With over 2 billion monthly active users, Instagram offers a huge opportunity for advertisers.
At the same time, there are over 200 million businesses marketing their products on the platform. To stand out from the competition, it can be tempting to buy Instagram likes.
And it’s easy— spend some money, immediately boost your profile, and potentially get new customers and sales. However, buying likes is not ideal if you want actual clicks and conversions.
In this article, you’ll learn the process of buying Instagram likes and where you can buy them. But most importantly, you’ll learn why resorting to this tactic is ineffective for marketing on Instagram.
- How buying Instagram likes works
- Where to buy Instagram likes
- Why you shouldn’t buy Instagram likes
- What to do instead of buying Instagram likes
How buying Instagram likes works
Marketers spend hours creating quality content on Instagram. It can often take months or years to achieve high engagement rates on the platform.
One shortcut is to buy Instagram likes. Essentially, you pay a company selling likes to provide this service with immediate results. All they need is your Instagram profile, email address and the posts you want the likes on.
In minutes, the numbers go up drastically and your social media presence is elevated. So, why do experts strongly discourage resorting to this tactic?
We’ll get there. But first, let’s go through some common questions about how buying Instagram likes works.
Can you buy Instagram likes?
Yes. You can purchase likes for posts on your Instagram. However, most successful Instagram accounts don’t typically rely on this method.
What does it mean to buy Instagram likes?
Instagram likes are a simple yet powerful tool for social media engagement. A large number of likes on a post usually indicates high engagement or success.
But consistently achieving likes is hard work. If you want to quickly create the “illusion” of a strong Instagram presence, buying Instagram likes is the easiest solution.
Keep in mind that these artificial “likes” typically come from bot accounts, not real people.
What do Instagram likes cost?
Buying Instagram likes isn’t expensive. You can purchase 50 likes for as little as $1.48. You can also get up to 5,000 likes for $45.
There are many different plans to choose from and a variety of options to customize your purchased likes.
Types of Instagram likes you can purchase
Most companies offer two types of Instagram likes:
- High-quality likes: These likes come from profiles with a display picture but no uploaded content.
- Premium likes: These likes come from real Instagram accounts that fit the buyer’s target audience.
Does buying Instagram likes work?
The short answer is no.
While the number of likes does go up, it doesn’t necessarily contribute towards the growth of your business.
Fake Instagram likes can look spammy and anyone can check if the likes are coming from phony Instagram accounts. This can significantly harm the credibility of your Instagram profile.
Where to buy Instagram likes
There are several websites that sell Instagram likes. Most of these companies offer packages or “tiers” for the number and type of likes.
Here are a few popular sites for buying Instagram likes:
Buzzoid
Buzzoid lets you buy likes as well as followers for your Instagram profile. Customers can opt for staggering likes that get delivered slowly over time to look genuine.
Buzzoid also offers the option of splitting purchased likes among multiple posts. Pricing starts from $1.47 for 50 likes up to $88.99 for 10,000 likes.
Instafollowers
Instafollowers is another service for buying Instagram likes. This company offers as little as 10 likes for $0.40 and as many as 50,000 likes for $155.
Customers can opt for high-quality likes or real likes, and select the estimated delivery time required. If the company fails to deliver likes within this time, you can request a refund.
Likes.io
Likes.io lets you purchase as many likes as you want with instant delivery. They offer several payment methods, including Bitcoin.
One additional feature they offer is ‘auto likes,’ which eliminates the need to manually like or follow other accounts that match your audience.
Twicsy
Twicsy claims to provide better services than competitors, with a higher quality of likes. They also offer a simpler checkout process.
You can upgrade your plan if you want to reach higher levels of engagement. If the company fails to deliver, you can ask for a refund.
Famoid
Famoid is a popular Instagram likes provider. They offer several social media growth services, including different packages of likes.
Customers can opt for regular likes or automatic likes. The packages range from $2.95 to $168.95, depending on the customers’ needs.
5 reasons why you shouldn’t buy Instagram likes
Buying fake Instagram likes is never a good idea. When you buy likes you risk losing social media credibility and growth.
Let’s dive into five more specific reasons why you should avoid buying Instagram likes:
1. It distorts your engagement metrics
Fake likes don’t result in high engagement rates. You might end up with a high like count and no meaningful interactions in the comments.
It’s not hard to tell when an account has a skewed ratio of followers/likes to engagement. This can make it difficult to monitor your social media growth.
