Instagram influencers who have 1,000 to 5,000 followers tend to garner more engagement from their audiences than do influencers with larger followings, according to recent research from Mavrck.

The report was based on data from 35,000 Instagram posts published in 2017 by 6,500 influencers in seven B2C verticals (alcohol, beauty, CPG, food and beverage, QSR and dining, retail and fashion, and travel and hospitality).

Non-branded/non-sponsored posts by influencers with large audiences (100,000 to 500,000 followers) tend to garner the most overall engagement (total likes and comments).

However, influencers with smaller audiences (1,000 to 5,000 followers) have a higher average engagement rate (the share of followers who like or comment). In other words, influencers with smaller follower counts tend to have more engaged audiences.

Branded/sponsored Instagram posts by influencers with smaller audiences also garner a higher average engagement rate than posts by influencers with larger audiences.

Branded/sponsored Instagram posts tend to garner less engagement than non-branded posts for all types of influencers.

However, Instagram influencers with smaller audiences have the smallest gap between the average engagement rate of branded and non-branded posts.

About the research: The report was based on data from 35,000 Instagram posts published in 2017 by 6,500 influencers in seven B2C verticals (alcohol, beauty, CPG, food and beverage, QSR and dining, retail and fashion, and travel and hospitality).