Influencer marketing is a powerful way to reach and engage your target audience, but how do you know if the influencers you work with are authentic and credible? In this article, we will explore some of the key indicators that can help you assess the quality and trustworthiness of influencers, and avoid potential pitfalls and risks.
One of the most common metrics to measure influencer performance is engagement rate, which is the ratio of interactions (likes, comments, shares, etc.) to followers or impressions. A high engagement rate indicates that the influencer has a loyal and active fan base, and that their content resonates with their audience. However, engagement rate alone is not enough to determine authenticity and credibility, as some influencers may use bots, fake accounts, or paid services to inflate their numbers. Therefore, you should also look at the quality and relevance of the interactions, and avoid influencers who have suspicious spikes or drops in their engagement rate.
1) Combining Engagement rate with how they interact with their followers. 2) Their community strategy (Ex: Instagram's newest community channel update, do they have one?) 3) Is their content interactive? I am interested in knowing from them how many people reached until 50% - 100% minutes watched of 1-3 of their videos if able to be provided.
For me, authentication of the influencer works comes from comments. How many followers have appreciated the post and are asking for more details and other comments? Comments are also a way to gauge influencer engagement etiquette, which will help the brand drive the action during the collaboration. Comments are also
Die ER in diesem Zusammenhang zu nutzen, ist einfach veraltet. Diese Zahl ist rein quantitativ und sollte unter keinen Umst?nden als relevanter KPI für Authentizit?t gelten. Sie kann gekauft werden durch Links & Bot-Kommentare. Statt der ER sollte man vielmehr wert auf die EQ legen- die Engagement Quality. Sie ist ein qualitativer Faktor und muss meist h?ndisch analysiert werden. Und sie beinhaltet auch die Analyse des Kommentar-Managements aufseiten des Influencers/ der Infleuncerin. Aber sie gibt viel mehr Auskunft über die Authentizit?t als die ER.
One thing I've found helpful is to never look at engagement rates in isolation with recency. When any tool measures engagement rate, recency is often discounted as a metric. Secondly, engagement rate varies according to content. It's important to have the right expectations with the influencer because if you try and control the content to something that does not resonate with their audience you will not be able to get the same engagement rates that they usually get on their own organic content.
The biggest indicator of credibility and authenticity for an influencer is the connection between their PERSONALITY and their WHY. A credible influencer should have a personality that authentically mirrors their "why". Arbitrary metrics like engagement rates and interactions aren't enough to gauge an influencer's credibility and authenticity. While these might be great metrics for an influencer's performance, finding an authentic and credible influencer lies in their: 1. Personality + their why 2. Audience that reflects No. 1 3. Quality Content that caters to the needs of No. 2 4. Engaged community that provides social proof.
Another indicator of authenticity and credibility is the quality of the content that the influencer produces. Quality content is original, creative, informative, entertaining, and aligned with the influencer's niche and personal brand. Quality content also reflects the influencer's expertise, passion, and values, and showcases their unique voice and style. You should avoid influencers who copy or plagiarize content from others, who post irrelevant or misleading content, or who have inconsistent or low-quality content.
"Quality" is a subjective metric and often used as a gatekeeping mechanism: the one thing that social media liberated the mass audience from. If the influencer is getting high audience engagement while playing the game ethically and creatively, they should qualify as "quality" content even if it does not fit your idea of quality.
I find this advice misleading. ‘Low quality’ by standards of audio/video can be very entertaining, persuasive and great for brands. Content quality should be looked into in terms of originality, creative treatment and storytelling. It shouldn’t be about the video / audio quality of the video. If anything, lower quality can get better performance, especially on TikTok, thanks to how authentic and honest it feels to the audience.
Content quality serves as a crucial marker for authenticity and credibility in influencer marketing. High-quality content is characterized by originality, creativity, informativeness, entertainment value, and alignment with the influencer's niche and personal brand. It mirrors the influencer's expertise, passion, and values, displaying a distinctive voice and style. Caution is advised against influencers with tendencies to copy, plagiarize, share irrelevant or misleading content, or maintain inconsistent and low-quality content standards. Assessing content quality provides valuable insights into an influencer's commitment to authenticity and their ability to resonate with their audience.
I agree to this. A brand cannot expect the 100% conversion from the Influencer's by giving scripted content always. The content of the Influencer's should be made according to how their followers consume content. Every content should be approved by the brand for the words / language used but according to my perspective the more scripted content the more it looks like a paid AD without a personal touch. Study the influencer pattern / content style and then collaborate accordingly.
Staying current with trending topics in your designated field while remaining authentic and providing relevant content to your visitors. It is important to remain true to your brand and your own message while generating revenue for yourself and branded partnerships.
