Ever considered using an Instagram bot to acquire more followers? Yes, it sounds pretty tempting— no work and an instant audience.👏 But that’s not the reality. Bots can only exaggerate your numbers. They won’t develop your brand. 🥺
So, what’s the smarter way to grow on Instagram? Let’s check it out. 🔎
Pros and Cons of Using Instagram Bots
The usage of bots for increasing your account reach has both positive and negative effects. Have a look at them:
| Pros | Cons |
| Can automate repetitive tasks like engaging with posts. That means you can save your time to focus more on your business. | Bot followers have low quality. They may not engage with your posts. |
| Bots can engage with hundreds of accounts daily. This can improve your follower base quickly. | Using bots can make your account look spammy. |
| Many bots are cheap or even free. You can grow your account from scratch without tearing your pockets. | Using bots goes against Instagram’s community guidelines. If caught, you risk losing access to your account. |
| Most bots are user-friendly. You can set it up without much technical knowledge. | Bot interactions often follow the same pattern. It’s not tailored to the specific audiences. |
Why You Should Not Use Instagram Bots?
Remember, Instagram has strict rules and regulations against all forms of artificial engagements. 🤖 Over the past few years, the platform has constantly updated its algorithms to catch them. 🚨
Most algorithms are trained with the data on how normal users react. The algorithm always compares your activity to normal user behavior to identify anomalies. 🧐 If your account suddenly gets 500 followers overnight, it can be detected instantly. 🚫
Even drip-feeds aren’t a solution. 🙅🏻♀️ Bots usually work from particular IP addresses which are marked for spammy behavior. They also have a predictable pattern of engaging with hundreds of posts in an hour. ⏱️ Accounts connected with one of these IPs will be detected at once.
And guess what happens? Your account may lose the ability to like and comment, for days. 😢 Sometimes, the platform may impose a shadowban. Your posts won’t appear on Explore or Feeds without any notice. In the worst cases, Instagram can delete your account permanently. 😞
Do you feel like your account is going through a shadowban? Check out our free Instagram shadowban checker.
5 Best Alternatives To Instagram Bots
If bots are risky, then how do you grow on Instagram safely? ✅ Check out five tried-and-tested alternatives to Instagram bots:
1. Buy Organic Followers
Buying followers is bad, isn’t it? 🤔💭 That’s because everyone tends to purchase fake followers— inactive accounts that never engage. But buying genuine followers is a whole different matter.
If done correctly, you will get a real audience base who are genuinely interested in your content. 😊 The catch is to buy from a reputable service that utilizes natural promotion strategies rather than bots. 🤖
Luckily, Grum offers real Instagram followers to grow your account from scratch. The best part is that we deliver the services using Instagram’s own algorithm-friendly methods only. No more bots or fake accounts. 😎👌
Still, feeling doubtful? You can claim free Instagram followers from us to check the service quality. ✨ Only purchase if you’re satisfied with the quality. No strings attached! 🙌
2. Organic Growth Strategies
Authentic engagements are the only way for sustainable success. Have a look at some expert tips to raise them:
- Optimize your bio and post captions with long-tail and less-competitive keywords. ✍️ You can also include some hyper-specific niche hashtags to attract a highly targeted audience. Try out our free Instagram Bio Generator!
- It is pretty clear that the Instagram algorithm prefers Reels over other forms of content. So, always start with some trending Reels. 📸Consider collaborating with some micro-influencers to penetrate into their audience base. Once established, you can move back to normal posts.
- Similarly, carousels are also a great idea. It keeps users swiping. That increases their engagement time (which Instagram favors). You can also include a ‘Save For Later’ CTA to improve the engagement signals further. ⚡
- The initial 30 minutes of posting matters a lot. Replying to comments during this time slot promotes your post to more people. 🙋🏻♂️
3. Manual Follow/Unfollow
The follow/unfollow technique is still effective. 💡 You just need to do it in the right manner. It works only if done manually and strategically.
First of all, you need to target the right accounts. 👈 Follow people who interact with content related to yours. For instance, if you’re a travel blogger, follow individuals who like posts from other travel handles. ✈️ Engage with their posts to improve the possibility of them following you in return.
Wait for two days. Then, start periodically refining your following list by unfollowing inactive accounts that aren’t engaging in your posts. 🙅🏻♀️ It is done to maintain a healthy follower-to-following ratio.
