# What in the World Are Instagram Pods?

- Link: https://chatterblast.com/blog/what-in-the-world-are-instagram-pods/
- Published: 2018-09-21T17:34:52-04:00
- Author: chatterblastteam

When you hear the term “**Instagram pods**,” did you instantly think about Tide 
pods or coffee? Yeah, I did too.

Unfortunately, these pods are not the ones you stick into your favorite Nespresso
machine to create the caramel macchiato of your dreams, or the ones you put in your
washing machine to get freshly clean clothes—_please don’t _[_eat them_](http://chatterblast.wpengine.com/q1-meme-recap-the-best-of-the-internet-since-the-new-year/)—
but rather are direct messages where Instagram users meet to discuss which posts
they’re going to like next.

Wait, what?

![](https://chatterblast.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/source.gif)

The idea behind it is to beat Instagram at its own game. A group of 15-20 influencers
in similar industries (fashion, comedy, beauty, etc.) will join a direct message.
Whenever an influencer shares a new post on their feed, they will also share it 
within the group, prompting members to like and comment on the post immediately.
As that happens, the post rises to the top of their followers’ feeds. Due to the
increased level of engagement, the post will also likely be featured on the Explore
tab, further increasing its visibility. This benefits everyone in the group as it
operates on a like-for-like or comment-for-comment basis.

In 2016, Instagram [changed its algorithm](https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-does-the-instagram-algorithm-work)
from showing posts in chronological order to ranking posts based on their popularity.
The posts with the highest and quickest levels of engagement shot to the top of 
users’ feeds. By asking influencers in the same industry to like and comment on 
your posts right away (and that in turn, you’ll do the same), you’re almost ensuring
that this content gets in front of as many eyes as possible.

### **Does this sound familiar?**

The concept itself is not new. In the mid-to-late-2000s, [#teamfollowback](https://techcrunch.com/2013/07/08/why-twitter-finally-killed-the-auto-follow-for-good/)
was all the rage. Twitter users would include the hashtag in their posts and would
follow others using it, as long as they promised to “follow them back.”

[[

In the early days of WordPress and Blogger, bloggers would often ask you to put 
them on your “blogroll,” a list of links posted on a sidebar that typically featured
the blogs of friends and people you liked. Internet privacy expert and veteran journalist
Doc Searls coined the term in the early 2000s and even he eventually [grew sick of it](https://blogs.harvard.edu/doc/2007/09/13/more-blog-less-rolling/).

[[

And, of course, we can’t forget the hundreds, if not thousands of “LB” comments 
you see on Kylie Jenner’s Instagram posts.

[https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn34o3-gdTv/](https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn34o3-gdTv/)

[https://www.instagram.com/p/BnjcoXnArqn/](https://www.instagram.com/p/BnjcoXnArqn/)

For those of you who don’t know, LB stands for “[like back](https://www.bustle.com/articles/164684-what-does-lb-mean-on-instagram-heres-why-people-keep-commenting-with-it-on-kylie-jenners).”
The idea is that if you like someone’s post and then comment LB on it, the person
is then supposed to return the favor and like one of your recent posts. In Kylie
Jenner’s case, however, people are just spamming her feed to try to raise their 
visibility. She hardly ever responds and even complained about the trend in 2012(
though it certainly hasn’t helped much):

> STOP WRITING LB ON ALL MY INSTAGRAM PHOTOS AND USING ME AS A WAY TO ADVERTISE 
> YOURSELF.
> — Kylie Jenner (@KylieJenner) [November 30, 2012](https://twitter.com/KylieJenner/status/274621574131380225?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

### **So, is it worth it?**

According to [Mashable](https://mashable.com/2017/04/19/instagram-pod-tried-to-join/#lgnv25FDsmqK),
to join an Instagram pod, you have to comb through either Facebook or Twitter and
see if anyone’s talking about it. Others are using messaging app Telegram to rendezvous
with interested parties there.

Either way, Instagram pods are secret groups which are not endorsed by Facebook,
Instagram’s parent company. Facebook has [recently cracked down](https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/alexkantrowitz/facebook-removes-ten-instagram-algorithm-gaming-groups-with#.tu6765MwX)
on groups employing like-for-like tactics, meaning that the mystery surrounding 
them is only likely to grow and not go away.

Is it worth it, then, to use a tactic shunned by the platform where it takes place?
Obviously, no. 

![](https://chatterblast.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/giphy.gif)

Not only are you preventing other users from getting their content seen and heard,
but you are also potentially jeopardizing your brand. The closing of these groups
could hurt your brand’s reputation and if it does not, metrics-wise, your numbers
likely won’t amount to much because they’ll largely consist of users _whom you told_
to like your stuff—there’s no “target” or value there.

The [influencer trend is dying](https://money.cnn.com/2018/07/24/technology/fat-jewish-swish-beverage-canned-wine/index.html).
The space is becoming saturated, forcing many older influencers to resort to other
means to maintain their lifestyles. Do not resort to spammy tactics to boost your
visibility. Develop a well thought-out engagement strategy and watch your seeds 
grow.

It will be worth it, and ChatterBlast can help you do that!