Should you buy Instagram comments?

Nov 14, 2025

You're staring at your Instagram post with 7 likes and zero comments.

Meanwhile, other creators in your niche are getting 50+ comments on every post, their engagement looks insane, profiles look active.

But your content looks dead in comparison.

So you start wondering: should I just buy some comments to get the ball rolling?

I get it.

The temptation makes sense, but… before you drop money on fake engagement, let me show you exactly what happens when you buy Instagram comments, why it backfires more often than it works, and what you should do instead.

Let's get into it.

What actually happens when you buy Instagram comments

First, let's be clear about what "buying comments" means.

You pay a service (usually $5-50 depending on quantity) that delivers comments to your posts, and these comments come from either:

Bot accounts (completely fake)
Real accounts being paid pennies to comment (real people, fake engagement)
Hacked or compromised accounts

The comments usually look like:

"Nice post!"
"Great content 🔥"
"Love this ❤️"
"Amazing work, keep it up!"
Or even worst, just "❤️❤️❤️"

Generic, vague, obviously fake if you look closely.

And here's what happens next:

Week 1: Your posts suddenly have 20-30 comments, it looks more active, you feel better about your content, maybe a few real people comment too because they see others engaging.

Week 2: Instagram's algorithm notices something weird, because your engagement pattern changed dramatically overnight and the accounts leaving them have suspicious patterns.

Week 3: Your reach drops and Instagram starts showing your content to fewer people because it thinks you're manipulating engagement.

Week 4: You're getting less reach than before you bought comments.

This is the pattern I've seen play out dozens of times with creators who tried this.

Why buying comments doesn't work (the technical reasons)

Instagram's is designed by some of the smartest engineers in the world, specifically to detect fake engagement.

The algorithm checks:

Comment quality signals:

Are comments generic or specific to the content?
Do commenters watch the full video before commenting?
Do they engage with replies or just drop and leave?
Is there any conversation happening or just one-way comments?

Account behavior signals:

Do these accounts normally comment on this type of content?
Are they commenting on dozens of posts per hour?
Do they have normal follower/following ratios?
Is their activity pattern human or bot-like?

Timing patterns:

Did 20 comments arrive in 3 minutes?
Is the engagement pattern consistent with organic discovery?
Are comments coming from geographically diverse locations at weird times?

When you buy comments, you're failing most of these checks, the algorithm knows, and it responds by reducing your reach.

The one case where bought comments "work"

There's exactly one scenario where buying comments makes tactical sense: when you're using it as temporary social proof for a very specific, short-term goal.

Example: You're pitching a brand deal and they want to see engagement proof, you buy comments on your last 5 posts to make your profile look more active during their review process.

Is this ethical? Debatable.

Does it work sometimes? Yes. But better don't do it, please, for the love of God.

Once you get the deal, you still need real engagement to keep it, and if the brand is sophisticated, they'll see through fake comments immediately.

But what actually works instead of buying comments?

If you want more comments, you need to give people a reason to comment.

Sounds obvious, but most creators miss this.

1. Ask specific questions

Not "What do you think?"

Ask: "Which of these would you try first: A, B, or C?"

Specific questions get specific answers, but generic questions get ignored.

2. Create content that demands opinions

Hot takes. Controversial statements. "Unpopular opinion" posts. Ranking things. Comparing options.

People love to share their opinions when they disagree or have strong feelings.

3. Respond to every comment for the first hour

Instagram prioritizes posts with active conversations. When you reply to comments quickly, it signals to the algorithm that there's genuine engagement happening.

Set a timer. Reply to every comment within 60 minutes of posting, and watch your reach improve.

4. Use trends while they're hot

When you post trending content, people are already primed to engage with that format. They're seeing it everywhere, they know how to interact with it.

This is why Clyren's trend scanner actually matters for engagement, cuz we're showing you content formats that people are actively commenting on right now.

Trending content gets more comments because people understand the format and know how to engage with it.

5. Make commenting low-effort

Don't ask people to write paragraphs, but give them easy ways to do it:

"Comment your city 📍"
"Drop a 🔥 if you agree"
"A or B?"
"Tag someone who needs this"

Lower effort = more participation.

6. Build actual relationships

Comment on other people's content in your niche, reply thoughtfully, start conversations.

When you show up for others, they show up for you too.

This takes time, I know, but it's the only thing that builds sustainable engagement.

Why you want comments in the first place?

Let's zoom out.

Why do you even want comments?

For social proof: People see active posts and trust them more. Okay, fair.

For algorithm boost: Instagram prioritizes content with high engagement. True.

For community building: Comments create conversations and relationships. The real reason that matters.

One post with 50 real, thoughtful comments is worth more than 10 posts with 200 fake generic ones, believe me.

Shortcuts are so expensive

Here's what nobody tells you about buying engagement:

It's expensive not the $20 you pay for comments, that's nothing.

But the real cost is opportunity cost.

Every minute you spend researching fake engagement services, comparing prices, managing delivery, and recovering from algorithm penalties is a minute you're not spending on creating better content.

Every dollar you spend on fake engagement is a dollar you're not spending on tools that actually help, like video editing software, analytics platforms, or trend research tools that show you what content is actually working.

And the biggest cost? The habit it creates.

When you buy engagement once, it's easier to do it again, you start optimizing for vanity metrics instead of real growth, and you kill your account with bots, bravo.

What to do if you've already bought comments

If you've already bought comments and you're reading this thinking "fuck, I screwed up," here's what to do:

Step 1: Stop buying more, obviously.

Step 2: Don't try to delete the fake comments unless they're obviously spammy, because sudden mass deletions can also trigger algorithm flags.

Step 3: Bury them with real engagement. Just post better content, get real comments, and let the fake ones fade into irrelevance.

Step 4: Focus on improving your actual content quality. Use Clyren's video analysis to see what's working in your niche and why.

Study what gets real engagement and scale it from here, double down on what's working.

Step 5: Give it time. Your account's reputation can recover after some time, but it takes consistent good behavior.

Usually 2-4 weeks of normal posting. If you are lucky, if not, bye account, and better just start a new one.

The creators actually growing right now

You know what the fastest-growing creators in your niche have in common?

They're just moving faster than everyone else who's overthinking it.

The tools to do this exist now. You don't need to spend 4 hours a day manually researching trends, you don't need to follow 500 accounts to spot patterns.

Clyren literally shows you what's working right now, what formats are getting engagement, and what trends are still in the sweet spot for jumping on.

It's not a shortcut, but.. it's just removing the manual research work so you can focus on creating.