
Well, well, well… we made it to Friday! The first week back after the holidays is always a little bit of a challenge. I found myself a bit sluggish and unmotivated, while simultaneously overwhelmed with to-do’s. And the irony is that the more overwhelmed I felt, the less motivated I was. Funny how that happens, right? Luckily it’s a slower month, although I am presently in major planning mode. (Thanks by the way, for all of your comments on the year in review post, I’m so excited about what is in store for this year!!)
But anyway. Today I wanted to talk a little bit about Instagram.
Oh, Instagram. The platform we all love but also love to complain about.
Lately though, there’s been a bit of an invasion. The invasion of the bots.
Not sure what I’m talking about? If you’re getting comments like “very nice!” “cool pic!” and “This is awesome!” there is a very good chance those comments are being posted by an Instagram automation service… or a bot.*
I’ll post a landscape shot while traveling and get “you look beautiful!” Um, okay… are you sure? Or a flat-lay of beauty products and get a comment that says “great outfit!” Ummm…
So, I was feeling a little bit sassy the other night and posed this tweet. My tweet developed quite a little thread (mostly chatter amongst other bloggers). Another blogger chimed in on the conversation, saying that she received “we think you would love our jewelry” from a brand on a sad post about losing her dog. (Yikes). I learned that some of you are blocking accounts that use bots, and others delete any comments left by bots. (I don’t do anything with them… yet.)
*If you have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about, there is a new trend in social media, where bloggers and brands are hiring bots to like, comment, and follow/unfollow other accounts on their behalf. The thought behind this is that Instagram gives preferential treatment to accounts that are the most engaged… and that it will help your follower growth.
Outfit Details: J.Crew Chateau Parka (love the factory version too) // Sanctuary Sweater // Good American Jeans // AEO Scarf // Hat (love this, this, and this) // Karen Walker Sunglasses // Franco Sarto Booties // Chanel Purse
It’s annoying. And silly. And a waste of everyone’s time. But you know what? If we’re being honest? I blame all of this on Instagram.
Don’t hate the player, hate the game. And in this case, I’m totally hating on the game right now. A friend of mine sent this post and I couldn’t agree with it more. Ashley breaks down exactly what is happening with Instagram and it’s really sad. More or less, Instagram is making it harder and harder for small businesses, bloggers, + brands to grow their audience (and see engagement on their blog posts) with the changes they made to the algorithm and the non-chronological feed. They say that it’s to help us see the content we love the most, but if that is the case then why don’t I ever see my friends’ photos!? I really miss the old Instagram.
I know I’m beating a dead horse. Everyone is annoyed by the new algorithm, except maybe advertisers. My own mom asks me why she isn’t seeing my posts. There are a million posts about the algorithm change. I know. If we’re being honest, I’ve had a difficult time with Instagram from day one. I joined late. I looked at it as a behind-the-scenes to my blog and didn’t focus on image quality or how my “quilt” (those first nine photos) looked. I’d post 5 or 6 times a day and not really think about if that was too much. I posted when I wanted, which wasn’t necessarily when my readers were looking at Instagram. I wasn’t even a little bit strategic about it. And when the algorithm changed, my engagement TANKED.
Over the six months, I got my act together and got really strategic. I now only post once or twice a day. I mostly only post outfits as those are the photos you engage with most. I reply to every comment individually which has helped me to slowly begin to build some fun relationships with my followers. And I use the little bundle of hashtags in the first comment. I even started using Planoly (the best!) to help plan out my feed ahead of time… making sure those first nine photos are cohesive. Doing those things works, and whenever I get asked about how to grow your following on Instagram, that is my advice.
As I started to make changes to how + what I posted, my following started to grow again and my engagement improved. It was really encouraging!
But now there’s all these other things. As I write this, it is 10:30 at night and I just posted an Instagram. The post has been up for nine minutes and has eleven comments. Four are in Arabic and four are most certainly from bots. Oy.
So what can we (and I mean we, mostly to my fellow bloggers) do about this? I think the first thing to do is to talk about it! Two of my best blogging girlfriends text about this stuff constantly and it helps to have a sounding board. And Ashley’s (awesome) post inspired me to talk about it here with you. (Seriously, go read her post.)
