IFT methodology
This page documents the exact formulas IFT uses to compute follower growth, engagement rate, and the breakout score, plus the data quality flags applied to every snapshot.
How is growth percentage calculated?
Growth percentage is a straightforward difference between two real timestamped snapshots, expressed as a percentage of the older snapshot.
growth_pct(N) = (followers_now − followers_N_days_ago) / followers_N_days_ago × 100
What does engagement rate mean?
Engagement rate is the average of (likes + comments) per follower across the account's last 12 publicly visible posts within the past 90 days.
engagement_rate = mean(likes_post_i + comments_post_i) / followers × 100 for i in last 12 posts within 90 days
What is the breakout score?
The breakout score is a 0–100 composite that measures how an account is performing versus its own recent baseline, blending five components: momentum (~30%), engagement quality (~20%), viral signal (~20%), consistency (~20%), and cross-platform corroboration.
How should I read the breakout score?
0–40 is normal, 40–70 is interesting, 70–85 is worth investigating, and 85+ is rare and usually signals multi-week sustained acceleration.
Data quality flags
Each snapshot is tagged: ok (full data), partial (follower count present, engagement unavailable), or stale (older than the tier's expected refresh cadence).