A fake follower check shows whether the growth of your social media community is organic. Accounts that buy likes or followers are easy to identify.
Fake Follower Check: These 6 tools help with the analysis
Influencer MarketingHub's 2024 Benchmark Report found that 36.8 percent of all influencers worldwide had fake followers. This means that marketing campaigns that companies book with influencers are often not very effective. However, some influencers are not even aware that they have fallen victim to fraud. It is therefore important to ensure authentic interactions.
- Social Blade provides analytics for various social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and Twitter. It shows the growth of followers, subscribers and engagement to identify unusual patterns. Social Blade is cloud-based. The analysis tool is ideal for identifying growth trends and sudden increases in followers that may indicate purchased followers. The trial version can be used free of charge. The paid version costs $3.99 (€3.65) per month (as of August 2024).
- TrendHERO specializes in the analysis of TikTok and Instagram accounts. Fake followers are identified through an extensive database. The tool checks the engagement, interactions and origin of the followers. It is particularly suitable for companies that promote their brands on TikTok using influencer marketing and therefore want to ensure the authenticity of the influencer followers. The free trial version can be used for 14 days, after which $15.99 (€14.64) per month is due.
- Modash advertises the largest database for checking followers on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. According to the company, it contains more than 200 million influencers. In addition to extensive filtering options for analyzing influencers precisely for the target group, the tool also checks follower authenticity and offers detailed insights into the target group quality. Modash is cloud-based. The free trial version can be tried out for 14 days. The tool is then available for $99 (€90.66) per month.
- HypeAuditor is a comprehensive analysis tool for companies that want to start a marketing campaign on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter or Twitch. In addition to recruiting influencers, the scope also includes checking content and followers. Detailed reports on the quality of followers, engagement and demographic data uncover fake followers and ensure authentic influencers. HypeAuditor also offers a free trial version. The premium version costs $399 (€365.37) per month.
- FollowerAudit was developed specifically for Twitter. It analyzes followers and identifies fake or inactive accounts. It can also perform continuous monitoring of the follower base. The free version can check 5,000 followers daily. A diagram shows the results. It compares fake and real followers. With a subscription, FollowerAudit also shows fake usernames and accounts with few tweets.
- Exolyt specializes in TikTok. It offers detailed insights into follower growth, engagement and authenticity of followers. The tool helps to identify suspicious patterns that could indicate fake followers. There is a free pricing model for small teams that are just starting to analyze. Those who want to analyze daily have to shell out 250 euros per month. For large teams and AI support, 600 euros per month are payable.
Fake Follower Check: How to identify fake followers without tools
Fake followers undermine your credibility. Brands you work with are interested in real reach so that their own label is not damaged. The reputation of a company or influencer can suffer significantly if they work with fake followers. This can lead to a loss of trust among customers, partners and the general public. Recognizing and avoiding fake followers is therefore crucial.
- Unnatural growth pattern: A sudden, unnatural increase in the number of followers may indicate the purchase of followers. After a rapid increase, growth may suddenly stagnate, which is also suspicious.
- Check follower profiles: Fake accounts often do not have a profile picture or a general biography. A lack of personal information is also an indication of a fake. Fake profiles have either very few or no posts and often follow many accounts, but have few followers themselves.
- Analyze interaction rate: A low engagement rate can be a sign of fake followers. If the number of likes, comments and shares is low compared to the number of followers, you should check the account. Comments like Nice post! or Great! that have no connection to the content can also come from bots.
- Check follower origin: Geographical anomalies almost always indicate fake followers. If the majority of your followers come from countries that do not match your target group, you should start an investigation. Many new followers at the same time or in a short period of time also indicate automated actions.
- Inactive followers:Fake profiles often have little or no activity. They lack a posting history. In addition, followers are likely inactive or fake if they never interact or post.
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- What are social bots? Simply explained
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- Creating fake profiles: punishable or not?