Fake followers are the bitter reality of Instagram. Not just do they exist, but people are actively using bot-generated followers to escalate their numbers and to look famous on Instagram.
There was a time when fake followers were considered an escape from the challenges put on by the Instagram algorithm. People could purchase thousands of fake likes or followers for only a few bucks and increase their numbers.
Instagram recently started blacklisting everyone using fake engagement and it was too late to reverse the consequences.
Many people primarily Instagram influencers and high-profile celebrities including verified accounts were impacted by this action. Many noticed their engagement rate started plummeting and their posts stopped getting any visibility.
If you notice anyone with millions of followers and only a few thousand likes, using fake followers could be one of the reasons.
Recently Twitter released a report and Elon Musk shared that the platform consists of about 5% fake/spam Twitter accounts. That is huge for a platform with 229 million users.
How to spot fake followers or likes on Instagram?
Identifying fake followers or likes is quite easy. Usually, people creating and holding these bot farms do not put much effort while creating these accounts.
You can easily tell if the followers are fake by looking at these parameters:
No Profile Picture
Fake accounts usually do not have any profile picture. If you notice a series of accounts with no or irrelevant profile picture, chances are that person is using fake followers.
Sketchy Username
Fake accounts have a very sketchy username. Usually a combination of meaningless words, numbers, and special characters. You can easily tell by looking at them that it’s fake.
No Name or Bio
If you spot an account with no name or text in the bio, it could be a fake account. People usually create these bot accounts in bulk so they skip these important details that differentiate them from real people on Instagram.
Empty Feed
These fake accounts on Instagram usually have no or very few pictures posted on their profile. You can tell by looking at the dates when those pictures were posted. Typically, all were either posted a long time back or on the same date.
Followers To Following Ratio
These fake accounts are usually following thousands of people and have zero to very low followers. I mean, why would anyone follow a fake account other than a bot account itself.
Spammy Behaviour
If you notice someone leaving spam comments on your posts or sending you unsolicited promotional messages, that is a fake account. Usually, these accounts leave a trail of the people using them for example a tag link to their profile. That is how you can recognize a person using fake followers on Instagram.
These few tips can help you spot fake followers on Instagram. You can easily tell if a person is using fake likes or followers using these parameters.
Though sometimes these parameters are not sufficient to tell if the account is fake or not. You can still identify bot followers on Instagram easily.
How to remove Instagram fake followers?
Unfortunately, there is no automated way to remove fake Instagram followers as adding them. You only have to delete fake followers manually by visiting each fake account and removing them from your profile. That is the only way to get rid of ghost followers.
If you used fake followers or likes or any other form of fake engagement, your page is as good as dead already.
My suggestion would be to start a new page instead of trying to remove fake accounts.
Should you buy Instagram fake likes or followers?
STRICTLY, NO!
You should never buy fake followers or likes or any other form of fake engagement.
Fakes followers serve no value to your page. They are just idle accounts that will never engage with your posts, and eventually, degrade the overall performance of your page.
Stay aware of people selling you these fake followers by directly messaging you, offering shoutouts or inviting you to follow loop parties.
Instead, go for a strategic plan that provides genuine long-term results for your page. It might be slow but safest.
If you are not sure, maybe hiring a professional Instagram expert would be a good decision.
I provide Instagram organic growth services using some advanced growth strategies.
My Instagram strategies are designed with the primary goal to increase organic growth and interaction from real and engaging audience. Trusted by 200+ clients, it is very safe and can boost your page’s growth organically.
If you are ready to go for a professional approach and see some real growth, my Instagram marketing and management service is for you!
Conclusion
Using Instagram fake followers or likes does sound appealing at first. But the consequences are not worth taking the risk.
It is better to stay consistent with your content, make real connections with your audience, and use genuine strategies to grow.
Let me know in the comments below what strategies have helped you the most to grow on Instagram.
