How large is a Nordic “nano” influencer?

July 17th 2023

If you’re used to working with influencer marketing in, say, Spain or Germany, you may quickly discover that influencer marketing in the Nordics is a different game. Differences in cultural approach, influencer reach and market maturity are worth considering. At Related, years of experience with influencer marketing in all the Nordic countries have paid off, and we don’t mind sharing some of our knowledge to help you get started.

In this first post of our influencer marketing blog-series, we’ll share our own tier definitions for the Nordics. You’re welcome! 🙂

A common denominator in the Nordics is that the influencer industry is mature and that many brands have influencer marketing as a frequent component in their marketing mix. One reason may be that the Nordics are digitally mature markets, which provides a great opportunity to reach the right target audience through social and digital media. For instance, the majority of Scandinavians are avid social media users; Finns at the top, followed closely by Norwegians, Danes and Swedes (1). And in 2022, Finland was the European country with the highest score on the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), thanks to the advanced digital skills of its citizens. Denmark ranked first for its connectivity (2).

Don’t compare 1:1 with larger markets

From our experience, when looking into investing in Nordic influencers, it is a common mistake to compare them to influencers in larger countries in Europe and beyond. Firstly, it is important to have the smaller population of the Nordics of 27.8 million (3) in mind, since it means that reach numbers aren’t comparable 1:1 to other markets. Therefore, an influencer with a local audience of 50,000 in a country like Denmark (which has 5.8 million inhabitants) holds a much larger national follower percentage than a French influencer with similar reach (by comparison France has 67.7 million inhabitants).

Tiering in the Nordics – from nano to mega

Influencers in all countries span from “nano” with small, niche audiences to “macro” influencers with celebrity status and a global following. The smaller population of the Nordics and the different sizes between countries also affects the definition of influencer tiers. Common international definitions of influencer tiers based on reach do not accurately apply to the Nordic market – for instance this one from influencermarketinghub.com: Nano 1-10K followers, Micro 10-50K, Mid-tier 50-500K, Macro 500K-1M and Mega 1M+ (4).

Instead, at Related we use a scale customized to the Nordic market that better reflects the Nordic influencer landscape. We work with our own two separate tier lists – one for Norway, Finland, and Denmark and one for Sweden, representing the larger Swedish population.