Has the elusive unicorn of Instagram automation ever tempted you?<\/p>\n
We can\u2019t blame you.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The powerful solution promises to streamline social media management and free up your time, so you can kick back and relax. Even brands like Nike and Nasa are jumping on board.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But does it really work?\u00a0<\/p>\n
In this blog post, we\u2019ll dive into the world of Instagram automation, and explore the best tools to help optimize your social media presence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Plus, we put Instagram automation to the test with our own experiment. Keep reading to learn all about those real-life learnings and results.<\/p>\n
Bonus:\u00a0Download a free checklist\u00a0that reveals the exact steps a fitness influencer used to grow from 0 to 600,000+ followers on Instagram with no budget and no expensive gear.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n Bonus: Download a free checklist<\/span><\/strong> that reveals the exact steps a fitness influencer used to grow from 0 to 600,000+ followers on Instagram with no budget and no expensive gear.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Instagram automation is the practice of using tools and software to automate routine Instagram tasks, saving you valuable time.\u00a0<\/p>\n For instance, instead of manually posting Instagram content you can schedule posts in advance with a social media management tool. This keeps your feed consistent without your constant attention.<\/p>\n Automation tools handle repetitive tasks to help streamline your workflow so you can focus on what really matters. Here are the most common types of Instagram automation:<\/p>\n Let me be crystal clear: Not all Instagram automation practices are considered legitimate or ethical. Using bots to artificially inflate your follower count, likes, or comments is against Instagram\u2019s policy and can lead to an account ban or suspension. <\/p>\n However, there are excellent, legitimate Instagram automation tools and software out there. They do the groundwork for you, letting you focus on tactics that can foster Instagram growth, like creating content your target audience wants to see<\/a>, and scheduling Instagram posts.<\/p>\n In the context of this post, we\u2019re discussing Instagram automation practices that are black-hat tactics. The legitimate tools we know and love don\u2019t fall under this umbrella. We\u2019ve listed a few of our favorite tools and software for social media automation at the end of this piece.<\/p>\n Now that we\u2019re on the same page with what \u201cInstagram automation\u201d means, we can get into the nitty-gritty.<\/p>\n I started off by doing what you probably did to get here \u2014\u00a0I Googled \u201cInstagram automation.\u201d I landed on Plixi, one of the first advertised Instagram automation offerings on Google. It seemed like a good place to start.<\/p>\n Sign up was quick and easy. I linked my Instagram account and put in my credit card information. I used an old account that only had 51 Followers, so the only way to go was up!<\/p>\n Plixi\u2019s home page bragged about having a \u201cpatent-pending\u201d model. Essentially, they\u2019re crawling Instagram and using machine learning to find and interact with like-minded accounts, engaging with them, and encouraging followers.<\/p>\n After signing up, Plixi asked me to set my growth settings. The free (for 24 hours before you have to pay for a month at $49) version allows you to choose \u201cslow\u201d for your follower growth. Slow it is.<\/p>\n I added in \u201caccounts like mine\u201d so Plixi could target their followers, assumedly. This was a bit tough as the account I was using \u2014\u00a0Scholar Collars \u2014\u00a0was a silly fashion line I launched at the beginning of the pandemic.<\/p>\n What\u2019s Scholar Collars, you ask? I created collared dickies for those last-minute oh-my-God-I\u2019m-still-wearing-pajamas Zoom meetings.<\/p>\n You can keep one in your desk drawer, then slap it on under your t-shirt or sweater for an instant professional upgrade. On Zoom, you can only see your neck and shoulders, so the other meeting attendees think you\u2019re in chic business casual wear.<\/p>\n \nhttps:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CKMh\u2013thQCo\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n As you can see, it wasn\u2019t exactly easy to find similar accounts, so I added @Zoom.<\/p>\n There were a few other options to set up my account for success, but they were all gated behind a Pro account.<\/p>\n I slapped the Start Growth button, and Plixi started finding me new followers. I had one within the first 2 minutes \u2014\u00a0a crypto app account.<\/p>\n Plixi also told me in my activity dashboard that they had \u201cReached 9 users based on @zoom\u201d though it\u2019s unclear what that actually means. They hadn\u2019t reached out <\/em>to nine users as far as I could tell.<\/p>\n After 24 hours, I had eight more followers, taking me from 51 to 59. The next day my follower count grew to 100. Over a week, my follower count grew to 245, which is pretty okay \u2014 it wasn\u2019t as cheap and easy as other ways to buy followers<\/a>. But, the accounts appeared legit, and the growth was slow enough that Instagram didn\u2019t seem keen to flag my account.<\/p>\n But, I now had 245 followers and still only seven likes on one of my photos. And no <\/em>activity from my own account. I had been under the impression that Plixi would also like and comment from my account. It did not.