Mega-influencers deliver reach, but reach isn't the same as return. Across our campaigns, creators in the 50k to 500k range consistently outperform million-follower accounts on the metrics that matter: engagement rate, cost-per-acquisition and conversion.
The reason is trust. Mid-tier creators keep a closer relationship with their audience, so a recommendation reads as genuine rather than transactional. That translates into higher click-through and stronger downstream conversion.
They're also more cost-efficient. Because you can book several mid-tier creators for the price of one mega-influencer, you diversify risk, test more messages, and reallocate budget toward the creators who actually convert.
The takeaway isn't "never use mega-influencers", it's to start from your goal. If you're buying awareness, reach has its place. If you're buying customers, the mid-tier is usually where the ROI lives.