Why do I lose followers on Instagram? What the data says + how to solve them

The dreaded question of marketing people on social media everywhere: “Why do I lose followers on Instagram?” I spent years in the trenches as a social media editor for media marks and know the daily wear it takes to keep up with the latest media trends, platform updates and more.

Inevitably, a situation arises where you lose supporters and uncertain about the cause. Is it me, or is the algorithm? The answer is complicated. But according to our research, you are not alone. Our Instagram -Marketing Report found that 10% of Instagram -Marketers are reporting losing supporters in the past year.

If you are part of the 10%, you may be in panic and are trying to find out what is causing the decline. Don’t be worried – I’ve got you covered. Below, I cover the main reasons why brands lose supporters on Instagram and offer some tips on how to course correction.

Why do I lose so many followers on Instagram?

1. You do not often post enough or post too much.

When we examined Instagram -Marketing people, 44%said that not placing enough is the biggest reason why brands are losing supporters. On the flip side, 18% can say that placing too much can have the same influence.

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When it comes to posting, I have found success lies in the balance. You want to send enough to make sure you reach your target audience and do not disappear in a sea of ​​positions, but will not send too much that your audience will be flooded with your positions all over the timeline.

As you probably know, it is extremely unlikely that your audience even sees everything you post these days considering the algorithm.

Here’s what I recommend

• First, send at least once a day on the platform, whether on Instagram stories, wheels or footborn. If you have to choose, stories are a great opportunity just to stay up to date with updated content.
• Second, share a footborn post two to three times a week. You can increase this cadence based on how your audience reacts, but you probably shouldn’t lower it.

Also: Don’t forget the audience’s commitment.

In my opinion, too many people focus on how and when they post, and too little about how they interact with their audience. According to our data, this is a crucial mistake.

The rising commitment is now marketers’ primary goals – and I expect this trend to continue in 2025. It includes likes, comments, interactive elements and more. You can (and should) take your unique spin on it.

Tl; DR: Don’t get so trapped in your overall follower count that you forget to engage in your loyal audience. This is what will contribute most to your growth in the long run.

2. You are for sales-y.

The second most common reason for losing supporters is overly sales-y. 43% of Instagram -Marketing people said this is an important exit for the audience.

Our study found that content centered around a brand’s products/services is geared with 37% of Ig Marketing people and has the highest ROI – but yes, there is too much of a good thing.

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If it is the only type of content you post, you can alienate your audience.

Here’s what I recommend

Balance is the key word here.

In addition to posts that highlight your products and/or services, you must also send content that:

• Reflecting your brand values.
• Invite conversation.
• Building community.

I know that I use, I get frustrated if I open Instagram while I have time to relax and I feel like every post I encounter is trying to make me buy something – ICK. It is much more likely that I am engaging in a fun meme or entertaining video.

The data also supports this: Our study revealed that the fun content is the second most effective in getting followers, shares and commitment on Instagram.

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3. You had bot supporters.

If you have purchased bot supporters, you will join us for a rude awakening when they all disappear and your subsequent list thought.

20% of the Instagram -Marketers surveyed say this is why brands are losing supporters.

Although it is tempting to buy bots to give a sense of a strong subsequent base, this practice will only hurt you in the long run.

Instead, I recommend focusing on building a successor list organically through a consistent posting plan, sharing valuable content, after trends and listening to your data.

It also doesn’t have to take a long time. Most marketers say it takes 4-6 months to reach 1K supporters on Instagram. Only 17% reached it in less than a month and only 1% took over one year.

Here’s what I recommend

If you have inherited a lot of bot supporters, you can try manually remove inactive accounts to improve the quality of your audience and get better insight from your data.

Instagram now allows you to look at your supporter count and see any accounts marked for review or inactive. You can start with these lists to start cleaning up your lists.

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4. You do not have a consistent aesthetic and voice.

One thing audience love is consistency.

Consistency in your branding and your creative assets is the key to building strong fire recognition. In addition, consistency also helps to build a visually appealing profile.

If a user visits your profile and each post looks like it was created by another brand, they have a hard time understanding what your brand is about and choosing to remove you.

Personally, if I roll and I notice a brand I do not recognize on my timeline I will visit their profile and if I do not recognize their last pair of posts I will probably follow them. I can imagine that many users behave the same way.

Here’s what I recommend

With this in mind:

• Find out what your brand identity and visual aesthetics are early in your branding process.
• Leverage tools like Canva to build a visual profile that remains consistent across all platforms.

Skimm, an E -Mail email letter that summarizes the biggest news of the day, is a good 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.

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5. Your audience has evolved and you do not stop.

It would be so easy to market to our audience if their interests and behavior always remained the same.

Unfortunately, this is not the case.

This requires marketers to remain at the top of what attracts and retains their audience. One of the most effective ways to do this is by relying on your data. What does it tell you?

Say you are a hubspot and our feed consists of customer success stories, product heights, business values ​​and industry trends.

Maybe content about industry trends used to work very well, but you’ve noticed a slow decline over the past six months. Maybe your audience is not so interested in this content or format it is presented.

Maybe if you used to take advantage of images, consider switching to video.

The greatest gift for me is to use outdated tactics. If you are stuck with hashtag -spam or send gifts to increase subsequent accounts, I would recommend trying some of these new best practices. The audience is developing rapidly – and the platforms evolve even faster – and it’s our job as marketers on social media to follow.

Here’s what I recommend

If you are looking for help developing with your audience, you can check out our free Instagram for Business Kit. You will learn how to get supporters, build your audience, navigate algorithm updates and measure success.

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Use this data to guide your Instagram strategy

My biggest takeaway from this data and from my years as a social editor? You need to give your audience a reason to follow you. It’s not enough just to show up and have a presence on Instagram.

You must have a defined brand, a unique voice, and you have to emerge authentic (and consistently!) To build meaningful relationships with your audience. That’s what your followers are interested in and maybe not surprisingly the algorithm favors.

In the end, always use data to manage your strategy. If you do not, you risk losing contact with your audience and slowly see your subsequent list fall.

Losing Instagram supporters can be a scary reality to meet. Once you have identified the cause behind the decline, however, you can address it and regain them.

The editor’s note: This post was originally published in February 2022 and has been updated for understanding.