In 2019, Instagram influencer Arii, who had over 2.6 million followers, launched her clothing line. Despite her massive following, she couldn't sell up to 36 shirts, the minimum required to keep her clothing line active.
This incident raised eyebrows about the authenticity of her followers and engagement. High follower counts don't always translate to real influence or sales. Brands must dig deeper, looking at engagement quality and audience relevance rather than relying on follower numbers.
Influencer marketing isn't just handing your product to someone with many followers and hoping for the best.
Influencer marketing is about partnering with people who have built trust, engagement, and credibility with their audience. When they recommend something, their followers listen. It's that simple—except when it's not.
Let's explore the top five red flags you should avoid when choosing an influencer;
Unusual Spikes in Followers
Imagine You're checking out an influencer and suddenly notice they've gained thousands of followers overnight. Impressive, right? Maybe not. A sudden spike followed by a drop is a classic sign of bot followers. Sometimes, the unusual spike may be a result of viral content. But not everyone has that bit of luck. Authentic influencers will have steady growth in followers.
Pro tip: Don't stop at the follower count. Dig deeper into their engagement, and if their sudden rise seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Fake Followers = Fake Results
Have you ever seen where it feels like someone is talking to a room full of mannequins? That's what it's like working with influencers who have fake followers. You'll want to ensure their followers are real, engaged, and match your target audience. Some influencers get creative by using follow trains, engagement pods, or buying followers. They may even use bots to boost their numbers—but all that's smoke and mirrors.
Pro tip: Investigate their audience, check if their followers are real people, and ask yourself: Are these the kind of people who would care about your brand?
Abnormal Engagement Rates
Here's a red flag that often flies under the radar: weird engagement rates. Phony influencers tend to have tons of followers but very little interaction. Or worse, they have super-high engagement, but it's full of spammy, irrelevant comments like "nice pic!" or just a string of emojis.
Authentic engagement is more than just numbers; it's about meaningful interactions.
The Emoji-Only Comment Section
Scrolling through an influencer's comments and seeing only hearts and thumbs-up emojis? That's a sign that bots or paid followers are at work. Some fake accounts or lazy bots leave vague, off-topic comments to boost engagement. While it might technically look like interaction, it's not valuable to your brand.
Pro tip: Look for genuine comments, conversations, and thoughtful replies. If all you see is "🔥🔥🔥," it might be time to reconsider.
5. Sketchy Follower-to-Following Ratios
A good influencer should have more followers than they follow. If the ratio looks almost even, it's often a sign they're playing the "follow-for-follow" game or relying on shoutout-for-shoutout schemes. You want an influencer who built their audience organically—not by begging for followers or using shady tactics.
Pro tip: Always check the ratio. It might be a sign of inflated numbers and little genuine influence if it's off.
Where Social Media Platforms Stand
Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are cracking down on fake accounts and bots, but the problem isn't going away overnight. Facebook removed nearly 2 billion fake accounts in a year, and Instagram has introduced AI to detect suspicious activity. The cleanup is ongoing, but you'll still need to do your due diligence when vetting influencers.
There's Hope!
Despite all the noise from fake influencers, the power of influencer marketing is here to stay—if you play your cards right. You can build meaningful partnerships that deliver real results by putting genuine users first and avoiding these red flags.
And yes, we know it can be tough to sift through all this information, trying to figure out what's real and what's not. That's where Pixxis comes in. We'll help you sort through the noise, spot the real influencers that align with your brand, and craft campaigns that truly connect and delivers immense ROI
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