<\/p>\n The growth was fine and all, but what\u2019s really <\/em>the point? For $50, I had no engagement besides an increase in follower count. And because Plixi hadn\u2019t interacted with other accounts, I couldn\u2019t be sure where the followers were coming from, but it wasn\u2019t from organic engagement.<\/p>\n So, Plixi was a letdown. But, like any good researcher, I tried a second experiment.<\/p>\n After Plixi, I wanted to focus my efforts on automating engagement. Naturally, I Googled \u201cInstagram comment bot and automatic Instagram likes\u201d<\/p>\n I found one that automatically sends out DMs. Yikes. That seemed too personal somehow. And another that promised me it was a real person, which, if you\u2019ve read our chatbot do\u2019s and don\u2019ts, you\u2019ll know is a chatbot-don\u2019t.<\/p>\n Instaswift<\/a> seemed to be more what I was after \u2014\u00a0and they advertised a free Instagram-like-bot trial. Sold.<\/p>\n The free Instagram bot turned out to be 10 to 15 free likes on your last three uploaded pictures. When I tried it, I was met with an error message. Off to a rocky start with Instaswift.<\/p>\n Source: <\/em>Instaswift<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n A week of Instaswift with 3-4 comments is $15, so despite the disappointment from the free trial, we\u2019re still going ahead. Maybe they treat paying customers a little better.<\/p>\n You have to post a new photo for it to start working, and the one I chose of my friend\u2019s cat Gus got 110 likes and four comments. The surge in likes would have looked fake if I hadn\u2019t done the follower campaign first. Now, it only looks fake if you look closely.<\/p>\n I opted to cancel my subscription as it automatically renews from week to week.<\/p>\n Now, I just had to find a bot to comment from <\/em>my account.<\/p>\n For the third experiment, I tried PhantomBuster. It promised to post comments from my account automatically.<\/p>\n Plus, it had promised Instagram automation for free with a 14-day trial. Sold.<\/p>\n PhantomBuster uses cookies to log in to your account to comment on your behalf. Once I had that sorted, it asked me for a spreadsheet with post URLs and comment examples.<\/p>\n Then, I sent Phantom Buster to \u2018go\u2019 and sat back. <\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Create. Schedule. Publish. Engage. Measure. Win.<\/strong><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFree 30-Day Trial<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The bot automatically commented on three posts. But<\/strong>, they were the three account URLs and comments I had added to the spreadsheet. It would have taken me less time to comment on the posts myself.<\/p>\n If this wasn\u2019t a free trial, I would be upset that PhantomBuster billed me for doing something I could have done myself.<\/p>\n Instagram automation is no secret path to instafame or even more engagement. It turned out to be a waste of time and money for me.<\/p>\n As Hootsuite writers Paige Cooper and Evan LePage each discovered when they ran this experiment, automating Instagram marketing and engagement ain\u2019t it.<\/p>\n Paige Cooper tried three different sites: InstaRocket, Instamber, and Ektor.io. She described her experiment as \u201cshockingly ineffective\u201d after gaining and losing less than ten followers. Though, Paige did <\/em>wind up with some comments \u2014\u00a0notably, \u201cWhy did u buy followers\u201d and \u201cU have small likes.\u201d<\/p>\n Evan LePage used the now-defunct Instagress to get 250 followers in 3 days. He reported:<\/p>\n \u201cI [automatically] commented \u201cyour pics > my pics\u201d on a selfie of a boy who was clearly in middle school. In fact, his account was composed of only four pictures, three of them selfies. I felt uncomfortable. The teenage boy told me I was being modest.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Yikes.<\/p>\n And as for myself, the experience was a lunch bag letdown. Yes, I got a few new followers and some comments. But, ultimately, the followers weren\u2019t aligned with my brand and the comments<\/p>\n There is no way to automate Instagram legitimately, effectively, and without risk.<\/p>\n One of the biggest frustrations I found was that searching for \u201clegitimate\u201d (AKA apps that didn\u2019t look too <\/em>sketchy) automation brands took time and effort. Then, setting up each of them to work with my Instagram account and checking in on them took time and effort, too.<\/p>\n If I had spent the same amount of time just working on a social media strategy<\/a>, I would be in a much better place right now.<\/p>\n Now for the good part. All hope is not lost when it comes to helpful Instagram automation tools. Like most things in life, there\u2019s no magic wand you can wave to get what you want. But, there are magic wands that can make your workday a bit easier.<\/p>\n Cost:<\/strong> Plans start at $99\/month<\/p>\n Best for:<\/strong> Entrepreneurs, small teams, and enterprise-level organizations looking to automate multiple Instagram functions alongside other social platforms.<\/p>\n Hootsuite is a full-feature social management dashboard with extensive Instagram automation functionality.<\/p>\n First, Hootsuite Composer and Planner allow you to automate your Instagram publishing and scheduling, from brainstorming content ideas through to choosing the best time to publish. (Tip: Want to try out Hootsuite\u2019s AI content tools? Check out the free versions of our Instagram caption generator<\/a>, Instagram SEO tool<\/a>, and content ideas generator<\/a>.)<\/p>\n Once you schedule your Instagram content, you\u2019ll see it in a comprehensive content calendar that shows your Instagram posts in the context of your larger social strategy.