Why Are You Paying for Strangers?

What Actually Happened Here?

Danny didn’t run a bad ad. He just ran the wrong type of ad, with the wrong objective, targeting the wrong people.

See, Facebook (Meta) doesn’t care if your ad makes you money. It cares if your ad gets results—any results. So if you tell it “get me followers,” it’ll go find the cheapest humans on Earth who love clicking “like.” Even if they don’t know what you do, or live where you live.

Which brings us to the question…

Is There Any Value in Attracting Followers Outside Your Target?

Let’s break it down.

1. Social Proof (When You’re Starting From Scratch)

If your brand page looks like a ghost town, a few extra followers can give you a little “crowd appeal.” No one wants to be the first person to like a party.

But paying $30 per follower for digital window dressing? Not smart.

There are better ways to look legit—run a giveaway, collab with a local brand, or create a short video that actually tells your story.

2. Audience Testing (If You Have a Plan)

Testing international waters can make sense if you’re a global brand, a content creator, or selling something digital.

But if you’re doing this without a clear strategy or goal, you’re not “testing.”
You’re just gambling.

3. Global Reach (If Your Offer is Global)

If you sell an app, a course, or a membership anyone can use, then yeah—followers from outside your neighborhood might become customers.

But Danny?
Danny details cars. In Florida.
He doesn’t do overseas detailing via Zoom.

Why It Doesn’t Work for Local or Niche Businesses

If your business depends on:

Local clients
Niche-specific leads
Building trust with real people in your area

…then your ad should reflect that.

Otherwise, you’re just paying to confuse the algorithm, confuse yourself, and fill your page with irrelevant numbers that don’t do anything for you.

The Real Damage: What You Don’t See

Let’s go a little deeper.

Facebook and Instagram show your content to your followers first.
If they ignore it, the algorithm assumes it’s boring.
So your reach drops.

Now imagine you’ve spent good money attracting people who don’t care.
They won’t like, comment, or click.
And now Facebook thinks no one wants to hear from you.

Bad followers?
They don’t just cost you once—they sabotage your future content, too.

So What Should Danny Have Done With That $300?

Here’s how to make it make sense:

• Retarget Website Visitors – Show ads to people who’ve already checked you out.
• Geo-Target by ZIP Code – Only show ads to people in your actual service area.
• Lead Gen Campaigns – Instead of “likes,” get contact info.
• Lookalike Audiences – Target people who resemble your best customers.
• Short Video Ads – Use a 15-sec video, retarget viewers who watched more than half.

Same $300. Ten times the return.

Final Thoughts: Buy Smart, Not Just Attention

Paying for random followers is like handing out business cards in another country—in a language no one speaks.

You’re not building a brand. You’re building a wall between you and your real audience.

So yeah, followers can be valuable. But only when they’re the right ones, with the potential to actually buy, refer, or engage.

Because at the end of the day…
Likes don’t pay the bills.
Clients do.