Klout: Social Media Influence Score Explained

What Is Klout?

Klout was a tool that tracked your activity on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other networks to calculate a single influence score from 1 to 100. This score aimed to show how much your posts resonated, how often you were shared, and how wide your audience reach was.

How Klout Score Worked

Klout combined data points from multiple platforms into one number:

- Likes, shares, comments, retweets, and pins

- Follower counts and audience growth

- Recency and frequency of your posts

- Engagement per post (ratio of interactions to followers)

Each action carried a weight. For example, a retweet on Twitter might count more than a like on Facebook. The higher your engagement relative to peers, the higher your Klout Score.

Examples in Influencer Marketing

Imagine you’re a DTC skincare brand looking for a micro-influencer. You set a Klout threshold of 50+ to filter out low-engagement accounts. You find @GlowGuru has a Klout Score of 62, with consistent high comments and shares on product demos. You reach out and propose a partnership, confident her audience is active and relevant.

Or picture a small-batch coffee roaster tracking its own Klout. By monitoring weekly score changes, the roaster spots which blog posts or Instagram Stories drive the biggest spikes in engagement—and then doubles down on those formats.

Why Klout Matters for Brands & Creators

1. Benchmarking Influence: A quick, standardized way to compare social authority across different influencers.

2. Data-Driven Decisions: Instead of gut feelings, you use a numeric score to pick partners.

3. Performance Tracking: Creators can see how content tweaks impact their overall influence.

4. Competitive Edge: Brands that understand influence metrics can negotiate better deals and forecast ROI more accurately.

Common Misconceptions

- “High Klout equals sales.” A high score signals engagement, not guaranteed conversions. Always layer on real KPIs like click-throughs and purchases.

- “Klout can’t be gamed.” Like any metric, it’s possible to inflate scores with bots or engagement pods. Always vet influencers by reviewing content quality.

- “Klout is dead.” The original platform shut down in 2018, but the idea of a unified influence score lives on in tools like Kred, PeerIndex and influencer marketplaces.

Practical Tips: Applying Klout Concepts Today

- Focus on Engagement Rate: Track likes, comments and shares per post instead of just followers.

- Use Cross-Platform Metrics: Integrate data from Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter to get a fuller picture.

- Set Clear Benchmarks: Decide what minimum engagement rate or “influence score” fits your budget and goals.

- Combine Quantitative and Qualitative: Pair scores with manual reviews of content style, audience fit and brand safety.

- Continuously Optimize: Monitor your own influencer partnerships and adjust criteria based on performance.

By treating Klout as a model rather than a one-stop solution, brands and creators can make smarter decisions, build stronger relationships and grow their real influence—no single number required.