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Hootsuite Inbox allows you to view, track, and respond to all Instagram direct messages and Story mentions in one place, with built-in automations to reduce the manual input required.<\/p>\n For hashtag and mentions tracking automation, Hootsuite streams work to surface the conversations your brand wants to be a part of (or just keep on top of).<\/p>\n You can set up streams to automatically track all content posted to a relevant hashtag within your Hootsuite dashboard. You can then track and respond to posts on all hashtags from one screen.<\/p>\n Hootsuite\u2019s Social Advertising<\/a> features are integrated tools for managing organic and paid content side by side, including automatically boosting posts. Within the dashboard, you can easily pull actionable analytics and build custom reports to prove the ROI of all your social campaigns.<\/p>\n Finally, Hootsuite Analytics provides in-depth, custom Instagram reports generated automatically and sent on your designated schedule to all relevant stakeholders.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Create. Schedule. Publish. Engage. Measure. Win.<\/strong><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFree 30-Day Trial<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Source: Meta Business Suite<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Cost: <\/strong>Free<\/p>\n Best for: <\/strong>Creators and small social teams who focus primarily on Meta platforms<\/p>\n Meta Business Suite offers some basic automation features for Instagram. First, you can schedule posts and Stories using the built-in planner. You can use this feature to schedule either organic or paid Instagram posts.<\/p>\n Second, you can set up automated responses in Meta Business Suite Inbox to send automatic replies when someone contacts your business on Instagram. You can add up to five keywords or phrases to trigger different responses. So, for example, if you get a lot of DMs about shipping, you could set up Instagram automated messages with links to shipping details on your website.<\/p>\n Learn more about how to use Meta Business Suite<\/a>.<\/p>\n Source: NapoleonCat<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n Cost:<\/strong> Basic plans start at $32\/month. Instagram DM automation requires the Pro plan, starting at $76\/month.<\/p>\n Best for:<\/strong> Teams focused on automated moderation of Instagram comments and replies.<\/p>\n NapoleonCat offers a useful social inbox that allows you to manage Instagram comments and DMs, along with auto-moderation features to reduce workload. You can also use this tool to schedule Instagram content in advance.<\/p>\n Start building your Instagram presence the real way<\/em> using Hootsuite. Schedule and publish posts directly to Instagram, engage your audience, measure performance, and run all your other social media profiles \u2014 all from one simple dashboard. Try it free today.<\/strong><\/p>\nWhat is Instagram automation? <\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
Most popular uses of Instagram automation<\/h3>\n
\n
What is NOT Instagram automation?<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
What happened when I tried Instagram automation<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n
Experiment 1<\/h3>\n
Step 1: Sign up<\/h3>\n
Step 2: Growth Settings<\/h3>\n
Step 3: Start<\/h3>\n
Step 4: Watch my followers grow<\/h3>\n
Experiment #2,<\/h3>\n
Step 1: Find an Instagram comment bot<\/h3>\n
Step 2: Try the Instagram bot for free<\/h3>\n
![\"Instaswift](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Instagram-automation-3-620x336.png?resize=620%2C336&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nStep 3: Pay for it<\/h3>\n
Step 4: Post a photo<\/h3>\n
![\"fake](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Instagram-Automation-1-620x1309.jpg?resize=620%2C1309&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/h3>\nExperiment 3<\/h3>\n
Step 1: Find a comment bot<\/h3>\n
Step 2: Sign up and get started<\/h3>\n
![](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Inpost-CTA-Planner.png?ssl=1\"\/)
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t#1 Social Media Tool\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><\/p>\nStep 3: Check your results<\/h3>\n
![\"automatic](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Instagram-Automation-620x1309.jpg?resize=620%2C1309&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/figure>\nLessons from our Instagram automation<\/strong> experiment<\/span><\/h2>\n
There\u2019s no such thing as a legitimate, risk-free Instagram automation service<\/h3>\n
It\u2019s not worth the time searching and setting up<\/h3>\n
3 Instagram automation tools<\/strong> for 2024<\/span><\/h2>\n
1. Hootsuite<\/h3>\n
![\"Hootsuite](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/instagram-automation-8-1-620x396.png?resize=620%2C396&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t#1 Social Media Tool\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><\/p>\n2. Meta Business Suite<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"Meta](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/instagram-automation-9-1-620x268.png?resize=620%2C268&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n3. NapoleonCat<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"NapoleonCat](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.hootsuite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/instagram-automation-10-620x367.png?resize=620%2C367&ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n