You have been posting photos and videos on Instagram for months or even years, have been constantly engaging with your audience and still see that your account is losing Instagram followers?
Don’t panic too soon, as in this article I will cover the 7 main reasons why you are losing Instagram followers & what to do to stop them from unfollowing your Instagram account.
Let’s get started!
1. Low quality content
Posting low quality images and videos leads to failure. That’s the fastest way to lose your followers and one of the most important reasons why small account can’t get traction and start gathering new followers.
Content is king. If content is high quality, entertaining and fits your account’s niche, then your account should be constantly growing.
You may be tempted to post the picture where you captured an important moment, however, if the picture is blurry or has a bad lighting, it is better to not post it at all.
It is much better to have 20 high quality, unique & entertaining pictures uploaded in your Instagram profile compared to 100 low quality random pictures. So, don’t be tempted to post irrelevant or low quality content on your profile, this will help you a lot.
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2. Posting inconsistently
If you just took several great pictures and would like to share with your audience right now, better think twice. You should always post on Instagram consistently. It means that if you should post several posts all at once and then forget about posting for a few days.
The best tactic would be to spread the pictures out so your audience would get to see new content consistently.
If you are posting daily, then you should keep doing this. If you are posting every other day, then keep that consistency up and you should be fine. It is the best when followers know when to expect for new content from you, so keep posting regularly.
3. Not using hashtags or using them incorrectly
You must use hashtags. Hashtags make your post discoverable to other people, not just your current followers. You see, when you add a hashtag to your photo, it may appear in certain hashtag category and people searching for that hashtag may find your content. If you don’t use hashtags at all, then you miss a chance to get discovered.
However, don’t overuse hashtags. You should be adding around 3 hashtags per post that are related to your picture. If you will be adding many hashtags that are unrelated to your picture, then Instagram’s algorithm may think of your content as spam and reduce the organic reach.
Remember, it is better to add one very specific hashtag that presents your photo the best than many broad (generic) hashtags that doesn’t really explain what your picture is about.
4. Your account lacks of cohesive theme
First impression matters the most. Just like your profile picture and bio description, your account’s theme must be cohesive. It means that all your content should have something in common (similar color patters, character size & fonts, photo backgrounds, shades and lighting. All of the photos uploaded to your profile should relate to your overall photo theme and niche in general.
For example, if you are using black borders on your pictures, then you should continue doing this. You need to make pictures look alike. If you are uploading white/black pictures, then keep on doing this and do not upload colored photos.
Your feed needs to look systematic, with matching quality, colors, shades and lighting. If your feed is filled with different pictures with mismatched photo sizes and colors, this may scare your potential followers.
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5. You oversell to your followers
Brand’s are growing their Instagram accounts because they want to reach more audience and increase their product or service sales. That’s how it supposed to be. However, don’t overwhelm your followers by advertisements of your products and services.
They are following you not because of your products, but because of entertaining content that you are sharing on your Instagram profile.
The best tactic is to give your followers what they want (entertaining content) and only afterwards ask something from them in return. You should post 3 entertaining posts (giveaways, quotes, etc.) and then publish post that advertises your product or service.
Keep the promotion ratio low (below 25%), so that from four posts only one would be promotional. This will keep your audience engaged and you won’t be losing Instagram followers.
6. Inappropriate posts
Some users may unfollow you just because of one inappropriate post. People understand something inappropriate in different ways. By inappropriate, I mean uploading something that doesn’t represent your Instagram content theme or something that can insult your audience.
For example, if your whole Instagram theme goes about animal protection and their rights, you can’t upload a picture where people are eating chicken or other meat. If you are running a personal profile and share your opinion about some political party, some may find it insulting (because they have other political view) and unfollow your account.
So, make sure to think twice before posting your future content.
7. Using “Follow for follow” methods or other shady marketing tactics
Using follow for follow or other shady marketing tactics can be dangerous to your account. By using such techniques you will get new followers, however, they may bring more harm than positive results.
That’s because such followers are not really interested in your content and won’t engage. They will probably unfollow you after a few days anyways, as they followed you just because you followed them first.
The secret to followers growth is engagement. The more engaged your audience is with your content, the more organic reach you get from Instagram.
So, you should stop using such marketing techniques and concentrate on real and organic growth by uploading high quality & entertaining content.
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I hope that you found this guide helpful, learned why you are losing Instagram followers and what to do to stop them from unfollowing your Instagram account.
