Most Twitter Accounts Have Significant Numbers of Fake Followers. In a research, 5-30% of followers were found to be fake — they’re bots, spam accounts, inactive users, propaganda, or other non-engaged/non-real users.
According to the Fake Follower Check tool from StatusPeople, which claims the ability to determine how many of a user’s Twitter followers are fakes, 71% of Lady Gaga’s over 35 million followers are fake or inactive, along with 70% of President Obama’s nearly 30 million followers.
Fake followers — accounts that exist on Twitter, technically follow accounts and might even engage, but aren’t operated by real people or are no longer active (and, therefore, not influence-able).
It is really easy to spot fake followers from any Twitter account.
Look through a few photos and scan the comments. If the comments are clearly irrelevant or gibberish, they’re from fake followers. Following/Followed by “fan-buying” services: If you look through their followers and who they’re following, you might see one or two fan-buying accounts.
Check for blocks of accounts with no bio entered. Not all real users enter a bio, obviously, but a long block of followers without any bio (particularly if the accounts have similar characteristics) is a classic indication that someone’s been buying them in.
Another quick way is to look for offset followers-to-following ratios, particularly if the following count is maxed out around 5,000. Twitter puts a limit on the number of accounts a user can follow until he or she has more followers. A user who has 171 followers and who is following 5,001 people is usually fake.
Or you can Use any of the following tools
HypeAuditor:
Details: HypeAuditor is a powerful tool for detecting fake followers on Twitter. It provides detailed insights into follower authenticity, engagement rates, demographics, and more.
Website: HypeAuditor
Social Blade:
Details: Social Blade offers analytics and auditing tools for various social media platforms, including Twitter. It provides follower growth statistics, engagement metrics, and can help identify fake or inactive accounts.
Website: Social Blade
Twitter Audit:
Details: Twitter Audit is a free tool that analyzes Twitter accounts to detect fake followers. It provides an audit score based on the percentage of real vs. fake followers.
Website: Twitter Audit
StatusBrew:
Details: StatusBrew offers Twitter management and analytics tools, including follower analysis. It helps identify fake or inactive followers and provides insights for optimizing your Twitter strategy.
Website: StatusBrew
FakeCheck.co:
Details: FakeCheck.co is a Twitter auditing tool that assesses follower authenticity and engagement. It offers detailed reports and insights to help users identify and remove fake followers.
Website: FakeCheck.co
Twitonomy:
Details: Twitonomy provides analytics and insights for Twitter accounts, including follower analysis. It helps identify fake followers and provides data-driven insights for optimizing your Twitter presence.
Website: Twitonomy
FollowerWonk:
Details: FollowerWonk is a Twitter analytics tool that offers follower analysis features. It helps identify fake or suspicious followers and provides insights for improving audience engagement.
Website: FollowerWonk
Fake followers on Twitter are accounts that do not represent real users. They can negatively impact your engagement rates, credibility, and overall account health. Here’s a breakdown of what to know about fake followers:
What Are Fake Followers?
Inactive Accounts: Accounts that have no recent activity, such as tweets or engagements.
Bot Accounts: Automated accounts that follow users without genuine interaction.
Spam Accounts: Accounts created for malicious purposes, often promoting scams or unwanted content.
Why Fake Followers Matter
Engagement Rates: High numbers of fake followers can lower your engagement rates, making your account appear less credible.
Reputation Damage: Brands and potential followers may view accounts with many fake followers as untrustworthy.
Algorithm Impact: Twitter’s algorithms may penalize accounts with suspicious follower patterns, affecting visibility.
How to Identify Fake Followers
Low Engagement: Accounts that follow but rarely interact with your content.
Incomplete Profiles: Accounts with no profile picture, bio, or few tweets.
Suspicious Usernames: Names with random characters or numbers, often appearing bot-like.
Follower-to-Following Ratio: Accounts with a significantly high following compared to followers.
How to Remove Fake Followers
Audit Your Followers: Use tools like Twitter Audit or FollowerCheck to analyze your followers.
Manually Remove: Block or report fake accounts directly from your follower list.
Use Third-Party Tools: Some tools can help identify and remove fake followers in bulk.
Preventing Fake Followers
Engagement Strategies: Focus on creating quality content to attract genuine followers.
Avoid Following for Follows: Don’t engage in follow-for-follow tactics, as this can attract fake accounts.
Monitor Growth: Regularly check your follower growth and engagement metrics to spot unusual patterns.
By understanding and managing fake followers, you can maintain a healthier Twitter presence and improve your account’s credibility and engagement.