Video: What Does it Mean to Be Featured on a Top Influencer List

In this video, I share why being on a top influencer list is nothing to brag about it in the influencer marketing industry.

I come across a lot of top influencer list in my feed, whether I’m scrolling through LinkedIn or Twitter. Most influencer lists are created by software companies to generate awareness about their software. For example, if I work in marketing for an enterprise security company, I might create a list called the Top Cybersecurity Influencers and share it on social media. This would undoubtedly get the attention of the influencer community, and the sharing will commence. This is a smart approach, especially if you work for a startup security company and don’t have much brand awareness about your services.

Beware of the “influencer list”

The problem with being featured on a top influencer list is more about the math or algorithm of the list itself. Most of these lists are calculated using 1-2 metrics, with follower count or audience size being the dominant data point. This is a terrible metric when it’s the only one used to build a list of influencers because you can buy followers on most social networks. If it were me putting a list of top influencers together, I would add the following additional metrics:

• Engagement: Specifically, the engagement from any content posted on the subject matter (e.g., cybersecurity, digital transformation, etc.)
• Topical Relevance: Is the influencer considered an authority, or do they just repost everyone else’s content? This is an important distinction. You always want to ensure that your influencer list includes subject matter experts and thought leaders.
• 3rd Party Validation: Are the influencers in question referenced by other influencers? Are they quoted in the media or analyst’s reports?

Anytime you review a list of influencers, trust but verify is a smart thing.

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