Getting Started

How to set your Targeting

Targeting is the core of your growth strategy with Flock Social. Tell us who your ideal followers are, and we’ll go find them! 🚀 You must set your targeting in order for your growth to start. How to Add Targets - Go to your dashboard > Targeting tab. - Click “Add Target.” - Choose between Accounts or Hashtags. Bonus tip: Use our Targeting Suggestions if you're unsure where to start. Target Types Accounts: When you target an account, we’ll engage with users who follow that account. Ideal targets are usually competitors in your niche or influencers with highly relevant audiences. Hashtags: If you want to reach people posting about your topic, you can always stick with the hashtags. Pick a niche or interest-specific hashtags and make sure to avoid huge trending tags with broad or random audiences Best Practices Getting your targets right is step one, but there are a few extra things that can help you get even more out of them : - Go for accounts with 20K–250K followers. Too small burns out fast, too big = weak engagement and high chance of interacting with ghost or bot followers. - Check your Followback % since this stat tells you how many users are following you back from each Target - Drop low-performing Targets (less than 10% followback rate) and add new ones - Use filters to narrow down your audience For the full walkthrough, check out this guide. Archiving Targets If there’s a Target you’re not actively using but don’t want to lose, you can archive it. This will pause all engagement with that Target while keeping your performance data intact — so you can come back to it later without starting from scratch. To archive a Target: 1. Click on the Target you want to pause 2. Select the “Archive” option That Target will now be stored in your Archived section, and if you ever want to bring it back, just go into the Archived tab and click “Restore.”

How to Filter your audience

Want to grow smart? That’s where Filters come in. They let you fine-tune the kind of users we engage with, focusing on quality over quantity. Why Filters Matter Without filters, you’re casting a wide net. With them, you're handpicking who Flock Social gets to engage and interact with. That means better followbacks and stronger engagement. You’ll see the default (optimized) settings already applied. You can tweak them any time. Filter Options - Followers: Helps you avoid accounts too big to notice your follow. Over 2,000 followers? Lower chance they’ll even see it. - Following: Too many followings = less engagement. Trim this for better results. - Media: Want content creators? Set a minimum post count. - Public/Private: Target public profiles for transparency, or private ones for potentially higher engagement. (Some filters won’t work on private profiles.) - NSFW Content: Turn this OFF if you want to avoid adult content. (It's off by default.) Bonus tip: Click “Magic Filters” to return to our recommended defaults. Remember — filtering isn’t limiting. It’s optimizing.

How to set up your first Instagram Account

Welcome to Flock Social - Let’s start growing! Getting started takes just a few minutes and everything you need is already inside your dashboard, so log in and follow along. 1. Connect your Instagram account The first thing to do is link your Instagram account. This lets Flock start doing what it’s built to do. You’ll see a red banner across the top of your dashboard. Hit the “Connect Account” button and log into Instagram through the secure popup. Instagram will most likely ask you to confirm the login, that’s just a standard safety check since our servers run through Europe. Tap “This Was Me” and you’re all set. Once you’re back in the dashboard, your account’s officially connected. 2. Set up your Targeting Once you’re connected, we need a bit of direction. You’ll do that by adding Targets — accounts or hashtags that attract the kind of people you want following you. Click the “Add Target” button to get started. You’ll want to add at least 10 to 15 to begin. Think about what types of accounts have an audience that will be interested in seeing your content, and what hashtags that audience would post on their Instagram. Here’s how it works: - Account Targeting Flock Social interacts with people following a specific account. This works best when you target creators, brands, or competitors in your space. - Hashtag Targeting Flock Social finds users posting with that hashtag and engages with them directly. Choose tags that actually match your audience, not just what’s trending. Need help figuring out what works best? Here’s a deeper dive into setting up your targeting. 3. Set up your filters Filters let you shape the kind of people Flock connects with. In other words, no need to reach everyone, just the right ones. To adjust them, open the “Filters” tab in your dashboard. You can set preferences like: • How many followers a user has • Whether their account is public or private • Minimum post count • And whether to include adult content (off by default) Want to see how filters can clean up your growth? Here’s a guide that breaks it down. 4. Keep an Eye on the Dashboard Once Flock Social starts working, you’ll be able to track everything inside the Home tab. Here’s what you’ll see: • Follower growth over time • Performance per target • A live queue showing who’s next Not every target will work perfectly, and that’s okay. Your dashboard helps you test and adjust without guessing. If you want a full walkthrough, we’ve got you covered here. And that’s it, that's all it takes! Welcome aboard! 🚀

Get your Instagram ready for growth

Before you start growing your account, it helps to set things up right. Doesn’t need to be perfect, just polished enough that people want to follow you when they land on your page. This also makes sure Instagram doesn’t flag anything weird once the activity picks up. 1. Warm things up a bit Brand new account? Haven’t posted in a while? Don’t hit the gas just yet. Instagram tends to flag sudden activity spikes, especially on "quiet" or inactive profiles. Instead, ease into it. Do this for a few days: - Like and comment on posts in your niche - Follow accounts you’re actually into - Respond to DMs and comments (if you’ve got any) No need to overdo it, just show some signs of life before automation kicks in. 2. Add some solid content first If your profile looks empty or random, most people won’t stick around, even if they discover you. You don’t need a perfect grid. Just try to post at least 9–12 pieces of content that clearly show what you’re about. Could be Reels, carousels, photos, whatever works. Give people something real to scroll through when they check your page. 3. Clean up the basics Make sure your profile doesn’t feel like it was thrown together in two minutes. That first impression matters. A few quick things: - Use a profile pic that makes sense for your vibe or brand - Write a short bio that actually says something - Add Highlights if you want — not required, but they help make the profile look more complete Doesn’t have to be fancy. Just don’t leave it empty or all over the place. 4. Post regularly Posting consistently is a signal to both Instagram and your followers that your account is worth following. Here’s what “regular” looks like: - Try to post two or three times a week - Jump into comments and messages when people engage - Use Stories in between posts to stay on people’s radar That rhythm helps build trust and keeps things moving once growth kicks in. Quick Heads-Up Flock Social won’t blast your account with activity right away. It starts slow to keep things natural, but if your account needs an even softer start, just let support know and we’ll adjust things.