Pay for Likes on Instagram: The Ultimate IG Cheat Code?

Some creators take years to build an active fanbase that sends thousands of likes on their posts. But there’s one shortcut that’s controversial but oh-so-temping to creators everywhere—buying Instagram likes with instant delivery. When you pay for likes on Instagram, you get a boost of engagement fast. But it’s not always picture-perfect, and the effects can be detrimental.

Sure, purchasing likes willy-nilly sounds like the ultimate cheat code to Instagram success. You pay a few dollars here and get hundreds of likes there. But we’ll tell you this much—it’s sometimes too good to be true. Keep reading to discover more about how buying likes works (and the effect it has on your Instagram account!).

Can You Pay for Likes on Instagram?

Yes, it’s definitely possible to pay for likes for your posts on the social media platform. Anyone can easily find third-party apps and websites that sell likes at affordable prices with a quick Google search.

These services lure creators in with the promise of instant likes for a reasonable price. The instant delivery of these likes can help boost your post’s engagement. And that’s super important if you want the Instagram algorithm to rank your post higher on the feed. Getting more likes also boosts how credible your brand looks, making a good impression on others.

However, it’s no secret that purchasing inauthentic likes is ethically questionable. It’s deceptive because it misleads others into thinking your content is more engaging than it actually is. And if your true fans learn that you’ve been buying fake likes, it can damage your reputation.

Some creators also use having higher engagement through these fake likes to land brand partnerships. This is undeniably morally wrong since you’re using your “fake” influence to make money. It can also damage your relationship with brands if they find out you skewed your engagement rates with fake likes.

In a nutshell, it’s possible to pay for IG likes and skyrocket the engagement of your Instagram posts. But it erodes your integrity on the social media platform, which can lead to more harm than good later on.

How Do You Pay for Likes on Instagram?

Curious as to how one goes about buying likes on Instagram? Here’s how the process usually goes:

1. Look for a place to buy likes: There are plenty of websites out there that sell likes. Select one with good reviews and a trustworthy reputation.
2. Choose your package: These sites offer likes bundled up in packages, so choose the one you’d like to buy. There are packages for affordable prices that allow you to buy as little as 10 likes. But if you want something more premium, buy packages that cost more but are promised to be from real accounts.
3. Provide your Instagram post link: Share the URL to the post you want to deliver likes to. It can be any kind of post (from feed posts to Reels) so long as you have a public profile.
4. Complete your payment and wait for your likes to come in: Most websites accept a wide range of payment methods, from credit cards to online wallets. Pay through a secure method and sit back, relax, and wait for the likes to trickle down to your post!

The Cons of Buying Likes on Instagram

Purchasing likes on Instagram isn’t just ethically questionable. It also has tangible consequences for anyone who tries it out. If you’re lucky, you’ll get away with buying fake likes scot-free. But more often than not, creators who take the risk and pay for likes suffer from these consequences.

Inauthentic Engagement

Purchasing likes can make it look like you have thousands of adoring fans enjoying your content. But underneath the likes you purchased, your engagement is empty and hollow. The likes you have are probably from fake accounts, not real fans. 

So, you’re not actually connecting with your target audience. This won’t lead to success in the long run, especially when people catch onto your superficial engagement.

Potential Shadowbans

Instagram flags accounts that generate suspicious, inauthentic activity on the platform, like buying fake likes. This can lead to all sorts of sanctions, including the dreaded shadowban. If your account gets shadowbanned, you won’t be suspended from the app. 

However, Instagram will lessen your posts’ visibility, plummeting your likes even more.

A Damaged Reputation

If people start noticing and calling you out on your fake likes, it can be detrimental to your reputation. People who once were your genuine fans might turn against you and unfollow you. 

You’ll essentially flush your trustworthiness and credibility down the drain.

Trouble With the Law

Not everyone knows this, but the Federal Trade Commission has vowed to crack down on influencers generating fake activity online. They claim that buying fake followers and inflating their likes can deceive consumers. 

So, if you buy fake likes to gain more power as an influencer, the FTC may hunt you down.

How To Spot if Someone on Instagram Pays for Likes

Want to put on your detective hat and check if an influencer or brand you follow pays for likes? Here are some tell-tale signs that someone’s likes are fake and purchased from a third-party seller:

• They have a high like count but a much lower follower count and number of comments on the same post.
• They have significantly more likes for one specific post than others, even if there’s nothing special about that post.
•  The profiles of the users liking their posts are suspicious. Fake accounts might have no profile picture, incoherent usernames, and little to no followers.

