Opinion leadership in a digital age: The rise of nano and micro-influencers

• We compare follower count and perceived opinion leadership in influencer impact. • Qualitative study and quantitative data from judges and AI-based influencer agency analytics. • Reliability was assessed with PRL method and tested using PLS-SEM modeling. • Opinion leadership predicts engagement and advice-following better than popularity. • Audience Quality Score predicts influencer compensation but not engagement. Influencer marketing has emerged as an effective promotional strategy for brands. Despite its importance, determining which influencers are impactful remains a challenge, with many brands relying on the number of influencers’ followers in determining influencer collaboration decisions. However, other metrics may be more discerning. Focusing on nano and micro-influencers within the beauty, fitness, lifestyle, and travel sectors, this research addresses this issue by comparing the effectiveness of influencers’ follower count versus consumers’ perceptions of influencers’ opinion leadership. Through a mixed-methods approach involving qualitative interviews and quantitative analysis, we examine how authenticity, inspiration, and content expertise influence perceptions of opinion leadership and follower counts. The study further investigates the impact of opinion leadership and followers’ counting on followers’ intentions to consume content, recommend influencers, and follow their advice, as well as influencers’ compensation (measured with secondary data). Findings reveal that opinion leadership plays a key mediating role between influencer characteristics and follower outcomes, while follower count shows a negligible mediating impact in comparison. These insights offer practical implications for influencers aiming to establish themselves as credible leaders and for brands seeking effective collaborations. Future research should explore a broader range of influencer categories to validate these findings across diverse contexts.