Wanna know the number one way to get your posts seen and increase your engagement organically?  

*Silly question, I knowwww.* 

The answer? Avoid bots.

Fake followers and bots may be targeting your account and reducing the amount of real people who actually see the content you produce. 

So, let’s talk about exactly how to get rid of them so your posts get shown to people who actually engage.

Why It Matters

First things first, let’s look at how the algorithm works:

• You publish a post.
• The algorithm will show that post to approximately 3% of your followers organically.
• Based on how the 3% engage, your post may be shown to more of your followers.

So in a nutshell, early engagement – meaning likes, comments, shares, and saves – determines how many followers will see the post.

>>When an app like Instagram shows your content to fake or bot followers and they don’t engage, the algorithm will assume it is irrelevant and not show your content to others.<<

That’s why engagement is SO important: better engagement means more organic reach.

However, if your post is shown to bots (that don’t engage), it’s far less likely to be seen by your real followers.

So, if you're ready to clean up your Instagram account and increase your engagement, read on, friend!

How to Spot a Bot

Let’s start with how to identify a bot or fake follower from a real, beating heart.

Here are some signs your most recent follower is a bot:

• They only have a few posts (or none at all)
• They are following a TON of people
• They do not have a profile photo or bio
• Their username is a bunch of letters + numbers mixed together

Why They Are Targeting You

Now that you’ve identified if it’s a bot… Why are they targeting your account?

There are two possible reasons bots and fake accounts will target you: 

• You use large hashtags with millions of entries OR
• You recently followed a very popular celebrity/athlete/influencer

Bots target your account to either sell you something or follow you to legitimize their profile.

What To Do

Now let’s talk about how to clean up your account without using a third party app (yes friend, we’re talking old school!):

• Spend 10-15 minutes every day removing them from your account…or
• Invest in a virtual assistant who will do this for you!

There you have it, friend… Something that could take just 10 minutes a day could massively affect the impact your account can have.

>>Even though it may be hard for you to remove hundreds or even thousands of followers from your account, forget about the metrics.<<

Remember: your account will go farther with 1,000 highly engaged followers than 10,000 fake accounts and passive followers just scrolling on by.

Are you ready to do a bit of spring cleaning today?

Better yet, do you want to optimize your social accounts to get the best reach and engagement from your audience? I’d love to have you join Social Curator, where we talk about strategy all day, every day!

*Seriously, it’s our love language.*

If you’re looking for a Community that has your back, Social Curator is it, Buttercup. This is your personal invitation from my heart to yours to >>join Social Curator<< and allow this Community to show you how you can succeed on social (no bots included!).

Enrollment closes on March 12th at 5pm PST. See you on the inside, Hustler!