In today's digital landscape, Instagram has become a powerhouse for brands and influencers alike.
With over a billion monthly active users, it's no wonder that having a substantial following can open doors to lucrative partnerships and opportunities.
However, this has also led to a troubling trend: the purchase of fake followers to artificially inflate account metrics.
For brands seeking authentic partnerships, knowing how to identify purchased followers is essential for successful influencer marketing campaigns.
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Why Do People Buy Instagram Followers?
The motivation behind purchasing Instagram followers typically stems from the desire for rapid growth and perceived credibility.
Here are the primary reasons individuals and brands resort to this practice:
Quick Growth Perception
Building an organic following takes considerable time and effort.
Some users opt for shortcuts by purchasing followers to create the illusion of popularity.
This artificial boost can make an account appear more established and successful than it actually is.
Increased Perceived Influence
Many brands evaluate potential collaborators based on follower count.
By inflating these numbers, accounts hope to attract partnership opportunities they might not otherwise qualify for based on their actual influence and engagement levels.
Algorithm Advancement
Some believe that a higher follower count may trigger Instagram's algorithm to promote their content more widely.
While this assumption is largely incorrect (engagement rates matter more), it continues to drive the fake follower market.
Competitive Pressure
In highly competitive niches, there's immense pressure to maintain pace with peers.
When competitors appear to gain followers rapidly, others may feel compelled to follow suit with artificial methods to avoid falling behind.
However, these short-term gains come with significant long-term consequences. Instagram regularly purges fake accounts, which can lead to dramatic follower drops.
More importantly, inflated follower counts without corresponding engagement create suspiciously low engagement rates that can damage credibility and deter legitimate brand partnerships.
How to Tell If Someone Buys Followers
Identifying accounts with purchased followers requires attention to several key indicators. Here are reliable methods to detect this deceptive practice:
1. Analyze Follower-to-Engagement Ratio
One of the most telling signs is a significant discrepancy between follower count and engagement levels.
If an account has thousands of followers but consistently receives only a handful of likes and comments, this suggests many followers may not be genuine.
Calculate Engagement Rate: Divide the average number of engagements (likes and comments) by the total number of followers, then multiply by 100.
Typical engagement rates for legitimate accounts range between 1-3% for larger accounts and 3-6% for smaller ones.
Anything substantially lower could indicate purchased followers.
2. Examine Follower Growth Patterns
Natural follower growth typically occurs gradually with occasional spikes when content goes viral or receives promotion.
Check for these suspicious patterns:
Sudden, Dramatic Increases: Sharp jumps in follower count without corresponding content virality or promotion often indicate purchased followers.
Irregular Growth Followed by Decline: Accounts that purchase followers frequently experience dramatic drops when Instagram removes fake accounts during purges.
3. Inspect Follower Quality
Take time to examine the actual accounts following the profile in question:
Empty or Incomplete Profiles: Fake accounts often lack profile pictures, have generic usernames (often with random numbers), and post little to no content.
International Followers Inconsistent with Content: If an account creates content in English targeting American audiences but has predominantly foreign followers with no connection to the niche, this may indicate purchased followers.
Inactive or Bot Accounts: Followers that haven't posted in years or show unusual activity patterns (like following thousands of accounts but having few followers themselves) are common signs of fake followers.
4. Analyze Comment Quality
Genuine engagement produces varied, relevant comments. Look for these red flags:
Generic Comments: Vague statements like "Nice post!" or "Great content!" without specific references to the actual content often come from bot accounts or engagement pods.
Irrelevant Comments: Comments that have no relationship to the post content frequently indicate automated bot activity.
Language Inconsistency: Comments predominantly in languages different from the account's primary content language may suggest fake international followers.
Free Instagram Follower Checker
Popular Pays offers a free Instagram follower checker tool that makes it simple to see the authenticity of any Instagram account's following.
This powerful tool helps you to Instantly analyze follower quality and quantity.
How Our Instagram Follower Checker Works
Using our tool is simple:
- Enter the Instagram username you want to check in the search field (no @ symbol needed)
- Click the "Check Followers" button
- Receive a detailed analysis of the account's follower number
How to Detect Fake Followers on Instagram
Taking a systematic approach to fake follower detection can save brands from wasteful partnerships.
Follow these steps to conduct a thorough assessment:
1. Review Account History
Examine when the account was created and how its growth has progressed over time.
Legitimate accounts typically show a gradual, organic growth pattern with occasional spikes tied to viral content or promotions.
2. Compare Followers vs. Following
Many fake accounts follow significantly more users than follow them back. If an influencer has a large following but follows very few accounts themselves, this could indicate authentic influence.
