In influencer marketing, bad data = bad decisions. And the truth is, a lot of the “reports” you see floating around aren’t fully reliable. If you’re picking influencers based on wrong numbers, the whole campaign is at risk.

So, how do you know whether the data you’re seeing is actually verified?

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1. In-House Discovery: Screenshots, Excels, PDFs 🚩

If the data you’re reviewing comes from:

• Screenshots

• Excel sheets

• PDFs

• Or any form of self-reporting by the influencer

…you need to be careful. These are easy to inflate, sometimes without the influencer even realizing it. Treat them as unverified.

As you can see, both the screenshots look convincing.

And if you’re making campaign decisions on numbers like these, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.

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2. Working With Agencies: Ask the Right Questions

If you trust your agency to handle influencer discovery and reporting, don’t just take the reports at face value. Ask them:

• How exactly are you collecting this data?

• Is it synced directly via a platform you’re using, or passed to you by the influencer manually?

🚩 If the first step in their process is self-reporting by the influencer, that’s a MAJOR red flag.

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3. Using Platforms: Read the Fine Print

Good platforms will always disclose where their data comes from. Look for the small “i” icons near metrics — hover over them and you’ll see whether the data is:

• Synced directly from the platform (reliable ✅)

• Extrapolated from a sample or guessed using bios, photos, or names (unreliable 🚩)
  See images below for reference:

And if the source isn’t clear, ask.
If they dodge the question, assume the data isn’t verified, else they’d tell you clearly and directly.

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💡Why Verified Data Matters

Without verified data, you risk:

• Picking influencers whose audience isn’t your target group

• Paying inflated rates based on fake reach or pod-driven engagement

• Wasting campaign budgets on numbers that don’t convert

It’s simple: you can’t run good campaigns on bad data.

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🔖 A Trusted Source for LinkedIn

For LinkedIn influencer marketing specifically, anchors is one of the only platforms that pulls data straight from LinkedIn itself.

That means:

• No screenshots

• No manual reporting

• No chance for manipulation

You get automated reports across all your influencers, without struggling to compile numbers from dozens of posts.

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Final Thoughts

When it comes to influencer campaigns, how data is collected is more important than what data is shown. Unless it’s synced directly from the platform, treat it with caution.

Ask questions. Check the fine print.
And when in doubt, remember: verified data is the only data worth trusting.