In the world of digital marketing, buying followers on Instagram is a controversial practice, but many users seem not to truly understand the impact – or lack thereof – of this approach. In full 2024, where relationships matter more than numbers, it is still common for brands and influencers to seek an easy shortcut to increase social media reach. Vanity, combined with social pressure for validation through greatness, made this method commonplace.
On the surface, buying followers seems harmless and merely offers status, but the truth is that there are a series of problems and vulnerabilities that, as a rule, reduce the potential of digital communication to a farce, masking metrics and compromising public trust. To understand this point, just think about the concept that influencer marketing provides to social networks. An ethical Instagram profile plan will always be built on connection, authenticity, and credibility.
The truth is that quantity, no matter how impressive at first glance, is not a reliable indicator of influence or effectiveness – especially when manipulated. It seems obvious, but ultimately, the one losing out is influencer marketing.
Engagement vs. Digital Status
The study "The 2024 Influencer Marketing Report" by Sprout Social shows that nearly half of consumers (49%) make purchases motivated by influencers, reflecting the intention stimulated by genuine interaction. However, the "nose" of internet users is already sharp when it comes to advertisers who inflate accounts with robots. This year, a global survey by Adyen and the Center for Economic and Business Research (CEBR) revealed that 11% of users who shop on social media are hesitant due to fear of fraud.
As a result, when there is manipulation in the reach of profiles, consumers tend to question not only the legitimacy of the influencer promoting, but also the company that hired them. Buying followers creates an illusion of popularity that can lead to failed campaigns, as it replaces genuine interaction with the audience with a detour that does not sustain long-term engagement and also weakens the trust relationship between brands and customers.
Reaching the target audience in the right way, so that they are interested in the influencer and the company in an authentic way, requires effort, but clear strategies can serve as indispensable elements for reliable and concrete actions.
How to differentiate and choose the ideal influencer?
Differentiating an authentic profile from one that "bought" influence is an initial step and requires attention to some details. Two main indicators help detect this behavior: irregular engagement rate, meaning if an influencer has thousands of followers but a very low level of likes, comments, and shares; and suspicious and generic interactions, which occur frequently or seem to have been written by artificial intelligence.
It is possible to observe the importance that the influencer assigns to their respective followers, considering the level and quality of the dialogues. Comments without response or lack of engagement from the profile itself on recent posts may symbolize a lack of genuine commitment to the audience.
But be careful! Influencers get scammed too
There is a significant difference between influencers who buy followers and those who suffer from automatic robot comments: a practice that is beyond the professional's control and does not involve deliberate manipulation of the numbers. Recognizing this distinction helps avoid hasty judgments and allows brands to select partners based on fairer and more relevant criteria.
Influence marketing believes in the full authenticity of the content creator, as what they offer to users is the true reason for building a secure relationship. Today's consumers have a critical eye. They are fully capable of perceiving the difference between quality and quantity influencers. When choosing advertisers, brands should consider the metrics that truly matter: genuine engagement, content quality, and the ability to establish a transparent connection.
