If you want to gain and retain followers, Instagram can be a website that requires a significant time investment. Because of this, many people use bots to automate their tasks and ensure a better experience. From getting rid of fake Instagram live views to responding to messages automatically, bots are helpful. Let’s look at them, and whether or not using bots is the right thing to do.
Explaining Bots
Instagram bots use Instagram’s application programming interface (API) to perform human tasks. For example, like and comment bots will automatically comment and like posts that meet specific criteria like hashtags or keywords. Some bots will automatically follow or unfollow based on how many followers a person has or what hashtags they use. DM bots will automatically respond to messages or send messages to new followers to keep them engaged or for customer service reasons.
Bots can provide a more seamless experience, depending on the usage. Some people use them to automate responses, which can be great if you’re a busy person and need someone to respond to content right away. They also can be used if you wish to leave comments on similar influencers.
Bots can have both positive and negative uses. A bot that makes your account follow to unfollow can be a dishonest way of gaining followers, and some comment bots may come across as disingenuous, almost pushy with the way that they come forward. However, a bot that tells customers that someone will get back to them ASAP can be good for customer service.
Should I Use Them?
As an Instagram user, using bots is a hotly debated topic. If you’re a large user, bots can get you automatic impressions and also automate repetitive tasks or give you analytics to help your account grow. Bots are also a less expensive way to run your account, especially if you don’t have the time or the budget to have a social media manager run these menial tasks. They’re also good as well if you don’t want to do these tasks, but would prefer to leave this up to someone else. While some bots may require a fee, it’s usually less than hiring a real person.
However, it would be best if you were mindful of the drawbacks. Some bots can violate Instagram’s ToS, specifically bots that increase one’s follow or comment count, which looks suspicious when you’re trying to advertise to others.
Always use real accounts when growing your profile, and never use bot accounts. Avoid bots that can come across as spammy, which can lead to a decrease in user engagement, and also might turn off fellow influencers that you wish to converse and collaborate with.
You also need to be aware of safety risks when using bots. Bots require you to share your credentials, exposing your profile to hackers. If you use bots, it would be best to have two-factor authentication or change your login credentials often. If there is a chance something is compromised, cease use of these bots right away and report the service you got these bots from. This way, you can prevent a hacker from sabotaging your account.
As long as you’re using a bot for honest means and have basic web safety down, bots can be helpful. They can provide a means to help you with improving your account, and make things easier in terms of management.
Avoid any bots that do not have positive feedback, and never use a bot specifically designed to spam, as this could shut down your account.
Debugging/Troubleshooting a Bot
Most bots are easy to use. Often, you do not need any advanced coding knowledge to use them; they often require linking your profile to the bot. However, there are cases when the bot just doesn’t want to work.
Let’s look at how to troubleshoot a bot. Every bot is different, but this is general advice. For more advanced tips, don’t hesitate to contact the bot owner if you still cannot get your bot to work.
- Be sure that the bot is connected to the right account. Check the credentials, and update the bot should your credentials change. Sometimes, logging out and back in can also fix any problems you may have. It’s equal to turning off and turning back on your computer; sometimes, it just works!
- If you’re still having issues, look to see if there is a new update to this bot. These updates are used to improve a bot’s efficiency, so making sure that you’re using the right version of the bot is important. Plus, it prevents any security breaches from happening, as you’re using the most current form of the bot that’s there.
- Have your settings correct. For example, if you are using a chatbot, you may need to go to Settings > Privacy > Messages and allow access to messages. If you don’t have this function turned on, there is a chance that the bot won’t work, so make sure that you do have the right settings on.
- You may also need to review roles. For example, if you use your Facebook profile to log into a chatbot, you may need to give it the rights. Go to Settings > Roles and make your account the administrator. If the roles aren’t correct, this can be a big problem since it’ll stop the bot from working correctly on the account it’ll be used by.
- If none of these settings work, try uninstalling and reinstalling a bot. If you are still experiencing issues, you may need to contact the bot’s creator for further instructions. They might have to debug this on their end before you can use this again.
Final Thoughts
Bots are helpful in managing your account, but they should be used wisely. Never use a bot to juice up your numbers, and never use a bot to spam. Instead, bots are useful for customer service or sending automatic messages to your followers. Using bots can improve your account’s reach and help you spend less time on repetitive tasks. We hope this article was helpful to you.