Besides that, I don’t really know. We can whine all we want and Instagram won’t change the algorithm – it’s better for their business model, after all. In Ashley’s post, she recommends giving us the option to boost our posts (it’s different from an ad, an ad doesn’t show your post to your existing followers), and I think that would be pretty great. I would get on my soapbox and say “stop using bots, stop buying likes, stop buying followers…” and even out the playing field… but I know that is unrealistic (and I’m not one to tell others how to run their own businesses). I guess it’s just something to think about.
What about you? Do you block spammy commenters? That feels so extreme. (On another note regarding bots + spammers, with my friends if I’m in a rush I often just comment on their feed saying “LOVE!” or with emojis… now I fear it will look as though I’m using a bot!) Oof. So yeah. I’m mad at Instagram. But I’m not really sure there’s anything I can do about it!
Also, per feedback from a few of my girlfriends I am trying to remember to do a better job at showing you what I’m wearing under my coats! It’s this cozy red turtleneck (also available here)! Comfy and under $100.
photography by Lydia Hudgens.
I always get spam comments on my Instagram pics. It’s so annoying. Sometimes they’re in a different language too, haha.
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
Haha yes same. So many different languages on my feed last night!
Oh I always block this account, I don’t have a crazy amount of followers so I’m really focused on quality over quantity. So if they follow even if this raise my following count I block them and lose the follow. It saddens me when I see a fellow blogger go from 3K to 30K overnight. I’ve had an account with over 500K repost me and that didn’t happen so come on. I actually don’t hate the new algorithm to be honest, I feel like with it people are forced to make their content better. That way you give your readers exactly what they want to see. Just like you said I now post 1or 2 times a day, use my tags in the first comment and use planoly to plan my feed. Too bad I didn’t get into the ig game when it was easy to grow a massive following but I do like it still.
Yes to all of this!! I have had the same experience. I’ve been featured on Liketoknow.it, and a couple brand pages all in the same day and the most I’ve ever gained has been around 500. The best growth I’ve had was when we did our holiday sweepstakes and used the Viralsweep platform so people could follow us on Instagram to enter. 3k to 30k means there is definitely something shifty going on!!!
This is so helpful to read. I have been a loyal blog reader for years you are my favorite!! I finally launched my own blog last fall. But I’m a little older and my generation doesn’t follow blogs and use IG as much (mostly kid pics, etc…) so gaining followers is proving so difficult.
This is a little disheartening to read but I so appreciate you talking about it. I’ve had a few of those bot comments this week… I’m just going to continue trying to put good content out there but figuring out how to attract followers (and ultimately brands) is going to be a challenge.
On another note, I love how authentic you are with your blog. Would love for you to read my latest post on intermittent fasting and how it helped me lose a little weight. I think you would be very interested!
Carrie that is so nice! And congratulations on your new blog (clicking over to read after this). I am a little older too, all of my friends are married with kids and use it for the same reasons… My blog (and Facebook, oddly!) are my two strongest platforms and I think that’s normal for the 30+ crowd. You have a good attitude… I do think the tips I listed above (focusing on your first nine photos, responding to all comments, making a real effort to engage with others by leaving thoughtful comments) are the best ways to grow a following. It’s just slow. And often feels like an uphill battle, especially if you don’t cheat! 🙂
Thank you for this post!!
I just started a blog in August and it has been impossible to grow my Instagram account. Impossible. I don’t pay as much attention to my first 9 grid as I should, but, I post great pictures (if I do say so myself) and I’m proud of my content and no one is seeing it!! It’s so incredibly frustrating.
yes! i feel the same way. instagram is weird, man! i just started a blog in october and feel like its russian bots who comment and no one else.
at first i got excited that i was getting comments, but then i realized they weren’t even authentic. its so discouraging!!
Haha I know, I feel the same. :-/
The russian (and Arabic) ones are the worst!!!! Last night I received like seven comments in foreign languages all in a row!
Feel the exact same way!