Conversely, a more balanced or inverted ratio might suggest artificial growth tactics.
3. Assess Content Consistency
Authentic influencers maintain consistent posting schedules and content themes that resonate with their audience.
Sporadic posting with wildly varying content may indicate less commitment to audience building and greater reliance on shortcuts.
4. Evaluate Post Performance Consistency
Analyze multiple posts to determine if engagement levels remain relatively consistent.
Legitimate accounts typically maintain relatively stable engagement rates across posts, while those with fake followers often show erratic performance patterns.
5. Check for Verification
While not foolproof, Instagram's verification badge indicates the platform has confirmed the authenticity of notable accounts.
Verified accounts undergo scrutiny from Instagram and are less likely (though not immune) to engage in follower purchasing.
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Instagram Delete Fake Followers: Platform Policies
Instagram actively works to maintain platform integrity by regularly removing fake accounts and bot followers.
Understanding these policies can help both brands and content creators:
Regular Purges
Instagram periodically conducts "purges" where it identifies and removes fake accounts, bots, and those that violate community guidelines.
Accounts that have purchased followers often experience significant drops in follower counts during these events.
Algorithm Penalties
Beyond removing fake followers, Instagram's algorithm may detect unusual patterns associated with purchased engagement and limit the reach of content from these accounts.
Account Restrictions
In severe cases, accounts that repeatedly violate Instagram's terms by purchasing followers may face temporary restrictions, shadowbans, or even permanent suspension.
Instagram's efforts to remove fake followers emphasize the importance of building authentic audiences.
Rather than risking penalties by purchasing followers, focus on creating quality content that genuinely resonates with your target audience.
How to Remove Fake Followers from Your Instagram
If you discover fake followers on your own account or want to clean up your following, here's how to address the issue:
Manual Removal
You can manually review your followers and remove suspicious accounts by blocking them.
While effective, this approach is time-consuming for accounts with large followings.
Third-Party Cleaning Tools
Several approved third-party applications can help identify and remove fake followers more efficiently.
However, use caution and only select reputable tools to avoid compromising your account security.
Preventative Measures
To minimize fake follower accumulation:
- Set your account to private temporarily during suspicious follower spikes
- Report bot accounts to Instagram
- Avoid engagement pods and artificial engagement tactics
- Focus on creating authentic content that attracts genuine followers
The Impact of Fake Instagram Followers on Influencer Marketing
For brands investing in influencer marketing, understanding the consequences of fake followers is crucial:
Wasted Marketing Budget
Partnering with influencers who have purchased followers often results in campaigns reaching far fewer real people than anticipated, leading to poor ROI.
Damaged Brand Reputation
Association with influencers who engage in deceptive practices can negatively impact your brand's credibility and trustworthiness.
Inaccurate Performance Metrics
Fake followers skew performance data, making it difficult to accurately measure campaign success and compare results across different influencer partnerships.
Compliance and Transparency Issues
As regulations around influencer marketing tighten globally, working with influencers who misrepresent their audience can potentially create legal and compliance issues.
How Popular Pays Helps Verify Authentic Influencers
Popular Pays offers comprehensive solutions to ensure your brand collaborates with genuine influencers:
Authentic Audience Verification
Our platform provides access to over 160,000 vetted creators with verified, authentic followings. Before any partnership, we thoroughly analyze creator accounts to ensure their followers are genuine and engaged.
Advanced Fake Follower Detection
Popular Pays' technology examines multiple metrics simultaneously to identify suspicious patterns that indicate purchased followers, ensuring you only work with creators who have built their audiences organically.
Engagement Quality Assessment
Beyond simply checking follower counts, our tools analyze the quality and authenticity of engagement, distinguishing between genuine interaction and automated or pod-based engagement.
Performance Tracking
Our platform allows you to monitor campaign performance in real-time, providing insights that confirm you're reaching real, engaged audiences through your influencer partnerships.
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Conclusion: Prioritizing Authenticity in Influencer Marketing
In an era where social media influence can significantly impact purchasing decisions, the ability to distinguish between authentic and artificial followings is more important than ever.
Brands that prioritize partnerships with creators who have genuinely earned their audiences will achieve better engagement, higher conversion rates, and stronger ROI from their influencer marketing efforts.
Rather than being swayed by inflated follower counts, focus on thorough vetting that considers engagement quality, audience composition, and content authenticity.
By partnering with platforms like Popular Pays, you can navigate the complex landscape of Instagram influencers with confidence, knowing your brand is connecting with real audiences through credible creator partnerships.
Ready to ensure your influencer marketing strategy is built on authentic connections?
Book a demo with Popular Pays today and discover how our platform can help you identify genuine influencers for your next campaign.