A third indicator of authenticity and credibility is the demographics of the influencer's audience. Demographics include factors such as age, gender, location, income, education, interests, and behaviors. These factors can help you determine if the influencer's audience matches your target market, and if the influencer can influence their purchase decisions. You should avoid influencers who have fake or irrelevant followers, who have a mismatched or unknown audience, or who have a low reach or conversion rate.
Audience demographics play a pivotal role in evaluating the authenticity and credibility of influencers. Examining factors like age, gender, location, income, education, interests, and behaviors provides valuable insights into whether the influencer's audience aligns with your target market and holds influence over their purchasing decisions. Beware of influencers with fake or incongruent followers, an undisclosed or mismatched audience, or a low reach and conversion rate. Scrutinizing audience demographics ensures that the influencer's reach is genuine, relevant, and capable of effectively engaging with your intended consumer base.
Demographics definitely play an important role with brand's Target market. Look for Influencer's dashboard and study the type of followers they have, understand what type of content they love making and their followers love watching.
Audience demographics matter if you as a brand know who your target audience is when your'e in the BA phase. When it comes to expanding reach and tapping into wider audiences, demographics can also help to gather valuable data in order to help your strategy and planning in the future. Demographics are important also when choosing the right influencers to work with and making sure there's a breadth of representation amongst the ones you choose is also important. I've seen too many brands without strategies working with influencers that all have the same audiences, reducing their reach and ultimately stunting their intended outcome.
A classic example was a fast fashion brand working with a reality TV star and it absolutely flopped. Turns out most of her followers were men who had no interest in buying the clothes. Check out who their audience are and why they're following and engaging with the content.
If you can use an authenticity tool to see “how real” an influencers audience is, it will be a big help! We use Tagger Media (now owned by Sprout Social), to managed our influencer campaigns and their tools are very helpful in seeing the authenticity of a creators audience.
A fourth indicator of authenticity and credibility is the affinity that the influencer has with your brand and products. Affinity means that the influencer has a genuine interest in and appreciation for your brand and products, and that they can communicate your value proposition and benefits to their audience. Affinity also means that the influencer has a positive and respectful relationship with your brand and team, and that they follow your guidelines and expectations. You should avoid influencers who have a negative or indifferent attitude towards your brand and products, who have a conflict of interest or a competing affiliation, or who violate your terms and conditions.
While brand affinity is great, I also believe that there is something to surprising people by going with the unexpected choice. Instead of hiring the same female beauty influencer everyone wants to use; go for a male creator with a large female audience that isn't necessarily beauty as it would really break sound. Why spend ad dollars on the same talent that is promoting 100 other produces all around yours?
Marken-Affinit?t bedeutet für mich im Sourcing nicht nur, wie Influencer zu der Marke stehen, mit der ich bei ihnen eine Kooperation platzieren m?chte. Sondern auch, mit welchen anderen Marken diese regelm??ig zusammenarbeiten. Gerade in der Nischen-Parfum Branche ist das unfassbar wichtig: Wer hier bspw. mit Herstellern von Dupes (Kazaar, Chogan, Eclat) zusammengearbeitet hat, ist für mich für potentielle Kooperationen auf der Black-List.
I recommend brands start building relationships with influencers organically. During my tenure with Morphe, I had the opportunity to work on the Morphe x Meredith Duxbury collaboration. Morphe sought to extend its presence on TikTok and joined forces with renowned TikTok MUA, Meredith Duxbury, for an exclusive makeup collection. Leading up to this collaboration, Meredith had organically shared her love for Morphe products within her community, making this partnership a seamless extension of her genuine connection with the brand.
Brand affinity serves as a crucial indicator of an influencer's authenticity and credibility. This involves assessing whether the influencer genuinely values and appreciates your brand and products, and if they can effectively communicate your value proposition and benefits to their audience. A positive and respectful relationship with your brand, adherence to guidelines and expectations, and a lack of conflicts of interest are all indicative of strong brand affinity. Conversely, influencers displaying a negative or indifferent attitude, conflicting affiliations, or violations of terms and conditions should be avoided to maintain authenticity and credibility in your influencer partnerships.
Go with quality of influencers rather than quantity. Building a small Influencer's community for your brand and making a relation with them will be more beneficial initially than reaching out to mass micro influencers and not keeping a track of the quality of the brand image that is being spread
A fifth indicator of authenticity and credibility is the feedback and reviews that the influencer receives from their audience and peers. Feedback and reviews can help you gauge the influencer's reputation, influence, and impact, and how they handle criticism and complaints. Feedback and reviews can also help you identify the influencer's strengths and weaknesses, and how they can improve their performance. You should avoid influencers who have a lot of negative or fake feedback and reviews, who ignore or delete feedback and reviews, or who respond unprofessionally or aggressively.
