How to Conduct a Fake Follower Check for Successful Influencer Marketing

Why Checking for Fake Followers is Essential

A well-known analytics platform found that 49% of Instagram influencers had used fake followers at some point. While many of these creators likely tried and quickly stopped this unethical practice due to its lack of long-term results, the data shows how undeniably commonplace fake followers are.

Brands seeking influencers to assist with their marketing must be careful. They must know the influencers they are investing in are capable of reaching their target audience. Inflated follower counts waste any funds spent on influencer marketing, and brands will pay more to sponsor posts from an influencer with a high reach.

Picture the scenario: You hire an influencer with 300K followers. You check out his profile, and he receives over 1,000 likes and hundreds of comments per post. You pay him for a sponsored post, anticipating reach in your target audience, only to see the content receive 12 likes and 2 comments.

This is the consequence of fake followers--a poor campaign with disappointing results. Done right, influencer marketing can provide a 6x ROI.

How to Identify Instagram Bot Activities

So, how what are the tell-tell signs of bots so you can eliminate them from your marketing?

Low Engagement

Look for consistency between the number of followers and the level of engagement, such as likes, comments, and shares. While influencers with larger follower counts tend to have lower engagement rates, very low engagement often signals fake followers. Question accounts with engagement rates much lower than the average for Instagram influencers, which is around 0.9%. This may be a sign that the followers are fake.

Generic Comments

Unfortunately, engagement rates don't provide the full answer. Many bots like posts and leave comments. However, bots often leave generic, non-specific comments such as "Nice post!" or "Great pic!" The comments are brief and lack meaningful interaction with the content of the post.

Incomplete or Generic Profiles

Bots often have incomplete profiles. They may lack profile pictures, bio descriptions, or posts. Additionally, their usernames might seem randomly generated, including a string of numbers or generic phrases.

Irregular Posting Activity

Bot accounts often exhibit unusual posting activities. They may post multiple times in a short period and then remain inactive for a long time. In contrast, genuine accounts usually have a more consistent posting schedule.

Using Free Tools for Instagram Fake Follower Checks

Thankfully, checking the legitimacy of influencers doesn't have to be challenging. Tools specifically tailored to Instagram can flag up inauthentic creators without the hassle of searching through a profile's followers.

Each tool takes a different approach. While some analyse followers by engagement rate, others use more intricate metrics to provide a comprehensive overview of an influencer's authenticity. This may include analysing a creator's growth over time or posting habits.

Comparing Different Free Instagram Checker Tools

There are many free tools available, so which is best?

Each one has its own method for analysing the credibility of a creator's audience.

Here is a comparison of some free tools that can help you verify the authenticity of an influencer's followers on Instagram:

Kolsquare's Credibility Score

Platforms streamline your influencer marketing from end to end. They give you the tools you need to find influencers who can produce the best results from campaigns. Part of that process is checking for fake followers.

As part of its influencer marketing offer, Kolsquare evaluates the credibility of influencers in its global database by calculating a specific percentage score. This score indicates the overall health of an influencer's audience by checking for bots, inactive followers, and purchased likes and followers.

Kolsquare then assigns a score ranging from zero to 100, reflecting the authenticity and engagement quality of the influencer's following. This comprehensive assessment helps marketers identify genuine influencers and make informed decisions for their campaigns.

Book in for a Kolsquare demo today.

Modash

Modash offers a reliable tool for conducting fake follower checks. However, is tool is only available if you sign up for a free trial. All you need to do is enter an influencer’s Instagram username into the checker to receive detailed insights into the authenticity of their followers and their overall engagement metrics.

InBeat

Inbeat offers an effective tool for detecting fake followers on Instagram. All you need to provide is your email address, and it will tell you the number of fake or inactive followers an account has.

It analyses the average engagement rates, likes, and comments, cross-referencing this data with industry standards to evaluate audience quality.

Collabstr

Collabstr is a valuable tool for checking the authenticity of an influencer's followers on Instagram. This platform provides a pie chart showing the percentage of authentic followers, offering a clear visual representation of follower quality. Collabstr meticulously analyses each follower's engagement metrics, including likes, comments, and posting habits, to identify and eliminate suspicious accounts.

Finding Fake Followers on TikTok: A Guide

Identifying fake followers on TikTok is crucial for brands and influencers wanting their marketing efforts to reach a genuine audience. However, on TikTok, accounts tend to hide many details even when they are genuine.

