The dreaded question of social media marketers everywhere: \u201cWhy am I losing followers on Instagram?\u201d I spent years in the trenches as a social media editor for media brands and know the daily toil it takes to keep up with the latest media trends, platform updates, and more.<\/p>\n\n
Inevitably, a situation arises where you are losing followers and unsure of the cause. Is it me or is the algorithm? <\/em>The answer is complicated. But according to our research, you\u2019re not alone. Our Instagram Marketing Report found that 10% of Instagram marketers<\/a> report losing followers in the past year.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019re a part of that 10%, you may be panicking trying to figure out what\u2019s causing the decline. Don\u2019t fret \u2014 I\u2019ve got you covered. Below, I\u2019ll cover the top reasons why brands lose followers on Instagram and offer some tips about how you might course-correct.<\/p>\n When we surveyed Instagram marketers, 44% said that not posting enough is the number one reason why brands lose followers. On the flip side, 18% said posting too much can have the same impact.<\/p>\n\n Source<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n When it comes to posting, I\u2019ve found success lies in the balance. You\u2019ll want to post enough to make sure you\u2019re reaching your target audience and not disappearing in a sea of posts, but don\u2019t want to post too much that your audience is getting flooded with your posts all over their timeline.<\/p>\n As you probably know, it\u2019s extremely unlikely that your audience even sees everything you post these days given the algorithm.<\/p>\n First, post at least once a day on the platform, whether it\u2019s on Instagram Stories, Reels, or in-feed. If you have to choose, Stories is a great option just to stay current with updated content. Also: Don\u2019t forget audience engagement.<\/strong><\/p>\n In my opinion, too many brands over focus on how and when they are posting and too little on how they are interacting with their audience. According to our data, this is a crucial mistake.<\/p>\n Increasing engagement<\/a> is now marketers\u2019 primary goal \u2014 and I expect this trend to continue in 2025. That includes likes, comments, interactive elements, and more. You can (and should) take your unique spin on it.<\/p>\n TL;DR: <\/strong>Don\u2019t get so caught up in your total follower count that you forget to engage with your loyal audience<\/a>. That\u2019s what will contribute most to your growth in the long run.<\/p>\n The second most common reason for losing followers is being overly sales-y. 43% of Instagram marketers said this is a major turnoff for audiences.<\/p>\n Our survey found that content centered around a brand\u2019s products\/services is leveraged by 37% of IG marketers and has the highest ROI \u2014 but yes, there is too much of a good thing.<\/p>\n\n Source<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n If it\u2019s the only type of content you post, you might alienate your audience.<\/p>\n Balance is the keyword here.<\/p>\n In addition to posts that highlight your products and\/or services, you should also post content that:<\/p>\n Reflects your brand values. I know, as a user, I get frustrated if I open up Instagram while I have some time to relax and I feel like every post I come across is trying to get me to buy something \u2014 ick. I\u2019m much more likely to engage with a funny meme or entertaining video.<\/p>\n The data backs this up, too: Our survey revealed that funny content is the second most effective for getting followers, shares, and engagement on Instagram.<\/p>\n\n Source<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n If you purchased bot<\/a> followers<\/a>, you\u2019ll be in for a rude awakening when they all disappear and your follower list tanks.<\/p>\n 20% of Instagram marketers surveyed say this is why brands lose followers.<\/p>\n While it\u2019s tempting to buy bots to give the semblance of a strong follower base, this practice will only hurt you in the long run.<\/p>\n Instead, I recommend focusing on building a follower list organically through a consistent posting schedule, sharing valuable content, following trends, and listening to your data.<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t have to take long, either. Most marketers say it takes 4-6 months to reach 1K followers on Instagram. Only 17% reached that in under a month, and just 1% took over a year.<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve inherited a lot of bot followers, try manually removing inactive accounts to improve the quality of your audience and get better insights from your data.<\/p>\n Instagram now lets you look at your follower count and see any accounts that are flagged for review or inactive. You can start with these lists to start cleaning up your lists.<\/p>\n\n Source<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n One thing audiences love is consistency.<\/p>\n Consistency in your branding and your creative assets is key in building strong brand recognition. In addition, consistency also helps build a visually appealing profile.<\/p>\n If a user visits your profile and every post looks like it was created by a different brand, they\u2019ll have a hard time understanding what your brand is all about and choose to unfollow you.<\/p>\n Personally, if I\u2019m scrolling and I notice a brand I don\u2019t recognize on my timeline, I\u2019ll visit their profile and if I don\u2019t recognize their last few posts, I\u2019ll likely unfollow them. I imagine many users behave the same way.<\/p>\n With this in mind:<\/p>\n Figure out what your brand identity<\/a> and visual aesthetic are early on in your branding<\/a> process. The Skimm<\/a>, an email newsletter brand that sums up the biggest news of the day, is a great example of this. Their branding is clean and consistent from your inbox to your Instagram feed. And this consistency makes it easy to stand out from other news accounts I follow.<\/p>\n\n Source<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n It would be so easy to market to our audiences if their interests and behaviors always stayed the same.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, that isn\u2019t the case.<\/p>\n This requires marketers to stay on top of what attracts and retains their audiences. One of the most effective ways to do this is by relying on your data. What is it telling you?<\/p>\n Say you\u2019re HubSpot and our feed consists of customer success stories, product highlights, company values, and industry trends.<\/p>\n Perhaps content surrounding industry trends used to perform very well but you\u2019ve noticed a slow decline over the past six months. Perhaps your audience is not as interested in this content or the format in which it\u2019s being presented.<\/p>\n Maybe if you used to leverage images, you should consider switching to video.<\/p>\n The biggest giveaway to me is using outdated tactics. If you\u2019re stuck posting hashtag spam or posting giveaways to boost follower accounts, I\u2019d recommend trying some of these new best practices. Audiences evolve fast \u2014 and the platforms evolve even faster \u2014 and it\u2019s our job as social media marketers to keep up.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for some help in evolving with your audience, check out our free Instagram for Business Kit<\/a>. You’ll learn how to get followers, build your audience, navigate algorithm updates, and measure success.<\/p>\n\nWhy am I losing so many followers on Instagram?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
1. You\u2019re not posting often enough or posting too much.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Here\u2019s What I Recommend<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n Second, share an in-feed post two to three times a week. You can increase this cadence based on how your audience responds, but you probably shouldn\u2019t lower it. <\/p>\n2. You\u2019re being too sales-y.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Here\u2019s What I Recommend<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n Invites conversation.
\n Builds community. <\/p>\n\n3. You had <\/strong>bot<\/strong> followers.<\/strong>
\n<\/h3>\nHere\u2019s What I Recommend<\/strong><\/h4>\n
4. You don\u2019t have a consistent aesthetic and voice.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Here\u2019s What I Recommend<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n Leverage tools like Canva to build a visual profile that stays consistent across all platforms. <\/p>\n5. Your audience has evolved and you\u2019re not keeping up.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Here\u2019s What I Recommend<\/strong><\/h4>\n