Social media influencers are all the rage, and for good reason. The marketing reach some influencers have is mind boggling. Being an influencer isn’t just about posting selfies and videos in the hopes of getting the most likes. It’s become a division of marketing on its own. Social media platforms are the new radio/television commercials and billboards. Becoming an influencer can be very lucrative as one can contract with companies to promote their products pertaining to the influencer’s topic and audience/followers. In the world of fitness, there is no lack of influencers, known as Fitfluencers, sharing their opinions and promoting products for companies.

Following an influencer...cautionary tale #1. Unfortunately, the world is full of scam artists. Online influencers are, many times, individuals that turn a hobby into a source of income. Because of this, there is no defined standard of expertise necessary to share an opinion online and create that income. As a Fitfluencer, this becomes even more of a concern. Physical fitness knowledge encompasses everything from the casual hobbyist to the traditionally trained PhD of exercise physiology. On top of that, the number of differing philosophies and products available in the fitness world makes things even more cluttered. In order to determine the scammer from the legitimate expert, lots of research may be necessary. If the Fitfluencer is speaking on a topic, do some research of your own to see if there is a prevailing practice on that topic. Seeking out professional sources that hold accredited certifications is a good start. If the Fitfluencer is promoting a product or brand, checking the products rating via the Better Business Bureau, for example, is also an option. 

Planning to enter a marketing agreement with or planning to follow a particular influencer...cautionary tale #2. Sticking with the scammers, there are influencers out there that appear much more beneficial than they are by creating fake followers to create the perception of having a huge audience. The two primary characteristics businesses look to for truly influential influencers are the number of followers and the demographic of those followers. Any company looking to partner with a social influencer should do some homework on the number of fake followers an influencer might have. There are a few easy ways to do this….

• Engagement Rate: Engagement rate is average number of engagements (comments, likes, etc.) per post divided by the number of followers. If the engagement rate is too low (1% or less) chances are many of the followers are fake or they don’t really care about what the influencer has to say and promote.
• Follower Growth: Legitimate growth is usually gradual. When there are extreme spikes in number of followers, the influencer may be artificially increasing the number of followers through fake accounts.
• Types of Comments: Taking time to review the comments of followers is a good idea. Real followers tend to be specific about the picture, video, or product the influencer posts. Fake accounts automatically comment with brief, generic statements like “Awesome!”, “Love it!”, or “Amazing!”.

Let’s bring all of this back to the Fitfluencer. As in any industry, there are ways to scam the system. The reason influencers that focus on fitness should be researched is simply for your health. The old saying, “if it sounds too good to be true…”, is appropriate. There is no reason to put your health in jeopardy or waste time doing something that has little benefit. Although the way scam artists practice their craft has and will continue to evolve, there are still red flags to notice so you choose the best Fitfluencer for you.