20 Instagram Influencer Types to Follow for Inspiration

Influencer marketing is quickly becoming the fastest growing marketing medium. Brands are turning more to influencers to promote business and convert sales. In this article, we’ll share the 20 of the most common influencer types which may support you in marketing and ultimately scaling your brand. If the benchmark for a marketable audience was amassing at least 15k followers, roughly 500,000 of the platform accounts would be considered monetizable as influencers. This creates an unfathomable opportunity for brands of all shapes and sizes to network with influencers in their field.

The right influencer can reach their target audience, build trust and drive engagement. They can do this because they have millions of followers and at the same time, they are effective in influencing them. If you want to dominate your niche on Instagram, then understanding where your business falls within these influencer niches is a marketing superpower in the Instagram space. If you can tap into the most advantageous influencer market of your brand, rest assured that scaling your business will become a near-effortless task. Imagine being able to tap into this power every time you post content on the gram.

Katrina the Entrepreneur

Jen is not unlike an entrepreneur in any other sphere – they share their success stories, convert sales, and inspire those who wish to be entrepreneurs themselves. Whether they’re owners of brick and mortar businesses or run online companies, their positioning remains the same.

For example, @thekatrinaruthshow teaches her audience how to create, brand, and sell through her daily blog posts, digital courses, in-person workshops, and various mentoring programs. She showcases her fabulous lifestyle, at the same time sharing how she achieved her goals.

Chella the Empowerer

Social media influence is one of the primary reasons people turn to platforms like Instagram. If not for entertainment, often, people seek out communities of like individuals wherein they can be seen and heard, or otherwise represented.

The leaders in these spaces are exceptionally skilled at developing trust amongst their audience and are seen as dependable individuals. Tapping into these safe spaces as they become relevant to you and your business is an excellent practice. Other than that, they offer not only beautiful partnerships amongst present-day pioneers, but also support essential conversations and creators.

As his website states, “Chella man (@chellman) is a 20-year-old deaf, Jewish, Chinese, genderqueer artist and activist”. The Instagram space he cultivates is a stark reflection of the work he’s doing in the world, is an asylum of comfort and representation for both minorities without a voice and allies alike.

@thejeffreymarsh is another excellent example. Much of what they do online is to encourage and soothe through written stories and discussion and the spoken word. The content they put out leaves their audience feeling supported, loved and valued – qualities rarer than you would expect among other influencers. 

Nate the Traveler

These influencers promote a location-free lifestyle in which the only thing they need is to run a business and often generate passive income through their laptops having a secure wifi connection. Most of the content they share focuses on how they transitioned into the lifestyle they have now, as well as displaying what their day to day looks like. They easily create curiosity amongst those with an adventurous spirit, who would much rather live alternatively than comfortably.

Nathan and his girlfriend Hannah (@world_nate and @intrepidintrovert, respectively) are digital nomads who spend their time balancing travel and online work. While their feeds may look like just a collection of pretty photos, they offer their audience much more substance by sharing their journey to location independence.

Justine the Influencer

A large percentage of the influencers on Instagram fall into this category. They are creators who capitalize on their personality to create community and convert sales. Their brand is a product of who they are, or at least whom they’ve packaged themselves to be online. By sharing their everyday lives, thoughts, and experiences with their audience, they make their followers feel like close friends.

Because these influencers often do not have a business or product of their own to promote, their income stream is mostly generated through sponsorships. And without any specific niche, other than being themselves, they are more or less a blank marketing slate. This means they can promote almost anything with ease without interfering with their brand.

Here, model @justinemaebiticon is a great example. From someone who doesn’t know her, she might just be an average model. But when you take a closer look, she has branded herself with the freedom to share and sell as she pleases. She is capable of wearing several hats, she’s a real Instagram, chameleon. 

Anthony the Foodie

One of the first and now most long-running trends of social media has been digital food sharing. Visit any local restaurants’ Instagram accounts, and you will content such as their facilities, food preparation, finished product, and customers. It’s no secret that everyone loves to make and view a good meal snap.
This niche is always accessible and a hot commodity, however, not everyone can be a true foodie master. There is a particular skill and artistry to the craft, especially when making a career out of it.

Content creator @Bingingwithbabish brilliantly backs up his passion for food with beautiful photography, and also shares his insights, tips, and recipes. He balances his content with education and personality in a way only an authentic influencer could do. And the best part about it? It’s all about the food.

