What No One Tells You About Fake LinkedIn Influencer Campaigns
3 min read
Imagine paying good money for a brand campaign that looked good on paper, but in reality, hardly anyone saw it. That’s what happens with fake LinkedIn influencer campaigns, and it’s a big, hidden problem for brands!
- What Does “Fake” Mean on LinkedIn?
Fake impressions happen when creators inflate impressions using photoshopped screenshots or bots.
Some influencers join engagement pods, groups that like and comment on each other’s posts to fake buzz.
Others may buy fake followers or likes just to look more popular.
These practices hurt brands. They waste money, ruin trust, and hide the real impact of your campaigns. You think you have reached 1L+ people through your campaign, but in reality, it's nowhere close. Hardly 40K maybe. How do you then, as a marketer, make future decisions?
- Why You Should Be Careful
Fake metrics hide real performance. You may think a post is seen by thousands, but if they're bots, or worse, an edited screenshot, what’s the value?
Fake creators often edge out honest voices, especially creators from underrepresented backgrounds, making the platform unfair.
Brands can lose money and reputation when campaigns fail to reach real audiences.
- How to Spot Fake Activity
Here are some red flags you should watch for:
Strange follower growth, if someone suddenly gains thousands of followers overnight, it's suspicious.
Engagement doesn’t match size, huge follower counts with tiny, low-quality engagement is a warning sign
Comment Quality, Watch out for repetitive superficial comments from the same set of people in multiple posts by an influencer, which is the result of engagement pods.
Inactive or empty profiles among followers, these often mean bots
Fake detection tools like HypeAuditor, Modash, and others can help you scan fraud patterns before you sign a campaign.
- Worst of All: Misplaced Trust
Fake LinkedIn influencers don’t just cost money, they cost trust.
Brands risk losing out on an otherwise effective channel which they never got to test because of fraudulent practices.
Fake creators can push aside real, hardworking influencers, especially those who are building audiences from underrepresented groups.
- What You Can Do, and How anchors Helps
Always ask for real metrics, such as live impressions, comments, and profile views, if possible via screen sharing on a video call. Avoid screenshots because they are too easy to forge.
Use fake-detection tools before making decisions.
Try performance-based payments, even if it is on the basis of vanity metrics (that are verifiable). This will create a sense of accountability and filter the real ones from the fake ones.
If you want cleaner campaigns with verified data, platforms like anchors offer LinkedIn data synced straight from the source, no exaggeration, just real performance.
anchors gives you transparency so you can trust what you're paying for.
Quick Action Plan
Step | What to Do |
1 | Ask for real engagement stats (not screenshots) |
2 | Look for sudden follower spikes or low engagement rates |
3 | Use third-party tools like HypeAuditor or Modash to vet influencers |
4 | Include authenticity checks in your contracts |
5 | Use anchors for verified, real LinkedIn performance data to safeguard yourself |
Final Thoughts
Fake LinkedIn influencer campaigns are more common than people think, and they harm both brands and real creators. The good news? You can protect your campaigns by using smart checks, asking for proof, and using trusted platforms like anchors.