Here's a guide to identifying fake followers on TikTok:

• Tools: Tools like HypeAuditor, Social Blade, and Kolsquare assess follower authenticity automatically, providing an analysis in seconds.
• Check followers: Fake followers often have generic usernames and follow many accounts. By checking a sample of the influencer's fan base, you can spot these red flags.
• Growth patterns: Sudden spikes in follower count suggest the use of bots or purchased followers. Consistent follower growth that aligns with content quality and frequency is a good indicator of genuine followers.
• Engagement: Engagement rates are typically higher on TikTok. However, they may be lower if followers are fake. The average engagement rate on TikTok is 2.67%.
• Sentiment analysis: Sentiment analysis offers another layer of insight. Using sentiment analysis tools to evaluate the tone of comments on an influencer’s posts can help determine the authenticity of engagement. Genuine comments often reflect authentic engagement with varied sentiments. A large number of uniformly positive or generic comments may indicate fake followers.

Spotting Inauthentic Likes on Instagram and YouTube

Fake followers may automatically like content. Due to this automation, one red flag is rapid likes and comments triggered immediately after a post is published. While popular influencers do receive quick engagement, an unnatural spike often suggests the use of engagement pods or automated services.

Using follower audit tools can also be helpful. Tools like Kolsquare analyse follower quality and engagement metrics, providing insights into follower authenticity by examining growth patterns and engagement rates. Additionally, analysing the profiles of followers for completeness, activity, and the follower-to-following ratio can reveal fake accounts, which often have incomplete profiles, low activity, and an uneven follower-to-following ratio.

Lastly, examining engagement patterns over time can provide valuable insights. Genuine accounts show consistent engagement patterns, while sudden spikes or drops can indicate manipulative practice.

How to Know if Someone's Social Media Followers are Genuine

Fake followers can tank your campaign. However, it's important to note that detecting fake followers does not necessarily mean the account is deliberately buying followers; sometimes, they may have inactive followers or have been targeted by bots.

Here are some key strategies to identify genuine followers and ensure you go beyond vanity metrics on any platform:

1. Analyse engagement patterns: Genuine accounts tend to have consistent engagement patterns over time. They typically post contextually relevant comments rather than generic phrases.
2. Check follower profiles: Review a sample of followers to check for complete profiles, regular posting activity, and realistic follower-to-following ratios.
3. Look beyond vanity metrics: Focus on engagement metrics that are harder to fake, such as the quality of comments, shares, and saves. In addition, use sentiment analysis tools to evaluate the tone and sentiment of comments.
4. Engagement rates: Use benchmarks from your industry to understand typical engagement rates. Significantly different rates can indicate suspicious activity.

Checking the Authenticity of an Instagram Account’s Audience

Meta, the parent company of both Instagram and Facebook, stated on its website:

"We invest in artificial intelligence to improve our ability to detect violating content and keep people safe. Whether it's improving an existing system or introducing a new one, these investments help us automate decisions on content so we can respond faster and reduce mistakes."

While Instagram continues to make efforts to protect brands and influencers, the best thing to do is protect your brand by following best practices. To verify authenticity, regularly analyse follower activity, as genuine accounts will have followers who engage with posts through likes, comments, and shares. Assess the quality of engagement by looking for meaningful comments and interactions, as opposed to generic comments or excessive emoji usage, which may suggest automated or low-quality engagement. Finally, analyse follower growth patterns for any sudden changes.

Ensuring Your Marketing Efforts Target Genuine Users

Above all, the best way to ensure your marketing reaches the right audience is to run a well-planned campaign from start to finish. Begin by defining your target audience and understanding the type of content you want to create. It's important to keep in mind that content and creators that appeal to you may not appeal to your target audience.

Conduct a wide influencer search to understand the typical engagement rates and follower counts in your industry. An influencer marketing platform like Kolsquare accelerates this process from days to minutes. It gives you immediate access to credibility scores, engagement rates, and follower counts. Essentially, it enables easy access to all the key data.

Once you've paired with influencers with real impact in your target audience, you can continue to build the relationship long-term. These partnerships with influencers who genuinely resonate with your brand can lead to more authentic and effective marketing. Use a platform to assess which influencers are having the most impact easily. To begin with, you can use low-risk campaigns such as affiliate marketing or a one-off sponsored post. These short-term collaborations reduce risk and allow you to quickly establish whether an influencer can perform for your brand.

Trust these creators to build content that speaks to their target audience.