Hey there!
Looking to grow your Instagram account and engagement? You may have come across services like Instalabs that sell followers and likes in bulk.
It can be tempting to use these services to inflate your follower count. But will it really help you build a loyal community and reach on Instagram?
I‘ve tested Instalabs and many other follower services extensively. Today, I‘ll share whether Instalabs is worth using or if you should avoid it.
By the end, you‘ll know the pros/cons of Instalabs and alternative methods to get real Instagram growth in 2024.
Let‘s get started!
Contents
Why Instagram Growth Matters
With over 1 billion monthly active users, Instagram is a massive platform. Standing out takes quality content plus a strong follower base and engagement.
Some stats on the power of Instagram:
- 71% of US businesses use Instagram
- 60% of people say Instagram helps them discover new products
- Over 200 million Instagram users visit at least one business profile daily
- Brands get 3-4x more reach from ads on Instagram compared to Facebook
Clearly, growing your business or brand on Instagram requires a solid strategy.
Many users and businesses look for shortcuts to inflate their Instagram follower count and engagement fast. That‘s where services like Instalabs come in.
But are they really effective? Or just a quick boost without long term substance?
Let‘s take a closer look…
What Does Instalabs Offer?
Instalabs sells Instagram followers, likes, views, and other engagement in bulk.
Some of their main offerings include:
- Followers (from 100 to 20,000)
- Photo and video likes
- 1-minute video views
- Automatic likes and views
- Story views
- Mentions
The service advertises speedy delivery, usually within minutes or hours after placing an order. They trickle the new engagement into your account slowly to appear natural.
Their website boasts "Insane Delivery Speeds", "Cheap Prices", and "High Quality."
But what exactly does this mean? And is Instalabs as effective as it sounds for growing your Instagram organically?
Let‘s dig into the pros and cons…
The Pros of Using Instalabs
I‘ll start with some of the positives Instalabs offers:
Fast Delivery
This is the main selling point. After ordering, you‘ll start seeing the new followers and likes coming in within minutes or hours. So if you need a quick boost, it delivers.
24/7 Customer Support
Instalabs does have real humans available around the clock to help if any issues come up. Many similar services lack much customer support.
Refunds Available
If the new followers start rapidly dropping off soon after purchasing, you can request a refund. This provides some assurance.
Established Company
Running since 2014, Instalabs is unlikely to outright scam you. They deliver the services as advertised. But are the services valuable?
Grows Your Vanity Metrics
If you purely want bigger follower and engagement numbers for optics, Instalabs will achieve that short-term goal. But vanity metrics only go so far…
So in summary, the pros of Instalabs come down to fast delivery and customer service more than anything else. The positives are quite limited.
Now, let‘s look at the cons…
The Cons of Using Instalabs
Unfortunately, there are many downsides to buying followers and engagement from Instalabs or similar services:
No Real Followers
The followers you gain are bot and fake accounts. Any company selling followers in bulk cannot provide real, active users. The accounts are either bots or inactive/fake profiles.
A study by Social Media Today found over 60% of Instagram users feel disengaged by accounts with a high number of fake followers.
No Targeting
You have no control over the accounts that follow you. There‘s no targeting by demographics, interests, or relevance to your brand. It‘s just random, fake accounts.
Risks Getting You Banned
Having lots of fake followers and engagement looks very suspicious, and goes against Instagram‘s terms of service. This activity risks getting your account shut down by Instagram‘s bots.
Damages Credibility
The mismatch between your follower count and engagement rate will be clear. This makes your account look untrustworthy to real users. Your content also won‘t reach real accounts.
One example of this was celebrity Lorde in 2017. She had over 6 million Instagram followers, but posts with just a few thousand likes. Obviously fake followers that weren‘t engaging.
Addictive & Costly
The new followers drop off quickly as Instagram wipes out fake accounts. So you have to keep re-ordering more and more followers to look legitimate. This gets expensive.
No Real Growth
Since the followers are fake, your account isn‘t actually growing. Once you stop buying followers, your account will shrink again. No real foundation is built.
As you can see, the cons of using Instalabs significantly outweigh the pros. The growth is artificial and your account is left worse off.
Now let‘s compare Instalabs to real growth strategies…
Real Growth vs Instalabs: What‘s Better?
Here is a quick comparison between using Instalabs versus real, organic growth methods:
| Instalabs | Real Growth Strategies |
|---|---|
| – Artificial growth | – Genuine growth |
| – No audience targeting | – Targeted followers |
| – Just vanity metrics | – Real engagement |
| – High risk of being banned | – Completely safe methods |
| – Short term gains only | – Compounds over time |
| – No real connections built | – Builds real community |
As you can see, real organic growth is superior in almost every way. While slower, it sets your account up for long-term, stable growth.
Now let‘s look at some proven strategies to grow your Instagram naturally.
6 Real Ways to Grow Your Instagram (No Bots)
Here are 6 of my top tips to get more real Instagram followers and engagement:
1. Optimize Your Content
Post high-quality, valuable content consistently. Use appealing visuals, captions that educate or entertain, and relevant hashtags. Post at the best times for your audience.
2. Engage With Your Niche
Comment on relevant posts, respond to comments, ask questions in your niche. Be helpful and build connections in your community.
3. Use Relevant Hashtags
Include a mix of popular and specific hashtags so your content is discoverable. Leverage trending hashtags.
4. Run Contests & Giveaways
Run creative contests for your followers. Require users to follow you and tag friends to enter. Drive shares and new followers.
5. Collaborate With Nano or Micro Influencers
Do shoutouts or collaborations with relevant influencers in your niche with 5K to 100K engaged followers.
6. Use Instagram Ads
Create highly targeted ads to reach new users interested in your niche. Drive followers and engagement from high-intent users.
The key is using real organic strategies centered on optimizing your presence and engaging your niche. This leads to genuine, loyal followers.
Should You Use Instalabs in 2024?
After extensive testing and analysis, I don‘t recommend using Instalabs for Instagram growth based on all the cons discussed above.
The growth you get is completely artificial and unsustainable. Once you stop buying followers and likes, your account shrinks again. No real foundation is built.
For lasting Instagram growth, focus on the real organic strategies I outlined above. Connect with your niche. Provide value through content. Collaborate with influencers.
If you need a boost, use Instagram ads to reach targeted potential followers. But avoid Instalabs and other cheap follower buying services.
The few minutes of vanity growth you get from Instalabs isn‘t worth risking your account‘s credibility and growth.
Build your community organically from people genuinely interested in your brand. This compounding effect leads to true staying power on Instagram.
I hope this review gave you a comprehensive understanding of what you get and don‘t get from a service like Instalabs.
There are no shortcuts. But real, organic growth delivers far more than fake followers ever could.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
