It is a known fact that Instagram bans accounts that are involved in activities which violate their terms of service.
However, is engaging Instagram pods a violation to their terms of service as well?
In this article, we will discuss what Instagram pods are, what are the risks involved in using them, and can you be banned for being in an Instagram pod?
Without further ado, let’s dive in.
Can You Be Banned for Being in an Instagram Pod?
Yes, you can be banned for being in an Instagram pod. The truth is these engagement pods are against Instagram Community Guidelines.
In 2018, Instagram made an announcement to actively crack down accounts that use spams, fake accounts, bots, and artificial engagement to manipulate the algorithm.
This wasn’t just an empty claim. Right after the announcement, this mega social network proceeded with suspending 10 Instagram pods that were caught assisting people falsifying their engagement rate on Instagram.
With such a commitment by Instagram, should you still go ahead and use Instagram pods to grow your account?
The answer is it is all depending on whether you’re willing to take the risk that comes from using Instagram pod. As explained, there is a definite risk getting your Instagram account deleted for using engagement pods.
What are Instagram Pods
So what exactly are Instagram pods? In short, Instagram pod is a secret group created by some users with the goal to help to grow each other’s engagement rate on the platform.
Instagram pods only appeared in 2016 after an algorithm change by Instagram. The result you can get from it is pretty tempting until you look at their negative side.
If you’re an Instagram influencer, you’d agree that Instagram posts with the most engagement win. By getting the most engagement, a user can quickly reach their Instafamous goal and become a paid influencer.
In order to perform better in the algorithm, people use Instagram pods to boost their engagement rate. This is done by having all pod members agree to like or comment under others’ posts for mutual growth.
Usually a pod can easily reach thousands of members. Imagine how much a person’s engagement rate can instantly grow if they use it. It is no wonder people still engage in it despite the risk of losing their account.
Types of Instagram Pods
There are multiple types of Instagram pods in the scene. And it is all down to what you want to achieve with them.
Niche pods
Niche pods usually featured members within the same industry or niche. Hence, the engagements tend to be relevant.
Like pods
It is a pod where Instagram users just like each other’s posts to send an engagement signal to the algorithm. However, they are not as popular as they used to be anymore.
Comment pods
An Instagram pod where users only make use of comments to boost engagement of a post.
Disadvantages of Using Instagram Pods
Now you know the different types of Instagram Pods in the market. Even if the results sound promising, there are some negative sides that you need to take note of.
Check out below disadvantages list of using Instagram pods:
- Most Instagram pods are irrelevant to your industry or niche. Liking and commenting under unrelated posts won’t help in growing your account in the long run.
- Pods aren’t easy to find either. Plus, as most of them aren’t properly regulated, they tend to have a lot of spammy and unsafe content.
- You can’t use fake engagement to understand your target audience.
- You won’t have real analytics to make informed marketing decisions.
- Account got locked out or banned from Instagram.
Final Thoughts
Instagram despises artificial engagement. Since Instagram pods provide artificial engagement, their creation is against the platform’s community guidelines.
Most pods aren’t that helpful either. The likes, comments, and followers you will get are generally irrelevant and you won’t be able to understand your real prospects.
Besides, you might get yourself locked out of Instagram, or straight away banned fr0m the platform for participating in such activity.
Considering both the risk and gain, the risks of using Instagram pods are too high and the gains are too limited. Thus, it is best to avoid such activity in growing your account.
