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Before you sign an influencer: a 7-point account vetting checklist

Look at engagement over the last 90 days, not follower count.

Short answer

Before signing a deal with an influencer, look not at follower count but at engagement over the last 90 days, how sponsored posts perform compared with regular posts, and signs of inflated numbers. Saves, reach and audience data, which the free Instagram account analysis tool can't see, are requested from the influencer as screenshots of Instagram Insights.

4 steps · 2 min read · · Turan Yasin Salcı

Step by step · 4 steps

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  1. Analyze the account with the free tool

    2 minutes

    Tool: Instagram account analysis. It's free and doesn't ask for a login or email; it works on business and creator accounts.

    1. 01Choose your perspective: "I'm evaluating an influencer for a collaboration."
    2. 02Choose the category: the comparison is made against that category's average.
    3. 03Type the username and start the analysis. The tool looks at public data from the last 90 days.

  2. Read the results in 7 points

    10 minutes
    1. 01Engagement rate compared with the category average: if it's far below average, the audience exists but isn't watching.
    2. 02Views / followers ratio: very low views relative to followers suggests a large share of followers may be inactive.
    3. 03Likes / views conversion: abnormally high likes relative to views suggests the likes may have been bought.
    4. 04Sponsored vs. regular post comparison: if sponsored posts perform noticeably worse, the audience doesn't like ads.
    5. 05Growth direction: if followers are dropping while the price is going up, you have room to negotiate.
    6. 06Posting pattern: long gaps or sudden bursts can mean the account isn't being actively maintained.
    7. 07Inflation signals: ask the influencer about every warning the tool flags.

  3. Ask the influencer for what the tool can't see

    1 day

    Public data doesn't show: saves, reach, impressions, audience demographics, story performance. Before signing, ask for screenshots of Instagram Insights for the last 30 days:

    • Audience: city, age, gender. Is your customer there?
    • Reach and saves for the last 5 sponsored posts
    • Average story views

    If they don't want to share them, that's an answer too.

  4. What should you put in the contract?

    30 minutes
    • In Turkey, the amended advertising regulation has been in force since August 1, 2026: "Advertisements made through social media influencers must include one of the terms «Reklam» (advertisement) or «Tanıtım» (promotion)." Write this into the contract as the influencer's obligation.
    • Set a metric: "1 Reels" alone isn't enough; set a measurable target such as link clicks or discount code redemptions.
    • Require delivery of Insights screenshots 7 days after the post goes live.

Sources

[A] primary source · [B] industry research · [C] practitioner · [D] our own data

Frequently asked questions

How can you tell if an influencer's followers are real?

Follower count alone tells you nothing. Look at the ratio of views to followers and of likes to views: very low views relative to followers can point to inactive or bought followers, and abnormally high likes relative to views can point to bought likes. Data from the last 90 days is more reliable than a single viral post.

Which stats should I ask an influencer for?

The ones public data doesn't show: audience breakdown for the last 30 days (city, age, gender), reach and saves for the last 5 sponsored posts, and average story views. These are requested as screenshots of the Instagram Insights screen; if an account doesn't want to share them, that's an answer too.

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