Fashion and beauty influencers are important to the people who follow them. They are trusted for their expertise and advice, so it’s important that they have an organic follower count. An organic following means that every single person following the influencer is a real, live individual. There are fake accounts and profiles on social media that are bots, meaning there is no real person behind them. The bot may simply be there to act as a follower, making people think the influencer is being followed by more people than they actually are. Bots can also be used to interact with followers, repost messages, and even comment.
Here are 3 ways influencers organically grow their social media follower count:
Fake Follower Avoidance & Auto-blocking
You may think that bots are beneficial because they make an influencer’s account seem more popular than it actually is, helping them to attract more Instagram followers and influence more people, ultimately building their brand and business. Unfortunately, many people on social media know the difference between a bot’s account and a real human’s, so they are able to tell when an influencer is using dishonest approaches, and they’ll be less likely to follow them.
There are disadvantages to having bots follow you:
– Follower Disconnect
While in some cases, you can choose to have bots follow you, in other cases, someone may program bots to do something else entirely. Bots can do more than just sit in your followers list. They can interact with your social media pages and engage with your followers directly. They can actually become malicious and post comments on your photos, reply to your comments, and create a negative overall impression on your social media account. This will make people unfollow you and never return to your page.
– Dishonesty
The use of bots can make followers believe that the influencer is dishonest, ultimately harming their overall brand. Bots sometimes interact with posts in ways that clearly reveal they aren’t human, exposing influencers who rely on deceptive tactics and avoid genuine engagement with their followers.
An influencer who uses bots is also dishonest when they’re just using bots to increase the perception of their popularity. You may think that the more followers (human or bot) an influencer has, the more likely others will be attracted to them and trust that influencer. However, many social media platforms are cracking down on fake accounts. When Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter remove or block bots, follower counts often plummet—exposing influencers who inflate their popularity and revealing a lack of genuine engagement.
– Bot Error
Social media is better left to humans. Bots are not always correct, and they can easily retweet or comment on something that is off-brand or offensive. The bots may not always stay on topic, and they definitely do not understand your values and what truly makes your followers connect with you. They can easily cause distrust among your audience with one bad post.
– Brands Won’t Work With You
Many influencers earn money by collaborating with brands and companies that align with their values. Influencers promote and advertise specific products to their followers, persuading them to make a purchase. If an influencer is using bots and counting them in their followers, a brand will not want to work with them. Bots do not buy products; people do, so it’s important for brands to know that the followers are real people who might make a purchase.
Auto-blocking
Auto-blocking is the easiest way to prevent bots from negatively impacting influencer social media accounts. Bots will be blocked automatically, without the influencer needing to take any action. This provides an extra layer of protection because influencers won’t have to worry about constantly screening their followers and manually blocking bots, which can sometimes result in missing more than they realize.
Daily social media management and engagement
Regular management of their social media accounts is another effective way for influencers to organically grow their follower count. Influencers build loyal communities by consistently engaging—replying to comments, liking posts, and connecting over shared interests. This daily effort keeps followers returning for trusted fashion and beauty advice.
Audience targeting
Targeting your audience can significantly increase your follower count. It also allows an influencer to find followers whom they want to reach, people in the same area, and those with similar interests. Hashtag targeting can allow you to find people with similar interests. When you reach followers whose values align with yours, you’re more likely to keep them following you for a long period of time. This will also show brands that all of your followers are potential customers because they share your interests.