I will say that paying attention to the first nine photos and how they look together is a real game changer. Believe me – I know it’s frustrating and annoying (I held out for so long, thinking that just creating good content was enough), but anytime one of your photos is shared or someone tags you, or you show up as a suggestion via Instagram, people will click over to your profile. If those first few photos are cohesive next to each other, people who find you will be more likely to hit follow. Just something to think about, it was the single change I made this year and it’s helped my following to start growing again!!
I’m going to try planning with Planoly and see how that goes! I also struggle with always wanting to be authentic and having a balance between personal and blog things. I know I don’t have many followers, but I don’t want to lose my IRL friends and family because I’m “playing the blog game.”
*sigh*
Haha I know, I hear you. You may hate this suggestion but I started a (private) personal account just for friends + family – a place where I can put my friends + family up, not worry how my feed looks… but also not annoy my IRL friends and family with all of the outfit + beauty posts as they don’t really care about what I am wearing! xo
i feel you on this. it actually took me a while to realize that it was spam or bloggers that had set up bots to leave generic comments. so inauthentic and slimy! i’ve started deleting the comments and blocking accounts that look like spam. it’s definitely annoying, but also pretty sad as well.
on a lighter note, i hope you have a great weekend! i love how open and honest you’ve been on the blog lately!
I feel the same way. I have had bigger bloggers than me comment and get so excited that they wrote something, only to realize that it’s a bot. It’s so disheartening!
And thank you!!! I am happy you are enjoying it. Hope all is well in your world… it’s been forever! xoxox
this is seriously so interesting. i know nothing about how instagram works or worked, but i get weird comments from these must be bots, and i’m a nobody!
xo, brittany
weekend reading + steals on my blog today!
http://www.notablob.com
Hahaha. You are not a nobody, don’t say that!!!
It’s really fascinating… there are a ton of great articles out there (especially Ashley’s) – worth reading up on! xx
It is beyond out of control! How do these people not realize it makes them look SO silly to have these irrelevant comments. I always want to reply to them and say “Uh…what?” I had one that wrote (on a beauty Insta) “Is it for the wedding?” THE HELL?
That’s hilarious. It’s always really obvious when you post a photo that is not an outfit… then they just look extra stupid!
I have lost all respect for a friend of mine that went from a few thousand to like 16+k thousand in a few weeks. It makes me so angry when I work so hard that thousands of people cheat the system. it doesn’t end. I know people who are on MULTIPLE comment pods with literally 300 bloggers who like and comment each time she posts. Ugh I’m so over it.
http://asequinloveaffair.com
I agree. It’s really frustrating.
I am not in any commenting pods but that at least feels like a slightly more authentic way to build up engagement? If you do it with your friends, at least? I don’t know. I spend a lot of time commenting on other bloggers’ instagrams as an attempt to build up community there, so I don’t take issue with commenting pods… it’s the bots and the fake commenting that really does me in!!!
ugh I’m not a blogger and I get spam likes and comments. it’s so annoying. As a reader of various blogs, it seems ridiculous that so many bloggers do buy followers.
I hate the IG algorithim!
It’s a weird, weird world we are living in!!! xx
This isn’t about Instagram, but I just bought the same parka in the fiery orange color and love.
Aw yay! I have that color too and LOVE it… possibly even more than the grey! xo
Before I wrote my post on why I hate this bot trend (http://www.poorlittleitgirl.com/blogging-etiquette-tips) I did some research and we’re talking TOP bloggers, the ones other people look up to, are HEAVY on the bots. The bloggers that brands love to work with and constantly get all the “best” campaigns…bot users. All you have to do is just look at what your followers are doing, and it’s disgusting. These girls bots are liking nude, racist, homophobic, violent (the list could go on) pictures and clearly don’t care b/c their followers can easily SEE that this what they’re liking/commenting on! It’s all disgusting. And my solution, phase out my need to obsess over Instagram and focus more on my blog and really up my Pinterest game this year. The lack of ethical integrity some bloggers have is just disgusting. So glad to hear you’re annoyed too!
xoxo
Cathy, your Poor Little It Girl
http://poorlittleitgirl.com
I loved your post, Cathy – it was very blunt but such good advice to everyone (from tiny bloggers who are just starting out to bigger bloggers). Everyone can get something out of it.
