Choosing an influencer with real followers is key to the success of your influencer marketing campaign. Here are some strategies to help dodge influencers with fake followers:

1. Assess Engagement Rates: Genuine influencers have high engagement rates. A low engagement-to-followers ratio is a red flag for potential fake followers. Tools like Flinque provide real-time analytics that let you assess an influencer’s engagement rates accurately.

2. Examine Follower Profiles: Fake followers often have blank profiles or a small number of posts. Spending some time to go through the list of an influencer’s followers can show whether they are genuine or not.

3. Look for Sudden Spikes in Follower Growth: Normal follower growth is gradual. A sudden spike may indicate that an influencer has purchased followers. Platforms like Flinque chart out follower growth, so irregularities can be easily spotted.

4. Review the Type and Quality of Interaction: Comments like “Great Post!” and a lot of emojis with no contextual relationship to the post can be signs of automated comments associated with fake followers.

5. Use Social Media Analytics Tools: Tools like Flinque provide data-driven insights to help determine the authenticity of influencers’ audiences. By using these analytics, brands can spot influencers with fake followers, thereby optimizing their influencer marketing strategy.

Remember, successful influencer marketing is not just about partnering with influencers with large follower base, but partnering with those who have an authentic and engaged audience.