Timothy Pakron, otherwise dubbed as @mississippivegan, is another excellent example of a food connoisseur that become an influencer. Vegan chef, author, and self-proclaimed “professional goofball,” Timothy’s initial draw is his plant-based lifestyle, but his real strength is how he easily keeps his followers engaged. With experience in food styling and photography, his feed effortlessly reflects a passion for nature and skills in the kitchen, at the same time, keeping his audience entertained.

Artistic influencers have a special knack for cultivating beautiful Instagram feeds. They intentionally weave together aesthetically pleasing photos and intricate stories to create a masterpiece that users would want to engage with. Whether an author, photographer, muralist or designer, these influencers have one thing in common – a vision for their Instagram space.

Orion the Poet

Poet Orion Carloto’s Instagram (@orionvanessa) is a beautifully strung together depiction of a famous artist influencer. There is not a single photo out of place, everything you see is curated deliberately, and each detail evokes a certain feeling. Whether you enjoy her artistic style or not, there’s no doubt she knows what she wants her page to be.

Demetrius the Advocate

As the topic of mental health has become less taboo, a new wave of leaders willing to challenge norms, push boundaries, and encourage fellow humans to seek help and educate themselves for awareness. These pioneers increase in equal measure because of the demand that they’re needed. Which is to say, the range of mental health advocates grows more dynamic on each passing day.

Demetrius Harmon (@demetriusharmon) exemplifies leadership excellently through his “You Matter” tagline, in which he shares his simple affirmations and reminders that once guided him on his struggles. Also, he often shares stories of personal battles of depression, self-harm, and anxiety. His content is based on his personal experiences, at the same time, encouraging his audience to get honest about their experience and seek out support.

Christian the Explorer

From seasoned weekend vacationers to full-time backpackers, travel influencers have a unique way of glamorizing travel lifestyle. By rounding out the aesthetics with tips and recommendations, these creators give way to endlessly exciting and intense content.

@lostleblanc‘s Christian is known to share photos of himself and his partner wherever they end up in the world, alongside informing his viewers on the ups and downs of traveling. He shares transparently what his lifestyle looks like, its costs and the expected reality of the places he visited. He couples it with informative guides and Youtube videos and has even branched out into sharing the behind the scenes of his content.

Jazmin the Fit Queen

If you’ve ever tried participating in a fitness class, or even take up a new sport, you might have experienced being intimidated with people who are well accustomed to this lifestyle. When you’re the least experienced athlete in the room, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. Fitness influencers help users to alleviate this dilemma through encouragement and education.

Weight-trainer @jazminsus shares her fitness journey from struggling with an eating disorder to now maintaining a clean and healthy relationship with her diet and the gym. She gives details about her current routines in the gym, her daily meals, and encourages the audience to continue working on themselves even when they don’t see results yet.

Acacia the Mommy Blogger

A common dream amongst many, regardless of upbringing, culture, religion, or otherwise, is to have the chance to build a family someday. Family bloggers are notorious for unintentionally capitalizing on this desire, and inciting baby fever to their viewers.

Sharing cute snaps and endearing stories is one benchmark of these influencers, while another side brings the truth about the hardships of raising children and gradually facing responsibility. Regardless of how the messages are conveyed, family Instagram pages leave the audience feeling warm and moving.

Lifestyle influencer, Acacia Kersey (@acaciakersey), has been sharing the journey of her family since it’s humble beginnings. Acacia Kersey’s page aims to connect and inspire those who dream of having what she now lives.

Vee the Magnate

When you lack inspiration, and you just need a little push forward, hustler influencers are an excellent place to start. Too intense for some, while utterly motivating for others, these creators promote a 24/7 lifestyle of working towards what you want. These are entrepreneurs and business people who’ve found success through an unwavering commitment to their goals and an unwillingness to stop until they feel satisfied. It’s not hard to see that the community atmosphere they create moves their viewers and excites them for the possibilities that lie ahead.

While he pulls more numbers than many others in this category, prolific speaker, writer, and investor Gary Vaynerchuk, @garyvee, is a perfect example of this kind of influencer. The content he shares online is representative of his other projects, and always reminds his audience of what’s most important. Staying focused, staying humble, and keeping the bigger vision in mind.

Amanda the Lifestyle Educator

Many creators utilize their Instagram pages to educate their audience. Whether it’s through their Instagram Stories and detailed captions, or by leading their audience to their external programs and courses. The scope of possibilities available for teaching on social media is endless.

