When you’re stepping into Instagram marketing, engagement with followers becomes essential. How can you tell if they’re real or fake? Fake Instagram followers are often run by bots or automated software – and this can bring a lot of dishonesty to your account.
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Instagram is a social media giant with over 2 billion monthly users. It’s no surprise, then, that Instagram has some impressive stats.
For example, Instagram users share an average of 95 million photos and videos per day. That’s a lot of content! In addition, Instagrammers are highly engaged: around 60% of users log in daily, and the average user spends 30 minutes on the app each day.
Plus, Instagram is a great platform for businesses: over 25 million businesses are using Instagram to promote their products and services. With such high engagement and widespread use, it’s no wonder that Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms around.
So in order to keep things authentic, it’s important to spot and remove those fake followers. In this article, we’ll give you some tips on how to do just that!
Why do you need to care about fake Instagram followers?
Having fake followers can impact your engagement rates, and make it difficult to build relationships with other users. It also doesn’t look great to potential customers – after all, why would they want to work with someone who has a bunch of fake fans?
Heres the result;
As you can see above the concern levels of influencers getting load of fake followers on their profile.
Following are some bullet points that reflect why do you need to care about fake Instagram followers;
- They Add ZERO value to your page or content.
- They Spam your posts with spammy comments.
- They Bring Engagement down on your Instagram profile.
- They are most probably “bots” which can cause serious threats to your account in the long term.
Who Operates Fake Instagram Followers Account?
There are a few types of people who operate these kinds of accounts:
- Automated software or “bots”
- People who are paid to follow others (usually at very low rates)
- Real people who follow a large number of accounts in the hopes that some will follow back
- Service providers who sell Fake Instagram Followers
- Fraud Influencers
There are many fake accounts roaming around, they just use tools like a fake address generator to generate any random information and create an account on top of it.
Another stats state Share of Instagram influencers involved in fraud worldwide in 2019 and 2020, by number of followers;
The problem of Fake Instagram Followers
The problem of Fake Instagram Followers has become more common with the growth of Instagram. Many people want to know How to Spot Fake Instagram Followers, and the answer is not as simple as it may seem. There are a few key indicators that can help you spot fake followers.
One of the most common indicators of a fake follower is an incomplete profile. Oftentimes, these profiles will have little to no information filled out, and they may even have placeholder images (such as the default Instagram egg). Another indicator of a fake follower is engagement.
If you see that someone is following a large number of people but has very few followers themselves, or if they are following an unusually high number of people compared to the number of people they are following, this is a good indicator that they may be a fake follower.
Additionally, if you see that someone is liking or commenting on an unusually high number of photos (especially if they are doing so within a short period of time), this is also an indication that they may be using automated software to like and comment on photos and is, therefore, a fake follower.
If you suspect that someone may be a fake follower, the best thing to do is to view their profile and see if they meet any of the above criteria. If they do, then it is likely that they are a fake follower, and you can remove them by blocking or reporting them.
Also read: These 12 Content Marketing Mistakes Reduce Engagement and Profits
How to Spot Fake Instagram Followers
There’s actually no software or tool which can detect fake followers on Instagram but there are many signs which you can audit manually or different tools, therefore, we have listed and explained some of them below but to be precise following are some quick outliners which you can help you to detect a fake buddy;
- Look for Incomplete Profiles
- Check Engagement Levels
- See How Many People they’re Following Compared to How Many Followers they Have
- Look for Unusual Photo Liking or Commenting Behavior
If you suspect someone may be a fake follower, the best thing to do is view their profile and see if they meet any of the above criteria. If they do, then it is likely that they are a fake follower, and you can remove them by blocking or reporting them.
By following these tips, you can help to ensure that your Instagram account is full of real, engaged followers who will add value to your page!
But We will discuss in detail various behaviours of Fake Instagram followers or profiles which you filter off your account.
Fake #1: Incomplete Profiles
The first and most obvious sign of a fake Instagram profile is an incomplete profile. If someone has taken the time to create a fake profile, they’re likely not going to spend much time filling out their bio, uploading a profile picture, or even selecting a username.
As you can see in above snapshot, the profile imitates the “Andy Bernard” character from tv series “the office” with fewer posts and account is set to private.
Note: It does not mean the profiles like above are 100% fake, but it may give you signs of concerns regarding the spotting fake followers.
Instead, they’ll probably just enter the bare minimum amount of information necessary in order to create an account. This includes things like:
- A username
- An email address
- A password
That’s it! These profiles usually have the default Instagram egg as their profile picture and no bio information whatsoever. While it’s not impossible for a real person to have an incomplete profile, it is very unlikely. Therefore, if you come across a profile that meets this criterion, it’s likely that they’re a fake follower.
Fake #2: Engagement Levels
Another sign of a fake Instagram profile is engagement levels. This is especially true if you see someone who is following a large number of people but has very few followers themselves, or if they are following an unusually high number of people compared to the number of people they are following.
We calculated engagement levels of one spammer on our Instagram Handle using Pathsocial Instagram Engagement Calculator tool which shows you the engagement rate of the profile is 0% which means its mostly bot run profile.
This usually indicates that they are using automated software to follow and unfollow people in the hopes of getting followed back. While this behaviour is not exclusive to fake profiles, it is much more common among them.
Additionally, if you see someone who is liking or commenting on an unusually high number of photos (especially if they are doing so within a short period of time), this is also an indication that they may be using automated software to like and comment on photos and is, therefore, a fake follower.
