The dreaded question of social media marketers everywhere: “Why am I losing followers on Instagram?” I spent years as a social media editor for media brands in the trenches and knew the daily effort it takes to keep up with the latest media trends, platform -updates and much more.
Inevitably arises in a situation in which you lose supporters and are not sure of the cause. Am I or is it the algorithm? The answer is complicated. But according to our research, they are not alone. Our Instagram marketing report showed that 10% of 10% Instagram marketer Report to followers last year.
If you are part of 10%, you can panic to find out what causes the decline. Don’t be annoyed – I covered you. In the following I will cover the top reasons why brands will lose followers on Instagram and give some tips on how to have course correction.
Why do I lose so many followers on Instagram?
1. They don’t publish often enough or post too much.
When we interviewed Instagram, 44% stated that not posts of permits are the main reason why brands lose followers. On the other hand, 18%said to publish too much that can have the same effects.
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When it comes to publication, I have found that success is in balance. You want to post enough to ensure that you reach your target audience and do not disappear from posts in a sea, but do not want to post too much that your audience is flooded with your contributions all over the timer.
As you probably know, it is extremely unlikely that your audience will see everything you will publish these days today.
Here is what I recommend
- First, at least once a day on the platform, whether on Instagram stories, rolls or feed. If you have to choose, stories are a great option to stay up to date with updated content.
- Second, they share a post feed post two to three times a week. You can increase this cadence based on the reaction of your audience, but you probably shouldn’t lower it.
Also: Don’t forget the audience’s commitment.
In my opinion, too many brands concentrate on how and when they publish and too little as they interact with their audience. According to our data, this is a crucial mistake.
Increasingly commitment is now the main goal of the marketer – and I assume that this trend will continue in 2025. This includes likes, comments, interactive elements and more. You can (and should) take your unique spin on it.
Tl; DR: Don’t be so involved in your total number of successors that you forget it Get involved with your loyal audience. In the long run, this will contribute the most to their growth.
2. They are too sold.
The second most common reason for the loss of followers is that they are sold excessively. 43% of Instagram marketers stated that this was an important junction for the audience.
Our survey showed that the content focuses on the products/services of a brand that are used by 37% of the IG marketers and has the highest ROI – but yes, there is too much good.
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If it is the only type of content that you publish, you can alienate your audience.
Here is what I recommend
Balance is the key word here.
In addition to posts that highlight your products and/or services, you should also publish content that:
- Reflects your brand values.
- Invites a conversation.
- Builds up community.
I know that as a user I am frustrated when I open Instagram while I have some time to relax and I have the feeling that every contribution to which I come across tries to get myself to buy something – Ick. It is much more likely that I can deal with a funny mem or entertaining video.
The data also supports this: Our survey showed that funny content is the second most effective to receive followers, shares and commitment on Instagram.
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3. You had Bot Trailer.
If you have bought Bot -Follower, you will take up rude awakening if you all disappear and your trailer list tanks.
20% of the Instagram marketers surveyed state that brands lose the followers.
While it is tempting to buy bots to give the appearance of a strong successor base, this practice will only hurt you in the long run.
Instead, I recommend concentrating myself to create a follow -up list organically by a consistent posting time plan, share valuable content, follow trends and listen to your data.
It doesn’t have to take long either. Most marketers say it takes 4-6 months to reach 1K followers on Instagram. Only 17% achieved this in less than a month and only 1% lasted over a year.
Here is what I recommend
If you have inherited a lot of bot followers, try to manually remove inactive accounts to improve the quality of your audience and get better insights from your data.
With Instagram you can now look at your number of trailers and see all accounts that are marked for checking or inactive. You can start with these lists to clean up your lists.
4. You have no consistent aesthetics and voice.
One thing that the audience is love is is a consistency.
Consistency in your branding and your creative assets is the key to building a strong brand recognition. In addition, consistency also helps to build a visually appealing profile.
When a user visits your profile and every contribution was made by another brand, it is difficult for him to understand what your brand is about and decide to decide.
Personally, if I scroll and a brand that I do not recognize in my timeline, I will visit your profile and if I do not recognize your last posts, I probably won’t follow you. I imagine that many users behave the same way.
Here is what I recommend
In this sense:
- Find out what your brand identity and visual aesthetics are early in your brand process.
- Use tools like Canva to create a visual profile that remains consistent on all platforms.
The skimAn e -mail newsletter brand that summarizes the greatest news of the day is a good example of this. Your branding is clean and consistently from your inbox to your Instagram feed. And this consistency simply makes it easier to stand out from other messages that I follow.
5. Your audience has developed further and you don’t keep up.
It would be so easy to market our audience if their interests and behaviors were always the same.
Unfortunately this is not the case.
In this way, marketers have to stay up to date on what your audience attracts and keeps. One of the most effective ways to do this is to rely on your data. What does it tell you?
Suppose you are Drift Kings Media and our feed consists of customer success stories, product highlights, corporate values and industry trends.
Perhaps content around industry trends has cut off very well, but they have determined a slow decline in the past six months. Perhaps your audience is not so interested in this content or the format in which it is presented.
If you used pictures earlier, you should consider switching to video.
The largest giveaway for me is the use of outdated tactics. If you publish Hashtag spam or publish giveaways to increase followers accounts, I would recommend trying out some of these new best practices. The audience develops quickly – and the platforms develop even faster – and it is our job as a social media marketer.
Here is what I recommend
If you are looking for help with your audience, read our free Instagram for business kit. You will learn how to get followers, build up your audience, navigate algorithm updates and measure success.
Use this data to guide your Instagram strategy
My biggest snack bar from this data and from my years as a social editor? You have to give your audience a reason to follow them. It is not enough to just appear and be present on Instagram.
You have to have a defined brand, a unique voice, and you have to build authentically (and consistently!) In order to build sensible relationships with your audience. Your supporters and perhaps not surprisingly take care that the algorithm also favors.
Finally, you always use data to control your strategy. If you don’t do this, you risk losing contact with your audience and slowly see how your follow -up list decreases.
Losing Instagram followers can be a scary reality. However, as soon as you have determined the reason for the decline, you can tackle it and get back.
Note from the publisher: This post was originally published in February 2022 and updated for completeness.