What is the Audience Authenticity Score?
The Audience Authenticity Score (AAS) estimates what share of a creator's followers look genuine and reachable. It runs from 0 to 100: the higher the score, the larger the share that passes Click Analytic's authenticity screen.
The follower types behind AAS.
Click Analytic separates the sampled audience into reachable users, authentic influencer or business accounts, and unreachable users. Mass-following behavior is one warning signal considered during classification.
Profiles that look like ordinary social media users.
These accounts show normal identity, content, and following patterns without triggering the model's suspicious or low-reach signals. Reachable does not guarantee that every follower will see, click, or buy.
Authentic accounts classified separately from ordinary users.
Creator and business accounts can be real and valuable. Separating them helps marketers understand how much of the audience resembles ordinary consumers, which matters differently for B2C, B2B, creator, and professional campaigns.
Profiles with suspicious or low-reach signals.
Signals can include missing profile details, implausible names, little content, suspicious activity, inactivity, or abnormal following behavior. This is an estimated risk classification, not proof that followers were purchased.
A reach-quality warning, not an automatic fraud verdict.
Accounts that follow unusually large numbers of profiles may be real people, but they are less likely to see or engage with any one creator consistently. The product uses this as one signal when reading audience reach quality.
AAS is the inverse of the unreachable share.
The calculation is deliberately simple to read. Estimate the unreachable share of the sampled audience, then subtract it from 100.
- 01
Classify the sampled followers
Follower-level signals separate the audience into reachable users, authentic influencer or business accounts, and unreachable users.
- 02
Measure the unreachable share
The unreachable percentage is the part of the sampled audience that shows suspicious, artificial, inactive, or otherwise low-reach patterns.
- 03
Subtract that share from 100
AAS = 100 - Unreachable Users %. If 27.15% is classified as unreachable, the AAS is 72.85.
Example breakdown
0 to 100
AAS measures follower authenticity and reach quality. Engagement rate, audience fit, and brand safety are separate checks and are not ingredients in this score.
- 62.02% · Reachable users
- 10.83% · Influencers and businesses
- 27.15% · Unreachable users
- 72.85 · AAS, the non-unreachable share
How 27.15% unreachable becomes 72.85 AAS.
The reachable and influencer or business categories add up to 72.85%. The unreachable 27.15% is the inverse of the AAS.
Illustrative audience
Follower-type breakdown
- Reachable users
- 62.02%
- Influencers and businesses
- 10.83%
- Unreachable users
- 27.15%
The formula
100 - 27.15 = 72.85
AAS = 100 - Unreachable Users %
The reachable and influencer or business categories make up the 72.85% that is not classified as unreachable.
This is an illustrative screening example, not a measured creator or proof that anyone purchased followers. It does not predict campaign sales.
Screen first, then investigate the audience.
AAS answers one question: how authentic and reachable does the follower base appear? Use separate metrics to judge interaction, buyer fit, content quality, and brand risk.
Open the score and its audience context.
Use AAS as a first screen, then inspect the follower-type breakdown and the rest of the creator profile before adding someone to a campaign.
Explore influencer analyticsCompare creators before outreach.
Compare audience authenticity alongside creator size, platform, recent content, and campaign fit. Similar-size comparisons are more useful than one universal cutoff.
See the vetting workflowRun an authenticity check on one handle.
Use the free Instagram checker to see the audience-quality result for one handle, as a screening signal rather than a fraud verdict or a performance guarantee.
Run a free checkPut the score in market context.
Click Analytic's Creator Economy Report shows why audience quality and engagement should be read together while still remaining separate metrics.
Read the researchEvery public account attracts some suspicious followers.
Bots, spam accounts, inactive profiles, and mass-following users can accumulate without a creator buying them. Larger accounts often collect more background noise, so compare AAS with creators of a similar size and platform before deciding whether a result needs investigation.
Start freeAnswers.
What is a good AAS?
There is no universal good-score cutoff for every creator. Audience composition changes with creator size, platform, and visibility. Compare the score with similar-size creators, then inspect the follower-type breakdown.
How is AAS calculated?
AAS is 100 minus the percentage of followers classified as unreachable. If the unreachable share is 27.15%, the AAS is 72.85.
Does a low AAS mean an influencer bought followers?
No. AAS is an estimated audience-quality signal. Suspicious or unreachable accounts can accumulate naturally, especially around large public profiles. A lower score is a reason to investigate, not proof of fraud.
Are influencer and business accounts considered fake?
No. Authentic influencer and business accounts are separated from ordinary reachable users because they represent a different audience type, not because they are fake.
Is AAS the same as engagement rate or audience fit?
No. AAS measures follower authenticity and reach quality. Engagement rate measures interaction. Audience fit covers geography, demographics, interests, and buyer relevance. Brand safety is a separate content and partnership risk check.
Does a high AAS guarantee campaign performance?
No. AAS does not predict sales. Performance also depends on audience fit, recent views, engagement, creative quality, the offer, the platform, and the campaign objective.
What is a mass follower?
A mass follower is an account that follows an unusually large number of other profiles. It may belong to a real person, but its crowded feed makes consistent reach and engagement less likely. Click Analytic treats mass-following behavior as a reach-quality warning signal, not automatic proof of a fake account.
Why do large creators often have more suspicious followers?
Visibility attracts bots, spam accounts, abandoned profiles, and automated followers. These accounts can follow a creator without the creator inviting or buying them. This is why the useful comparison is with creators of a similar size and platform, not one absolute threshold for everyone.
Is AAS the same as fake follower percentage?
They are inverse views of the same authenticity screen. AAS is the share not classified as unreachable. The unreachable share is 100 minus AAS. The detailed breakdown then separates ordinary reachable users from authentic influencer and business accounts.
How should marketers use AAS?
Use AAS as an early screening signal. Open the follower-type breakdown, compare the result with similar-size creators on the same platform, and then check audience geography, demographics, interests, recent views, and engagement separately before committing campaign budget.
Check the audience.
Then decide.
Use AAS to screen follower authenticity, then review engagement and audience fit separately before you spend.