Fake Instagram followers and bots are the silent killers of your social media growth.
I get it, a quick fix is sooooo tempting. Especially when the entire internet seems to be telling us that all we need to do in order to make more money is get *more followers*. Not to mention, the accounts that sell fake followers and bots seem to work overtime in all of our DMs. But here’s the truth: these vanity metrics do more harm than good.
The truth of it all is not the sleek and sexy-simple-click-of-a-button solution we hope for.
Building a strong social media presence takes time and effort.
But *why* is it so, so bad? Here are just a few of the many reasons:
Low Engagement: Bots and fake followers don’t comment, share, or like your content. This plummets your engagement rate, which is a key indicator in social media algorithms to push your content out to more people.
Damaged Reputation: It’s easy to spot accounts with fake followers. This screams inauthenticity and hurts the brand image you are working so hard to build.
Wasted Money: You’re paying for empty numbers that don’t translate to real customers. These accounts will. never. buy. from. you. FULL STOP. Never. Having a smaller amount of followers that actually buy from you beats a large number that give you $0.
Shadow Banning: Platforms are cracking down on inauthentic activity. Having a high percentage of fake followers can get your account shadow banned, meaning your content is hidden from the same people you were trying to impress to begin with.
If you’ve fallen into the fake Instagram followers trap, you’re not alone.
How to Spot a Bot
Once you see them, you can’t unsee them. Here are the red flags you want to look for:
Crazy Usernames: Quite frankly, they’re just dumb. Think random words and a string of numbers. One of my personal favorites is when you see the name of a female in the username but only see pictures of a male on the grid. Or vice versa.
Low Post Counts: Stagnant profiles are a major red flag. They might have a handful of posts from years ago, but their activity has been frozen in time since then.
Sketchy Follower/Following Ratio: So you’re tellin’ me that you have 62 followers but you’re following 4,068 other accounts? I smell a rat. Bots tend to have abnormal follower to following ratios.
Pictures That are TOO Good: A grid full of professional photographs with exceptionally beautiful people and only 19 followers is something to look out for. These photos were likely stolen from other accounts and are being used without the owner’s permission or knowledge.
Here’s how to take out the trash without nuking your account entirely.
Go on a removal spree. If you’ve done a full send with the bot farms, this may take awhile.
Step One: Log into your Instagram account and go to your profile page.
Step Two: Tap “followers” at the top of your page.
Step Three: You may see something like this pop up at the top of your follower list. Tap it!
Step Four: Get to work! You’ll see a “remove” button next to all of the accounts on the flagged for review list. If you are worried that one of them is real, you can tap into the account to investigate further. However, after you’ve had some practice, you’ll be able to spot them in a snap.
Depending on how many bots you have weighing your account down, this may take awhile. Set a goal for yourself to remove a set amount per week and stick to it.
If you’re monitoring your account analytics, expect them to move in reverse for a few months. This is a long haul strategy but worth the effort if you want to preserve your account.
Here is the TL/DR, organic growth is the sustainable path to success. Focus on creating valuable content, building genuine connections, and engaging with your audience – skip the fake instagram followers. These are the foundations of a thriving social media presence.
If you’re still feeling lost, give us a shout. We’ll help you detox your account and get you back on track with real, authentic growth.
