Buyers Beware: The Truth about Buying Instagram Followers

Before we get to why you shouldn’t buy fake Instagram followers, let’s first talk about how hard it is to hide the fake followers once you have bought them.

The point of going through all the trouble of buying fake followers is to leave people with an impression that you have real followers that engage with you, but that’s hardly the case.

Not just that, it is also quite easy to spot them from a mile away.

Don’t believe us?

Well, you will in a minute.

Let us start with the basic ones:

• No profile picture.
• No real posts.
• Large following count.
• Next to nothing, followers count.

Still not convinced?

It’s okay.

We’re only just getting started.

1. Large Following But No Engagement

Whilst your account may look established from first glance, your posts will be completely lacking in genuine user engagement. This may flag validity issues, especially if you’re an influencer.

The most you might be able to get out of them will be comments that look spammy, and that will be the red flag your brands will notice to give up on you or your brand.

Moreover, the large number of followers will not help you with getting leads and selling your products and, if you’re a business, isn’t that why you started the page in the first place.

Let’s forget engagement for a second; they won’t even see your posts.

No matter how much they avoid engaging in posts, your real followers will still at least see your content, and that counts for something!

2. No Match For Accounts With Real Following

You will have difficulty standing out from a sea of other accounts that worked hard to build a real following.

Whether we consider it in terms of engagement or anything else, you will find yourself falling behind.

Now, was buying fake Instagram followers really such a good idea?

3. Inappropriate Bot Comments Are Just Going To Happen

Once you have bought the fake followers, you have set yourself up to receive questionable engagement on your account, specifically on your posts.

You would not be wrong to expect bot accounts to litter your posts with messages that look very spammy and that too, in languages that you don’t even comprehend.

Sometimes, these comments could be inappropriate; other times, these comments could be repetitive — so, basically a different kind of spammy, but spammy nonetheless.

4. And The Spam Followers Will Follow

Sensing the spam engagement on your account, the spam accounts will make their way to you.

Now, sure, you will be able to gain more followers (yay?), but they will be of a spam variety that will nag you down more than lift you on Instagram.

Sometimes, these purchased followers will gain some followers themselves when your following ends up following them.

Eventually, they will find the true nature of these fake profiles and will unfollow not just them but you as well for betraying their trust in your credibility as an influencer or brand.

5. Now Instagram Is Purging Fake Followers

Yikes! That’s not so good!

Instagram works hard to ensure all the profiles on the app are positive and real people/businesses and eradicates any fake accounts that it finds. It’s smart and knows what to spot to confirm the nature of the account.

Once you land on its radar, you will run into either one of the following scenarios.

• Canceled
• Blocked
• Disabled
• Deactivated

Okay, I think you get the picture now.

Like any other social media platform, Instagram has a set of rules that are to be strongly followed, or else, it has the right to suspend the profile or account being dishonest.

6. Your Influencer Credibility Is Gone

Cutting corners won’t help you in the long run.

So, take your time and grow naturally. If you’re a genuine, hard-working influencer, chances are you will be an increase in your followers and engagement over time – but slowly and steadily.

In the race that we mentioned earlier, don’t end up losing yourself and the opportunity to work with brands – a goal that was probably the reason why you made this account.

7. All That Money Down The Drain!

After buying fake Instagram followers, you will notice a lack of positive impact on your account.

There’s not much that the fake Instagram followers will have to offer you, anyway.

Instead, you can opt to spend money on your campaigns and other aspects of your journey that will help you grow better.

Your Instagram fame doesn’t rely on fake followers. It can grow organically and quite simply too. Here are four easy ways that you can get started:

1. Share Genuine/ Original Content

The more real you are, the more chances you have of getting popular with the people. So, don’t hold back anything that makes you real.

2. Post Regularly

There’s nothing more attractive than consistency. If you’re consistent with your content and the number of times you post in a day/week, more and more people will be attracted to follow your brand.

3. Get Shoutouts From Other Big Accounts

Getting yourself mentioned on accounts with large followings can do the trick. A collaboration might bear even better fruits than a simple shoutout, so maybe you can try looking more into that option?

4. Consider utilizing Instagram Ads

Ads, especially the smart ones that adapt according to their response and the response it thinks you want, are a blessing. They can be a great way of achieving your goals – be it gaining awareness, followers, or leads, they can help in all cases.

5. Try Instagram Reels & Stories

Known to increase an account’s reach, reels and stories are more helpful than you’d imagine them to be. It will reach an audience beyond your account, and who knows, it might even bring in the engagement you’re looking for?

Remember to continue, even if you don’t see an immediate bump in followers. The key is staying consistent and monitoring what does well for you and what doesn’t.

Now, what makes stories arguably even better for growth than the traditional Instagram feed is the ability for users to interact with the content in a story.

6. Use Hashtags

Nothing works like a charm like finding new audiences like hashtags. It is a great way for content to automatically become categorized for users, and this way, they can get the latest updates just by following the hashtag.

So even if they are not following you, you will still show up on their profile. Isn’t that sweet?

All you have to do is follow a hashtag strategy, targeting the right people, and you should be good to go!

7. Conduct Market Research

The help you can get from comprehensive market research is inexplicably monumental.

Basing your Instagram strategy on it instead of cushioning it by buying fake Instagram followers would give you an accurate idea of what your ideal customer resonates with the most.

Then notice how much your genuine followers increase organically.

To summarize: be better, be you, and don’t be tempted by the big numbers.

Don’t buy followers or likes in order to fool your audience or establish social proof. Use Instagram to build a genuine relationship with your audience and engage with them.

Buying followers may be tempting, but it will do you more harm than good. When you buy Instagram likes, it’s easy to see through and will likely cost you money and partnership deals in the long run.