Simply Measured's Instagram Influencer Report

Simply Measured 2015 Instagram Influencer Report 2

Introduction Instagram is one of the fastest-growing social networks in history. The mobile photo-sharing app, which launched in October of 2010, now boasts 300 million monthly active users, 70 million photos posted each day, and 2.5 billion Likes per day.

This incredible growth has shaken up the way social marketers think about visual content and marketing to mobile audiences, and opened up entirely new avenues of connection between celebrities, traditional brands, and Instagram users.

Some influencers like @vegas_nay and @nashgrier have built their brands from the ground up on social, while other influencers like @kimkardashian and @mileycyrus grew popular elsewhere and then cultivated their presences on the social network.

As a brand marketer, there’s a massive opportunity to identify the influencers that are already engaging your target audience.

This report showcases the most followed influencers in the world based on a recent, and how they use Instagram to build their brand, engage audiences, and promote their wares while identifying the successful (and unsuccessful) tactics that these brands are using.

300 million

2.5 billionLikes per day

monthly active users

photos per day70 million


Methodology The Simply Measured 2015 Instagram Influencer Report looks at the Instagram activity of the 77 most followed people on Instagram as reported by Business Insider and Socialblade.

This list was chosen because it excludes traditional brands and focuses on “people as brands”-- influencers. This list provides a massive opportunity for brands, large and small, to leverage partnerships and reach huge audiences on the network.

Statistics cited in this study are based on data from January 1, 2015 - July 28, 2015. All data was analyzed using Simply Measured’s industry-leading social analytics platform.

77 influencers

181,533,642 comments

7,440,886,054 Likes

THIS REPORT ENCOMPASSES:


THE LIST

Top Instagram Influencers by Engagement Column1 Column2 Column3 Column4 Column5

Ranking Influencer Likes Comments Engagement1 kimkardashian 443,413,766 5,613,461 449,027,2272 kyliejenner 383,667,470 33,235,937 416,903,4073 mileycyrus 379,865,123 5,594,090 385,459,2134 arianagrande 349,941,016 5,353,575 355,294,5915 justinbieber 302,037,886 8,909,224 310,947,1106 nickiminaj 301,564,363 4,707,143 306,271,5067 khloekardashian 286,570,015 3,478,218 290,048,2338 neymarjr 266,899,059 19,902,550 286,801,6099 taylorswift 239,644,922 3,364,992 243,009,914

10 selenagomez 230,039,262 3,435,666 233,474,92811 kendalljenner 204,652,939 16,839,864 221,492,80312 shaym 199,553,542 1,448,923 201,002,46513 beyonce 186,255,254 2,115,039 188,370,29314 badgalriri 169,982,087 2,218,563 172,200,65015 caradelevingne 169,756,125 1,707,703 171,463,82816 kourtneykardash 149,280,907 1,422,762 150,703,66917 ddlovato 147,630,257 1,999,510 149,629,76718 therock 138,280,522 1,815,171 140,095,69319 itsashbenzo 137,953,484 885,742 138,839,22620 ninadobrev 127,581,918 1,353,822 128,935,74021 niallhoran 113,655,063 3,352,975 117,008,03822 snoopdogg 111,676,255 4,321,582 115,997,83723 kevinhart4real 111,293,266 1,875,395 113,168,66124 chrisbrownofficial 109,389,884 1,711,287 111,101,17125 vanessahudgens 89,014,759 467,066 89,481,82526 lucyhale 87,503,741 663,363 88,167,10427 ladygaga 85,901,815 1,258,772 87,160,58728 jlo 84,710,731 1,020,959 85,731,69029 bethanynoelm 84,652,793 1,055,762 85,708,55530 champagnepapi 83,020,554 1,844,490 84,865,04431 nashgrier 81,874,391 1,729,018 83,603,40932 sleepinthegardn 80,203,482 445,732 80,649,21433 vegas_nay 76,243,313 1,736,262 77,979,57534 camerondallas 65,845,091 1,604,514 67,449,60535 elliegoulding 65,046,935 504,672 65,551,60736 cristiano 63,032,487 1,276,354 64,308,84137 krisjenner 56,342,235 580,856 56,923,09138 amberrose 53,209,352 2,875,599 56,084,95139 mistercap 54,735,106 844,579 55,579,685

