What Is Klout Score?
Klout Score was a numerical measure (0-100) of a person's social media influence based on their ability to drive action across platforms like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Created by Klout.com in 2008, it aggregated data from multiple social networks to produce a single influence score—higher scores indicated greater online influence.
Klout shut down in May 2018 after being acquired by Lithium Technologies. At its peak, Klout tracked 750+ million social media profiles and became the industry standard for measuring online influence, despite significant controversy over methodology and accuracy.
How Klout Score Worked
Klout measured influence by analyzing over 400 signals across connected social media accounts, combining them into three core components that produced a final 0-100 score.
The Three Components of Klout Score
1. True Reach: The size of your engaged audience—not just follower count, but people who actually saw and interacted with your content. Klout filtered out inactive followers and spam accounts to measure real audience size.
2. Amplification: How likely your content was to be shared, retweeted, or re-shared. High amplification meant your content generated activity beyond your immediate followers—you created conversations and sparked actions.
3. Network Influence: The influence of people engaging with you. Being retweeted by someone with a Klout Score of 80 carried more weight than retweets from users with scores of 20. Network quality mattered, not just quantity.
What Data Klout Analyzed
Twitter Signals (Primary Platform):
- Retweets and mentions
- Reply frequency and quality
- Follower count and growth
- List inclusion
- Follower influence levels
- Engagement rates
Facebook Signals:
- Post reach and engagement
- Comments and shares
- Friend count and interactions
- Page likes and engagement
Instagram, LinkedIn, Google+, and Other Platforms:
- Likes, comments, shares
- Follower counts and engagement
- Content performance metrics
Offline Signals (Later Additions):
- Wikipedia presence
- Check-in data from Foursquare
- Blog reach and engagement
Klout's algorithm weighted these signals differently based on network activity patterns and constantly evolved to combat gaming and manipulation.
Why Klout Score Mattered
The Impact of Klout Scores
Personal Branding Currency: Klout Scores became résumé items. Marketers, social media managers, and influencers included scores in LinkedIn profiles, speaker bios, and job applications. Employers checked Klout Scores when hiring for social media roles.
Influencer Marketing Criteria: Brands used Klout Scores to identify influencers for campaigns. A score above 50 indicated meaningful influence. Above 70 meant significant authority. Above 80 positioned you as a major influencer in your niche.
Perks and Recognition: Klout's "Perks" program rewarded high scorers with free products, exclusive access, and VIP experiences. Hotels offered room upgrades. Airlines provided lounge access. Brands sent products hoping for social media mentions.
Competitive Benchmarking: Individuals and companies tracked Klout Scores to measure social media strategy effectiveness. Rising scores validated efforts. Declining scores triggered strategy reviews.
Media and Speaking Opportunities: Conference organizers and media outlets checked Klout Scores when selecting speakers or interview subjects. Higher scores correlated with larger platforms and broader reach.
Learn about modern social media analytics tools that measure influence more comprehensively.
Klout Score Ranges and What They Meant
Score Interpretation
| Score Range | Influence Level | What It Meant |
|---|---|---|
| 1-20 | Minimal Influence | Inactive accounts or brand new users with minimal engagement |
| 20-35 | Low Influence | Regular social media users without significant following or engagement |
| 35-50 | Moderate Influence | Active users with engaged niche audiences, solid local influence |
| 50-63 | Strong Influence | Respected voices in specific topics, micro-influencers, industry professionals |
| 63-72 | High Influence | Influential thought leaders, established influencers, recognized experts |
| 72-85 | Very High Influence | Major influencers, celebrities in niches, national media figures |
| 85-100 | Extreme Influence | Global celebrities, world leaders, mega-influencers (Justin Bieber, Obama, etc.) |
Notable High Klout Scores:
- Justin Bieber: 100 (briefly, due to massive Twitter engagement)
- Barack Obama: 99 (President with huge engaged following)
- Lady Gaga: 96 (early social media celebrity pioneer)
- Kim Kardashian: 95 (massive reach across platforms)
- Bill Gates: 92 (authority figure with engaged audience)
Average Scores:
- General population average: 35-40
- Active social media users: 40-50
- Social media professionals: 55-65
- Industry thought leaders: 65-75
Why Klout Shut Down
The Decline and Closure
Methodology Criticism:
- Black box algorithm: Klout never fully disclosed how scores were calculated, leading to distrust
- Gaming concerns: Users manipulated scores through follow-for-follow schemes and engagement pods
- Accuracy questions: Scores fluctuated wildly with algorithm changes, frustrating users
- Platform bias: Heavy Twitter weighting disadvantaged users active on other platforms
Competition and Market Changes:
- Native platform analytics emerged: Twitter Analytics, Facebook Insights, Instagram Insights provided direct metrics
- Influencer marketing matured: Brands moved to engagement rate, reach, and conversions rather than proprietary scores
- Better alternatives: Tools like BuzzSumo, Followerwonk, and Klear offered more granular influence measurement
Business Model Challenges:
- Free individual scores didn't generate revenue
- Enterprise product struggled against specialized tools
- Perks program costs exceeded benefits
- Lithium Technologies (acquirer) focused on different priorities
Privacy and Data Concerns:
- Tracking across platforms raised privacy questions
- API restrictions from Facebook and Twitter limited data access
- GDPR and privacy regulations complicated global operations
Official Shutdown: Klout announced closure in May 2018. Users received final score reports. The website went dark, and no direct successor emerged.
