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Checklist

Checklist for
Influencer Posts about Health

Here you will find a checklist for possible red flags in influencer posts about health topics. You can use this checklist to assess the quality of these influencer posts. The more red flags you find, the more carefully and critically you should examine the posts and their content.

1) Reliable Source?

  • Is the influencer an expert in the field she/he is talking about?

  • Does the influencer have suitable background (e.g. medical training, doctor title, or training as a nutritionist)?

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If no expertise: 

RED FLAG

2) Advertising?

  • Does the post contain advertising for products (e.g. nutritional supplements, skin creams) or services (e.g. coaching, online training)?

  • Note: Advertising can appear in different ways: e.g. through #ad or #advertisement or through a link to the company.

  • Influencers do not always label advertising correctly, so you need to be clever: Is a product being held directly into the camera? Or does the post appear “artificially staged” (e.g. influencers emphasize bodies or present themselves in unnatural poses)?

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If advertising present: 

RED FLAG

3) Claims without strong evidence?

  • Does the post contain claims about health effects, e.g. of products, without strong evidence (e.g. links to scientific studies,  health authorities, expert assessments)?

  • This is often the case when influencers only recommend products based on their own experiences, e.g. “The product immediately improved my skin” or “I feel so much better since I started drinking the protein shake”.

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If strong evidence is missing: 

RED FLAG

4) Exclusive focus on benefits?

  • Are only the benefits of a product presented without addressing harms?

  • Does the influencer use exaggerated language (“game changer”, “life saver”)?

  • Are great, potential unrealistic, health effects promised (“10 kilos less in two weeks”)?

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If one if those things apply: 

RED FLAG

Updated in September 2024

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