Having genuine likes and comments gives you a clearer picture of which posts are performing well and how you can improve your Instagram strategy.
2. Sends a poor signal to the Instagram algorithm
Instagram shows posts with high engagement more frequently on users’ feeds and Explore pages. But the algorithm is becoming increasingly smarter at analyzing user activity.
The number of likes on a post is not the only factor Instagram’s algorithm considers to gauge engagement levels. If you buy fake likes but have no comments or other follower activity, the algorithm can easily detect the mismatch in metrics.
Over time, buying fake likes can backfire and work against the algorithm, making your content less visible to relevant audiences.
3. Influencers may hesitate to partner with you
Instagram influencer marketing works best when both parties benefit from the partnership, and no creator wants to work with brands that have no real engagement to show.
Plus, partnering with questionable brands can negatively affect their own credibility. This is also why most influencers avoid promoting or working with accounts that buy Instagram likes.
4. Instagram may purge your account if they catch you
Instagram discourages its users from buying fake likes and fabricating these numbers. In 2018, the company started taking strict action against accounts involved in this phony tactic.
The social media platform is built for “real experiences, including genuine interactions” and any inauthentic activity can easily be detected by their fast-evolving algorithm.
Instagram wants users to grow organically. If caught, your account can get permanently banned and those extra likes won’t even matter.
5. Fake likes won’t increase sales
There are millions of businesses on Instagram marketing and selling products on the platform. But fake likes won’t do anything for your sales — a solid Instagram strategy would.
Why? Because buying likes is not an indicator of authentic engagement. Without high-quality content that attracts the right people, you won’t be able to generate leads, build relationships or convert followers into customers.
What to do instead of buying Instagram likes
Instagram knows how to distinguish fake likes from real likes — and so does your audience. That’s why you should strive for real, organic engagement on your content.
Here are alternative ways to get more likes on Instagram instead of purchasing them.
Create quality content
Pressing ‘like’ is an instinct when you come across content that truly resonates with you. This is exactly what you want from your Instagram followers.
Aim to produce consistent, high-quality content tailored to your audience and niche. While there’s no magic formula to help you do that, here are some best practices you can follow:
- Be authentic and creative. Post original, unique content that’s aligned with your brand voice. Write catchy captions, share behind-the-scenes footage, and educate and inspire your audience with expert insights.
- Establish a cohesive aesthetic. Use colors and visuals that are not just high-quality but also consistent with your brand to attract followers to your Instagram profile.
- Use data to guide your strategy. Successful Instagram brands make data-driven decisions, especially when it comes to creating content. Use Instagram analytics to understand your audience’s behavior, demographics and interests, and use that to craft engaging posts that click with them.
Stay active on Instagram
Consistently and actively posting on your Instagram account is the best way to get organic followers, likes and engagement.
Here are some tips for improving your presence on the platform:
- Post at the best times. Use Insights to find out when your audience is most active, and post during peak hours to boost visibility and engagement. The best time to post for your brand can vary, but here are the global averages we found at Sprout Social:
- Engage with your followers. Respond timely to comments and direct messages, comment on other posts and build connections to emphasize your presence on the platform.
- Stick to a consistent posting schedule. Post frequently and consistently without gaps to maintain your presence and keep your followers interested. Use Sprout’s Instagram scheduling tool to plan posts in advance and stick to a predictable schedule.
Create an Instagram hashtag strategy
Hashtags are key players in finding success on Instagram.
They’re not just great tools for exposure and engagement, but they can also help you increase brand awareness and go viral on the platform.
Here are some ways to create a solid Instagram hashtag strategy:
- Use hashtags to improve searchability.Instagram users search for and follow hashtags to find relevant content. Using specific hashtags can help your posts show up in front of the right people, even if they’re not following your account.
- Create and encourage branded hashtags.Use branded hashtags to promote your business in unique ways, such as through a hashtag campaign or challenge.
- Follow hashtags to keep track of trends.Find out what’s currently trending by following popular hashtags in your niche, and align your content accordingly.
Grow organically without buying Instagram likes
Buying Instagram likes may offer instant gratification. But fake likes can never replace a powerful, organic Instagram marketing strategy.
Our advice? Take your time and grow organically.
Instead of wasting hundreds of dollars on fake Instagram likes, invest in quality content and authentic engagement that will translate into higher ROI, sales and growth for your business.
One way you can invest is by checking out our Instagram management tools. See how you can work smarter and gain powerful insights with Sprout.
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