Meta's Instagram platform saw record engagement rate increases across all creator categories in 2024, according to new research from The Cirqle analyzing data from 502,000 creators.
The study highlights substantial shifts in audience interaction rates, posting fees, and reach metrics, revealing changing dynamics in influencer marketing.
Source: The Cirqle
Comprehensive Engagement Metrics
Nano influencers led engagement performance with a 14.2% rate, marking an 184% increase from 2023. Micro influencers achieve 11.7% engagement, up 95% from the previous year. Mid-tier creators saw engagement rates climb to 9.4%, representing a 135% increase, while macro influencers reached 7.3%, up 192%.
The most significant transformation appears in the celebrity tier, where engagement rates surged from 0.2% in 2023 to 5.6% in 2024, representing a 2,700% increase. This dramatic rise coincided with celebrity posting rates decreasing by 26%, from $10,000 to $7,400 per post.
Source: The Cirqle
Cost and Reach
Despite rising engagement, cost-per-million (CPM) rates declined across categories. Nano influencer CPMs dropped 53.33% from $60 to $28, while celebrity CPMs decreased 62% from $300 to $114. Macro influencer CPMs fell 33.57% from $140 to $93, and mid-tier CPMs declined 24.35% from $115 to $87.
Impression metrics showed varied performance. Micro influencers recorded a 28.57% increase to 18,000 impressions, up from 14,000 in 2023. Celebrity accounts demonstrated a 20% rise to 600,000 impressions from 500,000. Mid-tier creators saw an 11.11% increase to 50,000 impressions, while macro accounts grew 12.5% to 135,000. Nano influencers experienced an 11.43% decrease to 3,100 impressions.
How Much Should You Pay?
If considered as part of a brand’s marketing mix, collaborating with Instagram influencers can be a powerful strategy. So, the study set out to find out how much Instagram influencers charged. Its findings show costs vary widely, influenced by factors such as follower count, engagement rate, and niche.
The research indicates substantial changes in posting rates across tiers. Nano influencer rates increased 227.27% from $154 to $504 per post. Micro influencer rates rose 107.5% from $600 to $1,245. Mid-tier creators saw a 75% increase from $1,200 to $2,100 per post. Macro influencer rates showed a 4.31% rise from $3,662 to $3,820.
Reach and Performance Metrics
The study reveals specific reach data across tiers. Nano influencers averaged 3,500 in reach, micro influencers achieved 15,000, and mid-tier accounts reached 45,000 users. Macro influencers recorded 120,000 in reach, while celebrity accounts extended to 500,000 users.
The comprehensive data set, collected through The Cirqle's platform, represents growth from 350,000 creators tracked in 2023 to 502,000 in 2024. The research measures engagement rates, posting fees, impressions, reach, and cost metrics across all influencer categories on Instagram, providing year-over-year comparisons for each metric.
The 2024 data collection utilizes first-party information from creators inputting their rates for individual campaigns. The research methodology tracks Rate per Post, CPMs, engagement rates, reach, and views across all tiers, enabling direct year-over-year comparisons of creator performance and pricing metrics.
Market Share and Regional Distribution
"The data in our report includes global insights but skews heavily toward the U.S. and European markets, as these are the dominant regions for influencer marketing spend," Steven Lammertink, Founder &, CEO, The Cirqle tells Net Influencer. "Trends across Instagram pricing tend to align across Western markets, with slight variations in regions like APAC and LATAM."
Platform analysis shows Instagram maintaining its leadership position with 44% of influencer marketing budgets, followed by TikTok at 26% and YouTube at 19%. The Cirqle projects Instagram influencer ad spend could exceed $12 billion in 2025, with an increasing focus on Reels content.
Platform Development Outlook
"Instagram has fundamentally shifted brand-consumer interactions from one-way advertising to community-driven marketing," Steven says, citing successful campaigns like Secret Sales' deployment of 500+ micro-influencers for direct conversions via Reels and Stories.
The research highlights emerging platform developments that may impact creator dynamics. "Instagram's push toward AI-powered content discovery means brands will need to optimize for algorithmic visibility," analysts state, adding that Meta is testing "AI-driven recommendations for Reels and Feeds."
The research identifies several key platform developments affecting creator dynamics. "Paid partnerships are moving from whitelisting to 'Partnership Ads,'" Steven explains, noting that Instagram is "refining how brands run influencer ads, making it easier to amplify creator content at scale."
The platform is also expanding its commerce capabilities. "Instagram is likely to enhance its in-app affiliate program, enabling influencers to drive direct sales without external links," Steven concludes, highlighting the platform's path toward integrated commerce solutions.
