Reasons You’re Losing Instagram Followers

You’ve put a lot of time and effort into building a following on Instagram, so it’s painful when your account loses followers. If people are unfollowing your account in droves, you need to assess the situation and find a solution. Your followers are likely leaving for a particular reason. Go over some common reasons and then make changes as needed. You might not be able to get those followers back, but you can avoid losing additional followers if you make these changes. Then, you can attract new followers and grow your account once again.
 

Your Account Is Overly Promotional

You might use Instagram as a marketing tool, but if you’re overly promotional, you’ll start hemorrhaging followers. People get annoyed when brands only share promotional posts, and they won’t stick around for long to find out if the company changes its ways. As a general rule, promotional posts shouldn’t make up more than 20 percent of your content.  Also, when you promote your product or brand, do so in a way that provides some value. Otherwise, people will hit the unfollow button and find a new brand to follow.
 

Your Content Isn’t Living up to Audience Expectations

When people follow your account, they do so with the expectation that you’ll deliver specific content. If your posts don’t line up with their expectations, they will likely unfollow the account. Determine what your theme is, and then stick to it. Meeting your audience’s expectations will help you keep them around from month to month and year to year. 
 

You Aren’t Changing With the Market

While you need to deliver on your promises, you also must be willing to evolve with the market. If your market has changed, your followers’ needs and expectations have likely changed as well. Incorporate those changes in your posts. Otherwise, your followers will end up dropping off and turning to a brand that’s adapted to the changes.
 

Your Content Looks the Same

You need to stick with a theme on Instagram, but that doesn’t mean all your posts should look the same. Your followers will get bored if you continuously post similar images. Eventually, they’ll unfollow your account so they won’t have to sift through the same content day in and day out. You need to mix it up while staying within your theme. This isn’t nearly as difficult as it sounds. Check out some successful brands and influencers to see how they do it. Take Chipotle, for instance. The account’s theme is clearly food, but the posts are anything but the same. The page is creative, fun, and engaging, and followers stick around to see what the brand will post next.
 

You Post Too Often or Not Enough

If you don’t post very often, your followers might forget about you. Then, when a post shows up in their feed, they are taken by surprise and end up unfollowing you. 

On the other hand, if you post too often, you could end up taking over their feeds. They can’t see other posts because you post in rapid succession. That can also cause people to hit the unfollow button. Post daily, but don’t exceed three posts a day. If you stick to one to three posts a day, you’ll stay on your follower’s minds without overwhelming them. Then, you can maintain your current list of followers while attracting new ones.
 

You Don’t Have Social Proof

Without social proof, people might start to second-guess following your account. Social proof such as Instagram likes tells your followers that your account is popular and offers value. Consider buying Instagram likes to build social proof quickly. That will make it easier to attract organic likes while also holding onto your current Instagram followers. Plus, social proof will also help you attract additional followers, thus boosting your presence on Instagram.

You Don’t Engage With Your Followers

Unless the account belongs to a major celebrity, people expect some level of engagement from Instagram users. If you don’t engage with your followers, they might feel slighted and choose to unfollow your account. Make sure you engage and form connections on the social media network. If you do, you’ll have much more success at keeping your followers. They will view you as an Instagram friend instead of just an account holder. 
 

You Post Low-quality Photographs

Quality matters on Instagram. People might give you a pass if you post one or two low-quality photos, but if it becomes a habit, you’ll end up losing followers. Choose your photos wisely, and edit them as needed. It takes a bit more time to post high-quality photos, but it’s well worth it when you keep your followers happy. 
 

You Don’t Create Engaging Captions

Far too many Instagram users treat captions as afterthoughts. Sure, they add captions, but they put little thought into the process. You will have a hard time maintaining an audience if you don’t post engaging captions. The captions should compel people to like and comment on your posts and make them want to stick around to see what you come up with next. 
 

Your Competition Is Winning

If you’re losing a ton of followers, look at other Instagram pages in your niche. Are these pages doing a better job of serving your audience? If so, that could be the reason you’re losing so many followers. While you don’t want to copy your competition, you can take a page out of their playbook. Incorporate some of their strategies, only find a way to do it better. Then, you can attract and keep followers. You might even pull some followers away from your top competitors. 
 

Put Your Plan Into Action Today

Don’t wait to make changes to your account. With the right adjustments, you can keep the followers you have while attracting more, so you should start today. Begin with something simple, such as buying Instagram likes to build social proof. Then, check your posting strategy and more so you can keep your followers happy while reaching more people.