Audience size

What is audience size?

Audience size is the number of followers, subscribers, or viewers a creator has. When you compare creators, it usually means how many accounts follow their profile or subscribe to their channel.

Some reports use audience size to mean the people who watched content during a set period. Check what the number counts before you compare it with another creator’s audience.

Why is audience size important?

Audience size gives you a first idea of how large a creator’s following is. It is a useful starting point when choosing someone to promote your brand.

You also need to know who those followers are. Check where they live, what interests them, and how they respond to recent posts. A creator with a smaller audience may be a better fit if their followers are interested in what you sell.

How do you measure audience size?

For followers or subscribers, record the total shown on the profile and the date you checked it. For viewers, use the platform’s analytics and include the time period, such as the last 28 days. In both cases, note the platform, account, and what you counted.

For example, a YouTube creator may have 20,000 subscribers but an estimated 8,000 unique viewers in the last 28 days. Subscribers have signed up to follow the channel. Unique viewers are the estimated number of different people who watched during that period.

Some subscribers may not have watched, and some viewers may not be subscribers. Neither number tells you exactly how many people will watch the next video.

Can you add audiences across platforms?

You can add follower counts, but the total may count the same person more than once.

If a creator has 20,000 Instagram followers and 15,000 TikTok followers, they have 35,000 combined followers. That does not mean 35,000 different people, because some people follow both accounts.

The same applies when you work with several creators. Their audiences may include the same people, and some followers may never see your campaign posts.

Related terms: Follower growth rate, Engagement rate, and Reach.