What is influencer marketing?
Influencer marketing means asking creators who have influence on social media to introduce a product or service, so awareness, interest and purchases spread through their followers. Because the message comes from a person rather than an ad, it is especially common in beauty, lifestyle and gadgets.
Tiers by follower count (rough guide)
| Tier | Followers | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Mega (incl. celebrities) | 1M+ | Mass awareness and buzz |
| Macro | 100K–1M | Reach with credibility |
| Micro | 10K–100K | Niche trust and conversion |
| Nano (KOC) | Under 10K | Word of mouth and UGC at scale |
Thresholds vary by platform and category. More brands now combine many micro and nano creators instead of a few mega names.
How a campaign runs
- Set goals and KPIs (awareness, sales, app installs…)
- Shortlist and select creators
- Agree fee, dates and brief; send offers and contract
- Review scripts and posts (PR labels, claims)
- Publish and monitor
- Measure results, pay creators, and feed learnings into the next campaign
Metrics to track
- Views, reach and impressions
- Engagement rate (likes, comments, saves, shares)
- Clicks, visits and coupon or code redemptions
- Conversions such as purchases or installs
- What comments say (purchase intent, questions, negatives)
Rules to know in Japan
- Sponsored posts must carry a label such as “Ad” or “PR” (stealth-marketing rules since October 2023).
- Cosmetics and health foods fall under the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Act; price and benefit claims under the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations.
- Choose by audience fit, engagement and past content — not follower count alone.
How Tonakai does it
Tonakai’s AI shortlists candidates and suggests fair rates from data on 80,000+ Japanese creators and the track record of 7,000+ creators we work with directly. Offers, AI review of scripts and posts, payments and reports all run in Tonakai OS.