Should You Buy Followers On Instagram?

Having a large Instagram following is the dream for many businesses. Well, what if someone came along and told you that you can skip the line and buy your followers instead of putting in the work? Buying followers may seem irresistible at first glance, promising to catapult your brand into the spotlight with minimal effort. But as the saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

Although it’s tempting to look like a viral sensation, buying Instagram followers is a shortcut that can be really harmful to your brand. We get it. It can take years and lots of hard work to get your follower count to where you want it. And while you can buy Instagram followers, you’re often paying for bots that don’t engage with your content. It may initially make your business look popular, but we don’t recommend it as a sustainable, long-term marketing strategy.

What happens if you buy Instagram followers?

Negative Impact on Engagement Rate

Purchased followers are often fake or inactive accounts generated by bots. These accounts typically do not engage with your content, resulting in a skewed engagement rate. This can harm your account's credibility and authenticity in the eyes of both your real Instagram followers and the algorithm.

While your follower count may appear inflated, the lack of authentic engagement, such as likes, comments, and shares, can signal to potential customers or collaborators that your brand lacks appeal or relevance. If no one is engaging with your content, it could also reduce the visibility of your posts to your genuine and potential followers.

Damage to Reputation

Buying fake followers can tarnish your brand's reputation and credibility. When users discover that your follower count is inflated with fake accounts, they may perceive your brand as deceitful or untrustworthy, leading to a loss of trust and respect. This can make it difficult to attract and retain not only followers, but also customers and collaborators.

Doesn’t Grow Your Business

Fake Instagram followers are often not part of your target audience and may have no genuine interest in your products or services. This means they are unlikely to convert into customers or contribute to the actual growth and success of your business.

Spam

With fake accounts, you may receive inappropriate or irrelevant spam comments on your posts, which can take away from the experience of your real followers. Bot accounts can also compromise your or your follower’s personal information.

Risk of Account Compromise

Buying followers violates Instagram's terms of service, which can result in account suspension or permanent banning. Instagram can also catch on quickly and regularly removes fake accounts, meaning you’d be out the money and back at square one.

Skewed Analytics

Buying followers creates a false sense of success and can make it difficult to accurately gauge the effectiveness of your marketing strategies. Your data, particularly engagement rate, will be skewed if your audience are not real people. It is very challenging to plan future campaigns when you don’t know what’s working and what’s not.

Waste of Resources

Investing in purchased followers is a waste of financial resources that could be better allocated to legitimate social media marketing strategies, such as content creation, influencer collaborations, or targeted advertising campaigns that yield tangible results. 

Ineffective Marketing Strategy

Instead of focusing on building a strong brand presence and fostering genuine connections with your audience, buying followers is a shortcut that ultimately leads to stagnant growth. Genuine engagement and meaningful interactions are the foundation of a successful Instagram marketing strategy, and purchasing followers offers the opposite.

While buying followers may provide a temporary boost in follower count, the long-term consequences far outweigh any short-term benefits. Instead, focus on organic growth by creating high-quality content, interacting with your audience, posting consistently, and using legitimate growth strategies to foster genuine engagement. While it takes more time and effort, we promise it's better for your Instagram account in the long run.