Methodology
How KitVerify numbers work
What a KitVerify kit is
A KitVerify media kit is a hosted page on kitverify.com — a live link, not a screenshot, with a PDF export when a brand asks for an attachment. Creators fill defined fields; KitVerify renders the page. There is no free-form canvas: a creator chooses what to show, but the structure decides what can appear under each label — and every number carries a label saying where it came from.
The three labels
Pulled straight from the platform API over a read-only connection, shown with the platform name and a last-synced timestamp. A creator cannot type, edit, or adjust a synced number — only hide it.
Calculated by KitVerify from other numbers, with the formula disclosed beside the value. It changes only when its inputs change — a creator can't type a computed number.
Entered by the creator and labeled as such — structured fields, never free text, and never shown under a Synced or Computed label.
Where synced data comes from
Live today: Instagram and TikTok.
When a creator connects Instagram or TikTok, KitVerify receives a read-only token scoped to profile and media metrics. Read-only means KitVerify can fetch numbers — it cannot post, message, or change anything on the account. Synced values render directly from the API data; there is no edit path between the API response and this page.
Why we say "synced," not "verified"
We deliberately say "synced," not "verified." A live API pull proves where a number came from and when — it says nothing about the quality of the audience behind it. That's what benchmarks are for: an inflated follower count can't hide a below-tier engagement rate sitting next to it. Calling a number "verified" would claim more than the data supports. We'd rather under-claim and let the structure do the convincing. The 'verify' in KitVerify is the reader's job — the kit is built so you can.
How engagement rate is calculated
Engagement rate (by followers) is our canonical measure. We take your most recent posts — up to 12 — and compute the median likes and median comments per post, then divide their sum by your follower count: (median likes + median comments per post) divided by followers, times 100.
We use the median, not the average, on purpose. A single viral post can run many times your typical numbers, and an average lets that one outlier inflate your whole rate. The median — the middle post — reflects what a brand can actually expect from a normal post.
Posts from the last 3 days are excluded, because engagement is still accruing — likes and comments keep landing for roughly 72 hours after a post goes up, so a brand-new post would understate the rate. If excluding recent posts would leave fewer than 3 to measure, we include them all and note it on the kit. With fewer than 3 posts total we do not print a rate at all; with only 3 or 4 we compute it but flag it as a small sample.
Worked example: a creator with 20,000 followers whose recent posts have a median of 800 likes and 40 comments has an engagement rate of (800 + 40) divided by 20,000, times 100 = 4.2%.
This rate is follower-based, which is the honest denominator for Instagram, where most of your reach is your own followers. It does overstate reels and other content that reaches well beyond your followers — a reach-based rate is the fairer measure there, and it arrives once you connect your account and we can read true reach. Until then, follower-based engagement rate is the consistent, comparable number.
TikTok engagement rate is a separate, view-based metric: (likes + comments + shares) divided by views. Because the For You Page routes most TikTok views to non-followers, followers are the wrong denominator there. The two rates use different denominators and are never combined or averaged — the one used is named on the kit.
These are the same formulas behind the free engagement rate calculator — you can run your own numbers through them there.
Reach in the last 30 days
Reach in the last 30 days is the number of accounts that saw a creator's content over the trailing 30 days. We show it per platform — Instagram reach and TikTok reach are separate tiles, each with its own source label. We never add, average, or blend them into one combined figure, and reach is always a supporting number: engagement rate stays the primary measure.
Most reach values are Self-reported — the creator enters the accounts-reached figure from their own platform insights, and the tile carries the Self-reported label. Instagram reach can be Synced when a connected Instagram account genuinely returns a supported 30-day value; whether it does depends on the account type, its permissions, and what Instagram returns. TikTok does not provide this value to KitVerify today, so TikTok reach is always Self-reported. We never estimate reach from views, followers, or engagement.
Freshness
Every synced number shows when it was last pulled. If a kit hasn't re-synced in over 90 days, the kit flags its numbers as stale. Growth or drops since the last sync won't appear until the next one — check the timestamp before relying on a number.
How to cross-check
Public numbers stay checkable: compare a synced follower count against the creator's live profile on the platform itself. Every synced label carries its last-synced timestamp. If a number matters to your decision, check the timestamp first.
The creator can hide this number. They cannot edit it.