New websites are analyzing your online activity and assigning you a rank. Those with high ranks are raking in the rewards. From freebies to trips, you can get all kinds of cool stuff if you up your score.
Mom blogger Leah Segedie with mamavation.com said she got the keys to a luxury car for the weekend with no strings attached, even a room absolutely free at a resort, all because of her high social media score.
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"They came to me which is really cool 'cause, you know, I wasn't looking for it. They just found me," said Segedie.
Whether you know it or not, your online popularity is being ranked by websites like Klout and Kred and everyone's assigned a number. The higher your number, the more influence you have online, and the more appealing you are to marketers.
"They believe these real world people can get the message out to their community and help amplify the message," explained Kred CEO Andrew Grill.
Over the last two years, more than three hundred brands have offered perks to Klout influencers, including Disney, Microsoft and American Express.
"Free upgrades on flights to movie tickets, product trials. The perks run the gamut and the higher your score, probably the better the perk is going to be," said Zena Weist, social media expert and Vice President of Strategy for Expion.
Businesses are looking beyond perks, too, from dating services using scores to match potential partners to a start-up bank making plans to consider scores for loan approval. Some recruiters are even checking out the scores for job applicants.
"The score can be a benchmark if the job has something to do with social media. If you're connecting with people on the web, if you need to be influential," said Weist.
So how can you raise your current score? Experts suggest you start by sharing stories about topics you're interested in on Facebook and Twitter. The more re-tweets and shares you get, the higher your score will rise.
"Be more useful, be more relevant. Talk to your community," suggested Grill.
Then seek out and follow like-minded people online.
"That way they're going to share the information you put out and you can share the information they put out and all boats rise," said Weist.
And always be genuine with what you share.
"If you're the person who's all about the score, I mean, good luck. Good luck to you. It's never going to happen. So it's like, what needs to happen first, you need to be that real person first. And the score will come. It will follow you," said Segedie.
Expert say it's important not to get too obsessed with your score, which could go up and down daily. Instead, aim for long-term growth. By the way, the average person's Klout score is 20 out of a possible 100.