In 2018 Q3, we have released the first-ever Top 10 micro-influencer ranking of Digital Business Lab and was covered by Marketing magazine Hong Kong—one of Asia’s leading sources of marketing information. It has since become one of the most popular insight articles on our blog. After this success from the last quarter, we are now ready to share with you the Top 10 influencers of not just Hong Kong, but covering the Asian Pacific Region.
Our team’s experts have handpicked the KOLs based on their high community engagement, adequate audience size, and most importantly excellent content quality. On the other hand, two elements from this list are different from the previous ranking―location and social media platform. Instead of focusing on KOLs from Hong Kong, we are covering Australia, Singapore, Vietnam, Taiwan, China, and Korea. These influencers are not just active on Instagram, some are also active on platforms like LinkedIn and Chinese social media WeChat. On top of that, we also provide insights about the influencers’ true reach and top locations of followers using Klear—a media and intelligence tool powered by Meltwater.
#1: @jessicty – Jessica Chow
Jessica is a lifestyle influencer, with a keen interest in beauty, fashion, and travel. In addition to sharing her opinions on different products she has experienced, she also encourages positive thoughts and self-empowerment. Coming from Hong Kong, she is bilingual and posts in Chinese and English to cater to her followers. This considerate act of including both languages is well appreciated by her audience, giving her a high average engagement rate of 9%.
Metrics of Jessica Chow:
- 11,400 followers on IG
- True reach up to 3,617
- 3 posts/week on average
- Engagement rate around 9%
- Photo posts can go up to 1,600 likes
- Content focus: Lifestyle & Beauty
- Location: Hong Kong
- Top locations of followers: Hong Kong and the US
- Main platform: Instagram
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#2: @elainechiuart – Elaine Chiu – Elaine Chiu 趙綺婷
Another Hong Kongese included in the top 10 influencers in APAC index is Elaine. She is an artist specialized in urban and cityscape painting, with her artwork collection shared on her personal blog Elaine Chiu 趙綺婷. She always attracts a big crowd when giving classes to art students on the street, while completing an art piece of the authentic side of Hong Kong. We can see her talent via time lapses of her paintings frequently shared on Instagram, gaining more than 3K views. We believe she is the best for brands that appreciate an aesthetic touch.
Metrics of Elaine Chiu:
- 6,100 followers on IG
- True reach up to 3,070
- 3 posts/week on average
- Engagement rate around 7%
- Photo posts can go up to 613 likes and videos up to 3,223 views
- Content focus: Art
- Location: Hong Kong
- Top locations of followers: Hong Kong
- Main platform: Instagram, Blog
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#3: @char1es – Charles Lam – CHAR1ES ONE
As a digital columnist in Vogue Hong Kong, Charles is a regular visitor of fashion week and has exquisite taste in this field. Since his passion is not only limited to fashion, he also shares his experience about lifestyle, travel, and grooming in his blog CHAR1ES ONE. In the photos, his outfit always goes well with the scenery, and the videos are professionally executed, gaining an astonishing view of 35K+. He will be suitable if your brand projects a modern and contemporary image.
Metrics of Charles Lam:
- 122,000 followers on IG
- True reach up to 24,592
- 5 posts/week on average
- Engagement rate around 4%
- Photo posts can go up to 15,200 likes and videos up to 35,500 views
- Content focus: Fashion, Lifestyle & Luxury
- Location: Hong Kong
- Top locations of followers: Hong Kong and the US
- Main platform: Instagram, Blog
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#4: @maxwkruse – Max Kruse – Man of Style
Photographer, blogger, and expert in cars, Max is the face of an Australian online publication–Man of Style. As the director of the Instagram account with more than 100K followers, he creates contents revolving around travel, lifestyle, and fashion for men. Serious about the content quality, Max has his own photography team to deliver top-notch images and reviews. If stylish is what you are looking for, we believe Max can bring out the best in your brand.
Metrics of Max Kruse:
- 5,590 followers on personal IG and 100, 000 on Man of Style IG
- True reach up to 2,005
- 2-3 posts/week on personal IG
- Engagement rate around 4%
- Photo posts can go up to 1,500 likes
- Content focus: Photography, Lifestyle & Automotive
- Location: Australia
- Top locations of followers: Australia and the US
- Main platform: Instagram, Blog
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#5: @russong – Russell Ong
Russell is a surfing enthusiast who enjoys beach time in Singapore. He gives off positive vibes which appeal to brands projecting an active and energetic image. However, there is also another side of him that fits well with luxury. Russell has plenty of experience in commercial shooting with high-end brands. He is versatile and has collaborated with a wide variety of products, such as Swiss wristwatches, perfumes, luxury cars, and even participated in a TV programme!
