Methodology
How Truliate influencer ratings work
What gets rated
A recommendation is one specific thing an influencer told their audience to try: a restaurant, a dish, a product, a hotel, a gadget. Each one is added to the influencer’s Truliate profile with a link to the exact reel, video or post where they recommended it. Without that proof link, a recommendation can’t be added.
Rating recommendations instead of rating people keeps scores about results. An influencer with great taste earns a high score even with a small following, and one whose picks keep disappointing earns a low one, however many followers they have.
How a score is calculated
- Each rating is 1 to 5 stars. One rating per person per recommendation; rating again simply updates yours.
- Verified visits count double. If you say you visited and a moderator confirms it, your rating counts twice.
- New accounts count half for their first 7 days, which blunts throwaway accounts.
- No score below 3 ratings. A recommendation, a category or an influencer shows “not enough ratings yet” until at least 3 people have rated.
- Influencer score = the weighted average across all ratings on all of their public recommendations. Profiles also show a score per category (for example Restaurants or Tech) and their highest- and lowest-rated picks.
How proof links are checked
When someone adds a recommendation, an AI agent opens the proof post in a real browser, checks that the author is the influencer and that the item is really what they recommended, and reads the comments for context such as sponsorship mentions. It reports a confidence from 0 to 100%. Clear fakes are hidden; anything unclear goes to a human moderator. You can open “What the AI saw” on any recommendation to read its summary.
The AI is a strong filter, not an oracle. Its confidence is an opinion, and moderators make the final call.
Paid, gifted or unpaid
Every recommendation carries a disclosure label: paid, gifted, unpaid or unknown. Users report it, anyone signed in can suggest a correction, and moderators review the suggestions. The label always reads “reported by users” because it is the community’s report, not a finding by Truliate. Not sure what to look for? Read how to tell if an influencer post is sponsored.
Keeping ratings honest
- Only signed-in users with a verified email can rate.
- Bot checks run when you sign up and when you rate.
- A sudden burst of ratings on one recommendation freezes it until a moderator reviews the activity.
- Ratings are star-only: no written reviews means no harassment campaigns in the comments.
What influencers can and can’t do
An influencer can claim their profile by proving it’s them, then post one public reply to an individual rating. They cannot edit, hide or delete ratings, and they never see who left them, so nobody has to worry about retaliation for an honest score.
Frequently asked questions
What is Truliate?
Truliate is a community rating site for influencer recommendations. When an influencer recommends a restaurant, product or place, people who tried it rate that recommendation from 1 to 5 stars. The influencer’s score is built from those ratings.
How is an influencer’s score calculated?
It is the weighted average of every rating on the influencer’s public recommendations. Ratings from people confirmed to have visited count double, ratings from accounts less than 7 days old count half, and everything else counts once.
Why can’t I see a score yet?
Scores stay hidden until at least 3 people have rated. A single rating is one opinion, not a verdict, so Truliate waits for a small crowd before showing a number.
Can I write a review?
No. Truliate is star-only on purpose: no essays, no pile-ons, no personal attacks. The crowd’s stars are the verdict.
How does Truliate stop fake ratings?
Only signed-in users with a verified email can rate, each person gets one rating per recommendation, new accounts count half, bot checks run on sign-up and rating, and a sudden burst of ratings freezes a recommendation until a moderator reviews it.
What does “AI confidence” mean on a recommendation?
Every recommendation must link to the post where the influencer made it. An AI agent opens that post, checks the author and the item, reads the comments, and reports how confident it is (0–100%) that the recommendation is real. Clear fakes are hidden, and unclear cases go to a human moderator.
What do the paid, gifted and unpaid labels mean?
Paid means the influencer was reported as paid to promote it, gifted means they got it free or as a PR package, and unpaid means it was their own pick. Labels are reported by users and reviewed by moderators. They are never a claim made by Truliate.
Can an influencer delete bad ratings?
No. Influencers can claim their profile and post one reply to a rating, but they cannot edit or remove ratings, and they never see who rated them.
Who can rate?
Anyone with a free Truliate account and a verified email. Tap the stars on a recommendation you’ve tried; if you’re not signed in yet, your rating is saved as soon as you are.
Ratings on Truliate are the opinions of users, not endorsements or verified facts.