The framework
Every platform receives a score from 0 to 100, calculated as the sum of four equally weighted dimensions.
Dimension
Range
What it measures
Product Depth
0–25
How comprehensive the platform is: network coverage, campaign lifecycle, intelligence capabilities, integrations, and AI
Customer Proof
0–25
Who uses it and what they achieved: named customers, verified case studies, and documented outcomes
Industry Recognition
0–25
External validation: platform partnerships, review site ratings, awards, analyst coverage, and press
Revenue & Growth
0–25
Business scale and stability: team size, funding, years in market, and growth trajectory
Each dimension is scored independently against fixed criteria, not relative to other platforms. A score reflects what the platform has actually built and proven, not where it sits in a ranking.
Product Depth (0–25)
This dimension evaluates how comprehensive and capable the platform is. It is scored across five sub-dimensions, each worth up to 5 points.
Sub-dimension
Points
What we evaluate
Social Network Coverage
0–5
How many social networks the platform supports for creator discovery, campaign management, and analytics. Platforms covering Western networks (Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, X, Snapchat, Pinterest, Twitch) and non-Western networks (RED/Xiaohongshu, Weibo, Douyin) score highest.
Campaign Lifecycle
0–5
How much of the influencer marketing workflow the platform covers end to end. Six stages are assessed: creator discovery, outreach and CRM, campaign management, content review and approval, analytics and reporting, and payments and invoicing. Full-lifecycle platforms score higher than point solutions.
Intelligence & Data
0–5
Whether the platform goes beyond execution into strategic intelligence: social listening, consumer intelligence, audience psychographics, competitive benchmarking, trend detection, sentiment analysis, brand safety screening, and fraud detection. This separates a campaign tool from a strategic platform.
Integration Ecosystem
0–5
How well the platform connects to existing technology stacks. Native integrations, breadth across categories (CRM, e-commerce, analytics, advertising, project management), API availability and documentation, and marketplace connectors such as Zapier.
Customer Proof (0–25)
This dimension evaluates adoption and documented outcomes. It answers the question every buyer asks: who else uses this, and what results did they get?
20–25
10+ named enterprise customers. 5+ detailed case studies with specific quantitative results. Customer base exceeds 1,000. Diverse industry coverage across 5+ verticals. Case studies include client-verified results.
15–19
5–9 named enterprise customers. 3–4 case studies with quantitative results. Customer count in the hundreds. 3–4 industry verticals represented.
10–14
Named customers present but mostly mid-market. 1–2 case studies with some quantitative data. Customer count claimed but not specific.
5–9
Few named customers. Case studies exist but without quantitative results. Customer count not disclosed.
0–4
No named customers. No case studies. No verifiable adoption data.
This is how we ensure that the results behind a score are real, not self-reported marketing claims.
Client-verified case studies carry higher weight. When a platform submits a case study, they can request verification by sharing a unique link with the client named in the study. If the client confirms the campaign details and results through that link, the case study receives a badge and is weighted more heavily in the Customer Proof dimension.
Industry Recognition (0–25)
This dimension evaluates external validation from sources the platform does not control.
20–25
Official partner status with 3+ major platforms (Meta, TikTok, YouTube, Snap, Pinterest). G2 rating of 4.5+ with 200+ reviews. Mentioned in Forrester or Gartner research. Multiple industry awards. Regular trade press coverage.
15–19
Official partner status with 1–2 platforms. G2 rating of 4.0+ with 100+ reviews. Some industry awards. Occasional trade press.
10–14
G2 or Capterra rating of 3.5+ with 50+ reviews. No major platform partnerships. Limited awards or press.
5–9
Listed on G2 or Capterra with fewer than 50 reviews. No platform partnerships. No significant press coverage.
0–4
No review presence. No partnerships. No press coverage verifiable.
Revenue & Growth (0–25)
This dimension evaluates business scale and stability. For a buyer choosing a platform, this answers a critical question: will this company still exist in two years?
20–25
500+ employees. 8+ years in market. $50M+ in total funding, or profitable and bootstrapped with demonstrated scale. Global office footprint. Clear growth signals.
15–19
100–500 employees. 5–8 years in market. $10M–$50M in funding. Multi-market presence. Stable growth indicators.
10–14
25–100 employees. 3–5 years in market. Seed to Series A funding. Single or few markets.
5–9
10–25 employees. 1–3 years in market. Pre-seed or seed stage. Single market.
0–4
Fewer than 10 employees or no business scale data available.
How we verify
Every platform in the directory passes through a multi-stage verification process before being scored.
01
Data collection
We collect and structure data from publicly available sources including the platform's website, published case studies, integration directories, platform partner programmes, review sites, and business records.
02
Case study verification
Every case study in the directory can be independently verified by the client named in it. When a platform submits a case study, we generate a unique verification link. The platform shares this link with their client. The client reviews the campaign details and confirms the results. Verified case studies are marked with a Client Verified badge and weighted more heavily in scoring.
03
Cross-referencing
We cross-reference claimed partnerships, awards, and customer relationships against independent records. A claimed Meta Business Partner status is checked against Meta's partner directory. A claimed Cannes Lions win is checked against the Cannes Lions archive. Nothing is taken at face value.
04
Ongoing updates
Scores are not static. They are recalculated when new data becomes available. Platforms that publish new case studies, earn new partnerships, or win new awards will see their scores updated in the next refresh cycle.
What we do not score
It is as important to be clear about what is excluded as what is included.
Pricing
We do not score platforms on how much they charge. A $49/month tool is not worse than a $5,000/month platform. Price is displayed on every profile for buyer convenience but it has zero impact on the score.
UX or design quality
We do not assess how the product looks or feels. Product Depth measures what the platform does, not how it looks doing it.
Self-reported testimonials without verification
Quotes on a homepage without verifiable context do not move scores. Client-verified case studies with specific results do.
Length of time in this directory
New entries are scored on the same scale as long-standing ones.
Paid placements
No platform can pay to appear in the directory, to improve its score, or to influence where it ranks. This is the founding principle of the Influencer Power Index.
The full Influencer Power Index methodology is published at influencerstrategists.com.
