Fake influencers are out there, and they appear more often than you might think. Did you know that 63% of brands have experienced influencer fraud?
After Instagram removed the feature that displayed how many people liked a post, there was a time when influencer fraud declined. Fake influencers know that account engagement is a key indicator of success in influencer marketing and have devised ways to get around it.
Engagement rates are important for the influencer search. However, we must consider all aspects of a profile on social media to identify fraudulent influencers who could falsify engagement rates.
Different types of influencer fraud
There are many ways influencer fraud can be perpetrated. There are accounts that stand out like a sore thumb. Strange content will be common, with varying comments and likes across posts, comments written in different languages, and sometimes not related to the post. These accounts can be easily avoided.
It can be difficult to find credible influencers who create high-quality content and are trustworthy. These influencers often believe that following is the most important thing. You could buy followers to boost your account’s visibility, and take it from a micro to a nano influencer. These influencers are often sneaky and know how to buy followers, likes or comments in a way that is harder to detect and which can often go unnoticed.
How to spot fake influencers
To really identify fake influencers, I recommend using tools that use artificial intelligence technology. This will allow you to distinguish the behavior of bots or suspicious accounts. It’s understandable that brands may not have the funds to do this. Here are some tips when searching for influencer fraud on Instagram.
1. Take a look at their posts.
This is fairly obvious. This is why you’ll be looking for high quality content. Be sure to check the dates of your posts. Do they have enough posts to keep up with the amount of followers? Are they able to go without posting for long periods?
2. Take a look at their comments.
Comments are a good indicator of influencer fraud, as we have already mentioned. You might notice unusual language choices, unusual account names, and strange comment content if someone has bought comments. It is always a good idea to check the comments of other commenters.
3. Take a look at what they look like.
Instagram has removed the ability to like a post. There are many tools that can help you find this information. You can determine if their likes are too high relative to the number of their followers. Are their likes different between posts?
How an influencer marketing platform could help
Although we may be biased, we recommend that you work with an influencer marketing platform to identify influencers who are authentic. Heepsy will allow you to search for influencers using filters that suit your needs. It will also give you insights into influencers such as audience authenticity metrics.
You should look beyond the authenticity metrics when analysing an influencer’s profile. This is just a starting point. This will show you a percentage of suspicious followers. These are typically bot- or purchased followers. It’s important to keep in mind that this percentage isn’t a final number and that you should also analyze other metrics. Also remember that influencer fraud doesn’t just occur on Instagram. You will also find YouTube and TikTok influencers that manipulate their followers too, and these are possibly even more difficult to assess on your own.
1. Engagement rates
Heepsy will give influencers’ engagement rates without them having to scroll through many posts trying to find likes or comments. This is compared to the average engagement rate for their category. This is an important element to evaluate, as it will reveal the quality of their followers. It identifies how an influencer interacts with their followers. This will show if their audience is interested in their content. An engagement rate that is unusually high could be a sign of purchased comments and likes.
2. Follower growth rate
An influencer marketing platform can help you assess your followers’ growth over time. A steady increase in followers is a sign of a healthy follower base. You can tell if there are sudden spikes or drops in followers. A 1000-follower influencer might buy followers in one day. This would indicate an unexpected rise.
3. Ratio of comment/likes
This metric is similar to identifying unusual numbers of comments or likes on posts. Many influencers will only buy one, not both. This could be seen in their ratio. An influencer may have a lot of likes but very few comments. This ratio can be used to identify fake influencers as it provides a score that is calculated based on the average size of an influencer.
Heepsy offers many other insights that can help in detecting fake influencers. But these are only a few. The profile’s ‘overall quality score’ is a good indicator. It will consider every metric. It’s a good idea, however, to dig deeper.
Conclusion
The concept of influencer fraud may seem a bit off-putting. However, you shouldn’t be discouraged by the possibility of launching an influencer campaign. This industry is expected to reach $13.8 million this year and has shown incredible results for brands of any size. You can choose genuine influencers by taking time to plan a campaign and using the features of an Influencer Marketing Platform. Use a platform like Heepsy to find an authentic nano influencer, micro influencer, or KOL to work with on your next campaign.