According to a 2024 survey from Orbit Media Studios, nearly one in three Instagram users report seeing spam comments on a daily basis. You might be ok dealing with spam on someone else’s post. But when they start appearing on your account, it’s a whole different problem altogether.
Comments that bear no relevance to your posts are generally termed spam. They may carry links and can also look repetitive, especially when launched on a mass scale.
But what’s wrong with a few unrelated comments? Well, they add zero value to you and your followers. Many of them are designed to promote products or to drive traffic to websites by tricking users.
And when there are too many of them, spam comments can make your Insta account seem messy and unprofessional. This can be a major turn-off for genuine followers looking for authentic engagement.
Spam could be scammy, too. They can act as bait for phishing, malware attacks, and financial fraud, putting your followers at risk. Spammers may also spread misinformation or mimic you to scam others, ultimately damaging your reputation.
Bottom line, spam comments are not only a nuisance. They can cause serious issues if you continue to ignore them. When you start seeing irrelevant messages on your posts, here’s what you should do to tackle them effectively.
Find Out Who Has Left the Comment
Before doing anything, you need to learn a bit more about the person spamming you. For this, click their profile picture and check what’s mentioned under their personal description.
You might find references to their full name, profession, location, interests, other social media handles, and the like. These can all be useful for discovering who they really are and their motives.
So, reverse search the address in their bio and go through their profiles on other networking platforms. Be sure to check their Instagram activities and followers/following, too. If the profile looks new with next to no followers, it’s likely managed by a bot for spreading spam.
Delete or Hide the Comment
When there’s only a handful of unwanted comments, you’ll find that deleting them is an effective solution. Once you delete several times, spam commenters might give up and move on to a different account/s.
If you want to be discreet, you also have the option to hide the comment. This prevents your followers from seeing it, although the comment remains visible to the user who left it.
But these methods have a critical limitation: Sometimes, posts could get flooded with dozens of spam comments. When this happens, deleting or hiding each one manually can take a significant amount of time.
Block the Commenter
If someone’s leaving a whole lot of spammy comments on your posts, you can stop them easily by blocking their account.
To do this, go to your profile page and tap the three horizontal lines at the top right to open the Settings menu. Select “Comments” and then “Block comments from”. On the page that pops up, you can use the search bar to find the relevant user and click the “Block” icon in front of their name.
You could also choose who can comment on your stories (i.e., followers, followers you follow back, or anyone) by tapping the “Stories” option under “Who can comment”.
Report the Comment and Account
Instagram allows users to report comments and accounts that violate its community standards, which are in place to create a safe and authentic experience on its platform.
To report a problematic comment, simply tap and hold it and click the three dots that turn up. Then, select Report and the reason you want to report it (for example, “Scam, fraud, or spam” or “False information”).
If you decide to report the user, you can do so by going to their profile page, clicking the three dots at the top right of the screen, and choosing Report. There is also a Restrict option, which prevents the user’s comments from publicly appearing on your posts unless you approve them.
Address Misinformation
Often, if you respond to a spammer, you allow them to draw more attention to their comments (which is exactly what they want). By ignoring them, you have a better chance of deterring their spammy behaviors.
However, there are instances when you must address spam publicly. Let’s say someone is spreading misinformation on your account. Or, maybe they are running a scam and making it look as if it’s part of one of your campaigns.
In situations like this, it is important to speak up and let your followers know what is really going on. It’s the only way to safeguard your reputation and prevent other users from being misled.
Take Preventative Measures
Everything we have discussed so far has to do with tackling spammers who have already left unwanted comments on your posts. But there are steps to stop them from leaving comments altogether.
For example, you could:
- Set up keyword filters to hide comments carrying specific words and phrases. This is available under the “advanced comment filtering” and “Manage custom words and phrases” options in the “Hidden words” section of your profile settings.
- Go private, turn off comments, or restrict who can comment on your posts. But keep in mind that these features will hamper your ability to reach new followers.
- Choose hashtags carefully. (Try to avoid popular ones, which tend to attract more spam).
Wrapping Up
Spam comments on Instagram don’t just look messy and unprofessional. They can promote misinformation and target your followers for scams, too.
So, addressing them quickly is crucial before your account becomes a hotbed for bad actors. This should be part of the moderation process to create a safe and authentic environment for users in your Insta community.
Instagram provides several tools to clean up your posts and deter or avoid spammers. Options like filtering out comments based on keywords and blocking users can be helpful in minimizing nuisance behaviors. But there’s no real way to end spam permanently. If you see such activities in larger volumes, resorting to automated tools is a good idea (instead of attempting to manage them manually).