How to spot influencers with fake followers
10 steps for brands​

In today’s digital age, social media has become one of the most powerful tools brands can use to reach a wider audience. With the ability to connect with millions of people in just a few clicks, it’s no wonder that businesses are turning to influencers to help promote their products and services. But what happens when those influencers have fake followers?

In this article, we’ll discuss what influencers are, why fake followers might be a problem for brands, and how to spot an influencer with fake followers. We’ll also provide steps to take if you find that an influencer has fake followers, and the benefits of working with true influencers.

Table of Contents

As a business owner, you’re always looking for new and innovative ways to reach your target audience. You’ve heard that using influencers can be a great way to do this, so you decide to give it a try. You start by doing some research and find a few influencers who seem like a good fit for your brand. You reach out to them and ask if they would be interested in promoting your product or service.

They all say yes, but you start to wonder if some of them might be more interested in your money than in actually promoting your product. You begin to worry that these influencers might have fake followers – people who are only following them because they want to see what they’re going to post next, not because they’re interested in what they have to say.

This is definitely something you want to avoid. After all, if an influencer has a lot of fake followers, it’s likely that their engagement rate will be pretty low. This means that the vast majority of people who see their posts will not engage with them, which is not what you want if you’re trying to promote your product or service.

One of the main challenges brands face when working with influencers is the fact that it can be difficult to spot an influencer with fake followers. This is because there are a lot of influencers out there who have purchased fake followers in order to boost their numbers. As a business owner, it’s important to be aware of this and to take steps to ensure that you’re not partnering with an influencer who has fake followers.

What are influencers and what do they do for brands

Influencers are people who have a large following on social media and can influence the opinions and decisions of their followers. When brands partner with influencers, they’re hoping that the influencer will promote their product or service to their followers. This can be a great way to reach a larger audience and boost sales.

Why fake followers might be a problem for brands

Brands often partner with influencers in order to increase awareness of their product or service. However, if an influencer has fake followers, this can be a problem for the brand.

When an influencer has fake followers, it means that they’re not really interested in what they’re promoting. As a result, their engagement rates will be low and most people who see their posts will not be interested in the product or service being promoted.

This can be problematic for brands because it means that they’re not really reaching their target audience. Additionally, low engagement rates can hurt a brand’s reputation.

Therefore, it’s important for brands to be aware of the possibility that some of their influencers might have fake followers and take steps to identify them. By doing so, they can ensure that they’re only working with true influencers who will help them reach their target audience.

Brands face several problems when working with influencers who have fake followers, including:

Low engagement rates

As mentioned above, one of the problems with working with influencers who have fake followers is that their engagement rates will be low. This means that most people who see their posts will not be interested in the product or service being promoted.

Additionally, low engagement rates can hurt a brand’s reputation.

Reaching the wrong audience:

Another problem with working with influencers who have fake followers is that they’re not really reaching their target audience. This is because most of their followers are not real people and are not interested in what they’re promoting.

This can be problematic for brands because it means that they’re not getting the exposure they want. Additionally, it can hurt their reputation if people realize that they’re working with

Inauthentic content

When an influencer has fake followers, it’s likely that their content is also fake. This means that it’s not really representative of the brand and can be misleading to people who see it.

This can be problematic for brands because it can make them look bad if people realize that they’re working with an influencer who has inauthentic content. Additionally, it can hurt their reputation if the content is negative or inaccurate.

Wasted time and money

Finally, working with influencers who have fake followers is a waste of time and money. This is because the influencer is not really interested in what they’re promoting and is not likely to produce quality content.

Additionally, the brand is not reaching their target audience and is not getting the exposure they want. As a result, working with such an influencer is not worth the time or money.

How to spot an influencer with fake followers

It’s important for brands to be aware of the possibility that some of their influencers might have fake followers and take steps to identify them. By doing so, they can ensure that they’re only working with true influencers who will help them reach their target audience.

There are several ways that brands can spot an influencer with fake followers

Check for fake followers with tools like influencify.co

One way to spot an influencer with fake followers is to use a tool like influencify.co. This tool allows you to see how many of an influencer’s followers are real or fake.

Additionally, it provides other information about the influencer, such as their engagement rate and the number of posts they’ve made.

This can be helpful for brands because it allows them to quickly and easily see which of their influencers have fake followers.

Look for telltale signs

Another way to spot an influencer with fake followers is to look for telltale signs. For example, if an influencer has a high number of followers but very few likes or comments on their posts, this could be a sign that they have fake followers.

Additionally, if an influencer’s followers are all from one country or region, this could also be a sign that they’re not real.

Do a Google search:

Another way to spot an influencer with fake followers is to do a Google search for their name. This will allow you to see if there are any articles or posts about them having fake followers.

Engagement Vs. follower size

In general, an inverted relationship between engagement and follower size is a sign of non-engaging followers. A creator’s engagement rate should follow industry standards, and the growth of their audience should be organic and genuine. As an example, actor John Leguizamo has 1.7 million connections on five major social networks, but these followers are barely engaging. While it’s tempting to assume that this is a sign of follower fraud, this relationship isn’t a dead giveaway. In fact, there’s a simple solution to spotting fake Instagram followers: Engagement Vs. follower size

Count the number of likes and comments per follower. The more interaction each follower makes, the more likely they’ll interact with your posts. The formula for calculating engagement per follower is simple: multiply the number of likes by the number of followers. This ratio will show whether a following is truly engaged or not. As a result, fake Instagram followers are more likely to be inactive than real ones.

