Every Instagrammer’s nightmare? A sudden drop in follower count! We’ve all been there, wondering: Why am I losing followers on Instagram?
The reasons can vary, from accidentally brushing against Instagram’s content guidelines to a temporary technical glitch. Inconsistent posting or creating content that doesn’t resonate with your target audience can also be culprits.
But fear not! It’s never too late to turn things around. Want to dive deeper into the reasons behind follower loss and explore solutions? Keep reading!
Why Am I Losing Instagram Followers For No Reason?
Here are some possible reasons that might lead to randomly losing followers on Instagram.
#1. Getting Shadowbanned
If you are losing Instagram followers lately, one possible reason is that your account is shadowbanned. But what is Instagram Shadowban, and how can you avoid it?
In short, a shadowban on Instagram is when users’ content is blocked in a way that they are unaware of.
When you get shadowbanned, your content will not appear on your followers’ feed page and hashtags page. Here are some of the reasons why your account might be restricted:
- Using bots to get more comments and likes.
- Using Instagram banned hashtags.
- Adding repetitive hashtags under all your posts.
- Taking advantage of third-party apps that violate Instagram’s terms of use.
- Having your content reported by other IG users.
- Overusing hashtags.
Want to check if your content is up to Instagram guidelines? Just head over to your profile and open Settings and Privacy. Under More Info and Support, tap Account Status. You’ll spot any rule-breaking here!
Also read: Why Am I Suddenly Getting Less Likes on Instagram
#2. Buying Fake Followers
Are you asking yourself why you lost followers on Instagram recently? Many Instagrammers try buying followers to grow their Instagram account from scratch.
If you’re lucky and Instagram doesn’t detect spammy actions, you may see your followers dropping every day since they are not interested in your content.
Other than that, you will get a really low engagement rate, which makes your posts be shown to fewer users.
How to fix it: So we recommend avoiding buying bulk followers who won’t add to your account. Instead, try organic methods that bring real engaged followers for you.
Suggested post: How to grow Instagram followers organically
#3. It’s An Instagram Glitch
Instagram glitches happen sometimes and may result in your followers disappearing from your account. Just as it happened recently, and the head of Instagram confirmed it:
Source: Threads
Whenever a bug or glitch is causing such an issue, there will be news around the Internet or social media. So, if you’re wondering why followers disappear and reappear on Instagram, google “Instagram glitch” to confirm that this is indeed a glitch.
How to fix it: To solve this Instagram glitch of followers lost, all you can do is be patient and wait for the Instagram team to resolve the issue.
#4. Posting Inconsistently
Inconsistent posting can be a significant reason behind losing followers on Instagram. When you don’t maintain a regular posting schedule, your audience may lose interest or forget about your presence altogether.
Followers expect fresh and engaging content, and if they don’t find it consistently, they may start looking elsewhere for content that keeps them hooked.
How to fix it: Create an Instagram content calendar to identify the date, time, and content type you want to post. Do schedule your IG posts to save time.
#5. Posting Too Much Of The Same Content
Another possible reason causing you to lose followers on Instagram is repeatedly sharing the same/similar content. This way, you look spammy, and your followers may get bored from seeing the same content.
How to fix it: To prevent your audience from scrolling past your posts, make sure to mix up your content. Test with different formats like single images, carousels, reels, and more. Also,
#6. Sharing Overly Promotional and Unattractive Content
When users flood their feed with constant promotional material, their audience may quickly lose interest, become disengaged, and hit that unfollow button. Also, unattractive content doesn’t fly on a visual platform like Instagram, where quality matters.
How to fix it: Ditch the over-promotion, embrace creativity, and create content that resonates with your audience. Remember that engaging visuals, meaningful captions, and a sprinkle of personality can work wonders.
Having trouble crafting content that grabs your followers’ attention and attracts new ones? Let our expert team handle your posts for you!
#7. Lacking an Informative Bio and Using Irrelevant Captions
Your bio is like your virtual introduction; without relevant details, your potential followers might struggle to connect with you. An informative bio lets them know who you are, what you do, and what value you bring.
On the other hand, using irrelevant captions for your posts can confuse and disengage your existing followers. Captions provide context, personality, and storytelling – keep them aligned with your content to maintain a strong follower base.
How to fix it: Craft a compelling bio that speaks to your audience, revealing your identity and what sets you apart. Don’t miss to add keywords to your bio to increase your discoverability.
Suggested post: 250+ Instagram bio ideas & trends
When it comes to captions, make them meaningful, entertaining, and relevant to your content. By doing so, you’ll establish a genuine connection with your followers, retain their interest, and put an end to that declining follower count.
#8. Not Engaging with the Right Target Audience
When you fail to connect with your ideal audience, your content may miss the mark, leaving followers uninterested or disconnected. Understanding your audience’s interests, preferences, and pain points is crucial for creating content that resonates with them.
How to fix it: Focus on building meaningful interactions with your target audience. Respond to their comments, ask questions, and genuinely listen to their feedback.
By tailoring your content to their needs and preferences, you’ll foster a loyal and engaged following, ensuring your Instagram presence flourishes.
#9. Using The Wrong Hashtags
Nothing can put your content in front of a new audience all day long as hashtags do. Using relevant hashtags not only makes your posts more discoverable but also lets you target your niche-related audience.
Bear in mind that you have to choose the right hashtags; otherwise, your posts get invisible to the right audience looking for your content.