I’m laughing right now about the nude photos. A good friend of mine is the COO of a big beauty brand, and I noticed that her brand’s Instagram account was liking nude photos. So I immediately texted her (this was before I knew what Instagress was, or any of the other bots). She didn’t know it but her social media manager had signed the brand up for Instagress. It’s really annoying and bad. I will admit that I tried Instagress for a time (just for liking photos). I stopped as it just felt dirty, like I was cheating. It’s just so frustrating as EVERYONE is doing it, which makes the “game” so unfair.
I agree though – I spend a lot of time on my blog, and also my Facebook + Twitter!
Xoxo
I totally agree that it’s necessary to talk about all of this Insta-craziness – it’s the elephant in the room! Every time I travel abroad, I find it fascinating to look at the activity feed during an off time (like 3am local time), and see bots at work. It’s shocking how many people use them! On the plus side, the algorithm change has helped people try to engage a bit more and create a supportive community with each other, so that’s good!
I so agree. Jenn, you are a shining example of how to do Instagram right (and a big inspiration to me). I agree you regarding community – you are one of the people I feel I “know” due to our daily Instagram exchanges. Hats off to you for doing such an amazing job growing your readership and being so amazingly engaged!!! 🙂 xoxo
I’m so grateful that we’ve been able to connect on Insta, and I can’t wait to get together the next time I’m in NYC!
Me TOO! Can’t wait! xx
I have a friend who works at Facebook, and I asked him about the algorithm. He says that though we say we don’t like it, our actions on the app say otherwise. IE we’re liking more, following more, clicking more, etc. It is frustrating because I do feel like I miss a lot of posts, and it feels like a computer has more control over my Instagram than I do. Also annoying about the bots. I too sometimes leave quick comments if I love someone’s look, bc I really do love the look! I don’t want people to think those are bots! It’s me!!! Hahah. All in all I feel you and enjoyed this post!
That is really interesting to hear. The numbers don’t lie and like I said, Facebook is going to do what is best for their business. I just miss SO many posts which is frustrating.
And glad you do that too… I’m so mortified that i just write “LOVE,” my friends will think I am using a bot!!! Hahaha. Glad you enjoyed the post, Diana! xo
I am also against the Instagram algorithm! I miss alot of posts by close friends that I really want to see! Where have they gone, Instagram? And I don’t have a huge following, but I get the bots too!Sometimes it’s difficult to tell, though, so I don’t do anything about them.
https://bybreannamarie.com/
I know! My own mother doesn’t always see my posts, and she likes them all!!!
Great post! I have so many complaints with Instagram right now I could write a novel. I don’t have a large following and I’m trying to grow it and I find it extremely difficult. I’ve read articles, tried all of the tricks and I feel like I’m getting nowhere. It’s extremely frustrating trying to grow your reach organically when everyone else is buying likes/comments/followers.
Also, I am one of those people who block the spammers because I would rather have a low number of followers/engagement than have spam (I can’t stand it!). Instead of getting super frustrated trying to grow my Instagram following, I’ve decided to focus on growing my Twitter following because I feel like people are much more engaged and genuine on that platform.
If you have any other strategic ways to “beat the bots” on Instagram I think that could be a great blog post!
Angela
Haha I feel the same. I hate complaining and whining – I’d rather figure out a solution to the problem than whine, but there doesn’t seem to be one (besides changing my attitude and focusing my energy elsewhere – my blog, twitter, etc). I am glad to hear that you feel like that about Twitter because I truly love it – it’s become one of my strongest platforms!
I couldn’t agree more about that Instagram thing. I’ve been getting those comments as well but I never realised they could be bots, now it makes much more sense. I’m not gonna do anything to them either, getting notifications about a new comment boosts my confidence (hahaha) and I don’t care much about the algorithm, I don’t like it either but I’m just gonna keep doing my thing and having fun posting pictures whenever I want and not care if I’m getting likes or followers because that takes the fun out of it.
