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Feature Breakdown

Detailed guides about our features and how you can use them to maximize your growth.
Luka
By Luka
• 10 articles

Growth Pods vs Targeted Growth

When it comes to growing on Instagram, everyone’s chasing something a little different. Some people want fast visibility. Others want to build a steady stream of highly engaged followers over time. With that in mind, Flock Social gives you options that match how you want to grow. Let’s break it down. Targeted Growth If you care more about who follows you than how many, this one’s for you. With Targeted Growth, Flock Social helps you attract the right audience by engaging with users who follow accounts or hashtags you choose. We’re talking about people who already care about your niche — the kind of followers who are way more likely to stick around, interact, and become part of your actual community. Here’s what to expect: - You’ll log in with your Instagram credentials (this lets Flock work directly with your account) - You’ll set up Targets (either accounts or hashtags your ideal followers engage with) - The system will handle the rest by following, liking, viewing stories, and even sending DMs - After a few days, we’ll clean things up by unfollowing all users that have been followed Before all that starts, there’s a short warm-up period that the system uses to ease your account into activity by mimicking normal behavior (scrolling, viewing stories, nothing too wild). That way, everything stays safe and feels natural to Instagram. Growth Pods Network Trying to get visible fast? Growth Pods have your back. Here’s how it works: Once you sign up, we automatically place your account into a Growth Pod — a group of real Instagram users who are part of a similar niche or category. Everyone in the pod helps boost each other’s visibility by helping their follower count grow faster. This method is low-maintenance, fast-moving, and perfect if you just want to get traction and be seen. Switching between the two You can switch between Targeted Growth and Growth Pods anytime. Just head to your Dynamics page and toggle the setting that fits your goals best. Want a fast boost this month? Try Pods. Want to refine and build long-term? Go with Targeted. It's really that easy! Disclaimer: By default, every new account starts in the Growth Pods Network since most users prefer to begin with a visibility boost before switching over to more targeted growth. Final Thoughts Both growth options are designed to support different goals — it just depends on how you want to grow. Targeted Growth gives you more control and is great for building an audience that fits your niche. It takes a little more time but focuses on real connection and long-term engagement. Growth Pods move faster and require less setup. They’re all about helping your account get more exposure, more often.

Last updated on Apr 22, 2025

The Follow/Unfollow method

The Follow/Unfollow method isn’t new — but when done right, it’s still one of the most effective growth tactics out there. At Flock Social, we’ve refined this into a subtle, strategic flow that mirrors real user behavior. How it works, step-by-step 1. You connect your Account: The first step is logging in to your Instagram account via Flock Social dashboard. 2. You set the Targets: Start by choosing accounts and hashtags your ideal audience already follows or engages with. Our Targeting Suggestions can help during the initial setup. 3. We engage with real users: We follow users who follow or engage with your Targets in small batches. Once the account is warmed up, the activity increases. 4. They check you out: You follow them. You appear in their notifications. You view their stories. They check you out. If your profile is optimized, many will follow you back! 5. We Unfollow: After a few days (typically 2–4), we’ll unfollow them…all. This keeps your following-to-follower ratio looking fresh. Important note: Everyone you followed before joining is automatically whitelisted to ensure they’re never unfollowed when this stage kicks in! Why it works When someone gets a new follower, chances are they’ll take a quick look at who it is. If your profile feels relevant or interesting to them, they’re more likely to hit that follow button and stick around. At the end of the day, you end up attracting people who are actually into the type of content you're presenting to the public. Over time, your engagement becomes genuine since your audience starts to reflect your niche more naturally. That’s why this approach works so well. What about limits? Instagram puts daily action limits in place. Our system mimics human behavior to keep you under the radar by: - Gradual ramp-up of activity - Daily limits adjusted based on your account age/activity - Follows and unfollows spaced out in shifts Final thoughts There’s a reason the follow/unfollow method is still around. It works when you don’t treat it like a numbers game. What makes it click is the intent behind it, since you’re not following random accounts hoping for luck. You’re actually showing up in front of people who already engage with content similar to yours, giving them a real reason to follow back. Flock Social just handles the heavy lifting.

