What Is a Macro-Influencer? (With Job Responsibilities)

Image description

An illustration of a person checking their email on a mobile phone, with communication bubbles surrounding it.

A macro-influencer is a public figure who builds a reputation from their social media presence to earn an income. These influencers have become popular for posting engaging content online and partnering with companies for brand deals. If a career as an influencer interests you, then it may be beneficial to gain insight into building social media followings and creating content that appeals to consumers.

In this article, we define the role and job duties of macro-influencers, explain the career requirements and describe the differences between macro- and micro-influencers. 

What is a macro-influencer?

A macro-influencer is a social media influencer with a large audience, typically between 100,000 and 1 million followers. They amass followings by posting a specific type of content that targets a niche audience. They also partner with companies to earn income by promoting products to their followers. For example, a beauty brand may pay an influencer with three million subscribers to post a tutorial using the brand’s newest foundation.

Macro-influencers often have a well-developed personal brand, which is an image that defines an individual by their values, reputation, expertise and personal style. An influencer’s brand can include the topic and visual style of content that they regularly post.

Read more: What Is a Social Media Influencer? (Types and Marketing Tips)

What does a macro-influencer do?

Macro-influencers create engaging social media content and work with companies to execute marketing campaigns. They can work from home, but they may occasionally meet with marketing representatives. Here’s a list of their typical responsibilities: 

• Creating and posting content, such as photos, graphics, videos and blog posts 

• Negotiating with brand collaborators to determine positing expectations and compensation for content.

• Promoting products by publishing content that demonstrates the use of products or using product placement strategies 

• Making several posts throughout campaigns to increase brand awareness 

• Analyzing audience engagement, including the demographics of their audience and the likes, comments and shares their posts generated

Related: What Is Influencer Marketing and How To Measure Campaign Success

Macro-influencer career requirements

Here are the common requirements for a career as a macro-influencer:

Education

Although there’s no formal education or training required to be an influencer, you may benefit by gaining a deeper understanding of marketing, business and communications. For example, you can learn how to operate graphic design and video editing software to create and design content for your digital channels. Schooling in social media management can help you use analytics tools to monitor your online engagement and publish content at strategic times. A marketing course can teach you about target audiences and conversions, while a business course can show you how to establish prices for your services when you collaborate with brands.

Read more: 33 Influencer Marketing Courses (Both Free and Paid Classes)

Skills

Here’s a list of skills that a macro-influencer may use in their profession: 

Communication

Macro-influencers maintain frequent communication with representatives of the brands they collaborate with to negotiate contracts and report the success of marketing campaigns. To engage online audiences and commit to their public brands, macro-influencers also use conversational tones when responding to comments from followers and making public appearances. 

Social media

With proficiency in social media platforms, macro-influencers know what, when, and how to post content to maximize engagement and encourage consumers to join their followings. Professionals also understand social media analytics to determine the performance of their content, including how their posts persuaded followers to purchase products.

SEO

Macro-influencers use search engine optimization (SEO) to make it easier for consumers to find their posts and boost the effectiveness of brand campaigns. For example, they may include strategic keywords in the headlines of their blog posts and the titles of their videos to match the phrases consumers may use to search for specific content online.

Content creation

Mastering content creation enables macro-influencers to develop written and visual materials that are compatible with social media platforms and interesting to followers. Macro-influencers use specialized equipment, such as cameras, lighting tools, and picture editing software to produce dynamic digital content. 

Knowledge of trends

By staying informed on internet trends, macro-influencers can produce content that their audiences find appealing and useful, and they can attract new followers. For example, a fashion influencer may capitalize on clothing trends by creating tutorials that teach followers how to dress like popular celebrities. 

Creativity

Creative macro-influencers can distinguish themselves from other content creators and develop content that expands their audiences and solidifies their personal brands. With a niche, macro-influencers can appeal to companies seeking partnerships, which helps them advance their careers. 

Organization

Organized macro-influencers can design a content schedule that allows them to post consistently on their profiles and keep their audiences engaged. They can also manage responsibilities from several brand deals at once.

Self-motivation

Macro-influencers often work independently, so it can be important for them to motivate themselves and practice self-accountability to establish their careers. For instance, they may identify brands they want to work with and set their own goals for follower growth and social media engagement. 

Related: How To Become a Micro-Influencer (Plus Salary and Duties)

Macro-influencer vs. micro-influencer

Macro-influencers and micro-influencers are both social media content creators who collaborate with brands to promote products and services, but there are key differences between them. One is the size of their audiences. Macro-influencers can have millions of followers, while micro-influencers typically have 1,000 to 100,000 followers. 

Another difference is a company’s reason for collaborating with the influencer. Brands may seek partnerships with macro-influencers to reach a large, broad group of consumers, such as young adults between the ages of 18 and 24. With contracts with micro-influencers, brands may strive to appeal to a niche audience, such as parents who have twin children.