Business and money coach, Amanda Frances @xoamandafrances showcases through the content she shares how to gracefully create a pillar of education out of your Instagram page. She updates her Stories consistently, shares informational captions, and brings her followers through her process as she works through it herself. After visiting her feed, you’ll feel equipped and enlightened.

Noel the Comedian

Connecting through laughter is a shared commonality amongst all comedians, and just as you would expect, the same is true for comedian influencers. There’s a couple of different iterations of what this popularly looks like on the Instagram scene, some taking the shape of simple meme accounts while others are more akin to stand-up comic like personalities. But regardless of how the message is communicated, laughter remains the through-line.

@thenoelmiller carries his audience from one joke to the next with wit and charm, keeping his Instagram space lighthearted and playful. He connects with his followers through inside jokes and commentary. He encourages his audience to come to his live shows and engage with his various content channels across the web.

Rickey the Authentic Influencer

Many influencers become viral on Instagram, and these creators have their ways of winning over the internet, creating momentous memes and sensationalizing their humor.

Someone who consistently does this well is Rickey Thompson (@rickeythompson), a young influencer whose short videos often gain traction. Whether he is dancing to the latest music drop or inspiring his audience to stand up for what they believe in – you can be sure to find him plastered across the internet.

Another example is dancer Dontey Colley (@donte.colley), who initially rose to internet stardom because of his meme videos. He is known for complimenting his dance steps with encouragement, affirmations, and creative emojis. He even becomes more trending when he was amplified through Ariana Grande’s music video for Monopoly, wherein she drew inspiration from Dante.

Khalid the Musical Genius

Music is one of the primary pleasures of life for many. It’s a way to connect with people and it weaves a mood into every experience. A vast majority of musicians have a social media strategy they keep up with to promote their art and connect with new potential fans. Still, the variety of musicians on the platform is just as wide as the range of music in which they make.

Local Indonesian artists @Elephantkind keep fans engaged and updated by sharing upcoming projects and concert dates, as well as media from current shows and past. In addition to the music they share, they also let their audience know their personal lives, creating intimacy between what would otherwise be strangers.

Myles the Photographer

Photographers give a unique look at life through their lens, both metaphorically and literally. Creating art out of otherwise mundane and underwhelming moments, these creators hold a mystical world within their Instagram pages. They paint life’s picture with their camera and influence perception.

Portrait photographer and director Myles Loftin (@mylesloftin) takes us on a visual journey of identity, relationship, and youth. He effortlessly captures the essential feeling of a moment above all else and sets a high standard for what photography and storytelling can be in the Instagram space.

Mei the Beauty Grammer

Because of the visual nature of Instagram, many people flock to the platform to showcase their visual skills such as makeup artists, fashion designers, hairstylists, and many more. Instagram provides excellent visibility to artists and promotes individuality, in a way mainstream media cannot.

@meicrosoft‘s Mei has created a safe and accepting atmosphere within her Instagram space, where she shares her avant-garde and eclectic style through makeup, fashion, and home styling.

Katie the DIYer

Influenced mainly by Pinterest, these influencers are known and loved for their crafty nature and ability to create something out of nothing. They hit their stride by holding their audience’s hand through projects, sharing tips, tricks, and hacks, and divulging the various ways to make daily life easier. From homemaking pots for house-plants to effectively removing stains, DIY influencers can do it all.

Designer @mrkate is notorious for the home renovations she undertakes with her husband @joeyzehr. Together, they string various DIY projects, art sessions, and redo homes completely.

River the Thoughtprenuer

While much of what you find on Instagram encourages you to consume, purchase, and engage – there is also a large community of creators sharing the benefits of unplugging and disconnecting from the digital world. This type of niche prioritizes connecting with themselves and the present moment. And their way of communicating this message to their audience is boundless.

Through yoga, meditation, and thought experiments, as well as by sharing resources and revelations, @itsriverdavis displays what life is like connected to yourself and the flow of your inspired thoughts.

Kylie the InstaFamous

Often, traditional celebrities have little control over how they are perceived by the world. They have people above them dictating which projects they can take on, which interviews they can attend, and which details about their lives they can share. Through social media, celebrities have the freedom on how honest and intimate they can be in sharing their lives.

By sharing on Instagram, celebrities are capitalizing on the exposure and how consistently their names circulating on the internet. One prominent example of this is social media mogul Kylie Jenner, @kyliejenner.