Ahead #2 | The Small Influencer, Big Impact: Why Fewer Followers Deliver Greater Returns

Hi ,

Exactly one week ago, we launched Ahead — and we’re thrilled that you’re among the very first readers to join.

This newsletter is built for people like you: professionals who want to scale smarter, stay ahead of the curve, and base their marketing on what actually works — not just what’s trending.

Let’s dive into this week’s insight.

It sounds logical: to reach a big audience, you collaborate with an influencer who has lots of followers. More reach, more visibility, more sales — right?

Not quite.

New research shows that nano-influencers — accounts with fewer than 8,500 followers — can deliver up to 18x higher returns per euro spent compared to their larger counterparts.

And this isn't based on shallow social media analysis.

The researchers worked with:

• Over 1.8 million orders

• More than €17 million in revenue

• 2,808 Instagram posts with unique discount codes

• 3 field experiments and 319 paid campaigns in fashion and beauty — via Instagram, in real webshops

The result? A consistent, robust pattern: small influencers drive serious conversions.

But how can fewer followers lead to more revenue?

What happens in the influencer-follower relationship — and how can you leverage that as an e-commerce brand?

Subscribe to our premium content to read the rest.