First tools available: The Ad Library + Competitor Tracking
Engagement Baiting
Explicitly asking users to like, share, or comment to artificially boost engagement metrics and game algorithms.
Tags:bad practicessocial mediaalgorithmpenaltiesorganic reach
Engagement baiting is asking for likes, comments, or shares just to inflate your engagement metrics. It used to work. Now it gets you penalized.
Examples of engagement bait:
- "Like if you agree! Ignore if you don't care!"
- "Tag 3 friends who need to see this"
- "Comment YES if you're ready for the weekend"
- "Share to enter our giveaway!" (when there's no real giveaway)
- Vote-baiting polls with meaningless options
Why platforms penalize it:
Fake engagement creates a bad user experience. When feeds fill up with "tag a friend" posts, people spend less time on the platform. So algorithms learned to detect and demote this content.
What happens when you're caught:
- Immediate reach reduction on that post
- Long-term shadowban potential
- Entire account reach can be throttled
- Ad account quality scores may drop
What works instead:
Create content that people want to engage with naturally:
- Ask genuine questions that spark discussion
- Create content worth sharing because it's useful
- Use CTAs that provide value ("Save this for later")
- Make engagement feel meaningful, not transactional
Even if engagement bait seems to work short-term, you're training your audience to expect low-value content. When you post something important, they won't take it seriously.