And your outfit is gorgeous by the way, I really like that coat.
I think that is a really good approach, Marta 🙂 I am trying to do the same and focus less on metrics but it is hard as my blog + social channels are also my business!
Thank you so much for sharing this! Even a beginner blogger like me is getting the foreign language bot comments lol . I get excited when I see that I have a comment and then I’m like, womp womp. Not much I can do about it but keep hustling I guess. Going to check out that planner you mentioned though!
I hope you love it, Kristen! It has been so helpful for me. 🙂
I get spam followers and comments too and my IG isn’t really popular. Latest one was a generic comment “Good one” on a contest entry I posted. I left it as they didn’t follow me; I was just weirded out a little.
I found a lot of random follows have been happening lately. Some from from obvious spammers but others from bloggers who may use bots. I do follow back if I like the content but if it’s a spambot, I block.
It’s such a weird thing. A lot of my friends who have smaller Instagram accounts say the exact thing. Oof. Thanks for stopping by and commenting Iris… have a great weekend!
Auto comments are the worst. I totally get where those people are coming from though. It is so hard to grow your Instagram account. Engagement with others is key for new bloggers but very time consuming.
Agreed. That’s why in all honesty I blame Instagram and not the people using the bots (though I wouldn’t). Instagram has created such a challenging environment that people feel they have to cheat in order to even have a chance. It’s such a bummer.
I was recently having a similar conversation with somebody about Instagram. I hate all the spam and I usually delete those comments and block those users. I just feel that they get in the way of me making genuine connections with people. All that being said, thanks for writing on this post. I think it’s great to have an open discussion about it.
-Helen
http://www.sweethelengrace.com
Thanks Helen! Have a great weekend 🙂 🙂
Most days, I wish IG would just delete forever. But since it is a part of my brand and how I make a lot of my commission, I need to do it 🙁
I go in and block spammy accounts if they begin following me. Over the last three-four weeks, I’ve probably blocked around 150+ accounts. It’s exhausting and I don’t catch every one of them. It’s SO annoying. As far as comments go, I seriously couldn’t agree more with you (although like you, if I’m in a rush, sometimes I’ll write “OMG LOVE” on a friend’s post). When the algorithm first hit, I basically died on IG. I was losing followers, didn’t get many comments and just wanted to give up. But once I made a plan, I realized how beneficial the algorithm is to me. I usually post around 9-10pm every week night and get THE most engagement ever. Full body or three quarter shots (face included) work best for me, and engaging back with those who like and comment always makes a difference! I’m still trying to figure out what works best for me on the weekends though!
I definitely want to share this post next week on my blog because I just read through the comments here and loved the conversation you started!
Have a great weekend, Grace! Xx
Pink Champagne Problems
I pretty much do the same exact thing (except slightly later – 10:30 seems to be best for me!!)
Happy you liked the post, Dana – have a great weekend! xo
Please do more behind the scenes posts on blogs. I don’t have Instagram for my blog. I’ve begun to use my blog this year. It was my resolution to post on it. I would love to make an Instagram in a few months.
I will! Good luck with your blog! 🙂
Ugh. Could not agree more. The ads are what really grinds my grits now-a-days. I want to see my friends and bloggers and magazine editors I love…not an ad about some white sale online. Grrrrr! ☠️☠️☠️ I miss old instagram too
Haha I know. I wouldn’t even mind the ads, if they would just stick ’em in the chronological feed! But oh well!!
I didn’t even realize that people, like normal people who just happen to blog, were using bots! I knew people used to be really into buying followers but I thought that had gotten better over the past few years. I guess that should make me feel better because I always wonder why I can’t grow my instagram as much as I’d like – I try to have nice pictures, my followers are really engaged, but …I just can’t grow my following. At least I know that whatever growth I do have, it’s organic. And that’s what matters the most in the fake world of social media anyway 😉
Haha yup. It’s gotten so common. It’s really sad. If it’s any consolation I think you are doing a great job! xo 🙁
Yeah, it’s so annoying… One of many annoying ig trends… the buying of likes and followers is another. Le sigh.
Carrie
http://www.wearwherewell.com
yes and yes… UGH!