How to fix it: Craft a hashtag strategy incorporating niche-specific, branded, keyword-rich, target audience, and location tags.
Choose one or two from each category and compile a list of relevant hashtags, keeping it under 15. Rotate these hashtags across your content to maintain variety and engagement.
Why Do I Lose Followers On Instagram When I Post?
A small falling follower count is completely normal and can happen to every account.
But once you notice that you are losing followers rapidly, you definitely need to take quick action. Here we will show you some possible reasons why you lose followers after posting on Instagram.
1. Posting Outside Of Your Theme
Imagine an account starts posting outside of the subject that it is known for. What do you think might happen? People who follow that account for the content in that niche will unfollow the account.
Remember that losing a few followers every once in a while is fine. But if you notice that you’re losing a large group of followers and are asking yourself, ‘Why am I losing followers on Instagram?’, stop straying from the path you laid down when you initially started your account.
2. Publishing Low-Quality Content
Due to the fact that Instagram is a visually-oriented platform, your photos are more important than any other types of content you share.
Nobody enjoys watching dark, blurry, and low-resolution photos on the platform. Instagram users are all seeking to be inspired by new content ideas, have fun, etc. So they will pass your content if you share low-quality content, and after a while, you will lose followers on Instagram.
3. Lack Of Inspiring Captions
Many users are asking themselves, ‘Why am I losing so many followers on Instagram these days?’. In the latest Instagram algorithm, the amount of time a user spends reading captions counts as engagement.
So one of the best ways to stop feed scrollers and make them pay attention to your content is by writing inspiring captions. If you don’t know how to write your captions to stop losing followers on Instagram after posting, the content on this blog is just for you.
How To Stop Losing Followers On Instagram?
let’s see how to keep your engagement high and stop losing followers.
1. Share More Video Content
If you are only sharing photo content on Instagram and not paying attention to videos, you are missing out on a lot. Using different types of video content (feed videos, reels, Stories), you can make your content reach the potential audience and go viral.
Remember, according to Sprout Social, reels still have the highest reach rate on Instagram.
So if you are telling yourself, “I keep losing followers on Instagram,” focus on creating and sharing a combination of different types of videos with trends.
2. Track Your Metrics And Analyze Your Performance
If you are using Instagram professionally to grow your business and boost your brand name, you need to keep tracking your performance.
Metrics such as views of your stories, Reels, number of likes, comments, and saves can show how your audience enjoys your content. Also, don’t forget to calculate your Instagram engagement rate and analyze it once in a while.
Read more: Improve Your Instagram Performance Via Effective Data Analysis
3. Find The Best Hours For Sharing Content
If you are asking yourself, ‘Why am I losing Instagram followers?’ don’t worry; here’s another tip to fix it! Based on where most of your followers are located, there are optimum hours that most of them are online.
If you don’t have a professional page, you can share your content at different hours of the day to find your best times.
Suggested post: How often should you post on Instagram
4. Collaborate With Brands And Influencers
One of the best features that has been recently added to Instagram is Instagram Collabs. This feature allows users to collaborate with each other and co-author feed posts, stories, or reel videos.
The posts you share using this feature will show up on both of your profiles, helping more users view them and get higher engagement. Here are some benefits of using Instagram Collabs:
- Reaching a new audience
- Engagement boost
- Increase sales
So if you are randomly losing followers on Instagram, consider finding similar brands and influencers and start collaborating with them.
5. Participate In Instagram Trends
If you want to be two steps ahead of your competitors and stop losing Instagram followers, jumping on trends is one of the best practices.
Once in a while, something becomes a trend on Instagram and goes viral among users around the world. So if you are recently asking yourself, ‘Why am I losing followers on Instagram?’ consider participating in the recent popular Instagram trends to boost your reach and visibility.
6. Running Instagram Contests And Giveaways
If you are losing followers on Instagram and are looking for a way to keep and engage them ASAP, running Instagram contests and giveaways is a perfect solution. Contests and giveaways can instantly boost your engagement rate and increase your followers.
But you need to set good conditions for participants to convert them from viewers to followers. Here are some examples:
- Like the post and leave a comment under the giveaway post
- Follow the account and tag three friends
- Use related hashtags to enter the giveaway
- Ask them to Send UGC content using your products/service
Read more: The Complete Guide To Run An Instagram Giveaway + tool
FAQs
1. Why Am I Losing Followers On Instagram For No Reason?
There might be different reasons for this: Posting inappropriate content, Instagram followers glitch, posting inconsistently, and buying followers are the most important ones.
2. How Do I Stop My Instagram From Losing Followers?
If you are losing followers on IG recently, there are some practices you can try to stop it. Here is what you can do:
- Share more video content
- Use top niche hashtags
- Track your Instagram metrics and analyze your performance
- Share content at your best hours
- Collaborate with brands and influencers
3. Does Instagram remove followers?
Instagram doesn’t remove followers from your account unless they are spam accounts or bots.
4. Is Instagram Cleaning Fake Followers in 2024?
Yes, Instagram is still working to clean out fake followers from its platform. The presence of fake followers, also known as bots or spam accounts, goes against Instagram’s guidelines and can have detrimental effects on your account’s engagement and visibility.
6. Why Do My Instagram Followers Keep Going Up and Down?
Fluctuating follower counts are normal on Instagram. You might gain followers who aren’t that interested and unfollow later, or Instagram might remove inactive accounts.
