Fake followers are social media profiles only meant to boost a profile's follower count without actual value. They bring fake likes and generic comments but no authentic engagement. They are also referred to as bot accounts or spam profiles.
For example, spamming irrelevant hashtags or commenting on posts at random can attract fake followers. That's because bot activity often represents a snowball effect.
In short, a fake Instagram account is one that's not actually run by an individual human being. Some of these accounts are mass-created by people; others are mass-created by bots. Some are used to spam comments, likes, etc., while others are left dormant. Every social media provider is plagued by these fake accounts.
Instagram or TikTok accounts with many followers and very low engagement rates likely have a bunch of fake followers. Calculate engagement rates for an account by dividing the total number of likes and comments by the total number of followers. Use these numbers as a benchmark for checking follower engagement.
Brands can identify fake followers by looking out for: extreme engagement rates (very high or very low), spam comments and an uneven number of follower to following ratio. They can also use free tools to analyze influencer profiles and reveal the level of audience authenticity – but more on that later.
If you're getting random people/bots following you it's likely your account isn't private.
When combining the top 20 most followed accounts on Instagram, the total number of fake followers equates to over one billion false accounts! Interestingly, the account with the largest percentage of fake accounts is a brand, rather than a celebrity.
Fake accounts are purged constantly, so your followers can disappear at any time. There is also the risk of Instagram outrightly suspending your account due to these unethical practices.
To do this, go to your follower list, find the ghost followers, and click the three dots next to their name. Then select "Remove Follower." This will remove the ghost follower from your account, and they will no longer be able to follow you or view your content.
So, the main reasons you should delete fake followers with no regrets: They decrease your engagement rate. Brands don't like to work with influencers with high percent of bots.
Some Instagram fake followers will seem like real followers or active users. However, once you have followed them back, they will send you a direct message or comment with an offer to buy additional fake followers. This shows that the account is automated.
Influencers and companies often buy followers to boost their credibility, thinking that users are more likely to follow an account with 20,000 followers than 200. But you're not fooling anyone, and the users you are hoping to attract will run the other way.
Fake followers may not even like your posts. In fact, the most you might be able to get out of them is an automated “nice post” comment. As users and brands sift through your posts, they'll quickly start to uncover the truth about your initially impressive-looking profile.
The safest and probably most time-consuming method is to manually check your account. You can remove all followers who have a spam-like username or who have no interactions. Fake accounts must first be blocked and then unblocked and finally deleted.
Ellen DeGeneres
According to the report by Institute of Contemporary Music Performance, popular American television host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres sits on number one position on the list with 58 per cent fake followers on Instagram. She currently has 92.4 million followers on Instagram account.
Often if the username is a string of jumbled letters and numbers, there is a good chance it is a bot. You might also notice the profile picture is missing, or shows up in a reverse image search, meaning it has been used many times on the internet.
Instagram bots automate your interactions on Instagram.
They can like posts, post comments, follow and unfollow people, and even send direct messages on your behalf. In short, with Instagram bots at your service, you no longer need to manually interact with other profiles on the app.
Fake followers are typically inactive accounts, which means that they do not engage with the content posted by the account. There are rare occasions when fake followers are active, but when they are, these accounts usually spread spam-ridden posts like memes and fake news.
The Instagram ghost followers that are easiest to spot have no profile picture, no posts, and a high ratio of people-they-follow to followers.
No, fake followers are not illegal. You can buy fake Instagram followers legally and many people buy fake followers to look more popular. They look the same as real followers and help boost your follower count.
This is because most followers you buy tend to be Instagram bots. Instagram bots are extremely common, with some estimates suggesting that they make up 9.5% of Instagram's monthly users. Bots are often just sold as fake followers to people or companies looking to increase their follower count.
Do you get paid for 1,000 followers on Instagram? Instagram accounts with 1,000 followers make $1,420/month on average and up to $100 per sponsored post.
So some celebrities have adjusted: not only are they buying followers, they're also buying likes to make sure their engagement rate looks high at first glance. A good way to see if a celebrity's engagement is legit is to compare the number of likes to comments.