Meta's Instagram platform saw record engagement rate increases across all creator categories in 2024, according to new research from The Cirqle analyzing data from 502,000 creators.
The study highlights substantial shifts in audience interaction rates, posting fees, and reach metrics, revealing changing dynamics in influencer marketing.
Source: The Cirqle
Comprehensive Engagement Metrics
Nano influencers led engagement performance with a 14.2% rate, marking an 184% increase from 2023. Micro influencers achieve 11.7% engagement, up 95% from the previous year. Mid-tier creators saw engagement rates climb to 9.4%, representing a 135% increase, while macro influencers reached 7.3%, up 192%.
The most significant transformation appears in the celebrity tier, where engagement rates surged from 0.2% in 2023 to 5.6% in 2024, representing a 2,700% increase. This dramatic rise coincided with celebrity posting rates decreasing by 26%, from $10,000 to $7,400 per post.
Source: The Cirqle
Cost and Reach
Despite rising engagement, cost-per-million (CPM) rates declined across categories. Nano influencer CPMs dropped 53.33% from $60 to $28, while celebrity CPMs decreased 62% from $300 to $114. Macro influencer CPMs fell 33.57% from $140 to $93, and mid-tier CPMs declined 24.35% from $115 to $87.
Impression metrics showed varied performance. Micro influencers recorded a 28.57% increase to 18,000 impressions, up from 14,000 in 2023. Celebrity accounts demonstrated a 20% rise to 600,000 impressions from 500,000. Mid-tier creators saw an 11.11% increase to 50,000 impressions, while macro accounts grew 12.5% to 135,000. Nano influencers experienced an 11.43% decrease to 3,100 impressions.
How Much Should You Pay?
If considered as part of a brand’s marketing mix, collaborating with Instagram influencers can be a powerful strategy. So, the study set out to find out how much Instagram influencers charged. Its findings show costs vary widely, influenced by factors such as follower count, engagement rate, and niche.
The research indicates substantial changes in posting rates across tiers. Nano influencer rates increased 227.27% from $154 to $504 per post. Micro influencer rates rose 107.5% from $600 to $1,245. Mid-tier creators saw a 75% increase from $1,200 to $2,100 per post. Macro influencer rates showed a 4.31% rise from $3,662 to $3,820.
Reach and Performance Metrics
The study reveals specific reach data across tiers. Nano influencers averaged 3,500 in reach, micro influencers achieved 15,000, and mid-tier accounts reached 45,000 users. Macro influencers recorded 120,000 in reach, while celebrity accounts extended to 500,000 users.
The comprehensive data set, collected through The Cirqle's platform, represents growth from 350,000 creators tracked in 2023 to 502,000 in 2024. The research measures engagement rates, posting fees, impressions, reach, and cost metrics across all influencer categories on Instagram, providing year-over-year comparisons for each metric.
The 2024 data collection utilizes first-party information from creators inputting their rates for individual campaigns. The research methodology tracks Rate per Post, CPMs, engagement rates, reach, and views across all tiers, enabling direct year-over-year comparisons of creator performance and pricing metrics.
Market Share and Regional Distribution
"The data in our report includes global insights but skews heavily toward the U.S. and European markets, as these are the dominant regions for influencer marketing spend," Steven Lammertink, Founder &, CEO, The Cirqle tells Net Influencer. "Trends across Instagram pricing tend to align across Western markets, with slight variations in regions like APAC and LATAM."
Platform analysis shows Instagram maintaining its leadership position with 44% of influencer marketing budgets, followed by TikTok at 26% and YouTube at 19%. The Cirqle projects Instagram influencer ad spend could exceed $12 billion in 2025, with an increasing focus on Reels content.
Platform Development Outlook
"Instagram has fundamentally shifted brand-consumer interactions from one-way advertising to community-driven marketing," Steven says, citing successful campaigns like Secret Sales' deployment of 500+ micro-influencers for direct conversions via Reels and Stories.
The research highlights emerging platform developments that may impact creator dynamics. "Instagram's push toward AI-powered content discovery means brands will need to optimize for algorithmic visibility," analysts state, adding that Meta is testing "AI-driven recommendations for Reels and Feeds."
The research identifies several key platform developments affecting creator dynamics. "Paid partnerships are moving from whitelisting to 'Partnership Ads,'" Steven explains, noting that Instagram is "refining how brands run influencer ads, making it easier to amplify creator content at scale."
The platform is also expanding its commerce capabilities. "Instagram is likely to enhance its in-app affiliate program, enabling influencers to drive direct sales without external links," Steven concludes, highlighting the platform's path toward integrated commerce solutions.
The full report is available here.