Klout Score (Retired but Historic): Definition, Impact & Lessons
The Klout Score was a measure of social media influence, assigning users a number from 1 to 100 based on their online activity and engagement. Retired in 2018, it shaped how brands, creators, and marketers assessed digital reach and impact.
What Was the Klout Score?
The Klout Score was a numeric value from 1 to 100 that represented a person’s overall influence across social media platforms. Launched in 2008 and retired in 2018, it aggregated data from Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and more to show how much people engaged with your content.
How Klout Score Worked
Klout analyzed dozens of signals, such as:
- Number of likes, shares, retweets, and comments
- Follower growth rate and network reach
- Influence of people interacting with you
Using machine learning, it weighted these signals and produced a score. A higher score meant stronger engagement and broader reach. For example, someone who consistently sparked conversations might score in the 70s or 80s, while occasional posters might land in the 20s or 30s.
Examples in Influencer Marketing
Back when Klout was active, brands used it to find influencers quickly:
- A sportswear company spotted a runner with a Klout Score of 65 and invited her to test new gear.
- A small DTC skincare brand filtered potential partners by Klout Score above 50 to ensure solid social reach.
- Agencies turned Klout data into lists of top micro-influencers in niches like vegan cooking or tech reviews.
These examples show how Klout became shorthand for digital clout and helped streamline outreach.
Why the Klout Score Mattered
1. Benchmarking Influence: It gave creators and brands a single metric to compare performance.
2. Streamlining Outreach: Marketers could sort thousands of profiles by score to find the right voices.
3. Data-Driven Decisions: Brands allocated budgets to partnerships backed by measurable reach.
Even though Klout is gone, the idea of a unified influence metric lives on in influencer platforms and social analytics tools.
Common Misconceptions and Variations
- Klout Wasn’t Perfect: Critics pointed out it favored quantity over quality. Spammy accounts sometimes scored higher.
- Not a Guarantee: A high Klout Score didn’t always translate to sales or deep brand loyalty.
- Variations Today: Many tools now offer topic-specific influence scores or engagement rates rather than a single number.
Practical Tips for Today’s Marketers
1. Focus on Engagement Quality: Track comments, shares, and saves—these signal real interest.
2. Use Multiple Metrics: Combine reach, engagement rate, and brand sentiment for a fuller picture.
3. Look for Niche Experts: Micro-influencers with 5k–20k followers often deliver higher engagement than huge accounts.
4. Monitor Trends: Keep an eye on emerging platforms and how influence is measured (e.g., TikTok’s view-to-engagement ratio).
Even though Klout is retired, its legacy lives in the way we evaluate online influence today. By learning from its strengths and weaknesses, brands and creators can build smarter, more authentic social media strategies.
