If you are reading this, there’s a high probability that you are either in an engagement group or want to join one. Or perhaps you are in engagement groups and are considering leaving them. Well I’m here to give you the perspective of a former engagement groupie who advocated for engagement pods for years. In fact, if you asked me a year ago, I would have told you how much I love being in Instagram engagement groups. Fast forward to today, after engagement group fatigue, inactive groups, a tiring political election and a mindset shift. My advice is to run the other direction and leave the engagement groups you are in! Below I share with you what engagement groups are, my experience in engagement groups and many reasons that pushed me to leave them.
Thinking About Transitioning Your Instagram Account To Human And Dog Content Read This Post!
Why You Should Leave Engagement Groups From A Former Engagement Groupie
What Are Engagement Groups On Instagram?
With Instagram always changing its algorithm and rules, Instagram users started looking for ways to keep their engagement and follower count growing on Instagram. In came the idea of engagement groups or pods. They are a collection of Instagram users who have come together and agreed to like/comment/save on each other’s posts. There are hundreds of pods out there for every topic ranging from small to ultra large groups who have 1000+ active users. They each have their own set of rules and regulations.
The gist is that you like/comment/save other user’s posts for the day and then you can post your content in hopes others will follow the rules and give your post the same engagement. You can find engagement groups on Facebook or Telegram. The theoretical idea is that by getting a set group of people to like your post it will tell Instagram that this post is important and you should show it to more users outside the engagement group. By using these groups you’re hoping to boost your engagement on Instagram. Unfortunately, this fake engagement isn’t fooling instagram’s algorithm.
Do Engagement Groups Comply With Instagram Guidelines?
The short answer is no, engagement groups do not comply with Instagram guidelines. In 2018, Instagram shared new community guidelines that cracked down on inauthentic activity. Instagram is fully aware of engagement groups and suspended 10 large groups from Facebook for violating their terms of service. You may not be in a large group like the ones shut down, but using an engagement group puts you at risk of having your account shut down.
My Experience With Engagement Groups
I’ll be honest, I was sucked into the glamor engagement groups promised. I wanted more likes, comments, saves and boosting my content to be important enough to make it to the explore page. I also enjoyed making new friends. And many are my friends to this day!
With that being said, I also had to deal with users that took Instagram too seriously! You know exactly who I’m talking about. The ones who would call you out if you ever missed a post or stopped posting for awhile because life happened. I also dealt with Instagram users who made sure the relationship benefited them only. I was very hurt to find out that people stopped talking to me after I used my connections to help them get collaborations. And lastly, dealing with users who are racist to be quite frank. The political election highlighted the users that are okay with prejudice and discrimination of a certain minority race or ethnic group.
Taking a step back from engagement pods, I reevaluated the time I was putting in versus the benefits. I decided to stop using them but continued being in them silently. I was hesitant to leave completely as I wasn’t sure what would happen to my engagement. Or if I would be bullied by the members for leaving. I am proud to say, I have left all engagement groups and unfollowed many users that did not bring me joy.
Today, I am in Instagram groups with like minded people but NOT engagement groups. I have a group of Atlanta dog moms who hang out in real life. I am in another group of business minded dog mom bosses who I consult for advice on my online business. Overall, my experience left a bad taste in my mouth.
Did My Engagement Drop After Leaving Engagement Pods?
I did see a drop in engagement initially after leaving the groups. But It’s hard for me to say if that was due to me leaving the groups. Or if the ever changing Instagram algorithm had to do with the drop. I will say that the likes/comment/saves I get today are all genuine. And that brings me a LOT of joy!
6 Reasons You Should Leave Engagement Groups on Instagram
1. Instagram Is Working To Reduce Inauthentic Activity
Instagram’s community guidelines are pretty clear by stating, “Help us stay spam-free by not artificially collecting likes, followers, or shares, posting repetitive comments” While we are at it, it also states, “Don’t offer money or giveaways of money in exchange for likes, followers, comments or other engagement.” With the new program on Instagram called Badges, the rules clearly state, “Instagram will not pay bonuses for content reflecting misleading or inauthentic behavior.” Why risk losing your account? Or not being able to participate in new Instagram programs by being a part of any engagement pod?
2. It’s Time Consuming
Think about the time it takes to like/comment/save on x amount of posts before you can even get to posting yours! By the time you get to your post, it’s become a chore and the fun is gone. If it feels like a job, maybe it’s time reevaluate your goals on Instagram. Take that time and spend it with your dog or loved one instead.
3. Campaign and Brand Managers Can Spot When You Use Engagement Groups
Want to work with campaign and brand mangers to create content for partnerships with your dream brand? Well they can see right through the fake stats. They take notice of the same users commenting and their irrelevant comments that do not start meaningful conversation. If I can see you using the daily hashtag from an engagement pod then you better believe they can too!
4. Stop Following Users That Do Not Inspire You
Being in an engagement group means you have to waste time looking at photos that do not inspire you or may not even be in your niche. Why waste your precious time?! We only have so much time on this Earth, stop wasting it on things you don’t really want to see or do!
5. Your Desire To Boost Your Content On Instagram May Be Backfiring.
Instagram has clearly stated your explore and home feed are a result of what you like and comment on. If you spend your time liking and commenting on posts from your pod then Instagram will only show you more of those users. Your desire to use engagement groups to boost your content may backfire and it may only get seen by members of your own engagement group.
6. It Becomes Difficult To Discern Your Target Audience
Using an engagement group means fake stats. Your likes/comments/saves may come from your pod or it may come from genuine followers. It makes it hard to figure out what content is really resonating with your target audience. Which in turn means you don’t know what changes to make to grow your true audience.
Should You Use Engagement Groups on Instagram To Beat The Algorithm?
I don’t like people telling me what to do, so in turn I won’t tell you what to do. It’s your chunk of rented space on Instagram and you can do what you want on it! But if you’re reading this because you are thinking about leaving the engagement group you are currently in then please use this as a sign to leave!
If you’ve read this far, then I appreciate you more than you know!
I would love to know in the comments; Are you in engagement groups? How has your experience been? Have you left them or every thought to leave them?
[…] After picking your micro-niche, you will need to create content that connects with your ideal audience. Unsure who your ideal audience is? Think about the people who like/comment/save your posts or direct message you. These people are your ideal audience. Now if you spend time in engagement groups, loop follows or giveaways. It will be hard for you to figure out what accounts are showing up authentically versus forced to be there. I recommend reading this post on why I left engagement groups. […]