I didn’t want to write this article, but I think it’s time we talk about the troubling state of most Instagram growth services.
Listen, social media growth is an absolute necessity if you want to spread your message in 2022. We need real followers and authentic user engagement if we’re going to tell our story, promote our message, or sell our products. That being said, it’s no wonder that businesses and individuals are seeking out the help of Instagram growth services so their Instagram account can thrive.
There’s an issue, though. That issue: Most of these Instagram growth services are doing more harm than good.
Sad Truth About 99% of Instagram Growth Services
I don’t particularly enjoy speaking ill of my competitors. I am 100% in favor of competition, and I advocate for the free market and consumer choice. As a former D1 NCAA dual-sport athlete, I thrive off competition. I love to compete. Bring it on. However, if my competition is flagrantly cheating and manipulating potentially millions of people, I’m going to feel the need to speak up.
I’ve been a professional Instagram marketer since 2014, and the current state of the Instagram marketing industry is as shady & manipulative as it’s ever been. It’s a real problem, and somebody needs to start addressing it.
I think there are three massive issues that 99% of Instagram growth companies are guilty of, making this industry incredibly shady. Those three issues are:
- Overnight Get-Rich-Quick Companies
- The Misuse of the Words “Organic Growth”
- Disastrous Alternative Growth Methods
That being said, let’s get started.
Issue #1: Overnight Get-Rich-Quick Companies
Nobody is held accountable in this industry. You can create a company, scam people, make money, and then delete the company.
Let’s take Social Meep as an example of an Overnight Get-Rich-Quick Instagram growth service. Many companies do the exact same thing that Social Meep is doing, but Social Meep is easily one of the most egregious examples of a get-rich-quick company. Here’s a short list of what they’re doing:
- Completely Ripping Off Other Companies
- Fake Testimonials, Fake Followers, and Fake Reviews
There are many more things ethically wrong with this company, but I’ll spend time highlighting these two things. Please note: Although I’m mentioning this company in particular, there are plenty of other companies out there that do very, very similar things. I can’t stress this enough: It’s not just Social Meep.
Completely Ripping Off Other Companies
Look, I have no issue with people using pre-built templates from places like ThemeForest. I also don’t have any problems with people taking inspiration from other designs; however, that’s not what’s happening here. Social Meep has completely stolen HypeAuditor‘s design. Hype Auditor is a legit company with a huge marketing budget. If you rip off their entire design and change some text & links here and there, you’re not only stealing their intellectual property, but you’re also giving off the impression that you’re a reputable, high-budget company. People are getting scammed & losing money because they believe Social Meep is a legitimate company. This is a problem.
Here’s a link to a GIF capture of Social Meep‘s homepage and Hype Auditor‘s homepage. As of May 23, 2021, this is what each of their respective homepages look like.
Social Meep has poured thousands of dollars into their Google Ads budget. If you google almost any keyword related to Instagram growth, you’re going to see Social Meep advertisements pop up in the sponsored links. Every day, they’re manipulating potentially hundreds, if not thousands, of people.
Not only is the design completely ripped off, but a massive amount of the links on Social Meep’s homepage do not lead anywhere. The links are only there for aesthetics. They’re there to fool you. They make people believe that this company is much larger and more reputable than it is.
As I’m writing this, most of the links in main menu don’t lead anywhere.
Most of the links in the footer don’t lead anywhere.
Want to learn more about the company? Sorry, that link doesn’t exist.
Want to check out their cool & unique Instagram tools they claim to offer? Sorry, better luck next time.
Want to buy a growth plan? You’re in luck! That’s one of the links that work. How convenient!
The entire website was constructed to manipulate people who are genuinely looking for Instagram growth by giving the impression that you are visiting a legitimate, popular growth service. I wouldn’t trust this company with any of my information.
Fake Testimonials, Fake Online Reviews, Fake Followers
It should come as no surprise that all the testimonials on the site are entirely fabricated. If they’re going to steal a design and create a fake company, don’t expect them to do anything else correctly.
- Sorry, but Gary Vaynerchuk didn’t say that this company is “is the best Instagram growth service”.
- Sorry, but Grant Cardone didn’t gain 100k followers in the past 6 months because of Social Meep.
- Sorry, but the Wall Street Journal didn’t give Social Meep a glowing recommendation.
- Sorry, but Trustpilot does not have SocialMeep at 4.85/5 stars. Over 50% of their reviews are 1-star, and the other 50% are obviously fabricated 5-star reviews.
- The list goes on and on… you get the picture.
It should also go without saying that it seems (based off the real customer reviews that I could find) that Social Meep delivers fake followers. Here’s one of the many real reviews pointing this out.
I could go on and on about my issues with this company. Still, I’ll cut this short for now. Hopefully, I’ve painted a clear picture on these overnight get-rich-quick Instagram growth service companies. Social Meep isn’t the only offender. Many companies are doing the same thing they are doing, and there needs to be something that holds these companies accountable.
Update (11/30/2021): It looks like Social Meep has shut down completely. Mission accomplished? Perhaps my silly video I made worked.