Forget the glittering mega-stars with millions of followers - a quiet revolution has been brewing in Germany for years, and it's coming from micro-influencers! With just 10,000 to 100,000 followers, these social media profiles deliver an engagement rate of 2.53% - that's more than twice as high as the big names(Lookfamed). The "State of German Influencer Marketing 2025" study by xpose360 Studie shows that 70% of the 400 experts surveyed see authenticity as the key to success and 53% of them also rely on micro-influencers. Why? Because they are authentic, affordable and effective at storytelling - an important factor for good content, according to 88% of respondents.
Before we look at how you can harness the potential of micro-influencers, let's take a closer look at what makes them so powerful and why you should integrate them into your campaigns.
What makes micro influencers so unbeatable
Imagine this: A fitness creator with 11,000 followers tests your protein powder and his community freaks out - not because he's famous, but because he is real. And when this micro-influencer continuously promotes a product, it leaves an imprint on their community that can hardly be bought with pure paid ads or big established faces. Micro-influencers are the hidden champions in influencer marketing, and not just since 2025. We at IROIN® also reported in our Instagram Benchmark Report that micro-influencers consistently have a higher average engagement rate than macro creators. In our Discovery Reports, this is also reflected in other data on the target group, such as high authenticity, few mass followers, hardly any inactive bots and high relevance in the national market.
Their strength? Niche knowledge and trust. They don't appeal to a faceless mass, but to a loyal "clique" that buys what their supposed best friend or fashion expert recommends, as they often provide feedback and recommendations on products that have not yet been filtered.
A particular advantage is that many micro influencers are significantly cheaper than macro influencers, who are quickly listed by management and whose reach is sold at the highest possible prices. Using Instagram as an example, it can be simplified to say that a CPM of €25 per content piece without further buy-out rights is common. For smaller creators in particular, who are more likely to have 10,000 followers than 100,000, the costs can be significantly reduced for brands and agencies. Attractive deals can often be agreed for both sides, in which the value of the products is also part of the fee. In addition, they are often not yet represented by management and organize themselves independently. This also reduces costs for creators, which they often pass on to their customers as a competitive advantage.
Sure, you might be thinking: "Micro influencers? They have no experience!" Or: "What if the content quality flops?" Good objections - but solvable and often not even correct as an assumption. Yes, not every micro influencer is a professional and they often won't create the glossy content that some brands initially prefer. However, Mintel's Influencers Market Report 2023 highlighted that 48% of 18-34 year olds assume that creators only say what they are expected to say anyway. Influencer marketing as a discipline must therefore manage to bring back authenticity - just as it did in the early days of the social media world.
This means finding influencers who are a good fit for your brand and appeal to the right target group. What's more, it's absolutely fine if they don't deliver perfect content, but their posts are characterized by authenticity and good storytelling. And this is exactly where the Influencer Marketing Suite from IROIN® comes into play. With our Discovery module, we support more than 175 agencies and brands worldwide to effectively and efficiently find suitable creators with strong performance and an optimal target group. We provide a smart AI-supported search for influencers with more than 45 filters on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. We also offer a content search with a constantly growing database and the option to research entire networks and competition activities. We call this the Holy Trinity of content search!
If creators have proven that they can continuously reach your target group and have a good engagement rate, then their performance can be considered promising. If you prefer certain representations or wordings, you can use a good briefing to manage expectations and shape the quality of the content. In this article, we have listed five steps for a successful influencer campaign - ideal for entering into and implementing strong collaborations with micro-influencers.
Micro influencers are no longer an insider tip - they are your ace in the hole for 2025. With their authenticity, unbeatable engagement rates and potentially low costs, they give your campaigns the boost in interactions you probably need. In addition, they help you to target different audiences that you often can't reach with larger profiles in the depth that was possible a few years ago. Basically, with all the advantages mentioned, a good mix and balance is important. If you want to implement a campaign with a high level of awareness, you should focus more on macro or even mega influencers. However, if you want to focus on conversions and have strong sales drivers in your campaign, you are certainly well positioned with micro influencers in your selection mix.
With IROIN®, you have a reliable partner at your side who supports you in the search, analysis and selection of creators and also supports you in the management and tracking of your campaigns.