Understand social media ROI to measure influence through business outcomes rather than vanity metrics.
Modern Alternatives to Klout Score
Current Influence Measurement Tools
1. Followerwonk (Twitter-Focused):
- What it measures: Twitter authority, follower quality, engagement patterns
- Key metrics: Social Authority score, follower demographics, engagement rates
- Best for: Twitter influence analysis, competitor benchmarking
- Limitations: Twitter-only, requires Moz account
2. BuzzSumo:
- What it measures: Content performance, influencer identification, social shares
- Key metrics: Average shares per post, content amplification, domain authority
- Best for: Content strategy, influencer research, competitive analysis
- Limitations: Expensive for individuals, content-focused rather than profile-focused
3. Klear (Meltwater Influencer Platform):
- What it measures: True reach, influencer authenticity, audience demographics
- Key metrics: Reach, engagement rate, audience quality score
- Best for: Influencer marketing campaigns, vetting influencers
- Limitations: Enterprise pricing, overkill for personal use
4. HypeAuditor:
- What it measures: Influencer authenticity, audience quality, engagement quality
- Key metrics: Audience Quality Score, engagement rate, fake follower percentage
- Best for: Detecting fake influencers, audience analysis
- Limitations: Focused on Instagram primarily
5. Brand24 / Mention:
- What it measures: Brand mentions, share of voice, sentiment analysis
- Key metrics: Mention volume, reach, sentiment, engagement
- Best for: Brand monitoring, reputation management
- Limitations: Doesn't provide individual influence scores
6. Native Platform Analytics:
- Twitter Analytics: Impressions, engagement rate, top tweets
- Instagram Insights: Reach, profile visits, content performance
- LinkedIn Analytics: Post views, engagement, follower demographics
- Best for: Direct platform performance tracking
- Limitations: Platform-specific, no cross-platform scoring
Learn about social listening tools to monitor influence and brand mentions comprehensively.
DIY Influence Measurement
Create Your Own Influence Score:
1. Engagement Rate (Most Important):
Engagement Rate = (Likes + Comments + Shares) / Followers × 100
Good benchmarks:
- Instagram: 3-6%
- Twitter: 0.5-1%
- LinkedIn: 2-5%
- Facebook: 0.5-1%
2. Content Amplification: How often your content gets shared beyond your immediate followers:
Amplification Rate = Shares / Total Engagements × 100
3. Follower Growth Rate:
Monthly Growth Rate = (New Followers This Month / Total Followers) × 100
4. Reply/Comment Quality: Are influencers, brands, or thought leaders engaging with your content? Quality of engagers matters more than quantity.
5. Cross-Platform Reach: Total combined reach across all platforms where you're active. Diversification indicates broader influence.
Simplified Personal Influence Formula:
Influence Score = (Engagement Rate × 40) + (Amplification Rate × 30) + (Follower Growth × 20) + (Network Quality × 10)
This DIY approach provides directional influence measurement without relying on proprietary black-box algorithms.
How to Build Social Media Influence (Without Klout)
Proven Influence-Building Strategies
1. Consistent, Valuable Content: Post regularly (daily on active platforms). Focus on educational, entertaining, or inspiring content that serves your audience. Consistency builds audience expectations and algorithmic favor.
2. Engage Authentically: Reply to comments, participate in conversations, support peers' content. Influence isn't broadcasting—it's relationship-building at scale.
3. Niche Specialization: Become known for specific expertise. Micro-influencers with focused niches often have higher engagement and more influence than generalist macro-influencers.
4. Collaboration and Networking: Partner with complementary creators, join conversations with industry leaders, contribute to community discussions. Your network's influence elevates yours.
5. Multi-Platform Presence: Don't rely on single platform. Diversify across LinkedIn (professional content), Twitter (real-time commentary), Instagram (visual storytelling), and YouTube (educational content).
6. Provide Social Proof: Share results, case studies, testimonials, and data. Demonstrable expertise builds authority faster than self-promotion.
7. Leverage User-Generated Content: Encourage audience to create content about your work. When others advocate for you, your influence multiplies organically.
8. Track What Matters: Focus on business outcomes (leads, sales, partnerships) rather than vanity metrics. Influence should drive tangible results, not just scores.
Explore influencer marketing strategies to leverage influence for business growth.
