.
More on this topic: Creators & KOLs