- Feb 20, 2024
- 175
- 94
Aight dudes, real talk. I’ve grown multiple IG accounts to 100k+, and 90% of the "advice" out there is either outdated or just plain wrong.
Here’s the raw, unfiltered truth based on my experience:
1) Organic reach is dead (unless you do this)
Instagram wants you to pay for ads. Period.
But engagement groups (real ones, not those spammy Telegram ones) still work.
I joined a 5-person DM group where we’d like/comment within 5 mins of each post.
Result: Posts hit explore 70% more often.
2)Hashtags are useless now (Unless…)
Big hashtags = waste of time. Small, niche-specific ones (under 50k posts) still pull.
I used 3 broad + 4 niche + 3 branded hashtags per post.
Also, hashtags in comments >> captions (weird, but my reach improved).
3) The "Shadowban" myth (and what actually happens)
Instagram doesn’t "shadowban" you- it just stops pushing your content if it’s trash.
To fix it, delete low-performing posts (yes, even if they’re old). My reach bounced back in 2 weeks.
4) Buying followers? Here’s the catch…
I tested buying 5k followers. Big mistake.
Engagement tanked because my real followers got buried.
Instead, I bought high-retention bot comments (sounds shady, but it tricks IG’s algo into thinking my posts were popping).
Bottom Line: Stop following "rules." Test, adapt, and exploit the loopholes before they’re patched.
Here’s the raw, unfiltered truth based on my experience:
1) Organic reach is dead (unless you do this)
Instagram wants you to pay for ads. Period.
But engagement groups (real ones, not those spammy Telegram ones) still work.
I joined a 5-person DM group where we’d like/comment within 5 mins of each post.
Result: Posts hit explore 70% more often.
2)Hashtags are useless now (Unless…)
Big hashtags = waste of time. Small, niche-specific ones (under 50k posts) still pull.
I used 3 broad + 4 niche + 3 branded hashtags per post.
Also, hashtags in comments >> captions (weird, but my reach improved).
3) The "Shadowban" myth (and what actually happens)
Instagram doesn’t "shadowban" you- it just stops pushing your content if it’s trash.
To fix it, delete low-performing posts (yes, even if they’re old). My reach bounced back in 2 weeks.
4) Buying followers? Here’s the catch…
I tested buying 5k followers. Big mistake.
Engagement tanked because my real followers got buried.
Instead, I bought high-retention bot comments (sounds shady, but it tricks IG’s algo into thinking my posts were popping).
Bottom Line: Stop following "rules." Test, adapt, and exploit the loopholes before they’re patched.
