Demise of Klout Scores Highlights Increasing Sophistication of Social Media Measurement

The Klout Score, which measured people’s social media power, is disappearing.

The score supposedly graded social media influence with a single number and held clout in the past. Social media savants eagerly, even desperately, sought high Klout Scores. The scores boosted — and bruised — egos. High scores improved chances for new jobs, freelance assignments and even hotel room upgrades. Britney Spears once appeared at Klout’s headquarters to demand to know why her score was lower than Lady Gaga’s, Ad Age reported.

Influencers and influencer marketing professionals eventually started to ignore the scores. They learned that the score was actually a poor gauge of influence. Klout based its score on overall social media activity, not audience engagement or the influencer’s audience. Influencers learned to game the scoring system by purchasing followers and churning out posts with automated tools. Brands sometimes partnered with influencers who had large numbers of followers but who actually lacked any real influence…