Social Media Bots on Instagram and How To Spot Them

The social media bots on Instagram allow you to inflate engagement metrics artificially. However, you’ll need to decide if they are worth the risk and provide any value. After all, nothing beats organic growth, where genuine users interact with your content. 

We’ll share the different types of bots you can find and the risk of getting caught. You’ll also see a few alternative methods for growing your Instagram account. These might be a better fit, depending on your goals.

What Is a Bot on Social Media?

Are you wondering what is a bot on social media? Bots on platforms like social media are programs that automate engagement on the platform. You can use these bots to get an artificial advantage, but it comes with a risk of getting caught. 

Instagram actively policies its platform for bot activity, and getting caught can lead to a suspension or ban. Therefore, you need to understand how to use bots correctly to avoid getting caught. Also, you need to decide if sticking with organic Instagram growth might be the better option for you. 

The sophistication of bots is always improving as digital technologies advance. They can help grow your Instagram account, but it depends on the type of both you use. 

Different Types of Social Media Bots

Now, let’s turn to the various types of bots on social media that you can utilize. This also gives you an idea of what bots your competitors might use to get an advantage. How you use the bots will depend on whether you get caught and reverie any value. 

1. Like Bots

These bots artificially increase the like count on a post. There are a number of reasons why you may want to increase the like count, such as:

• Higher rankings: Posts with more likes are more likely to rank higher. That’s because the Instagram algorithm considers user engagement when judging the quality of a post. Therefore, getting more likes for your posts is important for overall account success. 
• The audience will notice: Some members of your audience may be impressed by the high numbers. This can have a positive knock-on effect, such as getting more followers and higher shareability. 
• Brand deals: Some brands will inspect the engagement rates on your content before setting up collaboration. Hence, higher like numbers may have a positive effect on the brand sponsorship deal. 

2. Follow Bots

Follow bots are basically accounts that arrive on your Instagram URL with the only purpose of clicking the follow button. This means your follower count will reach new heights, which positively impacts the perception of your account. 

However, the drawback is the lack of interaction from these bot accounts. You’ll essentially only get the follow without more shares, likes, or other positive metrics. Also, you can get caught by Instagram, which results in a suspension or ban. 

When using follow bots, you need to pace yourself. This means don’t inflate the follower number too quickly. Instead, make it look natural and organic for the size of your account. 

3. Posting Bots

You can use software that automates the posting process when you have set up a scheduling. These Instagram scheduling tools allow you to line up content months ahead of time. Also, most bots support different types of content and come with advanced features. 

Therefore, you can take a break from Instagram, and your content will continue to be published. This ensures your audience receives a steady stream of content, no matter if you’re actively working on the account.

How To Spot a Bot on Social Media

Do you want to understand better how to spot a bot on social media? Then you can look at the account of the bot to see if they look genuine. 

For example, do you see a lot of posts or other activities that make it look like a natural account? If not, then perhaps you have uncovered a follower bot. 

You can inspect the Instagram account page of a suspected bot to look for clues. Also, you can message the bot account to see if they respond. A lack of a response might suggest that you aren’t dealing with an active user. 

How Do Bots Work on Social Media?

Are you interested in the process of how bots work on social media? Typically, a user may want to increase the popularity of their account without the grind of organic methods. Therefore, they will seek out a service that provides bots. 

Once the purchase is complete, the service will send Instagram bot followers to the target account. This might be to increase the follow count on the account or likes for the posts. There are many vendors to choose from, so the process of how bots are applied varies. However, there are also a lot of similarities.

Penalties for Using Bots

Now, let’s turn our attention to the risk of using Instagram bots on your account. This should give you a reason to pause and consider the alternative strategies in the following section.

• Suspension: You can receive a suspension on your account, which means you can’t use the account for a limited time. This acts as a warning that you should follow or face more severe penalties in the future.
• Ban: You can get banned for botting, but this depends on the severity of your offense. You’ll typically receive a warning and suspension before an outright ban. Furthermore, you can appeal a ban for a limited amount of time. 
• Instagram shadowban: You can also receive an Instagram shadowban. This means you cannot share posts with non-followers of your account. Hence, your account growth will grind to a halt. Shadowbans last for a few weeks to months, and there is no specific way of knowing. 

Top 4 Alternatives to Using Bots

Are you worried that you’ll get banned for using bots on social media platforms? Then, you can choose other strategies to stay on the right side of the law. There is enough variety in this section to help you choose a method that works. 

1. Instagram Advertising

You can grow your Instagram account with the advertising platform once you sign up for a business account. This allows you to insert advertisements into the feed of your target audience. Instagram has a diverse audience, which means that you will not have trouble finding users interested in your products. 

Furthermore, advertising is a good strategy for new accounts with a small following. That’s because you can narrow the gap with bigger brands by spending more money. The advertisements can also grow your account by increasing the follower count. This is a bonus knock-on effect that’s worth considering.

2. Post a Large Volume of Content

A comprehensive social media content strategy is part of any successful digital marketing campaign. However, you’ll need to release a large volume of content to make a mark in any niche. 

Also, there are different types of content you can post on Instagram. This includes stories, reels, regular posts, and live streams. Choosing to post different types ensures you can capture the attention of your entire audience. 

3. Instagram Influencer Collaborations

You can contact Instagram influencers in the hopes of striking a deal for collaboration. There are a number of advantages to using influencers, as follows:

• Many active influencers: In any given niche, you can find a lot of influencers who are looking for collaborations. The requirements also differ, so you can find a deal matching your budget. Some require payment, while others are happy to receive products. 
• Quick growth potential: The speed at which influencers help elevate accounts is worth considering. That’s because it can take a long time to build up a following. However, you can piggyback on the success by using their audience. You can hijack a number of influencer’s audiences to grow your account rapidly. 
• Organic marketing: Having the backing of an influencer gives a vote of confidence. This means you don’t need to convince the audience to buy the same way with PPC marketing. 
• ROI: The return on investment (ROI) for influencer marketing is among the best. Therefore, you can make the most of your marketing budget. This is vital for new companies that can’t afford to waste money on ineffective marketing strategies. 
• Long-term: It’s important to find strategies that will stand the test of time. This ensures you can scale your business with the marketing strategy and continue to get customers. Striking the right collaboration with an influencer allows you to enjoy the marketing channel for a long time. However, some influencers will ask for more payment once they have a bigger following. 

4. Analyze the Data

Don’t forget to analyze the data when looking for ways to optimize your content. Increasing the effectiveness of content allows you to reach new heights with your account. For example, you can use Instagram Insights to identify your top-performing posts. 

Consequently, you can emulate your best posts to replicate the success. This increases the overall quality of your content and will bring in more viewership.

Social Media Bots: Are They Worth Using?

Using bots on social media platforms is a questionable practice with results that you cannot depend on. However, if you want to pursue the strategy, then you’ll need to avoid detection. This means pacing the rate of your bot usage so that it doesn’t trigger any alarms. 

Now that you better understand how social media bots work, you can decide if they are the right choice. Also, don’t forget about the alternative growth strategies mentioned above. They are typically more effective than botting strategies and can help scale any business to new heights. 

Don’t want to waste time or money on bots for social media to grow your IG account? Then you can give Plixi a try as a viable alternative. We help target specific audiences and accelerate follower growth.

What are you waiting for? Start expanding your Instagram follower portfolio today.