Reach still matters, but saves often reveal a more useful kind of attention: someone found the content valuable enough to return to it. In recent creator programmes, nano creators are winning this signal because their recommendations feel specific, contextual and earned.
The practical lesson is not to replace every mid-tier creator. Build a portfolio. Use larger creators for discovery, then use specialist nano voices to answer the questions that move people from awareness to consideration.
Measure each tier against its real job. When every creator is judged on the same blended engagement rate, the strategy loses the very differences that make the mix work.