How to check an Instagram creator's real numbers before a collab
To check an Instagram creator's real numbers, look past the follower count to engagement over recent posts: the median engagement rate across the last 90 days, measured by reach where you can get it and by followers where you cannot. Compare it with Indian benchmarks for the creator's size, and treat any number from a screenshot as unverified.
Updated 1 October 2026
Why isn't the follower count enough?
A follower count measures how many accounts once pressed follow. It says nothing about how many still see the posts, and it is the one number that can be bought outright. Instagram's feed also shows each post to a fraction of followers, decided by the algorithm, so two accounts with the same count can reach very different numbers of people. A brand paying for a reel is paying for the people who watch it, not for the people who followed in 2022.
What is engagement rate, and which one should a brand use?
Engagement rate is the share of people who interacted with a post. It is calculated two common ways, and they give different numbers for the same post, so a rate without its definition is meaningless.
| Engagement by reach | Engagement by followers | |
|---|---|---|
| Formula | Interactions ÷ accounts reached | (Likes + comments) ÷ followers |
| Counts saves and shares | Yes | No |
| Who can calculate it | Only the account owner, from Instagram's insights | Anyone, from the public page |
| Affected by fake followers | No | Yes — they inflate the bottom of the fraction |
| Use it to | Judge how much an audience cares | Compare with public tools and benchmarks |
Engagement by reach is the better measure, because reach counts the people who actually saw the post and interactions include saves and shares — the strongest signs that a post landed. Its only problem is that nobody but the creator can see it. Engagement by followers is weaker but comparable: it is what free calculators and published benchmarks use.
What is a good engagement rate on Instagram in India?
It depends on size: smaller accounts have closer audiences, so their rates run higher. These are the Indian benchmarks most often cited, measured by followers.
| Creator tier | Followers | Typical engagement rate (by followers) |
|---|---|---|
| Nano | 1,000 – 10,000 | 6.0% |
| Micro | 10,000 – 1,00,000 | 3.5% |
| Mid-tier | 1,00,000 – 5,00,000 | 2.5% |
| Macro | 5,00,000 – 10,00,000 | 1.5% |
| Celebrity | Above 10,00,000 | 0.8% |
Read them as a range, not a pass mark. A micro creator at 2% is not failing, and a nano creator at 15% deserves a second look at where the comments come from.
Why use the median and not the average?
One viral reel can multiply an average. A creator with nine posts at 2,000 views and one at 2,00,000 has an average of nearly 22,000 — a number no post of theirs is likely to reach again. The median of those ten posts is 2,000, which is what a brand's reel will most probably get. A median over a recent window, such as the last 90 days, also stops a dormant account showing an old peak.
What are the signs of bought followers or engagement?
- Engagement far below the benchmark for the follower count, especially comments in the single digits on a large account.
- Sudden jumps in followers with no viral post to explain them.
- Comments that could sit under any post — "Nice 🔥", "Great content" — from accounts with no posts of their own.
- Likes without saves or shares. Bought engagement is cheap to fake as likes and much harder to fake as saves.
- An audience in the wrong country for an Indian brand, if the creator shares their insights.
How do I get a creator's real numbers?
- Ask for insights screenshots, and the date they were taken. Better than nothing, but they can be cropped or picked from a good month.
- Ask for a screen recording scrolling through the creator's own Instagram insights. Harder to fake than a still.
- Use figures read from the account itself. On Pullsy Network, every figure is read from the creator's connected Instagram and refreshed daily: engagement by reach (with saves and shares) and by followers, each the median of up to 30 posts from the last 90 days, plus median reach for reels and for feed posts. Figures a creator keeps private can be requested; the creator approves each brand.
Worth asking before you move 🤔
What is a good engagement rate for a micro influencer in India?
Around 3.5% by followers is typical for an Indian micro creator with 10,000 to 1 lakh followers, by Qoruz's 2025 benchmarks. Engagement by reach runs higher because reach is smaller than followers. Treat the benchmark as a range rather than a pass mark.
Can I check another account's reach?
Not from the outside. Reach, saves and shares are reported only to the account owner. A brand can see them only if the creator shares them — as a screenshot, a screen recording, or through a platform like Pullsy Network that reads them from the connected account with the creator's approval.
Are free fake-follower checkers accurate?
They estimate from public data: follower growth, likes and comments. They cannot see reach, saves or shares, so they miss the strongest signals and can flag a genuine account with a quiet audience. Use them as a first filter, not a verdict.
Read next 👀
Pullsy Network: creators and brands, with the numbers Instagram reports
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Find creators and pitch a collab on Pullsy Network
Set up a brand profile, get the verified badge, search creators by niche, city and followers, request their insights, pitch a collab and agree terms in writing.
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