How to vet a creator before a placement: a checklist

Paying a creator and getting zero is a common story. The reason is usually that the creator wasn't vetted: faked followers, a dead or off-target audience. Let's break down a checklist to vet before paying.

1. Engagement (ER)

Compare the follower count with reactions. A million followers and 200 likes is an alarming signal. A low ER on a large audience often means faking or burnout.

2. Follower dynamics

Sharp spikes in growth (tens of thousands in a day) with no viral occasion are a sign of faking. Healthy growth is gradual.

3. Comment quality

Live, meaningful comments = a live audience. Uniform emoji and "fire🔥" from bot-like accounts are a bad sign.

4. Audience relevance

Even a live audience is useless if they aren't your customers. Request the stats: followers' geo, age, gender. Does it match your target audience?

5. Real reach

Ask for a screenshot of post/story reach stats, not just the follower count. Reach matters more than followers — it shows how many will actually see it.

6. Placement history

Were there ads before, how did they perform, is there a "graveyard" of back-to-back ads (the audience is deaf to them). A sensible integration frequency.

7. Reputation

A search by name: scandals, defrauded advertisers, faking. A creator's reputation transfers to your brand.

8. A test touch

For large budgets — start with a small placement and assess the real result before scaling.

Red flags

• High followers + a low ER.
• Growth spikes with no reason.
• Bot-like comments.
• A refusal to show stats.
• A suspiciously low price "for millions."

Takeaway

Vetting a creator = ER + dynamics + comments + relevance + real reach + reputation. Five minutes of analysis saves the whole placement budget. We help select and vet creators — we have a base of proven authors.