Years after the shutdown of MassPlanner—a once-ubiquitous social media automation tool—marketers and online entrepreneurs continue to examine how the software’s workflows can be adapted using modern, legal tools. On Reddit and other digital marketing forums, veterans of MassPlanner have adapted, sharing their knowledge of what workflows still produce results in 2024, especially with platform algorithms stricter than ever.
TL;DR:
Though MassPlanner is no longer available, many of its core strategies—like account warmups, content scheduling, and engagement cycles—can still be effectively replicated using modern legal tools. Reddit marketing veterans suggest combining human-like automation with carefully curated proxy and content strategies. The key is to prioritize compliance: doing more with less while staying within platform boundaries. New tools like Jarvee, SocialBee, and custom API scripts allow parts of the old workflow to stay alive, legally and effectively.
The Legacy of MassPlanner: Why Does It Still Matter?
Before being shuttered in 2017, MassPlanner was widely used for automating tasks on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and other networks. It allowed marketers to:
- Automate follows, likes, and DMs
- Schedule and recycle content across platforms
- Use multiple accounts behind rotating proxies
- Deploy custom behavioral settings to mimic human actions
Even though it operated in murky legal waters, its underlying workflows gave rise to many best practices still relevant today—especially for small-scale operators, affiliate marketers, and content creators targeting niche audiences.
What Part of Those Workflows Still Works Today?
According to Reddit veterans in subreddits like r/EntrepreneurRideAlong and r/DigitalMarketing, the following concepts from MassPlanner can still be used—legally—if approached carefully with compliant tools:
1. Account Warmup and Trust Building
One of the first steps in the MassPlanner workflow was to avoid platform suspicion by warming up accounts gradually. This principle still holds.
- Create accounts manually or buy pre-aged ones from reputable sources.
- Start by performing light, human-like actions such as scrolling, liking, and commenting manually or through safe automation tools like Jarvee (with rotational timing).
- Use residential proxies from providers like Bright Data or Smartproxy to avoid IP bans.
This foundation-building phase is essential, especially on platforms like Instagram, Reddit, and LinkedIn where spam detection thresholds are strict.
2. Automated Content Scheduling (Done Right)
Where MassPlanner shined was in its ability to post and recycle content across multiple social media accounts efficiently. Today, a new crop of tools embraces this power, while adhering to API limitations and TOS agreements.
The main platforms people are using now include:
- Publer and SocialBee – Great for content planning, scheduling, and recycling, especially for Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
- Buffer and Later – Less aggressive, more compliant-focused platforms with strong UI and reporting tools.
- Notion + Make (Integromat) – A customizable backend for building modular workflows for content curation and publishing.
Reddit users highlight the value in batch-producing evergreen content and using a logical rotation schedule that keeps feeds active without oversaturation. Unlike in MassPlanner’s time, moderation is crucial.
3. Engagement Pods with a Twist
Back in the MassPlanner days, some users relied on automated engagement pods to inflate likes and comments. Today, though automation for engagement is riskier, the concept still survives—legally—through coordinated, niche-based collaborations.
Platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram are fertile grounds for this. Redditors suggest building small mastermind or peer groups that organically engage with each other’s posts based on schedules decided ahead of time. Rather than using bots to comment and like, participants use:
- Dedicated engagement Slack or Discord channels
- Zapier or Make integrations to track content uploads and notify group members
- Google Sheets to organize post URLs and engagement prompts
Legal Automation Tools That Can Replicate Some of MassPlanner’s Power
Reddit marketing veterans recognize that complete automation is no longer advisable. However, several compliant tools match MassPlanner’s best features—minus the risk.
1. Jarvee
Though often seen as a spiritual successor to MassPlanner, Jarvee operates within safer limits when configured properly. Reddit moderators recommend users avoid aggressive settings and run only a few accounts per IP via mobile or residential proxies. When used responsibly, Jarvee can automate growth on platforms like Instagram and Twitter while respecting rate limits.
2. Phantombuster
Ideal for LinkedIn, Twitter, and even Reddit to some extent, Phantombuster allows for light automation of scrapes, posts, and connection requests. Unlike MassPlanner, it comes with built-in delays and anti-detection mechanisms highly regarded by digital marketers today.
3. Custom Python or Node.js Scripts
A handful of Reddit coders have built their own minimal, gray-hat tools using browser automation libraries like Puppeteer or Selenium. When used purely for internal research or posting public-facing content (without mimicking human activity aggressively), these scripts can act as lightweight replacements for old MassPlanner modules—especially in marketing research and lead gen campaigns.
Modern Platforms: What to Avoid in 2024
While revisiting MassPlanner workflows, it’s critical to understand what no longer flies with today’s platforms. Reddit veterans strongly advise against:
- Automating DMs or comments without user consent (violates API TOS and hurts credibility)
- Using data scraping bots against private groups or behind login walls
- Spinning low-effort content to post across dozens of accounts
- Looping proxy servers excessively—IP reputation matters more than ever
Platforms like Meta (Facebook, Instagram) and LinkedIn have invested in multi-layered anti-bot mechanisms, including behavior analysis, device fingerprinting, and machine-learning-based detection. Staying under the radar requires a lean, human-focused strategy.
Community Insight: Case Studies from the Field
Veterans from r/GrowthHacking and r/SaaS have experimented with scaled-down MassPlanner-like strategies to promote newsletters, niche communities, and info products. One user explains how they built a “slow content drip” campaign using:
- Zapier to pull blog RSS feed content into Buffer
- LinkedIn audience warming through daily manual engagement
- Bi-weekly engagement pods to stimulate early conversation and reaction
Results weren’t explosive, but over six months, they gained 5,000+ email subscribers, a 15% average open rate, and built recognition in their micro-niche market.
Conclusion: Smarter, Smaller, and More Sustainable
Revisiting MassPlanner’s workflow doesn’t mean replicating it tool-for-tool. The era of brute-force growth automation is over. Today’s winning strategy is strategic, legally compliant, and outcome-focused. Reddit veterans’ collective wisdom suggests that modern tools, when used intelligently and respectfully, can yield similar long-term results—without risking ban hammers or legal action.
Ultimately, the spirit of MassPlanner lives not in the software, but in the tactical thinking it cultivated. The smartest digital marketers are those who took its best lessons—efficiency, batching, and testing—and evolved them to meet the stricter standards of a maturing internet.
