How to detect fake followers on Instagram

Detecting fake followers on Instagram is essential for understanding the genuine engagement and reach of an account, whether you're assessing the value of a potential collaboration or seeking to clean up your own follower list. Here are the top ways to identify fake followers:

1. Low engagement rates

Compare the account's number of followers to the level of engagement (likes, comments, shares). A significantly low engagement rate could indicate a high number of fake followers, as these accounts typically do not interact with content.

2. Quality of Comments

Look at the comments on the posts. Generic, irrelevant comments, or repeated use of emojis without any real context might be from bot accounts or paid services meant to boost interactions artificially.

3. Not having a profile picture

Click on some of the followers or browse through the followers of an influencer to see if a lot of followers don't have a profile picture. A high amount of followers without a profile picture can indicate a large amount of fake followers.

4. Number of posts

If a lot of the followers don't have any posts or a very small number of posts it could be an indicator that the influencer might have purchased fake followers. Providers which sell followers often don't put a lot effort into creating the account and not having any posts could mean that it is a fake account.

5. Skewed following to followers ratio

Example: following thousands but with very few followers. This can be another indicator that the followers are fake. Bot accounts often follow a larger number of accounts but have a very small number of followers.

6. Sudden Follower Growth

A sudden, unexplainable spike in followers can be a red flag. Authentic growth typically occurs gradually or follows a noticeable trend aligned with account activity (e.g., viral content, media features).

7. Consistency Across Posts

Look for consistency in engagement across posts. An account with genuine followers will likely have a relatively consistent engagement rate across their content. Wide fluctuations (beyond the impact of viral content) can indicate manipulation.

8. Bio and Profile Completeness

Fake or bot accounts often have incomplete bios, lack personal information, or use stock images as profile photos. A genuine account usually has a fleshed-out bio, a real profile picture, and a cohesive feed.

9. Account Privacy and Activity

Many fake accounts are set to private to avoid detection, making it harder to immediately spot their lack of genuine content. Additionally, an account with extremely high activity (posting too frequently or liking/commenting far more than typical user behavior) might also be suspect.

10. Check Followers Engagement

Genuine followers are more likely to have a history of varied interactions on Instagram. Fake accounts often have little to no such history, or their activity is repetitive and not specific to the content they are supposedly engaging with.

How Influencer Hero can guarantee authentic influencer partnerships

Influencer Hero's search and discovery tool allows you access detailed reports of each influencer analysing the % fake followers as well as mass followers. As an influencer marketer it is crucial to understand the real audience an influencer could reach through a brand partnership. Beside fake followers we also analyse mass followers which are account which follow >1500 accounts. These people are difficult to reach due to the large number of account they follow and should also be taken into consideration when forecasting reach.