Column1 Column2 Column3 Column4 Column5

Ranking Influencer Likes Comments Engagement26 lucyhale 87,503,741 663,363 88,167,10427 ladygaga 85,901,815 1,258,772 87,160,58728 jlo 84,710,731 1,020,959 85,731,69029 bethanynoelm 84,652,793 1,055,762 85,708,55530 champagnepapi 83,020,554 1,844,490 84,865,04431 nashgrier 81,874,391 1,729,018 83,603,40932 sleepinthegardn 80,203,482 445,732 80,649,21433 vegas_nay 76,243,313 1,736,262 77,979,57534 camerondallas 65,845,091 1,604,514 67,449,60535 elliegoulding 65,046,935 504,672 65,551,60736 cristiano 63,032,487 1,276,354 64,308,84137 krisjenner 56,342,235 580,856 56,923,09138 amberrose 53,209,352 2,875,599 56,084,95139 mistercap 54,735,106 844,579 55,579,68540 ritaora 54,793, 078 403,835 55,196,91341 snookinic 53,691,555 417,033 54,108,58842 katyperry 53,025,782 904,828 53,930,61043 austinmahone 49,542,163 1,038,434 50,580,59744 danbilzerian 48,740,186 1,798,064 50,538,25045 vindiesel 48,966,188 554,616 49,520,80446 anitta 41,016,019 6,745,253 47,761,27247 davidbeckham 46,616,560 431,373 47,047,93348 angelcandices 43,521,244 436,886 43,958,13049 leomessi 40,210,740 917,753 41,128,49350 davidluiz_4 39,617,721 581,779 40,199,50051 ciara 39,060,687 497,103 39,557,79052 brumarquezine 36,841,030 1,997,736 38,838,76653 jamesrodriguez10 38,182,854 481,987 38,664,84154 marinaruybarbosa 32,082,127 360,320 32,442,44755 kinggoldchains 30,856,538 612,129 31,468,66756 danid2ois 30,484,001 315,629 30,799,63057 tatawerneck 30,047,216 474,589 30,521,80558 jenselter 25,841,718 688,632 26,530,35059 victoriabeckham 24,771,426 227,056 24,998,48260 ronaldinhooficial 23,247,589 249,058 23,496,64761 harrystyles 21,771,368 1,380,665 23,152,03362 ivetesangalo 22,201,459 464,363 22,665,82263 kingjames 21,679,673 497,603 22,177,27664 mirandakerr 21,961,617 211,392 22,173,009


THE LIST (CONTINUED)

Top Instagram Influencers by Engagement

Musicians Top the Chart 29 people on this list of 77 influencers are musicians, with actors and actresses coming in second.

Column1 Column2 Column3 Column4 Column5

Ranking Influencer Likes Comments Engagement51 ciara 39,060,687 497,103 39,557,79052 brumarquezine 36,841,030 1,997,736 38,838,76653 jamesrodriguez10 38,182,854 481,987 38,664,84154 marinaruybarbosa 32,082,127 360,320 32,442,44755 kinggoldchains 30,856,538 612,129 31,468,66756 danid2ois 30,484,001 315,629 30,799,63057 tatawerneck 30,047,216 474,589 30,521,80558 jenselter 25,841,718 688,632 26,530,35059 victoriabeckham 24,771,426 227,056 24,998,48260 ronaldinhooficial 23,247,589 249,058 23,496,64761 harrystyles 21,771,368 1,380,665 23,152,03362 ivetesangalo 22,201,459 464,363 22,665,82263 kingjames 21,679,673 497,603 22,177,27664 mirandakerr 21,961,617 211,392 22,173,00965 gisele 19,171,417 231,453 19,402,87066 claudialeitte 18,752,806 392,567 19,145,37367 fakeliampayne 18,116,948 821,691 18,938,63968 marcelotwelve 16,711,264 125,213 16,836,47769 iamzlatanibrahimovic 16,400,942 225,351 16,626,29370 thiagosilva_33 16,344,162 190,572 16,534,73471 shakira 15,896,253 231,929 16,128,18272 jessicaalba 15,702,967 120,564 15,823,53173 justintimberlake 15,101,285 328,844 15,430,12974 zacefron 15,240,533 178,192 15,418,72575 garethbale11 14,005,311 180,833 14,186,14476 channingtatum 12,898,707 374,969 13,273,67677 floydmayweather 10,644,828 872,156 11,516,984

Grand Total 604,016,726 12,732,596 616,749,322


THE TOPICS

Top 25 Hashtags by EngagementThe most used hashtags by influencers have a lot to tell us about which post types generate the most excitement and conversation for them. These hashtags generally fall into three categories.

Locations and Events Hashtags like #vegas or #Oscars are included in this category. Posts that build off of popular locations and events have the added benefit of higher reach from Instagram’s Discover feature.

Projects

This category includes all of the commercial endeavors influencers are a part of, from movies (The Rock’s #SanAndreas), to music tours (Nicki Minaj’s #ThePinkPrintTOUR), to skincare (Demi Lovato’s #DevonnebyDemi). Posts which use these hashtags benefit from a high volume of people who are interested in a project and channel that energy into engagement on Instagram.

Universal These are the hashtags we all use: #TBT, #repost, #love, #fbf, etc. Stars, they’re just like us!

