To ensure influencers with fewer followers are genuine before partnering, here are some key steps:

1. Inspect Engagement: Look for engagement matching the follower count. Genuine influencers with fewer followers should have high engagement rates because their audience is more targeted.

2. Quality Comments: Look for thoughtful and relevant comments that indicate real follower engagement, not just likes and generic comments which can be purchased.

3. Analyze Growth Rate: A sudden spike in follower count could be indicative of purchased followers, which tend not to be engaged or valuable for your brand.

4. Use Analytics Tools: Platforms like Flinque provide audience insights, such as demographic and psychographic data, to detect anomalies in an influencer’s profile.

5. Authentic Content: Genuine influencers should provide authentic content that resonates with their audience. It must be original, compelling and resonate with your brand’s persona.

6. Previous Collaborations: Note their past brand partnerships. Genuine influencers often share these experiences.

7. Reach-Out: Authentic influencers will be able to provide media kits or detailed analytics on their audience and campaign performance upon request.

8. Monitor for Consistency: Monitor the influencer for a period before reaching out to assess their consistency in terms of post frequency, interaction with followers, and message coherence.

While there are tools that help with this due diligence, human judgment is essential in ensuring influencers are genuine. Influencer marketing platforms such as Flinque can make the process easier by providing comprehensive information and actionable insights about influencers. However, it’s advisable for brands to take into account the specific needs of their campaign to make the best choice.