Influencer marketing in India: costs, creator tiers and how to run a campaign

India's influencer marketing industry is worth thousands of crores and growing about 20% a year. What it costs, which creators to pick, and how to run a campaign that sells.

Retales Editorial Team · 3 min read · 5 sources

The short answer

Influencer marketing means paying creators to show your product to their followers. In India it is one of the fastest-growing parts of marketing: EY projected the industry would grow from ₹2,344 crore in 2024 to ₹3,375 crore by 2026[1]. A 2026 industry survey by Kofluence put the 2025 market at ₹3,000 to 3,500 crore, growing about 22% a year[2].

₹3,375 Crprojected Indian influencer marketing market by 2026 (EY)Source [1]
4M+active creators in India, per a 2026 industry surveySource [2]
2-2.5Mcreators in India who earn from their content (BCG)Source [3]

Creator tiers, and which to choose

  • Nano (1,000 to 10,000 followers): close-knit audiences and the highest engagement[1]. Low cost, great for local businesses and product seeding.
  • Micro (10,000 to 100,000): strong niche trust at a manageable cost. EY reported 47% of brands prefer micro and nano creators for lower cost per reach[1].
  • Macro (100,000 to 1 million): wide reach within a category. Good for launches.
  • Mega (1 million+): mass awareness, high cost, lower engagement rate.

How much influencer marketing costs in India

Prices depend on followers, niche, content type, usage rights and city. The Kofluence 2026 survey reported these average campaign costs and engagement rates by city tier[2]:

  • Metro cities: ₹3.8 to 4.5 lakh per campaign, 3% to 4% engagement
  • Tier 2 cities: ₹1.3 to 1.6 lakh per campaign, 3.5% to 4.5% engagement
  • Tier 3 and 4 cities: ₹35,000 to 90,000 per campaign, 4.5% to 5.5% engagement

Treat these as a rough guide from one company's survey, not a price list. The same survey found over 62% of creators are getting more regional-language briefs, which reflects where engagement is growing[2].

How to run an influencer campaign, step by step

  • 1. Set one goal: awareness, app installs, store visits or sales. Each needs a different creator mix.
  • 2. Define the audience: city, language, age, interests.
  • 3. Shortlist creators whose followers match that audience. Check comments for real conversation, not just emojis.
  • 4. Ask for insights screenshots: audience location, age and average Reel reach.
  • 5. Brief clearly, but let creators speak in their own style.
  • 6. Agree in writing: fee, deliverables, dates, usage rights, ad labels and payment terms.
  • 7. Track with unique discount codes, UTM links and WhatsApp numbers per creator.
  • 8. Reuse the best videos as partnership ads to reach more people[4].

Red flags when choosing creators

  • Sudden follower jumps with no viral post to explain them
  • High followers but very low views on recent Reels
  • Comments that are generic or from accounts with no posts
  • Audience mostly from countries you don't sell to
  • Many paid posts in a row with no ad labels

Paid posts in India must carry a clear label like #ad or #collab in the first two lines of the caption under ASCI's guidelines[5]. Creators who skip it put your brand at risk too.

Run your influencer campaign with Retales

Retales works with creators across India for business clients, from shortlisting and briefing to content approvals, ad labels and sales tracking, all visible in your dashboard.

Sources

Every statistic in this article comes from one of these publications. Links open the original source in a new tab.

  1. 1
    India's influencer marketing industry estimated to reach Rs 3,375 crore by 2026 Outlook Business, on EY and Big Bang Social's State of Influencer Marketing in India · 4 April 2024 · outlookbusiness.comMarket of ₹2,344 crore in 2024, projected ₹3,375 crore by 2026. Nano influencers had the highest engagement rate.
  2. 2
    Decoding Influence: Annual Research Report 2026 (press release) Kofluence, published on The Tribune (sponsored) · 14 May 2026 · tribuneindia.comSurvey of 1,000+ creators and 50 brand managers. Industry figures and campaign costs by city tier. A company report, not an independent study.
  3. 3
    From Content to Commerce: Mapping India's Creator Economy Boston Consulting Group · 3 May 2025 · bcg.com2 to 2.5 million monetised creators in India influence over $350 to 400 billion of consumer spending.
  4. 4
    Meta streamlines brands' creator partnerships with AI-powered updates Marketing Dive · 11 December 2025 · marketingdive.comMeta reports partnership ads deliver about 19% lower cost per acquisition and 13% higher click-through rate on average.
  5. 5
    New influencer marketing guidelines mandating disclosure on promotional content Inc42, on ASCI's Guidelines for Influencer Advertising in Digital Media · 27 May 2021 · inc42.comPaid posts must carry a label like #ad, #collab or #sponsored in the first two lines of the caption, or on the video itself.
Influencer marketing IndiaInfluencer marketing costMicro influencersNano influencersHow to find influencersInfluencer campaignIndia

This article is for general information and isn't financial or legal advice. Figures are as published by each source on the date shown.

Questions people ask

Quick answers, based on the sources above.

Still unsure? Ask us directly

How big is influencer marketing in India?

EY projected India's influencer marketing industry to reach ₹3,375 crore by 2026, up from ₹2,344 crore in 2024. A 2026 Kofluence survey estimated ₹3,000 to 3,500 crore in 2025.

How much do influencers charge in India?

It depends on followers, niche, content type, usage rights and city. One 2026 industry survey put average campaign costs at ₹3.8 to 4.5 lakh in metros and ₹35,000 to 90,000 in tier 3 and 4 cities.

Are micro influencers better than big influencers?

For engagement and cost per result, often yes. EY found nano influencers had the highest engagement rate, and 47% of brands preferred micro and nano creators for lower cost per reach.

Influencer marketing kaise kare?

Pehle ek goal tay kijiye, phir aise creators chuniye jinke followers aapke customer jaise hain, clear brief dijiye, written agreement kijiye aur har creator ko alag discount code dekar sales track kijiye.

Do influencers have to disclose paid posts in India?

Yes. ASCI's guidelines require a clear label such as #ad, #collab or #sponsored in the first two lines of the caption, or on the video if there is no caption.

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