Why You Shouldn't Buy Instagram Followers

Ah, the notorious follower count on Instagram. It matters, but not as much as you think. Certainly not enough to resort to buying followers...aka bots & fake accounts! In this post, we're going to tell you exactly why you shouldn't buy Instagram followers, and what you can do to build your following organically instead.

Why You Shouldn't Buy Instagram Followers

1. It can damage your reputation

When you buy Instagram followers, you're essentially paying for a bunch of bots and fake accounts. Unfortunately, these fake accounts are pretty easy to spot. Your REAL followers may start to question your authenticity and credibility if they discover that you have purchased followers instead of building your community organically.

2. It doesn't increase engagement

Your follower count may go up when you buy Instagram followers, but your engagement rate is going to drop dramatically. Having a high engagement rate shows that your followers are interested in your content, and it increases the chances of your content being shown to more people. Specifically, we're talking about engagement rate by post, which is calculated by taking your total number of engagements on a post, dividing it by your total number of followers, and then multiplying that number by 100. Here are a few examples:

Engagement Rate with an Organic Following of 4,000

150 engagements ÷ 4,000 followers = 0.0375 x 100 = 3.75% engagement rate

Engagement Rate with an Organic Following of 4,000 + 6,000 Fake Followers

150 engagements ÷ 10,000 followers = 0.015 x 100 = 1.5% engagement rate

As you can see in the example above, buying 6,000 extra followers would significantly decrease this account's engagement rate, which is no good. When you buy followers, you're not increasing engagement, which means that your posts will likely receive fewer likes and comments, making it harder to grow your following organically.

Want to calculate your current engagement rate? Use Hootsuite's calculator here!

3. It's a waste of money

Buying Instagram followers can be expensive, especially if you want to buy a significant number of followers. If you have that kind of money to spend on your business, you should consider using it to run paid campaigns, collaborate with influencers, or create high-quality content instead.

4. You'll make the algorithm angry

Instagram's algorithm is designed to show users content that is relevant to their interests. If your followers are not engaging with your content, the algorithm will see your posts as less relevant and may show them to fewer people. Buying followers can hurt your account in the long run and make it harder for you to reach new audiences on Instagram.

5. It's not sustainable

Buying Instagram followers is not a sustainable strategy for growing your following. Instagram regularly deletes fake accounts, which means that the followers you paid for could disappear overnight.

So, what should you do instead?

Focus on creating high-quality content, engaging with your audience, and using Instagram's features to grow your following organically. This approach may take longer, but it will be more sustainable in the long run.

If you want help growing your Instagram following organically through high-quality content and community engagement, consider hiring County 249 Creative. Schedule your free discovery call today for more information!