What is a fake follower?
A fake follower is any account created for a reason other than normal Instagram use. This can be to inflate likes or followers, spam other users or collect data on other Instagram accounts. They are not your target customers.
In Modash, the Fake follower rate includes two of three suspicious types accounts:
Suspicious mass followers: These are account that follow 1k+ accounts and the vibes are similar to bots & fakes.
Bots & fakes: These are accounts that are most likely bots and fakes.
How do accounts gather fake followers?
Every Instagram profile has some fake followers. Some fake accounts on Instagram follow profiles in a seemingly random fashion. Some social media influencers purchase fake followers in order to earn more money from brand deals, among other similar reasons.
How do we detect fake followers?
Modash uses network graph analysis to determine the authenticity of followers/likes. We score billions of accounts to determine "normal" Instagram behavior. We then score this behavior against the "average" behavior of a user in that network. Accounts that do not score highly enough are flagged as fake. Some criteria that score includes are:
Missing profile image
Following : followers ratio
How long the account has existed
Number of posts
Missing bio
If a creator hides their followers, Modash can’t provide accurate fake follower calculations or audience insights.
Should I work with influencers who have fake followers?
Yes—but with awareness. It's important to know that all influencers have some amount of fake followers. Bigger creators tend to have roughly 20-30% and smaller (>50k) 10-20% fake followers.
Instead of focusing only on fake follower rates, look at who their real audience is. If 75% of their followers match your target location, age, and gender—and their engagement is solid—they can still be a great fit.
You can easily see a breakdown of an audience in an influencer's profile.
Overall, try to aim below 25%. And avoid accounts with more than 50% of fake followers.
For a quick snapshot of Fake Followers of a profile, take a look at the