As an entrepreneurship consultant with over 10 years of experience helping small businesses expand online, I often get asked about easy Instagram growth services like Instaboost. Instaboost promises 1,000 real Instagram followers delivered in 1-3 days. But does it actually work?
I decided to thoroughly test Instaboost to find out if it‘s legitimate or another shady growth service sending fake engagement.
How Instaboost Appears to Work
Instaboost offers multiple packages to instantly boost your Instagram account:
- $3.99 for 100 followers
- $9.99 for 500 followers
- $19.99 for 1k followers
These prices seem almost too good to be true. Instaboost claims the followers come from real accounts. After you order, the followers will automatically start following you within minutes or hours.
However, Instaboost does not provide details on the specific methods they use to deliver followers. This raised some red flags for me early on.
I signed up for their 1,000 follower package for $19.99 to see what would happen…
Testing Instaboost: Fake Followers and Red Flags
Immediately after I paid Instaboost, I received an email that my order was being processed. Less than 2 hours later, I suddenly gained over 1,000 new Instagram followers.
- Suspiciously fast delivery
- No corresponding increase in profile views or mentions
- Followers had generic names and no profile pictures
Over the next few days, I lost around 20% of the followers. It quickly became clear these were fake accounts and bots.
As I analyzed the followers further, more red flags appeared:
- Mostly followers from Turkey, Brazil, India
- Accounts with few posts and no engagement
- Bot-like comments and gibberish captions
- Accounts following 5K+ accounts each
These signals match behavior I‘ve seen from fake followers generated on click farms. It‘s highly likely Instaboost sells this type of low-quality engagement.
The Dangers of Buying Fake Instagram Followers
While services like Instaboost can artificially inflate your follower count, the growth isn‘t real. Fake followers don‘t engage with your content or help your brand.
These cons outweigh supposed benefits like vanity metrics and social proof:
Risk account getting banned
Instagram regularly sweeps platform for fake accounts. Too many can get your account shut down.
Damage account credibility
Low engagement rates signal an untrustworthy or unimportant account. Instagram may suppress your reach.
Hide you from real followers
If 30%+ of followers are fake, Instagram can "shadowban" your account. Legitimate followers won‘t see your content.
Lose follower trust
Followers want to engage with real people. Mass unfollows from bots will drive away real supporters.
Simply put, Instaboost seems to primarily sell fake followers from bot accounts and click farms. This might inflate vanity metrics temporarily, but seriously harms your account‘s long-term growth potential.
4 Proven Ways to Grow Your Instagram organically
As an alternative to risky Instagram growth services, I recommend starting with organic strategies:
1. Post High-Quality, Valuable Content
Post content your audience loves and engages with. Humanize your brand by sharing unique perspectives, behind-the-scenes looks, user-generated content, etc.
Include a targeted mix of niche hashtags and trending hashtags so more users can discover your posts.
3. Engage With Your Followers
Reply to comments, like posts from followers, and follow back those who engage with your account. Provide value instead of just promoting yourself.
4. Run Contests and Giveaways
Encourage shares and tags for a prize. Cross-promote across other social channels. UGC contests also work extremely well.
While slower thanInstaboost‘s fake follower spike, these tactics build real community and allow your account to grow sustainably over months and years. Prioritize long-term value.
Bottom Line: Don‘t Waste Money on Instaboost
Based on testing Instaboost and analyzing the purchased engagement:
❌ The followers are predominantly fake bot accounts
❌ There‘s extreme risk of getting your Instagram banned
❌ The growth isn‘t real and damages your account‘s trust
🟢 Focus on organic methods instead for real, engaged followers
I don‘t recommend entrepreneurs or brands use Instaboost. Their lack of transparency around sources and potential account harm make it too risky for growing an Instagram presence long-term.
