AdvertiseMint

Grow your business with Facebook, Instagram & TikTok advertising. Let's talk 844-236-4686.

  • Home
  • Services
    • Facebook Advertising Agency
    • Advertising Agency for Amazon
    • TikTok Advertising Agency
    • Google Ads Advertising Agency
    • Instagram Advertising Agency
    • Snapchat Advertising Agency
    • LinkedIn Advertising Agency
    • Spotify Advertising Agency
    • Pinterest Advertising Agency
    • YouTube Advertising Agency
  • Pricing
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
  • 844-236-4686
  • Get Started
You are here: Home / Instagram / Pestered by Instagram Bots? Here’s What You Can Do

November 30, 2018

Pestered by Instagram Bots? Here’s What You Can Do

Anne Felicitas, editor at AdvertiseMint, company for Facebook ads


If you use your Instagram account for marketing purposes, you must avoid bots like the plague.

Although bots boost follower count, artificially giving you clout, they will bring more problems than it’s worth. Not only do they cheapen your brand, but they also signal to prospective partners that you are not trustworthy.

A bad image isn’t the only problem bots bring. Bots also inflate marketing costs. If you’re running an Instagram ad that targets your followers, most of which are bots, you are paying for ads shown to accounts that will never convert because they’re not real people.

Of course, you likely aren’t paying for a third-party to provide you with fake bot followers. Maybe, instead, you receive unwanted followers from bots. If that’s the case, here’s what you can do.

First, Identify the Bot Account

Before you begin your crusade against bots, you must first learn how to identify them rather than blindly taking action against innocent accounts—this isn’t the Salem witch hunt. Search for the biggest red flag, the post to followers ratio. An account that has no posts but has thousands of followers is a bot. Why would thousands of users follow an account that doesn’t produce content? Very suspect indeed.

Example of a bot with no posts.

Beware, however, because some bots do post content to their feeds, but there’s a way to differentiate them from real accounts. Bot accounts post random, low-quality images while still having thousands of followers. If you see that, steer clear.

Remove the Account

If you don’t want bots in your follower list (trust me, you don’t), remove them from your account. Find the bot from your list of followers. If the bot is a recent follower, it should appear first in the list. Click the three dots next to the bot’s profile then click “Remove” to expel it from your list of followers. Doing so, however, won’t stop the bot from finding your profile and following you again. If you want to prevent that, you must block the account.

Block the Account

To block a bot account, visit the bot’s profile then click the three dots on the upper-right corner of the screen. Click “block.” This will block the account and consequently remove it from your followers list. When you block the account, it can’t find your profile, posts, or Stories, and it can’t follow you again. The account won’t be notified that you blocked it.

Report the Account

If you want to take an action that punishes the bot account, that prevents it from scamming other users like you, then you can take a more drastic action by reporting the account to Instagram. Instagram’s team will investigate, and if they determine the account to be a spam bot that violates its community guidelines, then they will take action and notify you. Instagram won’t notify the bot account that you reported it.

To report an account, click the three dots on the upper-right corner of its profile then choose “spam.” Reporting the account won’t remove it from your followers list and won’t stop it from visiting your profile. If you want to sever all ties, you must either remove the bot or block it.

Commence the Great Bot Purge

Bot accounts have pestered users for years, creating such an annoyance that Instagram is finally removing fake likes and follows generated by bots. But that great bot purge doesn’t occur overnight. If you want to take matters into your own hands, remember what I taught you: remove, block, or report.

Anne Felicitas, editor at AdvertiseMint, company for Facebook ads

Comments

comments

Article by Anne Felicitas / Instagram

About Anne Felicitas

Possessing five years of digital writing experience, Anne Felicitas is the blog editor of AdvertiseMint, a Facebook advertising agency that specializes in Facebook and Instagram ad management. Anne writes content and oversees a team of freelance writers and contributors, ensuring the AdvertiseMint blog regularly produces both short- and long-form content related to social media, marketing, and advertising.

Complete Guide to Facebook Targeting

Download our FREE Facebook guide with over 850 ad targeting options.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Speak with an Advertising Specialist

Want to learn more about what advertising platforms are best for growing your business.

Schedule a FREE call with our experts. 

Ad Targeting Infographics

  • Amazon DSP Ad Targeting
  • Facebook Ad Targeting 
  • Hidden Facebook Ad Targeting
  • LinkedIn Ad Targeting
  • Snapchat Ad Targeting
  • Digital Ad Platform Policies
Hear the Audiobook FREE on Audible

Browse by Platform

  • Facebook
  • TikTok
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Snapchat
  • Pinterest
  • Amazon
  • Google

Popular Articles

(Updated 2021) How to View What Your Facebook Profile Looks Like to Others

How to Make Money on TikTok

New Instagram Sorting Feature Shows Who Appears on Your Feed the Most

12 Ways to Become TikTok Famous

Here’s Where Instagram Keeps All the Posts You Liked

How to Hide Your Facebook Post from a Specific Person

Instagram’s Warning Notification Gives At-Risk Accounts a Second Chance

6 Important Marketing Theories and How to Apply Them on Social Media Campaigns

35 Banned and Restricted Products You Can’t Advertise on Facebook

The Best Time to Post on TikTok, According to Data

AdvertiseMint

  • Home
  • About
  • Careers
  • Blog
  • Definitions
  • Programs
  • FAQ
  • Press
  • Phishing Scam
  • Sitemap

NEWSLETTER

Get expert insights and latest news in digital advertising every week

NEWSLETTER

Certifications



advertisemint google partner     

7080 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028       |       844-236-4686

Facebook Advertising | Instagram Advertising | Google Advertising | Amazon Advertising | Pinterest Advertising | Tiktok Advertising
Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy
© 2021 AdvertiseMint All Rights Reserved.