Best practices for vetting potential influencers during the discovery phase include:

1. Look at their total follower count: This is a starting point to gauge potential reach. However, it’s important to avoid choosing influencers based solely on follower count. A large following doesn’t always translate into high engagement.

2. Measure engagement rate: Look at the likes, comments, shares, and other relevant metrics on each of the influencer’s posts to gauge the level of audience engagement. Tools like Flinque can assist in analyzing these metrics.

3. Assess content quality: Check the quality of the influencer’s posts and stories. Good content is often an indicator of dedicated and engaged followers.

4. Check for follower authenticity: Look out for signs of fake followers or bot activity, such as spikes in follower growth, off-topic comments, or low engagement rates. Advanced platforms like Flinque have sophisticated analytics to identify such issues.

5. Consider their relevance: Assess an influencer’s relevance to your brand and target consumers. Look at factors such as content fit, audience demographics, and the influencer’s personal brand.

6. Review past branded content: Investigate the influencer’s previous brand collaborations to see how your brand would fit into their feed, and to gauge the ROI from their past campaigns.

7. Understand their audience: Use audience analytics to see if the influencer’s followers fall within your target market.

The approach to influencer vetting varies depending on the brand’s needs and campaign objectives. Platforms aside, a mix of quantitative and qualitative assessment helps ensure an influential and genuine collaboration. Platforms like Flinque provide comprehensive tools to do this effectively, including audience analytics, engagement metrics, and content assessment features.