Short answer
Ask the creator for a verified report of their platform analytics instead of a media kit or screenshots. Check that audience countries, age and gender match your target customer, that recent reach and views are healthy compared with follower count, and that the comments look like a real audience. After the campaign, ask for a post-level verification of the sponsored content so you pay for results the platform actually recorded.
The problem with media kits
Almost every creator deal starts with a media kit: follower counts, engagement rate, audience split, past results. All of it is self-reported. Some creators round up, some show their best month, and a few invent numbers. Brands can't tell which is which, so they either overpay or discount everyone.
Public tools help at the edges. They can estimate how many followers look fake by sampling public profiles. But the numbers that decide a campaign, such as who actually sees the posts and where they live, are only in the creator's own analytics. The creator can see them. You can't.
A vetting process that uses real data
- 1
Shortlist with public signals
Use content fit, posting frequency and comment quality to build a shortlist. Public fake-follower estimates are useful here as a first filter. - 2
Request verified analytics
Send each shortlisted creator a verification link. They sign in to the platform on their own device and Vouch produces a cryptographic proof of their analytics. You never get their password, and they can't edit the result. - 3
Match the audience to your market
Check the share of the audience in the countries you sell to, and the age and gender split. A creator with a smaller audience concentrated in your market can deliver more than a bigger one spread elsewhere. - 4
Check that the audience is active
Compare accounts reached and views over the last 30 days with the follower count. Look at how much of the reach comes from non-followers; content that travels beyond the existing audience is worth more. - 5
Write the numbers into the contract
Reference the verified report in the agreement. Both sides then agree on the audience being paid for. - 6
Verify the results after posting
When the sponsored post has run, ask for a post-level verification: views, reach and engagement for that specific post, fetched from the platform. Pay performance bonuses on those numbers.
What to look for in the demographics
- Country split. The single most important number for most campaigns. Decide in advance what share of the audience needs to be in your markets.
- Age groups. Check that your customer's age range is well represented, not just present.
- Gender split. Relevant when the product targets one group.
- Followers versus non-followers. Tells you whether you are buying access to a loyal audience or to reach beyond it.
Why creators agree to verify
Creators with real audiences benefit most from verification: it lets them show numbers that brands can trust, instead of being discounted along with everyone else. Verification also doesn't give you ongoing access to their account; it proves one snapshot and ends. Making it a standard step for every creator, rather than a sign of suspicion, keeps the ask simple.
Common questions
Which platforms can be verified?
Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube and Twitch, at both profile and post level. Instagram account verification is free for creators; verification links sent by a brand use one credit each.
Does the creator have to connect their account to our tools?
No. Verification doesn't grant you access to the account. The creator signs in on their own device, produces the proof, and that is the end of it.
Can the creator hide weak metrics?
They can decline to verify. Once they verify, the report contains the full set of metrics the verification covers.
Vet creators with verified data