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. The real power of niche influencer marketing is the relatability of creator-led campaigns and their power to 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. When planning your next influencer marketing campaign, here are the most important influencer niches to consider:
1. Beauty
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.
@victorialyn Disney Princess Skincare👑💕 Who’s your fav princess? I love Jasmine✨ #beauty #makeup #skincare #disney
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.
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-influencers’ 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!
2. Health and fitness
People want to be the best versions of themselves as they possibly can. So there will always be demand for health and fitness products, services, tools, and content. Everyone is concerned about their health – physical, mental, emotional, or otherwise – and fitness makes up a substantial portion of that pie.
The wellness industry alone was worth $4.2 trillion in 2017. We didn’t miss the “b” there. You read that correctly. Trillion. That’s almost a 13% growth from the 2015 figure of a ‘measly’ $3.7 trillion.
So what exactly applies as a ‘wellness’ niche? Niche influencers who focus their brand on supporting, communicating, and contributing to a goal of physical, mental, and emotional well-being can become very prominent in this space. It includes everyone to certified trainers and coaches to yoga and meditation aficionados, and everyone in between who centres mindfulness and well-being in their content. A stand-out creator example of success in the wellness influencer niche is Terrence Bradshaw: he proves that lifestyle content blended with mindfulness and health makes for a satisfying and feel-good combination.
@terrencebjr #GoGosqueeZPartner join me for an active rest day with a mid-climb snack break powered by @GoGo squeeZ. Try it today! #GoGosqueeZ
3. Travel
Who doesn’t fantasize about adventures to exotic, far away destinations? Everyone has a “dream vacation” on their bucket list. The travel industry is big money, and popular with virtually every single person. Though the wellness industry (mentioned above) is massive in its own right, travel is even bigger. The industry was worth $5.29 trillion in 2017, seeing growth in international travel for the eighth consecutive year.
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 putting the industry on its head. So much so that data shows over 40% of millennials consider “Instagammability” 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 niche if you hope to make a significant impact.
4. Fashion
Fashion influencer marketing leverages the reach and influence of social’s most on-trend personalities to shape consumer behavior and trends around retail. But that doesn’t mean fashion influencers are only a great partnership fit for retail brands.
Fashion feeds into the larger context of lifestyle content, and the myriad of fashion aesthetics trending on TikTok offers plenty of opportunity for brands across retail, cosmetics, lifestyle, fitness, and food. Just take the Clean Girl Aesthetic, for example — this niche fashion trend primarily speaks to clothing, filling the For You page with outfit inspo — but it also encompasses makeup, routines for haircare and skincare, exercise routines, and habits like journaling.
@cristinahudacov The one when libra and gemini match outfits together @Meshki Collab commerciale #tiktokfashion #foryoupage #fyp #cleanaestheticgirl #cleanaesthetics #oldmoneystyle #fashionstyle #feminineenergy #fashionideas
5. Business/Making money online
You know the old saying. “Money makes the world go ‘round.” Niche influencers creating content in the business/making money space focus on content related to entrepreneurship, personal finance, investment strategies, and ways to generate income. Influencers might share tips, strategies, and insights on how to start and grow businesses, manage finances, and create multiple income streams. Here are just a few examples of what business influencers might talk about on their platforms:
- Entrepreneurship: Tips on starting and scaling businesses, success stories, and motivational content.
- Personal Finance: Advice on budgeting, saving, investing, and managing debt.
- Investment: Insights into stock markets, real estate, cryptocurrency, and other investment opportunities.
- Side Hustles: Ideas and strategies for generating additional income outside of a primary job.
For brands, this niche is powerful for the audience it attracts — if your ideal customer profile describes someone who is a business professional, an entrepreneur, a small business owner, or a freelancer, you might want to partner with an influencer in this space.
6. Luxury
What’s the difference between an influencer niche like luxury and fashion or beauty? While fashion speaks to the fashion industry and beauty includes hair, skincare, and makeup, luxury influencers offer a more elevated niche within the lifestyle space. In other words, they encompass fashion, beauty, and all the content topics that lifestyle does — but on a glamorous and high-end scale. Think shopping at Cartier or Chanel, attending high-end events with exclusive guest lists, or travel content that features designer cars and a stay at The Four Seasons.
@chloeabeth4545 What I spend in a day🙃 #singapore #stayathomedaughter #sglife #luxury #whatispend #foryou #fyp
The luxury industry gives us a little glimpse of the sweet life, while the lifestyle space is perhaps a bit more rooted in down-to-earth creators.
7. Gaming
As of 2024, the global gaming industry is valued at approximately $455 billion. That figure includes segments like console games, PC games, mobile games, and the rapidly growing esports sector. With the industry growing steadily, creators in this niche rise in prominence. The gaming niche in the influencer space focuses on video games, gaming culture, and any product related to gaming. These influencers engage their audience through live streams, gameplay videos, game reviews, and tutorials:
- Live Streaming: Broadcasting gameplay in real-time on platforms like Twitch and YouTube Gaming.
- Gameplay Videos: Pre-recorded videos showcasing game playthroughs, tips, and tricks.
- Reviews and Tutorials: In-depth reviews of games and tutorials on how to play or master certain aspects of a game.
- Esports: Coverage of competitive gaming events and tournaments.
- Gaming Culture: Content related to gaming news, memes, and community discussions.
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8. Animals and pets
For as long as there has been social media, there have been funny cat videos. The animal and pets niche engages with animal lovers, which sounds like a broad category at first glance. But there are some smaller and more impactful niches in the animal space that offer opportunity for highly targeted engagement and influential partnerships:
- Rescue and Adoption Stories
- Exotic Pets
- Domestic Pets
- Animal Art and Photography
- Animal memes and humor
@pearlgoldengirl On today’s episode of dog recipe #asmr 🎤 MARGARITAS 🥒💃🍹 Do you think she liked it? ✨SHARE✨ with someone who needs to see this #doglover #asmrsounds #goldenretriever
If you’re looking to tap into the power of cute, heartwarming, and joyful social media spaces, then the possibilities for niche influencer marketing here are endless.
9. Relationships
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.
10. Family/Parenting
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.
How do I find the right influencer niche?
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.