Fake #3: How Many People they’re Following Compared to How Many Followers they Have
If you see someone who is following an unusually high number of people compared to the number of followers they have, this is a sign that they are likely using automated software to follow and unfollow people in the hopes of getting followed back.
As you can see in above example, an account with 570 followers and following 6.4k accounts on Instagram just to spread spam across their accounts.
While this behaviour is not exclusive to fake profiles, it is much more common among them.
Additionally, if you see someone who is liking or commenting on an unusually high number of photos (especially if they are doing so within a short period of time), this is also an indication that they may be using automated software to like and comment on photos and is, therefore, a fake follower.
Fake #4: Kings of Spam Comments
When you visit fake profiles, you will often see that their comments are generic and spammy. For example, they might comment on a photo with nothing more than “Nice pic!” or “Love this!” These comments offer no value and are clearly just an attempt to get the person’s attention.
As you can in above snapshot, the post is about the positive quote and comment is about some hipnotize services by some Indian pundits.
Their strategy is to target a specific niche, for example, if your brand is about mental wellness or awareness which may include positive affirmations or quotes, and you may have used hashtags in your posts.
They use bots to target and comment only on specific posts if you have used “#quotes” in your post, then their bot will automatically add comments which may be related to your post like “Great Motivation! loved it” or “Wow, You Inspired me” which may seem to be a real person but in reality a fake Instagram bot.
Additionally, these profiles often use the same comment on multiple photos. So, if you see someone leaving the same comment on dozens of photos, it’s likely that they’re a fake follower.
Fake #5: Unusual Activity
This is one of the most common giveaways that someone is a fake follower. If you see someone who joins Instagram and then suddenly starts following hundreds or even thousands of people within a few days, there’s a good chance they’re using automated software to do so.
Additionally, if you see someone who likes or comments on an unusually high number of photos (especially if they are doing so within a short period of time), this is also an indication that they may be using automated software to like and comment on photos and is, therefore, a fake follower.
Finally, if you see someone who has very little activity after their initial burst of activity, this is another sign that they are likely a fake follower.
If you come across any of these fake profiles, the best thing to do is to block them and report them as spam. This will help to keep your account safe and authentic. Additionally, it’s a good idea to clean up your follower list on a regular basis to make sure that you’re only following real, active users.
Tools to audit your Instagram followers:
We are lucky that we do have so many tools where we can audit our Instagram account to check various analytics and spot unusual activity of our followers which ultimately improve our presence on social media and content strategy for the same.
Following are some tools that you can try to audit your Instagram account;
- iconosquare.com
- socialblade.com
- hypeauditor.com
Auditing your account regularly will help keep your follower count accurate and ensure that you are connecting with your target audience. Keep an eye out for any fake followers and take action accordingly.
Conclusion
Fake Instagram followers are becoming more and more common, but that doesn’t mean you have to put up with them! By using the tools and tips above, you can easily spot and remove fake followers from your account.
Fake followers not only impact your engagement levels but also spam your accounts with irrelevant activity like comments, messages etc.
I hope I have provided enough ways to spot fake Instagram followers and if you want to add something to the article then you may contact us or leave comment below using comment box.
Keep your follower count accurate and make sure you’re connecting with your target audience – it’s worth it in the long run. Thanks for reading and good luck! :-)
Frequently Asked Questions
I hope I have answered all your queries, to clarify more, I have listed more questions below that I frequently get from my followers to answer for you below.
Is It Safe to Buy Instagram Followers?
If you’re thinking about buying Instagram followers, you might be wondering if it’s safe. After all, there are a lot of scams out there, and you don’t want to get taken advantage of.
Here’s the thing: buying Instagram followers is not against the law. However, there are some risks involved. For one thing, you could end up with fake followers. These are accounts that are run by bots or automated software, and they’re not real people. This means that they’re not going to engage with your content, and they’re not going to help you grow your account.
Additionally, even if you do get real followers from purchase, there’s no guarantee that they’ll stick around. If you don’t have good content, they’re likely to unfollow you eventually.
So, is it safe to buy Instagram followers? Ultimately, it’s up to you. There are risks involved, but there are also benefits. If you decide to go ahead with a purchase, just be sure to do your research and buy from a reputable source.
Do People Buy Fake Followers? Why?
There are many reasons people choose to buy fake followers. Some want to appear more popular than they are, some want to make their account look more attractive to potential real followers, and some just want to boost their ego.
Whatever the reason, it’s important to be aware of the dangers of fake followers so you can avoid them.
Is it Mandatory to remove Fake Instagram Followers? Can we Keep Them?
No, it’s not mandatory to remove fake Instagram followers. You can choose to keep them if you want. However, we recommend removing them because they offer no value to your account. Additionally, having fake followers could hurt your chances of being featured on Explore pages or in the Top Posts section.
So, there you have it! Now you know everything you need to know about fake Instagram followers. Be sure to remove them from your account so you can have a more authentic experience.
Is there any other way to Spot Fake Instagram Followers which haven’t been mentioned above?
Yes, of course. Spammers Surprise us every day with a new methods or a ‘safe’ technique to spam us, therefore, There are many ways to spot fake followers, but the three methods above are some of the most common and effective ways to do so.
As mentioned before, buying fake followers is not recommended. Not only is it dishonest, but it can also lead to decreased engagement and even get you banned from Instagram.
If you suspect that someone has fake followers, the best course of action is to report them to Instagram. This will help keep the platform authentic and safe for everyone.
