Instagram seems to be the most popular social media platform at the time being. But what is it that makes it so appealing? That’s because visual marketing stands at the very root of Instagram. Therefore, you might want to increase your account’s visibility. Unfortunately, simply having visually appealing content won’t suffice. This is why the idea of gaining 10,000 followers overnight might entice you.

But does buying Instagram followers work or not?

Not Necessarily

It goes without saying that buying Instagram followers is the easy way of growing a community on this social media platform. But when you buy followers, you’re simply paying for a number. In other words, the majority of these accounts are inactive – meaning that they are less likely to engage in any type of activity.

And even if it might seem appealing, since these services enable you to buy approximately 1,000 followers for $10, or somewhere around that sum, those accounts won’t engage with your posts.

Another option that is just as popular is paying services that strategically follow a significant number of accounts on your behalf. They determine this based on your niche, location, gender, type of account, hashtag usage, and other equally important elements. The strategy here is to have those accounts follow you back so that you can grow your community. And while these accounts are real, in the sense that they belong to actual persons, the rate of engagement is still low.

What Is Your Priority?

Now, if your priority is to have a large base of followers, this kind of programs might help you. Nevertheless, don’t overlook the risks that come with this decision. That is to say, these aren’t acknowledged as Instagram tools that bring long-lasting results.

These fake followers aren’t likely to like or comment on your posts. And this could seem fishy, especially if you have a huge follower base. In other words, this strategy could diminish your credibility and prevent you from gaining followers organically.

The question is simple: would you consider following an account if you realized that a large segment of its loyal audience comprises of inactive accounts? This could appear as a deceitful approach, making you believe that that person/brand is incapable of gaining followers by implementing the right strategy and providing engaging content.

Engagement Is a Key Element

So, how is having 10,000 followers that don’t engage with you going to help you in any way? Instagram has a specific algorithm when it comes to the way in which it displays posts to users. Hence, without likes and comments, you might not even appear on your audience’s newsfeed, which would further impair your capability of growing your followers organically.

To conclude, the main method of increasing your number of followers is by creating a real, palpable relationship with them. This could be accomplished by providing genuine, authentic content and by staying real. Buying followers isn’t a long-term solution. It might make you look good for a while, but that’s about it.

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By Whitney Gibson

Whitney Gibson is a partner at Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP, where he leads the internet defamation and brand protection group. You can contact Whitney at 855.542.9192 or wcgibson@vorys.com. Read more about the practice at www.defamationremovalattorneys.com and www.defamationremovalattorneysblog.com, and follow Whitney on Twitter at @WhitneyCGibson.