Instagram is one of the most popular platforms used for influencer or digital marketing. To gain more followers, some users end up buying fake Instagram followers. But how to tell if someone bought fake Instagram followers? Don’t worry a bit; the below article shade all the information on how to tell if someone bought fake Instagram followers.
Answer:
To tell if someone has bought fake Instagram followers on Instagram,
1. Check The Profile Section
2. Check Engagement
3. Check Followers
4. Check Instagram Follower Growth
5. Check Instagram Follower Growth
6. Contact The Influencer Directly
What Are Fake Instagram Followers?
Fake Instagram followers are accounts that are created through spam email for the means of sale and bot activity. Fake followers are social media profiles only meant to boost a profile’s follower count without actual value.
Micro-influencers commonly purchase fake followers to exemplify their influential status and hoax their popularity. Organic growth is challenging, so they might result in purchasing fake followers to grow their Instagram accounts as quickly as possible.
However, fake followers are highly detrimental to your account and ruin the influencer marketing industry. Fundamentally, these accounts are created and utilized by bots for the means of sale.
How To Tell If Someone Bought Fake Instagram Followers?
Instagram has billions of users around the globe. It is not easy to grab fake users and genuine users. However, certain criteria can check and prove whether the person has genuineness. Here are some the ways to tell if someone bought fake Instagram followers,
Check Profile Section
Fake Instagram followers do not put much effort into creating an appealing profile or bio. They might leave the bio space empty or fill in minimum details. Your profile check becomes tough when fake followers turn their profile settings to hidden or secretive. You can’t get loyal and committed followers with these fake Instagram followers.
Check Engagement
The engagement rate must be proportional to the number of followers in your influencer’s account. The brands can Calculate if the engagement rate is proportionate to the number of followers by comparing the number of comments and likes to the number of followers. The Instagram accounts have several followers but a very low engagement rate of any account. You may picture the last uploaded ten photos and take out the average number of comments and likes garnered on those images.
Then, divide the average number by several followers and multiply it by 10. Even if you find the engagement rate satisfying, check if the comments and likes are real or purchased.
Check Followers
You can also check the followers and following of the person or influencers. They have no photos or profile details. Such follower accounts also have spammy usernames and bios. The fake profile also lacks a profile picture.
Check Instagram Follower Growth
Normally, healthy follower growth is consistent and steady. Overall, the increase is smooth, with a slight drop each day. However, the follower will spike suddenly and drop deeply if an Instagram account buys a fake follower. Therefore, you need to track at least three months of statistics. Many social media monitoring tools exist in the market, like SocialBlade, Hootsuite, BuzzSumo, and more.
Check Instagram Follower Growth
If you feel that calculating through Instagram is not the best thing to do, you can also find some tools to help determine if your influencers’ followers are fake.
FollowerCheck
FollowerCheck is one tool that scans the influencer’s profile and finds the result for real versus fake followers. The most suspicious followers’ names are identified through FollowerCheck. It is a free tool that helps you with snapshots of the account’s followers. In addition, you may block or remove the users if a valid account has several fake Instagram followers. FollowerCheck offers 100% accurate results and works for large follower bases.
Auditor For Instagram
An AI-powered tool, the Auditor for Instagram, offers to help marketers in checking the Instagram accounts of Influencers for fake likes and followers. In this mode, machine learning language is used to find the patterns of behaviors.
Contact The Influencer Directly
Sometimes, you can contact the person or influencer directly to ask them about their account details. The common question included sending a case study, the case of building Instagram, and how to cooperate with brands.
Why Do People Buy Fake Instagram Followers?
Some people mistakenly think that the most important factor for social media success is the number of followers somebody has. So they try to take a shortcut to their success and pay to buy the followers. They equate the number of followers you display with the level of popularity.
However, that is not how social media works. Anybody can buy followers, but you will not be an influencer unless you can influence people. Therefore, you need to become a thought leader in your niche and organically build your followers.
The problem with buying followers is that it gives you a very unbalanced account. You have thousands of followers but little engagement. The only person you influence is yourself, and it is not hard for anyone analyzing your account to spot what you have done.
Why Are Fake Instagram Followers Dangerous?
Fake Instagram follower accounts can be created using bots to raise your follower count, but it comes with several hidden risks. Despite the Instagram eradication program, where numerous accounts were deleted, the problem of fake profiles persists, creating a major security issue for users.
Such fake profiles are easily identifiable as they have very few followers and do not have any profile image or any other photos. But there are a few who use genuine information of their real users, without their knowledge, to prove themselves legitimate.
The fake Instagram followers often use fake bios and stolen photos, making it difficult for outside companies to spot the real between so many fakes. The problem has worsened with social media influencers seeking fake followers to enhance their online presence.
Frequently Asked Questions. (FAQs)
Here are some frequently asked questions.
How Much Do Instagram Followers Cost?
The cost for Instagram followers can range from a few dollars to thousands depending on how many you plan to purchase. However, remember that buying followers is against Instagram’s terms of service, so the price you pay could be more than monetary. Buying followers could cost you your Instagram account, at worst, and a decrease in engagement and reach.
Why Do Fake Instagram Accounts Follow Me?
Many people are buying and selling fake Instagram followers. Why do people do it? They want to increase their follower numbers to make their accounts look more important and active. So they pay for fake people and bots to follow them. The fake accounts need to look genuine. So they follow legitimate accounts hoping they will follow them back.
Should I Also Buy Instagram Followers?
No, it would help if you never bought Instagram followers. They will be bots, fake accounts, or disinterested people who have let their accounts be used in return for the payment. None of these accounts will look at your posts or engage in genuine engagement. Most of these accounts will disappear from your follower list, either because they have unfollowed, you or Instagram will remove them.
Is It Illegal To Have Fake Followers?
No, it is not illegal to have fake followers, but it is against most major social platforms’ community guidelines. Repercussions for purchasing fraudulent followers or participating in follow-for-follow schemes can include reduced capabilities on the platforms and losing your account entirely.
Conclusion
Tracking the fake bought Instagram followers is easy and can be done rapidly. Check out the above steps and tips to understand how to tell if someone has bought fake Instagram followers. Such fake profiles can harm your brands, and will not become committed and loyal customers. So, ensure that your account or brand is free from fake followers when you work with an influencer.
I hope you enjoy reading out the article!