The Future of Influence Measurement
Beyond Single Scores
Contextual Influence: Modern approaches recognize that influence isn't universal. Someone influential in marketing may have zero influence in healthcare. Context-specific measurement matters more than one-size-fits-all scores.
Engagement Over Reach: Algorithms and brands now prioritize engagement quality over follower counts. 10K engaged followers beat 100K disengaged ones. Micro-influencers (10K-100K followers) often deliver better ROI than mega-influencers.
Authenticity Metrics: Tools now detect fake followers, engagement pods, and bot activity. Audience authenticity scores reveal true influence vs. purchased metrics.
Business Outcomes: Ultimate influence measurement: What actions does your content drive? Leads generated, sales attributed, partnerships formed, and career opportunities created matter more than abstract scores.
Platform-Native Verification: Verified badges (blue checkmarks) signal platform-recognized authority. While not comprehensive influence measures, they indicate meaningful reach and authenticity.
Community Building Over Broadcasting: Influence increasingly measured by community depth (engaged members, active discussions, peer respect) rather than broadcast reach (follower counts, impressions).
Learn about brand monitoring to track your influence and reputation across platforms.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Klout Score?
Klout Score was a numerical measure (0-100) of a person's social media influence based on their ability to drive action across platforms like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Created in 2008, it measured true reach (engaged audience size), amplification (content sharing), and network influence (quality of followers). Higher scores indicated greater online influence. At its peak, Klout tracked 750+ million profiles and became the industry standard for measuring online influence before shutting down in May 2018.
Why did Klout shut down?
Klout shut down in May 2018 due to multiple factors: (1) Methodology criticism—users distrusted the black box algorithm and questioned accuracy, (2) Competition from native platform analytics and specialized tools, (3) Gaming concerns—users manipulated scores through engagement schemes, (4) Business model challenges—free scores didn't generate revenue, (5) Privacy and data concerns—tracking across platforms raised regulatory issues, (6) Platform API restrictions limited data access. After being acquired by Lithium Technologies, Klout was discontinued as the company focused on different priorities.
What is a good Klout Score?
Klout Scores ranged 0-100. Average scores were 35-40 for general users, 40-50 for active social media users, 55-65 for social media professionals, and 65-75 for industry thought leaders. Scores above 50 indicated meaningful influence, above 63 showed high influence, above 72 meant very high influence, and above 85 represented extreme influence (celebrities, world leaders). The average person had a score around 40, making scores above 60 noteworthy and above 70 exceptional.
What replaced Klout Score?
No direct Klout replacement emerged, but several tools measure social media influence: Followerwonk (Twitter authority), BuzzSumo (content performance and influencer discovery), Klear (influencer authenticity and reach), HypeAuditor (audience quality), and native platform analytics (Twitter Analytics, Instagram Insights, LinkedIn Analytics). Modern approaches focus on engagement rates, audience quality, and business outcomes rather than single proprietary scores. Most brands now evaluate influencers using platform-specific metrics instead of universal influence scores.
How was Klout Score calculated?
Klout analyzed 400+ signals across connected social accounts, combining them into three components: (1) True Reach—engaged audience size minus inactive/spam accounts, (2) Amplification—likelihood content would be shared or retweeted, (3) Network Influence—influence level of people engaging with you. Twitter signals (retweets, mentions, replies) were weighted heaviest. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other platforms contributed additional data. The exact algorithm was proprietary and frequently updated, leading to criticism about transparency and score fluctuations.
Can I still check my Klout Score?
No, Klout shut down completely in May 2018. The website is offline and scores are no longer calculated or accessible. Users received final score reports before closure. No official archive exists. To measure social media influence now, use native platform analytics (Twitter Analytics, Instagram Insights), third-party tools (Followerwonk, BuzzSumo, Klear), or calculate your own engagement rate metrics. Focus on platform-specific metrics and business outcomes rather than seeking a Klout replacement.
How do I measure social media influence without Klout?
Measure influence through: (1) Engagement rate—(likes + comments + shares) / followers × 100 (most important metric), (2) Amplification rate—how often content gets shared beyond immediate followers, (3) Follower growth rate—monthly percentage increase, (4) Network quality—are industry leaders/influencers engaging with you?, (5) Business outcomes—leads generated, partnerships formed, opportunities created. Use native platform analytics for direct metrics or tools like Followerwonk (Twitter), BuzzSumo (content reach), or HypeAuditor (audience quality). Focus on metrics tied to your goals rather than vanity scores.
What was the highest Klout Score ever recorded?
Justin Bieber briefly achieved a perfect 100 Klout Score due to massive Twitter engagement (millions of retweets, mentions, and replies generating enormous amplification). Barack Obama scored 99 during his presidency with huge engaged following across platforms. Other high scorers included Lady Gaga (96), Kim Kardashian (95), and Bill Gates (92). The scoring system made it nearly impossible for non-celebrities to score above 85, as extreme influence required massive reach combined with high-quality network engagement and significant content amplification.