How do you check a creator's engagement is real before you pay?
We keep getting decks with a pretty engagement rate and then the comments are 'nice', 'love this', fire emoji, repeat. For anyone booking creators in India, the Gulf or elsewhere: what do you actually open before you send a contract? I don't trust the number on the media kit anymore.
12 answers
- Arjun K.Sep 15, 2026
I ignore the rate on the deck. I open the last 12 posts and only count comments that mention the product, the city, or something specific in the frame. If it's all 'amazing' and hearts, I treat the rate as decoration.
- Theo J.Sep 16, 2026
Same. Also look at who is commenting. If the same 15 accounts show up on every post, and none of them have a face or a normal grid, that's a pod. Happens a lot on mid-size beauty accounts.
- Lina P.Sep 18, 2026
For Reels I care more about saves and shares than likes. Likes are cheap. A save means someone wanted it later. Most creators won't show you that, so I ask for a screenshot of insights on two recent posts, not the best one.
- Sofia M.Sep 18, 2026
We got burned in Dubai last year. 80k followers, 6% 'engagement', and the story views were 900. Ask for story and reel view screenshots from the last 14 days, with the date visible. If they hesitate, that's the answer.
- Theo J.Sep 19, 2026
India side: a lot of the inflated numbers are on posts that were boosted. Ask whether the last month was organic. A boosted reel can look like the audience loves them when it was just ad spend.
- Leo B.Sep 20, 2026
One more thing I do on a call: ask them to name a comment they replied to this week. People who actually talk to their audience can answer in a second. People reading a rate card cannot.
- Arjun K.Sep 21, 2026
Don't compare a YouTube comment count to an Instagram one. Different planets. I judge each platform on its own, and I only pay for the platform I'm buying.
- Leo B.Sep 21, 2026
If the audience country doesn't match the brief, the engagement can be 'real' and still useless. A Saudi food brand doesn't need 4% engagement from Brazil. Check the top countries in insights, not just the creator's bio location.
- Leo B.Sep 22, 2026
We started asking for the non-sponsored posts only. Sponsored ones are full of people arguing about the product or dropping 'paid partnership' complaints, which messes up the read. The Tuesday selfie tells you more.
- Arjun K.Sep 23, 2026
Small thing: sort comments by newest and by top. If the top comments are a year old and nothing recent has a sentence in it, the account is coasting.
- Maya R.Sep 24, 2026
I will pay a bit more for someone whose comments are in the language of the market. Arabic comments on an Arabic brief, Hindi or English that matches the city. Translation-pod comments are a smell.
- Sofia M.Sep 25, 2026
Last check before finance releases the money: the handle on the contract matches the handle in the insights screenshot. We had a creator send a cousin's insights once. Felt ridiculous writing that clause. We still have it.
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How do you check a creator's engagement is real before you pay?
This thread is a community conversation, and you can read it without an account. Replies are members' opinions, not a follower count. If you came for a number, look up the creator and open the profile for the stored snapshot. Find profiles from search.
Where do I see the follower count?
Follower counts live on creator profiles, not in the replies. Search the name, open the profile, and use the stored snapshot and the date if you need to quote a figure. This thread is only the conversation. Find profiles from search.
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Use the official links on the profile. We're an independent directory, not the creator's agency, so this thread is not a booking form and we don't pass a brief on. Write to this creator yourself and ask for their fee. Directory plans are on the pricing page.
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