You don’t have to be working in a niche market to make the most of niche influencer marketing. When your brand practices niche influencer marketing, you partner with influencers who have carved out their own specialties online and on social media. Whether your brand specifically focuses on a niche market or you’re selling a globally desirable product, partnering with influencers who speak to a niche audience is an effective way to tap into a loyal following and strengthen your brand positioning. The key is finding an influencer pairing that aligns with your brand’s voice and service, so that you’re able to draw on the relatability of creator-led campaigns and leave a positive impression on your followers.
While we could divide every vertical into countless social media niches several times over, there are a few that stand above the rest in terms of popularity. If you are looking to increase your awareness and drive your ROA with niche influencer marketing engage in influencer marketing, here are 10 powerhouse types of influencer niches to consider.
Much to the surprise of no one, the beauty industry lives and breathes on social media and thrives off of the creative content of niche beauty influencers. Last year, the beauty industry generated $100 billion in revenue worldwide — a number that is projected to grow by a projected 6% by year to reach $580 billion by 2027. Beauty influencers specialize in sharing how-tos, GRWM (get ready with me) videos, hair and makeup tutorials, product reviews, and more. Just look at the #Beauty on Instagram. Accurate as of today, it has over 548 million posts attached to it, and that number continues to rise.
@imhannahcho products i LOVE but HATE the packaging on 😭 lmk what ur products are so i can review them too!
With categories like fragrance, makeup, skin care, and hair care all projected to grow within the next few years, it’s unsurprising that beauty influencers see high engagement rates on Instagram. What might surprise you is that the highest engagement rates are seen on nano-influencer’s (also known as micro influencers, they have fewer thank 15K followers) channels. Male beauty influencers and older beauty influencers — niche influencers in the 35-54 age bracket — also have noticeably higher engagement rates on Instagram. Sounds like an influencer niche at work to us!
People are drawn to self-improvement and a desire to be the best versions of themselves. So it stands to reason that there will always be demand for health and fitness products, services, tools, and especially health and fitness niche influencer content. Some examples of different types of influencer niches in the health and fitness vertical include nutrition — think registered nutritionist influencers and healthy eating recipe ideas — bodybuilding, workout motivation, yoga and spiritual wellness, and holistic wellness inspiration.
The world of what counts as a ‘wellness’ niche is vast: the health and fitness niches on Instagram are so successful partly because of how wide reaching this influencer niche is, touching on so many other, more specific niches for content creation. The World Health Organization defines wellness as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being.” So wellness influencers are anyone who focuses their brand on supporting, communicating, and contributing to that goal. This opens a door for brands seeking creator partnerships for active wear apparel, footwear, health foods and supplements, and of course sporting goods and equipment.
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The wellness industry alone was worth $5.61 trillion in 2022. We didn’t miss the “b” there. You read that correctly. Trillion. And it’s projected to grow roughly 8.6 percent year over year to an estimated $8.47 trillion by 2027.
Who doesn’t fantasize about adventures to exotic, far away destinations? Everyone has a dream vacation on their bucket list. Travel is a powerhouse influencer niche because the industry is big money, and popular with virtually every single person on social media. Though the wellness industry mentioned above is massive, travel as a marketing niche is even bigger. The global travel industry was worth $7.7 trillion in 2022.
Travel influencers often review and recommend places to stay, eat, products, airlines, ways to get around, and often visually captivating photos and videos for their audience in their particular niche. Instagram travel influencers are turning the industry on its head. So much so that data shows over 40% of millennials consider “Instagammable” a priority when considering where to take their next vacation.
However, marketers should also proceed with caution. Due to the remarkable popularity of the industry, you have to be ultra-specific with your influencer niche if you hope to make a significant impact.
At first glance, the fashion industry might sound as though it overlaps with the beauty influencer niche, but it provides its own array of smaller niches for influencers on Instagram. Consider the difference between runway fashion and street style, or the different audiences that would be drawn to a thrifted and sustainable fashion influencer compared to the following of to a niche influencer creating content around luxury brands.
With the worldwide fashion and apparel eCommerce industry currently valued at almost $500 billion (and predicted to grow to $713 billion by 2022), many fashion influencers are incredibly powerful figures on Instagram.
You know the old saying. “Money makes the world go ‘round.” So the concepts behind this market don’t need much additional explanation. Entrepreneurs and socially savvy public figures in this demographic often share tips, tricks, hacks, and how-tos about, you guessed it, how to make money.
Instagram, in many ways, is not only a place to share your life and express yourself. It’s also a place to gain status. And luxury all but defines status in the modern world. The luxury industry gives us a little glimpse of the sweet life, while the lifestyle industry is perhaps a bit more rooted in reality. Regardless, they’re both incredibly popular and profitable niches with massive audiences.
If probably goes without saying that the gaming market is worth big bucks. How big? Just last year, it was over $137.9 billion globally in 2018.
People spend on the games themselves, consoles, guides, walkthroughs, and even to watch other people who play and/or review the newest and most anticipated games, often streaming on YouTube or platforms like Twitch (though we may be talking about Mixer more in the near future)
Influencers like Ninja and PewDiePie – who had long held the crown as the most subscribed channel on YouTube (and is currently on the cusp of surpassing 100 million subscribers) and also has 14.5 million followers on Instagram – make jaw-dropping amounts of money to play video games for a living.
C’mon. Everybody loves animals! So it should come as no surprise that the pet care industry is forecast to exceed $202 billion worldwide in the next few years. This type of content (as it pertains to Instagram) usually revolves around grooming products, breed tips. advice on food, toy suggestions, etc. etc. Because of the universal love most of us share for animals, this is another large market, so you must find a particular niche to focus on if you hope to be successful, and not end up in the doghouse with your boss.
Every one of us has them, but how many of us truly feel like we know what we’re doing when it comes to relationships? With the modernized approach to dating and an ever-changing world, it can be hard to navigate the realms of relationships, and find those who can relate to your personal experiences. “Relationship” influencers are those who do just that, relate to the experiences of their peers and the real world, and offer their feedback and insight in a productive and often entertaining fashion. The demographic for this niche is also clearly large, going back to the fact that most everyone has relationships or is actively engaged in finding one.
A subset of the relationships market, the family and parenting niche is one that is growing exponentially. Unfortunately, there is no manual when it comes to parenting, and many new parents are afraid they’re doing it wrong and seek the advice, recommendation, and/or products to ease those fears. And it’s big business, to boot. Last year, the global baby care product industry was valued at $73.86 billion.
Influencer marketing that offering tips and services to make it easier? If the answer to that question is yes, there’s money to be made. Influencers like Scary Mommy turned her blog about being an imperfect parent into a successful, full-fledged media company.
Looking to find influencers within your niche? Sure, you could utilize an influencer database or platform, scouring endlessly to find the right influencers for your campaign and hoping to get in contact with them. Choosing an Instagram influencer network has its benefits. However, you could choose to employ the services of an award-winning influencer marketing agency and let their experience and expertise lead you to the promised land. An influencer marketing agency can do so much for your brand and help your organization build an ROI-driven campaign that produces real results.
While profitable niches may often have fierce competition, it’s usually because they work. If you find a niche that doesn’t, there’s often a reason for that (though you can sometimes stumble upon a tiny niche on the cusp of success and potentially get in on the ground floor). Match your passion with your niche and your expertise with your market, and you are well on your way to success with your Instagram influencer campaigns.