Last updated on Apr 22, 2025

The tech behind our growth method

Instagram’s getting smarter. If your account starts doing weird stuff, like following hundreds of people at the same time or acting like a bot…it’s not gonna end well. That’s why we built Flock Social to feel like a real person is running your account. We’re just doing the work for you, so you don’t have to. Here’s how we make that happen: We use real phones Some growth tools rely on emulated environments (like software pretending to be a phone). We don’t do that. Every single action we take on your account is done from an actual mobile device,  just like the one you already use to scroll Instagram. Why that matters: - It feels real to Instagram (because it is) - No red flags - No strange patterns or fake activity If it looks like you’re doing the work yourself, Instagram has no reason to suspect a thing! Every account gets its own setup Every account gets its own dedicated phone with its own residential IP address. That means your activity always shows up from the same location. In other words, the activity feels like it is coming from a normal person using their phone at home. The system acts like a human would Our system copies how users actually use Instagram. That means we don’t just hit follow, follow, follow and call it a day. Instead, we: - Start slow with a “warm-up” phase (a little scrolling, a few views here and there) - Spread actions out over time - Mix things up so nothing feels robotic Your account follows people, waits, checks a profile, views some stories, shoots a few likes, unfollows a few days later. It’s all built to feel natural, because that’s what works. Bottom Line Instagram’s always watching how accounts behave. And if something feels off? You’ll get flagged, limited, or even blocked from taking certain actions. That’s why Flock Social built a system that runs like a human, acts like a human, and grows your account like a human— slowly, steadily, and in a way that doesn’t get your account in any trouble.

Last updated on Apr 22, 2025

Close Friends Auto-adder

Stories are powerful. But Close Friends Stories? Even better. This Flock Social feature helps you skyrocket your Story visibility by auto-adding followers to your Instagram Close Friends list. Why It Matters The Close Friends green circle grabs attention. People are more likely to view, reply to, and engage with these types of Stories. Why? Well, if the content feels exclusive, it will naturally boost the engagement. How It Works - Once enabled, we auto-add all of your followers to your Close Friends list (up to 1,000 daily) - We keep that list fresh by adding every newly obtained follower to the list as well - When you post a Story for Close Friends only, they’ll see it in that attention-grabbing green ring Setting It Up - Head to the Dynamics Page - Toggle Close Friends Auto-Adder ON - Enable Auto-Remove if you need to remove followers from your Close Friends list - Pause Auto-Adder if you want to stop adding followers to your Close Friends list Quick FAQs Will my followers know they were added automatically? Nope. Instagram doesn’t notify users when they’re added or removed. Can I manually manage the list too? Absolutely! You can mix and match Flock’s auto-adds with your own Close Friends. What happens to my original Close Friends list? It stays exactly how you set it. Auto-removal won’t touch anyone you already added manually, just the users Flock Social added for you. Is this feature available on all plans? Unfortunately, no. This feature is available on our highest tier plan only.

Last updated on Apr 22, 2025

Followbacks, Activity & Queue

At Flock Social, we believe you deserve to know exactly how your account is growing (and how our system is working). That’s why we give you full visibility into every action we take and how users respond to our actions. Let’s break it down: Followbacks This section breaks down how many users are following you back. Each stat is tied to a specific Target, giving you clear insight into which ones are delivering and which need to go. If you’re seeing low numbers: - Check that your profile photo, bio, and grid are fully optimized to make a strong first impression. - Aim for at least a 10% followback rate - Replace Targets that fall below a 5% followback rate — that means they’re not a great fit for your niche. Reminder: Followbacks are tracked only after we unfollow the user, which happens 2 to 4 days after the initial follow. So if you just added a Target, give it a minute to populate. Activity Log This is your real-time receipt of every action we’re taking on your behalf. Here’s what you’ll see: - Each Follow and Unfollow - The Target that triggered that action - The timestamp for every interaction Use this to: - Spot unusual drops or surges - Confirm the system is running smoothly - Compare performance across time periods to spot trends Queue This is your next-in-line list of the accounts Flock Social is preparing to engage with. Inside the Queue, you’ll be able to see users scheduled for follow or unfollow Some notes on Queue behavior: - If you remove a single user, we’ll replace them with a new one immediately. - If you delete a full Target, the already-queued users from that target will still be engaged with unless you manually remove them too. Final thoughts Understanding your growth isn’t just about watching the numbers go up — it’s about knowing why they’re going up. The Followbacks, Activity Log, and Queue sections aren’t just there for show. They give you a clear view into what’s working, what’s not, and what’s coming next. Check in regularly, make adjustments when needed, and use the data to guide smarter decisions. The more attention you pay to these, the more intentional and effective your growth will be.

Last updated on Apr 23, 2025