Metrics of Russell Ong:
- 28,620 followers on IG
- True reach up to 13,248
- 4 posts/week on average
- Engagement rate around 7%
- Photo posts can go up to 3,000 likes and videos up to 13,700 views
- Content focus: Lifestyle & Luxury
- Location: Singapore
- Top locations of followers: Singapore and the US
- Main platform: Instagram
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#6: @Nathanael Steiner – Nathanael Steiner
Being in the industry related to clean energy and heavy infrastructure for over 10 years, Nathanael is a major key opinion leader of the field in Singapore and is active in LinkedIn. He has been staying in APAC for more than 15 years, thus, he is well-versed in the development of energy & infrastructure in the region. If your corporation is looking for a knowledgeable voice for the field, Nathanael is a fitting choice.
Metrics of Nathanael Steiner:
- 29,900 followers on LinkedIn
- 1 post/day on average
- Content focus: Energy & Infrastructure
- Location: Singapore
- Main platform: LinkedIn
#7: @hwajang.13 – Hoa Trang
The Vietnamese beauty KOL Hoa Trang may as well be called “Queen of Reinvention” for her ever-changing makeup looks and hair color. Different from influencers giving the usual makeup tutorials, she is known for creating unconventional looks. Her videos on Instagram can receive views as high as 98K views, which is more than the number of her followers! This means that her content is exactly what her followers like for them to be this responsive. Also, she also shares her tutorial videos on TikTok. With more than 30.4K followers, her videos can go up to 40.3K likes!
Metrics of Hoa Trang:
- 96,197 followers on IG
- True reach up to 123,870
- 1 post/day on average
- Engagement rate around 11%
- Photo posts can go up to 21,400 likes and videos up to 98,600 views
- Content focus: Beauty
- Location: Vietnam
- Top locations of followers: Vietnam
- Main platform: Instagram, TikTok
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#8: @derektsl – Derek Lin
Derek is a lifestyle influencer and flight attendant traveling around the world. As a result, most of his posts include beautiful sceneries paired with detailed descriptions of his experience. IG Stories is also one of his specialties. He often displays the photos horizontally, which gives the subject more visibility and hence more appealing. Furthermore, he puts efforts in sharing the brilliant things he has tried along the journey with his fans. Derek also shares bits of his life, such as difficulties that he had encountered before, which allows him to build a close connection with his followers.
Metrics of Derek Lin:
- 32,300 followers on IG
- True reach up to 14,334
- 3-5 posts/week on average
- Engagement rate around 4%
- Photo posts can go up to 3,700 likes
- Content focus: Lifestyle
- Location: Taiwan
- Top locations of followers: Taiwan
- Main platform: Instagram
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#9: @lvxingboss – 旅游头条
Sun Zhao manages the WeChat official account 旅游头条 and he shares all kinds of content related to various aspects of traveling. Apart from regular updates of sightseeing spot recommendations, he also discovers trivia & information unknown to the general public. For example, he shares with his followers where to visit movie scene locations. Furthermore, he is reactive to current news and publishes articles promptly paired with high-quality photos.
Metrics of 旅游头条:
- 200, 000 followers on WeChat
- 2 posts/day on average
- Article views can go up to 13,300
- Content focus: Travel
- Location: China
- Main platform: WeChat
#10: @박스까남 – Donato Shin – 마른모들의 JOYRIDE
YouTuber, blogger, Instagram influencer… Donato is a multifaceted KOL with various interests. His YouTube content is focused on unboxing the latest gadgets and luxury goods. Simultaneously, he is an expert on automotive who shares car reviews on his personal blog 마른모들의 JOYRIDE. His reviews clearly hold the attention of his fans, resulting in a daily average of 3K+ blog article views.
Metrics of Donato Shin:
- 28,600 subscribers on YouTube, 19,300 followers on Instagram & 56,532,000 accumulated blog traffic
- 1 video/week on average
- Average view per video around 47,000 & 5,000 blog visits per day
- Videos can have up to 175,000 views
- Content focus: Gadgets, Automotive & Lifestyle
- Location: Korea
- Top locations of followers: South Korea
- Main platform: YouTube, Blog, Instagram
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