Always play safe. Instagram only permits 150-200 follows/unfollows daily before it flags your activity. Make sure that you stay within these limits to prevent action blocks.
4. Targeted Exposure with Likes
Liking posts may look easy, but it’s a great way to be noticed. 👀 Instagram systems keep a record of the posts that you engage with. When you like relevant posts, your profile is suggested more to followers of that niche page.
You must like at least 10 posts daily. 👍They will be more likely to engage with your content, too. Plus, it informs Instagram that you’re interested in content like theirs. Don’t just stop at likes. It’s a good approach to leave comments. 💬 Active users may see it and may visit your profile.
Similarly, joining simple yet active engagement pods also work well. 👌But, you need to make sure that the group members are from the same niche. Never engage with the same user circles every day. Instead, split the group into 3-4 circles and interchange it daily in such a manner that a member never engages with the same account for more than two consecutive days. 📆
Be natural in your engagement pattern. Liking 100+ posts consecutively appears unnatural and will be flagged. 🚩
Need more likes for your posts? Buy real Instagram likes from us. 😉
5. Direct Messages (DMs)
DMs are perhaps the most underrated growth tools available on Instagram. That does not mean spamming others with the usual stuff like ‘Follow me!’ Do this instead:
- Send a considerate message to people who interact with your posts like this:
“Hi [name], I see that you liked my last post about [subject]. I’d appreciate hearing from you!”
- Participate in niche-specific group chats where the members discuss their content. That’s a great way to establish connections and generate natural traffic to your profile. 😎
- If a person responds to your Story, send them a message. This increases connection and keeps them engaged. 🤝
- Encourage the audience to reach your DM by offering something valuable like a discount coupon, freebie, insider tip, etc. 🥳
Remember, just like reach and comments, engagements in DMs are also a favorable factor for your account growth. Algorithms will push your content to more feeds.
Cases of Instagram Accounts Restricted for Using Bots
Instagram is very serious about its rules, particularly regarding bots and automation. 🤨 So serious, in fact, that even individuals who are not using bots are finding themselves caught in the middle. 🤷♂️ Let’s examine a few such actual situations.
An Instagram user shared his annoying experience of being prevented from posting and following on Instagram. The platform accused him of having follower bots even when he hadn’t used any. That wasn’t the first time.
Another user also claims the same. This time the victim was a pretty prominent influencer with over 140K followers. The user was blocked for some days. Even after the block was revoked, he was unable to like, comment, or follow others. ☹ Instagram’s reason stays the same: suspicion of bots. The user was perplexed and frustrated, wondering how to restore access to the account. For someone with that much following, this type of block can be a tremendous blow, both on a personal and professional level.
So, what went wrong exactly? Well, actually both of them may not have made any ‘violations’ in the literal sense. It’s possible that bots had crept into their follower list or engaged with their posts to mimick human behavior. In the worst-case scenario, they might have even followed some bot accounts unknowingly. In fact, Instagram algorithms are well-trained to catch such suspicious activities on the spot and the real human account could pay the price.
That’s why it’s crucial to keep an eye on your followers and regularly filter out suspicious accounts. So, always keep bots away, not only from your account but even from the follower list. 👈
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What exactly is an Instagram bot?
An Instagram bot is a software tool that automates actions like liking posts, following/unfollowing users, dropping comments, and so on. In fact, it is created to mimic human behavior but actually fails to do so. This can put your account at risk.
2. Can Instagram bots harm my personal data?
Yes, they can. Most bots ask you to log in using your Instagram account. Thus, they get access to your content. Your personal information (and even the data of your followers) could be compromised if the bot service is hacked into or abused by the service providers.
3. Can I recover my account if it gets banned for using bots?
Occasionally, but not necessarily. If your account is suspended, you can appeal to recover it. The decision comes from the Instagram team.
4. Can I use automation tools that aren’t technically bots?
Yes, but be careful. Scheduling tools are fine but try not to use those that automate the interaction process. It can get you flagged.
Final Words
If done properly, you can grow on Instagram quickly. 🤩 Instead of relying on bots, you can try out these safe and effective strategies.
Want some organic Instagram reach to get started? Try out our free services! 😄
