Engagement groups / private influencer networks

A

AudienceGrow

Registered Member

Aug 11, 2021

50

16

• Jul 10, 2026

• #1

Are people still using engagement groups in 2026 or are they tracked and penalized with AI behaviour detection these days? I imagine a private influencer network should work the same way in social media as PBNs do for SEO especially when the network is completely niche audience targeted

 

Invictus

Elite Member

Jr. VIP

Feb 9, 2018

2,309

824

• Jul 10, 2026

• #2

nobody uses them anymore, ai catches that fake engagement instantly

 

A

AudienceGrow

Registered Member

Aug 11, 2021

50

16

• Jul 10, 2026
• Thread Starter Thread Starter

• #3

What if it was handled like an influencer campaign and instead of engaging with an instagram post they all just posted content advertising the same thing? I don't think that would be tracked since it would be hard to differentiate compared to real influencer campaigns

 

HR RANKING

BANNED

Sep 4, 2025

36

10

• Jul 10, 2026

• #4

private networks can open doors but the authentic engagement keeps them open .

 

Crypto Man

BANNED

Nov 8, 2025

246

49

• Jul 10, 2026

• #5

still work but way riskier now, ai behavior detection catches the everyone likes within 2 mins pattern easy

 

Nikolaos

Elite Member

Jr. VIP

May 27, 2016

11,055

2,513

• Jul 11, 2026

• #6

AudienceGrow said:

Are people still using engagement groups in 2026 or are they tracked and penalized with AI behaviour detection these days? I imagine a private influencer network should work the same way in social media as PBNs do for SEO especially when the network is completely niche audience targeted

Click to expand...

They're way harder to be used since AI can pick them up very quickly and ban all the associated accounts.

 

Jerryabode

Newbie

Jun 14, 2026

19

5

• Jul 14, 2026

• #7

Small niche groups can still help naturally, but coordinated engagement just to game the algorithm is easier for platforms to detect now.

 

curdoc

Supreme Member

Jr. VIP

Premium Member

Mar 21, 2023

1,227

239

• Jul 15, 2026

• #8

People still use them, but I wouldn't depend on them. If it's always the same people liking and commenting on every post, it can look suspicious. A small group in the same niche is fine, just keep it natural and don't force it.

 

2H Agency

Junior Member

Jr. VIP

May 5, 2026

119

14

• Jul 15, 2026

• #9

In my opinion, very few people use this feature nowadays because it's easy to detect.