How a Rock Band [+ Others] Are Gaming an Instagram Algorithm to Sell Tickets

It seems at times harder than ever to break through the clutter of social media, but we've started seeing bands and other businesses and brands finding a way to game algorithm to garner some attention while playing upon viewer desire for drama.

What Is Happening With the 'Deleted Posts' Post on Instagram?

While scrolling through Instagram, one of the first examples of this approach came through the band Lakeview, who teased in big white letters across a black backdrop that they were making a statement concerning "some recently deleted posts."

They added, "This week we made the difficult decision to removed some posts from our profile. To avoid any confusion, we wanted to clarify what happened ..

That led to a second slide that once against teased the deleted posts by leading the reader to a third slide. The third slide then shared admats and previous messages for their 2026 touring before moving onto the fourth where it was revealed that the posts weren't deleted at all but sharing, "When bands make a serious looking post with a plain black background and serious font they usually get a lot of extra attention.

"We pretty much just wanted to remind you that we are touring the world this summer. In fact, we never actually deleted the posts. They're still there. Just like our tickets are still there waiting for you." The final slide invited fans to come to a show.

This Is Not the Only Example of This Promotional Strategy

A deeper dive revealed that more than just Lakeview had latched onto this strategy. The theme seems to be the same though the payyoff at times is differentl.

For instance, minor league team the Tulsa Drillers used it to remind fans that they have ranch dippers among their tasty game treats. A deeper search also uncovered restaurants, bars, a bowling alley and even a church trying to draw attention to various items or calls to action by pulling the reader in with the idea that something was being deleted from social media, which in most cases comes from a place of controversy.

Giving Lakeview Their Attention

Admittedly, Lakeview got us to look, so it only seems fair to share to give them the attention they were seeking with the bit of misdirection.

The band is currently on tour, playing in Indianapolis tonight (March 26) at Turntable. Stateside dates run through May 30 after which they'll leave for of shows in Europe and the U.K. in June. More stateside shows will follow in July and continuing into September before they get a break and finish out the year at the Orlando stop of the Vans Warped Tour in November.

All Lakeview dates and ticketing info can be viewed through their website.

See other rock and metal bands touring in 2026 in the gallery below.