When analyzing engagement Vs. follower size to spot fake Instagram followers, it’s important to take into consideration the quality of the comments. Comments are the highest form of engagement. They require more effort than likes or shares, so you should look for genuine comments and engage with your influencers. Similarly, if an influencer’s profile has hundreds of comments, beware of spam. You might be dealing with accounts that are boosting their own posts to gain more exposure.

Followers to following ratio

You can tell if someone has fake followers by the number of people they follow. If someone has over 145 million Instagram followers, but only follows 450 accounts, that person has probably bought followers. A “normal” account has about 150 followers and follows a thousand accounts. While the number of people following a person is not as important as the number of followers, some people use manipulative tactics to increase their followers. These people usually follow many accounts, but unfollow those who don’t follow them back.

One way to tell if someone has fake Instagram followers is by comparing their number of followers to their total number of followers. Instagram accounts with few followers and an even number of followings are considered “low-quality” and are unlikely to be legitimate. Conversely, accounts with high follow-to-follow ratios are deemed “good” and are viewed as celebrities or influencers.

Comments quality

While fake Instagram followers are often harder to detect than real ones, the quality of their comments can be an excellent sign. Bots are often smarter than humans, and they may generate more comments to look authentic. However, fake Instagram influencers can pass the engagement test if they are engaging with their posts manually. Spammy comments are a dead giveaway of buying interactions. Here are some tips to spot fake Instagram followers.

To identify fake followers, you should look at the comments people leave on your Instagram posts. Look for spammy comments and suspicious accounts. Such comments are usually from fake accounts. The more spammy the comments, the more likely they are fake accounts. Once you can identify these fake accounts, you can avoid working with them. But if you don’t want to use these tools, here are some guidelines you can follow to spot fake followers:

A real Instagram account will have a steady follower growth rate. This means that it will be gradually gaining new followers every day. Keeping this in mind, you should conduct a quality check of your followers every day. A free tool called IG Audit can help you identify fake Instagram commenters. By analyzing the number of real Instagram followers, you can spot fake followers. Just remember that this tool is only for public Instagram accounts.

Look out for sudden spikes or dips in the follower count

Another way to spot an influencer with fake followers is to look out for sudden spikes or dips in their follower count. This could be a sign that the influencer has bought or sold fake followers in order to artificially inflate their numbers.

Ask other brands about their experiences working with the influencer

If you’re unsure about an influencer, you can always ask other brands about their experiences working with them. This can be a good way to get first-hand information about the influencer and whether or not they’re reputable.

Steps to take if you find that an influencer has fake followers

If you find that an influencer has fake followers, there are several steps that you can take.

The first step is to confront the influencer and ask them about their fake followers. This will give them the opportunity to explain why they have fake followers and what they’re going to do about it.

If the influencer is not able to provide a satisfactory explanation, the next step is to terminate your contract with them. This will send a message to other influencers that you’re not willing to work with those who have fake followers.

It’s also important to report the influencer to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC is responsible for enforcing laws against deceptive marketing practices, which includes using fake followers.

Finally, you should consider working with true influencers who have real followers. These influencers will be more expensive, but they’ll also be more effective at promoting your products or services.

The benefits of working with true influencers:

There are many benefits of working with true influencers, such as:

Authenticity:

One of the main benefits of working with true influencers is that they’re authentic. This means that they have a genuine interest in promoting your product or service, rather than just doing it for the money.

As a result, they’re more likely to produce quality content that will resonate with their followers.

Reach:

Another benefit of working with true influencers is that they have a high number of engaged followers. This gives you the opportunity to reach a larger audience and boost your sales.

Engagement:

True influencers also have high engagement rates. This means that more people will see and interact with your posts, which can lead to higher sales. When working with influencers, it’s important to be aware of the possibility that some of them might have fake followers. By taking steps to spot an influencer with fake followers and taking action if you find one, you can ensure that you’re only working with true influencers who will help you reach your target audience

Quality content:

When you work with true influencers, you’re more likely to get quality content. This is because they’re genuinely interested in what they’re promoting and want to produce the best possible content for their followers.

In conclusion, working with true influencers has many benefits, including authenticity, reach, and quality. If you’re looking to promote your product or service, partnering with true influencers is the way to go.

FAQ

Q: What is an influencer?

A: An influencer is a person who has the ability to influence the purchasing decisions of others.

Q: Why are fake followers a problem for brands?

A: Fake followers can be a problem for brands because they’re not real people who are interested in the products or services that the brand offers. As a result, brands may not get the results they’re hoping for when working with an influencer who has fake followers.

Q: How can I spot an influencer with fake followers?

A: There are several ways to spot an influencer with fake followers, including looking at their profile picture, taking a look at the comments on their posts, following to followers ratio and others