For most SME owners, the question of how many creators to work with is really a budget question in disguise. Spend too little, and the campaign barely registers; spread across too many, and the message gets lost. The good news is that there is a sensible middle ground, and it is more accessible than you might think.
Why the number matters, but context matters more
Before landing on a figure, it helps to understand what you are actually trying to achieve. A newly launched food brand trying to build awareness has very different needs from an established home services company looking to drive bookings. Influencer marketing works best when the goal is clear, because the number of creators you engage should follow from the strategy, not the other way around.
That said, there is a common trap many SMEs fall into: either going too small (one creator, one campaign, hope for the best) or going too big (ten creators at once with no coherent message). Both approaches tend to underdeliver.
The case for starting with three to five creators
For most Singapore SMEs running their first or second campaign, three to five creators are a reasonable starting point. It gives you enough variety to reach slightly different audience segments without spreading your budget so thin that each partnership feels underinvested. It also gives you real data to work with. When you run with just one creator and the results are disappointing, it is hard to know whether the concept was wrong or the creator was simply not the right fit. With three to five, patterns start to emerge.
Singapore’s creator ecosystem spans nano-creators with under 10,000 followers all the way to macro and mega accounts commanding very large audiences, and SMEs have consistently found that the smaller end of that spectrum offers stronger engagement at a more accessible cost. For a local F&B brand, a beauty label, or a lifestyle product, working with three to five nano or micro-creators in relevant niches tends to outperform a single high-profile name, both in terms of trust and conversion.
When it makes sense to scale up
Once you have run a campaign or two and have a clearer sense of which creator profiles resonate with your audience, scaling to eight to twelve creators becomes a reasonable next step, particularly for product launches or seasonal pushes.
At this scale, you are building multiple touchpoints across different communities. A Singaporean consumer might encounter your brand through a food creator they follow on TikTok, then again through a lifestyle account on Instagram, and that repeated exposure is what turns passive scrollers into buyers. Working with multiple creators creates diverse touchpoints and reduces reliance on a single voice, which tends to serve SMEs and niche brands particularly well.
KOL marketing and knowing your tiers
Understanding creator tiers is part of getting this right. KOL marketing in Singapore generally groups creators into four broad categories: nano (1,000 to 10,000 followers), micro (10,000 to 100,000 followers), macro (100,000 to 1,000,000 followers), and mega (above 1,000,000 followers). Each tier carries different expectations regarding cost, reach, and the kind of content it produces.
For most SMEs working with modest budgets, nano and micro creators offer the best balance. Nano-creators have the highest engagement rates and the most authentic relationships with their followers, making them well-suited to hyper-local campaigns and genuine word-of-mouth. A café in Tanjong Pagar, a skincare label targeting millennial women, or a pet accessories brand can all find strong matches at this level without needing an enterprise-sized budget.
This also connects to a broader shift in how brands think about their people and voices, something worth exploring if you are curious about turning staff into advocates as a complementary approach.
A rough guide by campaign type
Rather than a fixed number, think of it this way:
- Awareness campaign (new brand or product launch): 5 to 10 creators across nano and micro tiers, prioritising content variety and platform spread
- Conversion-focused campaign (driving sales or sign-ups): 3 to 6 creators with strong engagement in your specific niche, with clear calls to action
- Ongoing brand presence: 2 to 4 long-term creator partnerships, refreshed quarterly, to build consistent familiarity over time
The quality-over-quantity reminder
Whatever number you land on, the quality of the match between creator and brand matters far more than the headcount. A creator who genuinely uses your product, lives in your target neighbourhood, or shares your brand’s values will always outperform one who simply has a large following and no real connection to what you do. Singaporean audiences are perceptive; they can tell the difference between a paid mention and a genuine recommendation.
Ready to find the right fit?
Figuring out the right number is one thing; finding the right creators is another. GetKobe helps Singapore SMEs identify, vet, and manage creator partnerships in one place, so you spend less time guessing and more time running campaigns that actually work. If you are ready to plan your next campaign with some proper data behind it, we are here to help.