Column1 Column2 Column3 Column4

Hashtag Comments Likes Total Engagementvegas 1456209 70029355 71485564TBT 667209 47129014 47796223Repost 947478 40495441 41442919SanAndreas 398123 35556507 35954630HustleHart 409982 31735208 32145190love 449559 31348764 31798323ThePinkprintTOUR 526081 31223609 31749690ComedicRockstarShit 291461 26713090 27004551fbf 315850 24792176 25108026BadBloodMusicVideo 432654 24457632 24890286BALLERS 243354 23744744 23988098DopePic 177751 22929843 23107594Selfish 231862 19368170 19600032proudmama 144321 19029545 19173866WhatNowTour 193471 18801446 18994917CentralIntelligence 358600 17230597 17589197DevonneByDemi 247619 16397082 16644701regram 189577 15749010 15938587DEMIWORLDTOUR 149239 15519083 15668322HalaMadrid 161872 15217224 15379096happyhippiepresents 139314 15054831 15194145GetHard 332252 14820290 15152542mycalvins 856404 14284778 15141182blessed 253145 13799330 14052475TVDfamily 224501 13433029 13657530


INFLUENCER CATEGORY BREAKDOWN

Reality TV StarsSix Kardashians (Kim, Kylie, Khloe, Kendall, Kourtney, and legendary momager Kris, in that order) made the list, along with one Kardashian paramour, Scott Disick (or ex-paramour, depending upon where you’re doing your “research”). That’s a 9% Kardashian saturation rate on the top Instagram influencers in 2015 so far.

In fact, the only other reality TV star on the top influencer list was Snooki, who generated over 54 million in total engagement between the beginning of this year and July 28.

• The Reality TV category drove 1.64 billion in total engagement

• Kim Kardashian West drove the most engagement within the Reality TV category, racking up 449,027,227 in total engagement during the study time period


INFLUENCER CATEGORY BREAKDOWN - REALITY TV STARS

Tactics That WorkShowing Skin

Kim Kardashian West has not been shy about nudity on Instagram whether it’s scantily clad pregnancy selfies or revealing cleavage, all in the name of celebrating the female form and her baby-on-board.

Family FirstAll members of the Kardashian clan understand that, for them, family is more than blood--it’s brand. By squadding up and taking lots of selfies together, they generate buzz for all their business enterprises.


INFLUENCER CATEGORY BREAKDOWN - REALITY TV STARS

Tactics That WorkCross-Promote

Kylie and Khloe often post playful DubSmash videos on Instagram. Kylie has been known to Instagram a Snapchat video (she also has a lively presence on that network). Whether Kylie or Khloe has an official business relationship with either DubSmash or Snapchat is unknown, but the tactic works.

Be “Real”What the reality stars on this list have in common is how well they broadcast an image of being “real” to their Instagram followers, making people feel like they’re a part of the inner circle. Whether gym shots or pre-work selfies, it’s obviously working.



Musicians38% of the names on this list are musicians, making it the largest category represented here and showing us that this entertainer type holds a lot of klout on Instagram. Of the musicians who made the list, Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, and Nicki Minaj were the top contenders when it came to engagement.

• The Musicians category drove 3.46 billion total engagements; more than double that of the Reality TV category

• Miley Cyrus drove the most engagement within the Musicians category, racking up 385,459,213 in total engagement during the study time period

Simply Measured Q4 2014 Instagram Study 11

INFLUENCER CATEGORY BREAKDOWN - MUSICIANS

Tactics That WorkGo Off-Kilter Miley Cyrus’s posts are always a bit..um...eccentric, and her followers love her for it. Whether it’s psychedelic pajama shots or intimate videos, she’s just being Miley.

Go GlobalBy amassing a global following and shouting out the countries she visits and people she meets on her world tour, Ariana Grande is able to touch a lot more people than she otherwise would, and generate engagement from them.



Tactics That WorkGo for the Long-Term Build

Justin Bieber has built the opposite of a “surprise release” for his new upcoming single, “What Do You Mean?” on Instagram. In the month leading up to the release, he got a multitude of stars, from Ryan Seacrest to Mariah Carey to Ashley Benson, to hold up signs saying how many days were left until the release of the single. This kind of long-term campaign is a great way to get an already-activated follower base to know the exact release date of your product.



Tactics That WorkMobilize Your FansMusicians like Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift make sure to thank their fans and post frequent updates from their tours, both on- and off-stage. This keeps followers engaged, especially when they’re feeling hometown pride, and also encourages curiosity about where these musicians are performing next -- eventually leading to ticket purchases.



Athletes18% of the names on this list are athletes. Of those athletes, 85% are soccer players. These athletes generate more engagement than any other sport because of their massive worldwide fan bases. The only two non-soccer players on this list are Lebron James and Floyd Mayweather.