The most effective method for determining a creator's credibility and trustworthiness is through reviews. By perusing reviews from both brands and audiences, you, as the reader, can gain a comprehensive understanding of the creator's reputation and community sentiment. That's why I created privy.reviews, a platform like to Trustpilot but tailored specifically for content creators. Creators can sign up and promptly solicit reviews to establish credibility and trust.
Taking a small interview of the influencer with a set questionnaire revolving around their views on feedbacks , mindset and criticism and how well they can vouch for the brand should be considered as a selection criteria for the quality of Influencers we select for a campaign
Assessing the feedback and reviews an influencer receives from their audience and peers is a valuable indicator of authenticity and credibility. It provides insights into the influencer's reputation, influence, and impact, as well as their ability to handle criticism and complaints. Identifying an influencer's strengths and weaknesses through feedback and reviews can aid in determining their suitability for collaboration. It is advisable to steer clear of influencers with a significant amount of negative or fake feedback, those who dismiss or delete feedback, or those who respond unprofessionally or aggressively, as these may compromise authenticity and credibility.
Always monitor community feedback, comment sentient and gut feel. Are you riling people up or is it really something that people want to see?
A sixth indicator of authenticity and credibility is the social proof that the influencer has. Social proof is the evidence that the influencer has a large and loyal following, that they have collaborated with reputable and relevant brands, and that they have achieved recognition and awards for their work. Social proof can help you validate the influencer's authority, credibility, and popularity, and how they can add value to your brand and campaign. You should avoid influencers who have no or low social proof, who exaggerate or falsify their social proof, or who rely solely on their social proof.
Ask for testimonials, case studies, and stats before working with any influencer. Who's following them and what uplifts in sales or awareness have they created before?
Their analytics will tell you most of what you need to know. Additionally, pay close attention to engagement; a high number of impressions/views does not always translate to higher conversions.
Authentic influencers stand out through social proof that align emotionally, which reflects a shared passion for the topic. This proof includes a deeply engaged and loyal following, collaborations with well-respected brands synergistic with their interests, and content that underscores their expertise and passion. This form of social proof goes beyond mere numbers, it transforms into emotional connections and shared interests with their audience. Life is easier if you can activate influencers whose social proof is rooted in enthusiasm for their niche, rather than just high follower counts or vanity stats. True authenticity comes out by the ability to create an emotional bond with the audience, driven by real passion.
Let influencers tell the story themselves! Too many brands create scripts or too many rules for what influencers can and can't do that the content ends up feeling way too unauthentic and their audiences see right through it. That's why you end up with lower engagement on posts like that. Instead, let the influencers you choose to work with create content or integrate the product into their content in evergreen and authentic to them ways so that their audiences trust them more when it comes to their praise of your product. It will build more trust with not only them, but their audiences too, resulting in higher results for your brand.
When seeking authentic influencers, connect with your audience by understanding demographics and psychographics. Use tools like Google Analytics for insights. Identify engaging content through metrics – what sparks the most shares, comments, or saves? Initiate a feedback loop. Direct conversations with followers provide invaluable insights no tool can match. Avoid influencers with a robotic fanbase; steer clear of paid or bot followers. Choose influencers true to their style. Unleash their creativity without scripts. Beware of feeds resembling a sponsored product catalog. If it's all ads, it's a red flag. Keep it balanced, keep it real and you'll find your brand's perfect influencer.
One thing I’ve found helpful is assessing influencer credibility through diverse lenses. Beyond metrics, engagement quality and responses matter. Genuine brand affinity and consistent, diverse audience demographics also signal authenticity. Feedback and social proof further validate credibility. Engage with reviews and social evidence for a comprehensive influencer evaluation.
Building a relationship with the influencer, or with their management team, is very important to any partnership! When an influencer knows they can trust me, it also gives them trust in our brand. And that if there are any unexpected issues along the way of our influencer process, they have confidence that my team or I can assist them in any way. This has been key for long lasting partnerships, organic posting/brand awareness, and new authentic influencers reaching out to work with us. Also letting the influencers post what they know best! We give somewhat of a direction for them to follow and a style guide, but we always tell them that they know what works best on their platform. We trust them! And are happy to talk through any ideas.
In my opinion, the key indicators of authenticity and credibility for influencers lie in their engagement rates, consistency in content, and the genuine connection they have with their audience. ?? High engagement rates, including comments and shares, suggest that their followers are actively interacting with their content, which often reflects genuine interest and trust. ?? Additionally, consistency in their messaging and transparency in brand collaborations reinforce their credibility, as it shows they align with brands that resonate with their personal and their audience's values. ??