Everybody Asking Why Am I Losing Followers on Instagram

6 MIN READ

The question often asked is: why am I losing Followers on Instagram” Imagine spending months creating content on Instagram, only to see your followers start dropping off.

And that happens in such a steady way that it reaches a point where you freak out.

Well, I don’t like it, but I have to break it to you that losing followers on Instagram all of a sudden is quite common, and you’re not the only person going through this. There are many reasons why it may happen. Sometimes you can blame the algorithm changes for it, other times you may be the culprit behind it.

Let’s talk about it more! This blog covers all the reasons why your follower count is decreasing and what you can do about it (apart from panicking).

Reasons You May Be Losing Followers On Instagram

Changes In Algorithm

First things first, it could definitely be the algorithm.

It is a tricky (and scary) term, and even a simple algorithm change can result in significant changes to your followers’ count.

The number of people saving and sharing your post, the dwell time on your posts, the comments under pictures and videos, and the number of likes on your content —all of these factors matter!

Lack of early engagement → low interaction → more people unfollowing you.

Later say to know if the algorithm is hitting your current posts, changes that are causing you a loss in the followers count. Use a tool that will help you track up to 12 months’ worth of Instagram feed posts, Stories, and Reels. This will let you know what showcased the best performance. Filter them through the key metrics such as engagement, followers, reach, and likes.

Purging of Fake Followers

Yes, you read it right!

As weird as it may sound to you, there are lots of fake followers on Instagram. Many people, in their quest for quick success, buy fake followers. As part of its strategy, Instagram periodically removes bots and inactive followers from the app.

Although you may lose some followers temporarily, it will ultimately be beneficial to you in the long run.

You’ve Turned Into A SalesPerson

Well, no harm in it! You can surely vouch for the products that really made a difference in your life (or sent you the best PR), but doing it too frequently may end up looking like an ad.

Followers look for real content. Something that will be meaningful and hold some value for them. If you continue to promote your ‘coupons’, they will soon become tired of you.

One of the primary reasons influencers lose followers is their over-promotion of products.

Using The Wrong Hashtags

Hashtags are powerful!

They decide who’s gonna see your content and who’s not.

Using overly generic hashtags, banned hashtags, or hashtags that are no longer in use can result in a significant loss of followers.

In fact, in recent times, the usage of controversial hashtags has led to triggering penalties from algorithms. Shadow-banning significantly impacts your content’s reach, preventing new users from even discovering you.

AndrewLee suggests adding hashtags to the caption itself, rather than in the first comment, as editing the comment later on is not a possibility.

RivalIQ claims that hashtags connect with a broader audience and augment your possibilities of gaining followers.

Oh, and one more thing!

If you use the wrong hashtag on your posts, it will obviously attract the wrong audience towards your profile, making you look like a spammer! This is why it’s necessary to rethink your hashtag several times before posting it.

Your Content Doesn’t Catch Attention.

As a content viewer, you would know if something bores you in the first two seconds, you would switch to the next thing.

And this might be something happening with you as well.

If you are not able to come up with a hook that catches the attention of your audience in the first two seconds, you may also get scrolled up!

This is why making relevant and catchy content is the key to retaining followers (and even gaining more). Avoid vague intros, overly polished scenarios, and boring questions. Instead, adopt a natural style and stick to making trends rather than simply following them.

Your Lack Of Engagement

Keeping your followers engaged through comments and replies on Instagram is important.

If you don’t keep up with this engagement, your followers will lose interest slowly and drift away. Posting on your feed and then moving away may cost you heavily, as your followers may think you are not interested in connecting with them.

Replying actively to the comments, giving answers to the questions under your posts, replying to the DMs, and being available to your social media community gives you a sense of presence.

Additionally, when you are inactive on your Instagram feed and avoid engaging with your followers, Instagram also senses it. It pushes your post further down on the feed through a specific algorithm, and your reach drops severely.

Hence:

High Interaction → More Followers

Less interaction → Followers Drifting Away

However, managing all that engagement may feel overwhelming. In such a situation, a chatbot can do this heavy lifting for you. With the help of Clepher, your Instagram and Messenger DMs get answered automatically. Hence, it is possible to keep your followers engaged 24/7.

Lack Of Quality Posts

It is true that when you initially start posting on Instagram, you are super enthusiastic!

You find the best places possible to take pictures, even if that means traveling to extensive areas.

You look through the music list for hours, finding the best song that matches your reel.

You spend half your day editing the videos, making them visually attractive.

But as you gain followers and establish a strong account on Instagram, you get lazy. You just post randomly, without giving much attention to the quality of content. And that’s when you start losing followers.

People on Instagram want visually aesthetic content. Constantly blurry pictures, poorly edited videos, and out-of-place song choices don’t interest them, and they hit the unfollow button instantly.

Marketing.Mona says posting a varied kind of content on Instagram will get you a better reach (and more followers)

You Shifted From The Main Theme

See, everyone posts a different kind of content on Instagram.

Where some are tech enthusiasts and love to post strictly about gadgets and stuff, others may be more into aesthetic reels.

There is a possibility that you started off as a fashion enthusiast, for which your followers came flocking towards you, but have now shifted towards cooking reels.

As you shift your content, the number of followers also shifts.

Your old followers may not vibe with the ‘new you’ and decide to hit the unfollow button.

If you really want to change your focus but don’t want the followers to flock away, do it slow. Initially, keep posting your original content, for instance, ‘fashion’, but also add random posts regarding your new niche, for example, ‘home decor’.

Slow shifts are less likely to make your followers feel betrayed! Additionally, there is a good chance that you will attract more people who are interested in your new niche.

Some Solutions To Look Into

Yes, solutions exist, and where there are problems, you can easily manage them and stay ahead of others in the game.

Repost the stories by followers. It makes them feel connected, and your engagement jumps.
Don’t let the algorithm affect your spirit. When Instagram removes bots, you may end up losing some followers, but that will work in your favor in the future.
Use new formats and reels while regularly checking if that’s working for your followers or not!
Be wise while using hashtags in today’s woke culture. Avoid hashtags that can end up shadow-banning your account.
Be super interactive with your followers. Put up some polls, ask questions, and reply to the comments.

Final Thoughts

Losing followers on Instagram is certainly not the end of the world, but it can have an impact if you have worked hard to get your profile noticed. Without panicking, create a strategy and bring the followers back. As a matter of fact, Instagram is all about making an impact, and if you are doing so, you’re already doing a great job! Want to boost your engagement and prevent losing followers? Try Clepher to see how automated conversations can help turn your followers into loyal fans.

Follow the tips and you’ll surely get your lost followers back (or may not even lose any to begin with).