Growing an Instagram account organically requires a lot of hard work, time, and perseverance. Even when you are doing everything right, your numbers might not reflect it, which can be very demoralizing and frustrating. That’s why more and more people look for a solution to hack the algorithm and prioritize their content.
If you clicked on this article, you are probably aware of what Instagram engagement groups (aka pods) are and how they work. You’re unsure if you should join one or not, though, and you’re not alone.
Instagram pods are controversial for a reason (or several, actually). The generic and limited engagement they provide can lead to serious damage or the permanent ban of your account. There are a lot of mixed reviews about these groups and whether or not they can help you grow your Instagram page.
So, we’re here to help shed some clarity on the pros and cons of joining a pod.
PROS
These groups can have thousands of real Instagram users that are willing to trade likes & comments, which means that all the engagement you get from them will be from real people that also want to grow their accounts.
More so, there are several niche groups available. Joining a pod within your niche/interests can lead to genuine connections, and some group members might even be a part of your targeted audience.
On top of being an easy way of getting extra engagement, you can join these pods for free!
CONS
Engagement pods usually generate poor quality and irrelevant comments in your posts (“this is great”, “love your post” or random emojis), a sign of users trying to engage with as many posts as possible without appreciating the content. This generic engagement might even be mistaken for bots, which will look bad on your page and scare off new potential followers/clients.
This leads to an even bigger issue – analytic inaccuracy. Data needs to be accurate if you are going to learn from it to improve your page. Using these pods means you’ve got non-genuine engagement, which makes your analytics completely off and useless.
Another con that people tend to forget or dismiss is the amount of time you need to engage with other members and make these groups worth your while. We’re talking hours here.
Also, considering you have to like other posts in order to receive likes, the amount of engagement coming from these pods is very limited. Realistically, you won’t have the time or patience (or both) to like hundreds of posts. Even if you did, that would mean Instagram would flag your account for spam (engaging with accounts you don’t follow in a high quantity) and block or permanently ban your page.
Getting your page banned from Instagram is, naturally, the biggest con of all. Engagement groups go against Instagram’s Community rules and are not tolerated by the platform. If you get caught faking engagement on your page, you will lose everything you built in the blink of an eye.
BEST ENGAGEMENT GROWTH ALTERNATIVE – INSTAGRAM POWERLIKES
Considering the cons mentioned above, engagement pods might not be a good fit for you.
The best way to grow your page is obviously to make organic connections with other users, but that doesn’t mean you can’t accelerate the process with a few safer strategies.
If you are looking for a way of getting extra engagement and giving your posts some advantage to face the tough algorithm, Instagram Powerlikes might be the way to go.
To put it simply, Powerlikes are likes from real Instagram users with a solid engagement rate on their page. These high-quality accounts engage with your content automatically after you post. Powerlikes don’t require your Instagram password and don’t use your account.
Companies like Supersize Social offer several Powerlikes plans that fit all budgets and needs.