• The Athletes category drove 670.3 million in total engagement

• Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior drove the most engagement within the athlete category, racking up 286,801,609 in total engagement during the study time period-- 43% of all engagement within this category


INFLUENCER CATEGORY BREAKDOWN - ATHLETES

Tactics That WorkOffer Exclusive Training Footage

Athletes like Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior post videos of training and photos of behind-the-scenes interactions with fellow players. This insight into the guts behind the glory keeps Instagram followers engaging away.

Give Health and Fitness TipsAthletes like Cristiano are widely revered by their fans as gods among men, so it makes sense that posts which reference their health and fitness secrets and regimens are uber successful on Instagram.


INFLUENCER CATEGORY BREAKDOWN - ATHLETES

Tactics That WorkShow off Charity Work

Many athletes on Instagram are involved with charity work, and post photos and videos of the sick people they visit. These posts are often shared with expressions of gratitude and wonder at the resilience of those afflicted, and inspire admiration and engagement from Instagram followers.

Give PropsAthletes like Lebron James give props to fellow high-performing athletes on Instagram, and these posts consistently do well, since followers so admire this gentlemanly behavior.



Actors and Actresses19% of the names on this list are actors and actresses. 64% of those Instagram accounts belonged to actresses, and 36% belonged to actors, meaning that the gender split was weighted towards women with massive worldwide fan bases and engagement levels.

• The Actors and Actresses category drove 1.17 billion in total engagement

• Shay Mitchell drove the most engagement within the Actors and Actresses category, racking up 201,002,465 in total engagement during the study time period


INFLUENCER CATEGORY BREAKDOWN - ACTORS AND ACRTRESSES

Tactics That WorkAsk a QOTD (Question of the Day) One smart, engagement-driving Instagram tactic is to get your audience involved by asking a Question of the Day, like Shay Mitchell does in this post, while also including a #wishiwerethere image to catch follower attention as they scroll through their feeds.

Write a Diary EntryWhen actors and actresses give their Instagram audiences a window into their everyday life with a long, descriptive caption, they’re in effect writing a “mini blog post” which connects with followers and often generates unusually high engagement.


INFLUENCER CATEGORY BREAKDOWN - ACTORS AND ACRTRESSES

Tactics That WorkPut Fashion Forward

When actresses like Bruna Marquezine give their Instagram audiences a taste of the glamorous, fashionable life, they tend to experience a lot of engagement.

Stay SillyThis post says it all. One surefire engagement driver for actors and actresses on Instagram is to not take yourself too seriously. Followers seek actors and actresses out on Instagram for the “they’re just like us” experience, so you’ll see a lot of engagement by fostering this climate.



Fashion7% of the names on this list are models or fashion designers. 100% of those Instagram accounts belong to women, and 5 out of 6 are fashion models, with the one exception being Victoria Beckham.

• The Fashion category drove 338 million in total engagement

• Cara Delevingne drove the most engagement within the Fashion category, racking up 171,463,828 in total engagement during the study time period

• 66% of the influencers in this category are or have been Victoria’s Secret Angels


INFLUENCER CATEGORY BREAKDOWN - FASHION

Tactics That WorkCouple with a Cultural Zeitgeist Hop on board a fast-moving engagement train like Cara Delevingne by using a big event hashtag like #Comiccon and posting plenty of content from the event.

Take People Behind the ScenesFamed Victoria’s Secret model Candice Swanepoel generates especially good engagement by posting behind-the-scenes shots from fashion shoots. These do even better than a lot of the more “physical” photographs she posts on her account.


INFLUENCER CATEGORY BREAKDOWN - FASHION

Tactics That WorkBuild Interest for Your Products and Partnerships Spice Girl-turned-fashion designer Victoria Beckham generated significant Instagram engagement by posting this screenshot of her husband, David Beckham, on the My Eye app, while also building interest in the app.

Do It for the KidsContent which features the offspring of influencers in the fashion industry always hits it out of the ballpark on Instagram. The combination of a universal experience -- motherhood -- and an answer to the public’s curiosity about what real life actually looks like for someone so beautiful is a 1-2 punch for winning engagement.


ConclusionInstagram Is Ripe for Influencer Partnerships These celebrities, athletes, musicians, and fashion icons have larger audiences than almost any company, and their followers are some of the most active and devoted around.

Throughout the first half of 2015, these 77 people have generated 7,677,212,774 total engagements (Likes and comments).

There are many lessons to be learned from the tactics being used by the people on this list, but even more than that, there’s an opportunity to identify the influencers that are already engaging your target audience.

As Instagram grows, and more people use the network on a daily basis, this opportunity will only get more impactful, and more competitive.

Which person on this list should your brand be persuing a partnership with?

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Simply Measured's Instagram Influencer Report