If there’s only one golden rule to remember when going online, it’s this: Always be careful what you sign up for.
Getting a solid footing on social media is challenging for many. Unless you’re already a well-established name in your niche/industry, you have to work hard to build a strong presence online. Instagram is one of the best places to launch a brand, but growing on the platform is an uphill and bumpy climb. Fortunately, there are growth services out there that can help.
But do they really help? When you’ve been struggling to gain a lot of followers for quite some time, you might be easily tempted to sign up for a growth service that promises to deliver thousands of new followers per day.
Keep in mind that anything online that’s too good to be true most likely is. There are a few growth agencies that do deliver as promised. This Path Social review takes a look at a company that has persisted in the industry for years. Here’s the scoop!
Path Social: A Social Media Agency
The company prefers to be called a social media agency as it does more than just boost follower numbers. With an in-house platform of experts working behind the scenes, they offer a full suite of services for Instagram management, all geared towards lasting, organic Instagram growth.
Any growth agency worth its salt knows the magic words to use to convince Instagram users to sign up for their service. And these magic words are organic growth. Path Social, understandably, also utilizes the power of these words because “organic growth” is a highly coveted result.
So the important question to ask is, “Is Path Social’s claim to deliver ‘Real, organic Instagram followers’ legit?”
Instagram users have become more adept at identifying bots and fake accounts and know that it’s in their best interest to stay away from these. So clearly stating on their website that Path Social doesn’t use any bots or fake accounts makes logical sense. Such claims online are a dime a dozen, however. Is Path Social’s claim any different?
Path Social Review: What Do You Get When You Sign Up?
When you sign up for Path Social, you’ll get “Real Instagram followers, high engaging users, and organic growth that lasts” according to their website. How does it work exactly? Let’s examine their growth strategy more closely.
Signing Up
The sign-up process was quick and, unlike other growth agencies, Path Social does not ask for a user’s IG password. Requiring a person’s Instagram password is actually common practice among third-party apps, believe it or not. So it’s worth noting that Path Social does not engage in such questionable practices.
To sign up, you just have to:
- Click the “Get Started” button on the Path Social home page.
- Select your preferred plan and click on “Start Growing Today.”
- Input your Instagram handle and email address and click “Continue.”
- Complete the payment process.
After creating our account, we were asked to identify our target audience by selecting the appropriate filters for age, gender, location, and hashtags.
Advanced Targeting with Proprietary AI Technology
Path Social has developed its own targeting AI technology to track down real users who fit your target audience specifications. As far as we can tell, this is the only automated process they have. There’s no cause for alarm, however; targeted algorithms are a common tool used in online advertising and are also part of Instagram’s inner machinery.
Every time a user posts content, Instagram’s algorithm goes to work to identify people (usually those among the user’s followers) on whose feeds the post will appear, based on their online preferences and behaviors.
Path Social’s proprietary AI targeting algorithm does exactly the same thing to make sure that your content will reach users who are most likely to be interested in what you have to offer and, therefore, will give you a follow and engage with your brand on Instagram.
Organic Content Promotion
Nothing beats good, old-fashioned “organic outreach,” which is how Path Social promotes content.
Other growth tools use full automation, or bots, to engage with a target audience. You probably know what we’re talking about — those auto-generated, generic, or totally random comments on posts or even DMs. These bots are also used to do mass likes and mass follows. For obvious reasons, Instagram prohibits any bot-generated activities on the platform.
Path Social, on the other hand, employs a team of real people who are experts in the industry to do manual, organic content promotion for their clients. The company also taps into its extensive network of influencers to deliver post shoutouts.
When we tested Path Social’s waters, we were essentially given access to the niche-/industry-specific follower base of influencers they’ve partnered with. And as part of our Instagram Elite package, we had a dedicated Account Success Manager to guide our growth strategy, as well as the added bonus of a manual review of our account performance for further strategy optimization.
Amazingly, after we canceled our subscription, we did not lose the followers we gained through Path Social. This is the invaluable benefit of taking the organic approach when building your brand on Instagram. You can guarantee that the followers you’ll gain are genuinely interested in what you have to offer so they’ll stick around for a long time.
Path Social Pricing: Is It Worth the Cost?
Path Social has two plans. Instagram Elite costs $69 per month (or $2.30 per day) and Instagram Core costs $49 per month (or $1.63 per day). Compared to other growth services, Path Social’s pricing options are affordable. Whichever plan you choose, we feel confident that you’ll get your money’s worth.
Other growth services also promise much higher follower numbers per day/month. You’d do well to stay away from these companies. Instagram flags unrealistic increases in follower numbers, i.e., getting hundreds of followers within an hour or thousands in a day.
The platform has set daily limits on certain activities, including follows, unfollows, and likes, although they don’t publish what these limits are.
If you get “too many” followers within a certain period, this will be flagged as bot-like activity. The follower accounts will be removed from your follower list, so your numbers will rapidly go down; your account may also be suspended or banned for using bots. If any of your followers or potential followers find out that your numbers are being boosted by bots or fake accounts, your brand will lose credibility.
Given Path Social’s organic and reasonably vigorous content promotion, you can expect to get the optimal number of followers per week/month. And you must remember that the quality of your followers is more important than the number. Path Social definitely delivers desirable results at a reasonable price.
Should You Sign Up for a Path Social Account?
After our Path Social review, we believe the service is worth a try if you’re serious about giving your numbers a boost that will last and provide value to your brand. We also made this pros and cons list to help you make the best choice for your brand.
Pros
- They developed a proprietary advanced AI targeting algorithm to track down the right audience for your content.
- They employ a team of real people who are experts in the industry to organically promote your content.
- They have an extensive network of influencers from various niches/industries to help boost content promotion.
- They don’t require your Instagram password when you sign up for an account.
- Their overall strategy is consistent with the best practices for Instagram growth.
Cons
- There’s no free trial.
- You have to pay for the first month right away to use the service.
- The 7-day money-back guarantee may be too short for some subscribers.
Should you sign up for a Path Social account? If you’re looking for a reliable company to help you grow your brand on Instagram, Path Social is definitely a good choice.
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