Unfortunately for all of us bloggers/real people, the algorithm isn’t going to change for the better (for us). The way they’re doing it now helps Instagram make money, because if you really want your friends/readers to see your post, you’ll have to pay. I’m with you – I don’t see ANY of my favorite bloggers’ posts on a daily basis. EVER. I would love to go back to the old ‘gram!
Alyssa | Feathers and Stripes
Yup to all of this! Thanks for commenting, Alyssa!!! I hope you had a great weekend 🙂 x
Hey Grace, I never thought anything about the spammy comments on my own posts being that it was coming from other bloggers I follow. But, now that you mention it, I can see how those comments are spammy being that I try to engage with them and there’s no response. I agree with you and everyone else that Instagram has become a pain and every time I feel like I have a strategy down it changes. Anyway, looking forward to more talks like this. Thanks for starting it! Jessika / Beautybyjessika.com
Yeah, it’s a major bummer!!! I guess all we can do is keep trying new things, work the hardest we can, and be honest! Still – so frustrating! Have a great week!! xx
The spam comments have been INTENSE lately! As a smaller blogger, I wonder if me constantly ignoring spammy comments looks like I’m ignoring actual, interested readers and deters real followers from engaging. There are so many levels. You’re right, I’m mad at Instagram. Honestly, I knew that once they became Facebook Jr, it would start to go downhill. FB is a pay to play game, and they’re making IG in its likeness and its so frustrating. I have so much admiration for the way that Snapchat has monetized and introduced ads in a way that doesn’t disturb the user experience. Social media is a money game, and I totally support that, but I hope they don’t forget the users and creators who helped make these platforms everything they are.
(Wow, didn’t mean to leave a novel)
Totally agree with your novel 🙂 It’s so frustrating. I don’t blame the bloggers using bots (though I wish they wouldn’t) Instagram has made it really hard to succeed without cheating!!! :-/ Thanks for taking the time to stop by + comment (and for sharing on twitter!)
As a user of IG and follower of many bloggers, I’ve been SO bummed about the algorithm change. I feel like I have to heart every picture if there’s any hope of it showing up in my feed again. Which is great but also I don’t love every photo. So incredibly frustrating. I also loved that people were more freeform (such as yourself) previously. If I want to see perfect photos, then I can go to the blog. But I really miss the peek into the day to day stuff. Now if they’d only change it back. 😐
I know, I miss the old days too. Luckily you can be a bit more freeform on Insta + Snap! xx
I’ve noticed another not so great Instagram trend recently. I have had a number of fashion & lifestyle bloggers start following me (I am not a blogger, but I am an interior designer, so it’s a medium I’m trying to increase), so I will in turn follow them back if I like their pics/vibe/etc.
However, I have gone back and looked a few days later and these bloggers are then no longer following me (I’ve checked on this numerous times w/numerous bloggers). I guess this is a strategy to get more followers, but it left a really bad taste in my mouth about those particular bloggers. I unfollowed all of them. I was just curious if this is something you have seen or if this some sort of known IG strategy that I just wasn’t aware of? I’m fine with “you pat my back, I pat yours” (i.e. – you follow me, I follow you), but this variation on that is shady!!
I hate hate hate that too. It’s the same bot service that comments and/or likes for you. UGH.
This was so eye opening! I’m still working on cultivating my IG, and don’t post very often, but I could not, for the life of me, figure out why a tribute and photo of my dad (who passed away a few months ago) I posted on his birthday received happy emojis and other random “great!” comments. I also received similar ones on a 9/11 post. Now I know why!
Happy (Belated) New Year!
Hi Jenn! Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Oh my god that is terrible. Since posting this, I’ve heard so many stories like this – people posting something really sad and/or meaningful – only to get “love it!” and “great pic!” as a comment. That is so embarrassing for anyone using a bot service – and for me would be reason enough to stop. Oh well! Happy New Year!!!!
I typically just delete the posts because it just drives me nuts! Slow and steady is my motto for engagement on Instagram haha!
xoxo,
Katie
chicincarolina.blogspot.com
That’s the best way to do it!!!