Everything You Need to Know About Instagram Pods (2019)

Are you curious about how many Instagram accounts get 1000s of comments and likes? We’ve had people ask us questions like “Account XYZ gets 1000s of comments and likes why can’t I”? Our mission at Ampfluence has always been to identify organic tactics and strategies that actually grow Instagram accounts. Therefore, It would be unfair to avoid the pink elephant in the room which we’ve now come to know as “Engagement Pods”. 

If you’re new to Instagram marketing this may be the first time you’ve heard of Instagram comment or engagement pod. To alleviate any misconceptions let’s define what an engagement pod is.

An Instagram engagement pod is a private group of Instagram account holders who have similar audiences and the desire to increase their engagement (e.g. more followers, likes, or comments). Engagement pods are commonly found on platforms like,

• Facebook Groups
• Telegram
• Whatsapp
• Private DM groups

Regardless of the platform, the distinguishing characteristic of a pod reciprocal follows, likes, or comments.

How do Instagram engagement pods work?

In general, Instagram pods are reciprocal in nature as mentioned above. Meaning members of the pod are required to like, follow, or comment. However,  every engagement pod is different. Wherein, each pod administrator(s) will share specific rules that members must abide by in order to receive the benefit of a pod.

For example, The Insta Engagement Pod on Facebook has specific rules for their new commenting and like feature.

💜What is like & comment thread?💜
LIKE COMMENT THREAD 𝙢𝙖𝙭𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙨 𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙛𝙪𝙡, 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙘, 𝙣𝙤𝙣-𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙘, 𝙎𝙐𝙋𝙋𝙊𝙍𝙏𝙄𝙑𝙀 (𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙙) 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨.

💥How does it work?💥

YOU WILL NEED TO DROP YOUR COMMENT REQUEST 𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙥 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 NAME . 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩’𝙨 𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙚!

Who can drop?💜

𝙣𝙤𝙣-𝙗𝙞𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙞, 𝙣𝙤𝙣-𝙥𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡, 𝙣𝙤𝙣-𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙙𝙤𝙞𝙧…𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙣𝙚𝙪𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚. 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙙

To participate in threads you will need to follow admin & mod from your handle account.

The example above illustrates pod rules. Generally, a well-managed pod will have rules that are enforced to ensure members are receiving value from their interactions. Consequences usually come in the form of a block / mute / or being kicked out of the pod. Below is an example.

🤔Is this a checked thread?🤔

𝙔𝙀𝙎 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙖 7 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙢𝙪𝙩𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨…𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙤 𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙡𝙮. 𝙒𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨!!!

Are Engagement Pods Safe ?

If you haven’t heard Instagram has been cracking down on fake or bot driven engagement. As such it’s only fair to assume that readers are wondering if engagement pods are actually safe. Technically, engagement pods are not against Instagram’s terms of service. From Instagram’s point of view, anything that gets real users interacting is good for their platform. Unlike bots, pods don’t seem to explicitly break any Instagram rules.  

However, there are some things you should be aware of. First, pods are generally not well managed. Most comment and like threads are not policed. In addition to this, pod actions conducted by human beings are incredibly time-consuming to execute. Oftentimes members will have to comment and like 100s of posts each day. As a result, many people revert to automation tactics to complete these tasks. For example, Chrome extensions like GrowthBot and Everliker are commonly used by pod members to complete these actions.

Secondly, members may join pods intending to game the system. For example, a member may use a fake or throw away account to comment, follow, and like. Then post links to content from their real accounts to ensure real accounts get more attention without having to use those accounts to follow or engage at all.

Aside from blackhat tactics other types of groups or services you should be aware of are automated pods that use bots or bot tactics to increase comments and likes. These types of groups usually require either some form of payment or purchase and often do not require any reciprocation on your part.

Essentially, the safety of a pod is questionable especially if you have no idea who runs the pod or do not actually take the time to really engage with members.

Are there safe alternatives to Instagram Pods ?

Instead of looking for pods centered around (likes, comments, or follows) it’s a safer bet to join groups or communities centered around your niche. Then actively engage with these members and create real valuable connections.

For example, if you’re interested in learning how to grow your Instagram account you can join our Instagram Marketing group.  In the group, you’ll meet other account holders also interested in growing their accounts and can naturally engage with them to build a true audience.

The New Age of Instagram and What That Means for Pods

Here’s my take on pods. While initially, you may gain traction those results are likely short-lived unless you take those relationships seriously. More importantly, and this is key. If you’re spending 3+ hours a day engaging in “pod behavior” solely to increase engagement metrics

1. You’re operating with skewed data (when you manipulate your data you put yourself in a very bad position long term)
2. There are certainly better ways to use your time.

For example, what most blog posts will not tell you is that pod admins have the most Klout. Meaning, they get access to emails, they set the rules, and admins gain the most value. If that is the case, why not create your own Group centered around your niche. After all, you are already spending 3 or more hours each day engaging in a short-term game. If would be a better use of your time to spend 3 hours a day building an actual community.

Lastly, when it comes to vanity metrics whether you’re a professional athlete, handmade vendor, or big box brand there’s always more value in real influence than there is in fake numbers.