Despite the tragic tone of the message and the sad face at the end, we can’t help but see this is as a big win for the good guys. Not only are these services against IG’s own Terms, they’re transparent, annoying, and just plain sad. If Instagram is finally closing down the bots, awesome! They can take their generic “Great shot *thumbs up*” and “So good!!! *clapping hands*” comments with them.
I'm OK with this. It was getting annoying. I would post a photo of something serious, and there'd be a comment (even from someone I know) that would say "Great Shot! (thumbs up emoji)"
Instagram is the one social platform that in my mind has withstood the test of time thus far. Even the Stories part isn't really irritating. The irony is that Instagram Stories enjoys more usage than all of Snapchat. Go figure.
Unless you are a celebrity or a huge band leveraging something new, bots and shit aren't going to help your cause really.
What I've found helps is just simple quality and technical sophistication. I rarely, if ever, use my phone's built-in camera to capture images (for other accounts I deal with, my personal account, I use whatever's handy...) and video. Even the latest phone cameras pale in comparison to years-old DSLR/ILC sensor output.
The best investment I made was the Apple Lightning to Camera Adapter. I fiddled with wireless solutions but it proved maddening. Simple cable, and I can import still and video files.
From there, I do some basic post-production (Lightroom iOS for photos, Pinnacle or iMovie for video), render out, and publish/broadcast. I'll even add some basic "stupid chyron tricks" for video files. From capture to posting it's maybe a 10-15 minute process.
People dig it, and you get those real followers who are genuinely interested in your output.
I'm by no means an Instagram master, but I've found this works and you don't risk getting hamstrung by the company when they shut down an app or your like factory in SEA.