Klout was a website and mobile application used as a tool to give social media users a “Klout Score.” This score was a numerical value between 1 and 100 based on the user’s social influence (or clout). Klout ceased operations in 2018.
Detailed Explanation
Klout launched its website and mobile app in 2008, with Lithium Technologies acquiring the company in 2014 and shutting it down four years later. There are, however, tools like Followerwonk and BuzzSumo that offer similar insights today.
Klout calculated a user’s score by measuring their social media presence and correlating their content to evaluate how others interacted with it. Higher scores represented greater social media influence. Klout Scores helped social media users gain insights and improve their understanding of their position and influence on specific platforms. The company created profiles using Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google+, Bing, Foursquare, YouTube, Wikipedia and LinkedIn (except business and administrative pages).
Twitter users were automatically given a score, but those who registered with Klout could link multiple social media platforms. Klout would then combine insights and data from those platforms to determine the user’s Klout Score.