Anyone who tells you buying followers is the dumbest thing you can do hasn't run a business that depends on social proof. I've scaled Shopify stores using the exact same principle-perceived authority drives conversion. On TikTok, that first impression is everything. A profile with 200 followers gets swiped past; one with 2k gets a second look, even if the content is identical.
The trick isn't buying numbers. It's buying credibility. Services like Pimp My Acc work because they deliver gradually, so analytics don't flag them. I tested it for a client's account-kept the drop below 5%, and the pacing looked natural. More importantly, it bought us time to focus on content that actually performs. The real growth came from understanding why certain videos hit, not from the followers themselves.
So if you're thinking about it, ignore the purists. Buy only from services that promise gradual delivery and high retention. Use it as a catalyst, not a crutch. Otherwise you're just burning cash on fake numbers that disappear in a week.