Spot any accounts with all these red flags? Ding ding ding, we have a winner! You’ve likely found someone buying fake likes instead of driving organic engagement on their page.

Safer, More Sustainable Ways To ‘Pay’ for Instagram Likes

Paying for likes often has a bad connotation—and for a good reason! Buying likes can lead to skewed engagement rates, deception among fans, and a bad reputation for your personal brand.

That said, it’s not always a negative thing to pay for Instagram likes. It can also mean investing in getting more organic likes from your target audience, allowing you to drive engagement sustainably.

Want to invest your marketing money into authentic likes and engagement? Here are four ways to “pay” for likes without setting yourself up for failure and instead focusing on organic growth.

1. Run Ad Campaigns To Reach a Bigger Audience

Putting money into ad campaigns helps you promote your page to a wider audience. What’s cool about running Instagram ads is that you can choose your target audience and budget for each asset. That way, you can serve your content straight to the people who will most likely resonate with it. That means more authentic likes from real accounts, never fakes and bots.

And it’s not just likes that you can drive from paid ads. Promoting your page through ads can also boost your follower count. Ads can reach new people who have never heard of your page before. If they see your content and find value in it, they might just give you a follow. This can lead to even more organic engagement in the long run.

Paying for ads is probably the most legitimate, “legal” way to spend money to promote your social media presence. It’s an in-platform feature that allows you to leverage the Instagram network to get more eyes on your content. It’s as safe and legit as they come!

2. Collaborate With Other Influencers To Widen Your Reach

Collaborating with other creators who have a significant influence on Instagram can help increase your posts’ visibility. As you work together, more of your content will be exposed to their loyal fanbase. That means more organic likes and engagement on your content.

The best way to boost likes for a collab with someone is to publish your content as a collaborative post. This type of post will appear on both your profile and your collaborator’s. That means it will be seen by two separate fanbases, leading to more likes, comments, and other kinds of engagement.

Of course, sometimes, collaborating isn’t free. If you’re working with a creator with a bigger audience and presence than your brand, they may charge a fee. This is where “paying” for that kind of engagement comes in. But unlike buying likes, this investment goes into networking with other creators and widening your audience. That makes it safer and more authentic.

3. Pay for a Growth Service To Boost Your Engagement

If you’re spending money on fake likes, you might as well pour it into a reputable growth service instead. Third-party growth services specialize in boosting organic growth for your page, increasing your follower count. But if they promote your page the right way, the likes you get on your content can also skyrocket.

Take Path Social, for example. Sure, we’re primarily a growth service that boosts your following. But our strategies—like optimizing your hashtag strategies and promoting your posts to niche audiences—help drive likes, too. We ensure your content is seen by people who will resonate with it, thereby boosting likes!

4. Run a Giveaway With a Valuable Prize Up for Grabs

Instead of spending money on fake likes, use your social media marketing budget to reward fans instead! Invest in getting awesome, valuable, high-ticket prizes to run a giveaway with a “like” component in the mechanics.

How it works is simple. Create a giveaway post announcing that a lucky winner will have the chance to win a grand prize. This prize can be anything from a coveted gadget to free products from a brand you love. The catch? People must follow you and like certain posts on your profile. From there, you choose a winner from the pool of participants!

This strategy is great because you’re not just sneakily investing in more likes for your posts. You’re also putting money into strengthening your relationship with your followers.

Growing Your Page Can Get You Real Likes Without Having To Pay For Them!

Paying for likes might seem like the perfect shortcut to high engagement and a dazzling social media presence on Instagram. But it’s only a band-aid solution for creators who can’t excite and engage their target audience. It’s unsustainable because you’ll be dependent on buying fake likes all the time to sustain that “success.” Plus, it can get you into trouble with the law, too!

Instead of relying on purchasing likes, focus on attracting real users who can give you real likes on your content. The more active and engaged fans you have, the more authentic likes you get—all without spending a cent.

Path Social can help with that. We use our tried-and-tested strategies to promote your page to the right people. With more visibility, you get more new followers, leading to more authentic likes from users who value your content. We’ve done this kind of magic for brands like Modern Fit, and now, they’ve doubled their engagement rate!

It’s easy to pay for likes on Instagram, but the results will be inauthentic and cheap. Drive organic growth and engagement instead with Path Social today!

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