For all of you out there who searched the term: “Why am I losing followers on Instagram?”, we have important and comforting information to share: you are not the only one losing them.
This issue was interesting in 2018, when the CEO of the famous influencer platform Fohr, James Nord, addressed it and explained that half of the total users on this platform are actually losing followers. Today, when we have more options on Instagram like muting accounts instead of unfollowing them, we can’t really tell how many people really unfollowed us. But, we can discuss tactics for keeping existing followers interested and explain different reasons that get people in the mood for unfollowing your account. That way we will be able to grow, and enjoy this social media platform as we used to.
Let’s check first what are the main reasons for losing followers on Instagram.
Source: Pexels.com
Has Something Changed on the Instagram that is Causing This?
It is easiest to blame the platform and its constant changes around its algorithm, but the idea that Instagram is behind this doesn’t seem realistic. This idea might come from the fact that Instagram was swiping those fake accounts a few years back. That was a part of a strategy that was flagging fake accounts created by apps that were selling fake followers.
However, we are talking now about regular profiles that were growing without any kind of crazy schemes, because today they are losing followers as well.
As we all know, the main goal of Instagram and other social media networks is to keep you longer on their app. That way, they can show you more ads, and earn more money.
They are aware that losing followers is not a pleasant feeling, and they are doing everything they can to ensure that you are not losing followers. However, the Instagram algorithm has changed over time, and if you are not following the main changes and understand how it all works, your account might lose followers over time.
So, now that we know that Instagram is basically creating algorithms that are helping us reach more audiences, we have to move on. Let’s see what else can trigger people to press the unfollow button on your profile?
What Are the Real Reasons for Losing Followers on Instagram?
We can start with the fact that Instagram is no longer a new toy in our virtual playground. Now that we know how influencers are getting money and placing products all over their feeds, we don’t trust them as much as we used to. Do you remember how exhausting it was to watch a beautiful movie on the TV, and get interrupted with endless commercials? Just like television a decade ago, Instagram is oversaturated with content creators whose feeds are overloaded with sponsored content and fake recommendations.
With the need to get more attention, people are copying accounts that have a lot of followers, and everything is starting to look alike. For example, if you are following second-hand clothing stores, you will see similar backgrounds or similar descriptions, and you will unfollow all of those accounts because you don’t need so many identical profiles on your feed. You want something different, with a recognizable aesthetic and with a good story.
Basically, our standards are much higher today. We are very careful when we are deciding who is going to be on our home page. With acknowledgment about the effect of Instagram on our mental health, we are more conscious (or we should be) how accounts that you are following can affect you. And we as followers have all the right to be picky, after so many years of scrolling.
What You Should Do To Avoid Losing Instagram Followers?
All of these behaviors are unlikely to change in the future, so we must focus on creating better content that will keep our existing followers engaged, and invite new ones. As we are aware that the problem is the exaggerated amount of advertisements, the first advice would be to step back from usual routines and sponsored content. Instead, try to give your followers something exciting, that is not connected with your sponsors. That doesn’t mean that you should stop advertising. That means that you should give your audience a break from time to time.
Change the Focus
With the tools designed for scheduling on social media, you can create the right amount of posts that are showing your audience that there are people with real lives and real feelings behind your profile. That way you can connect better with your audience. If you use questions aimed at your audience instead of a call to action you can learn significant information about your followers and create more engaging content every time you post. This is not just great for the brand success, this is amazing for creating a community around your profile.
Find Topics that are Relevant and Exciting
Our tolerance to similar topics and similar profiles is quite low, so it is important to dig deeper and find topics that are still interesting to readers. With social listening tools, you can follow competitors, various hashtags, and industry news and be the first one to talk about important issues in your community. Don’t be afraid to give your personal opinion. People respect that. Even though there is still an opportunity to get some mean comments, we trust that you will be respected as someone who had the courage to talk about important things and express yourself.
Don’t Stop Interacting with people that are following you
In case you haven’t read a lot about Instagram algorithms, we must point out again how important it is to interact with your followers. Whenever you are having communication in your DM, or in the comment section Instagram algorithm will get the signal that the bound is created. It will result in showing your content more often to people who are interacting with you. One of the best advice you can get is to spend a significant amount of time interacting with your followers. Write meaningful comments, like images, and dm people that are following you, or that you are following. Any kind of interaction goes a long way, even if it feels strange sometimes, and you should definitely invest your time in it.
All your Social Media interactions in one place - The Social Inbox
Work on your aesthetic
First, tweak your bio until it looks perfect. Put keywords for your niche or a description that lets people know what you do or what your account is all about. You should let newcomers know immediately where they are, and what they can expect. If they are confused, they usually leave.
Another great tip is to create a visually appealing grid that looks different than anything that we have seen before. It would be great if you could choose a colour palette for your posts, or to post in repeating order of three or multiple of three. You can use grid apps for Instagram that can cut images into three smaller ones, so you can have bigger pictures on your grid. It is important to think twice about scheduling these when you are creating your strategy because sometimes people can unfollow you if you are constantly creating these big images with this tool. Remember that they will see just parts of the bigger image in their feed.
Here is a good example of a perfectly balanced feed, that has bigger images, but it continues to use smaller ones as well.
Source: Instagram profile @amplitudemagazin
Remember why you love Instagram
Statistics show that numbers of followers are going to continue to drop inevitably, but we strongly believe that you don’t have to focus on that negative narrative. You should think about keeping your existing followers and gaining new ones with the tactics and tools that you can use. Understanding of Instagram algorithms can help you in that process. So bear in mind that you need to stay in touch with the latest updates.
Our last piece of advice is to remember why you fell in love with Instagram in the first place. Explore new ways to communicate with your community, give valuable information, and cherish the audience that you have. We know that many of you are earning money from this platform, but that will not continue if you are focused just on earning money. You need to continue to be focused on creating meaningful social connections and useful content that is making the life of your audience richer.
