Are you losing Instagram followers?
Is your followers number is going up and down, and up and down?
Let me start by saying that you’re not the only one.
Here are 3 reasons why this might be happening.
1. There is a bug
If you lost Instagram followers around the 13th of February 2019, you’re not the only one.
Instagram said there was a bug and that they were working on it to fix it.
By now, the bug should be fixed.
Update your Instagram app and your followers number should be back to normal.
2. Instagram is deleting spam accounts
Instagram has been deleting a LOT of spam, bot, inactive and fake accounts lately. So you might be losing Instagram followers here and there, from time to time. Don’t get discouraged. These followers were fake followers.
Instagram started taking stronger action against these accounts last year, in November 2018. And it looks like they are not going to stop any time soon.
They said on their blog:
“We’re taking a number of steps to limit this kind of unwelcome behaviour. We’ve removed the inauthentic activity (likes, comments, followers) given to their account from others.”
Moral of the story:
1. You didn’t do anything wrong. Instagram is deleting a bunch of accounts who were not following their rules. Unfortunately, there are a LOT of spam accounts out there. So you might see drop in your followers number from time to time.
2. Do not use apps and websites that automatically like, comment and follow/unfollow for you. They do not follow Instagram’s rules and policy and could get your account in trouble.
3. Found an app or website where you need to login with your Instagram account? Careful! Make sure they are using the OFFICIAL Instagram login system. The login screen you see MUST BE the official Instagram login screen (like this one). If you don’t see the Instagram login screen, it means that they are not following Instagram’s Policy and they can put your account in trouble.
4. And yes, Preview app is 100% safe to use. We follow Instagram’s Policy, rules, guidelines and Terms of Use. We would never put your account at risk.
If you’re feeling sad about losing followers, tell yourself that they were inactive people and fake accounts. They were not going to do any good for your account. They just inflated your number of followers for no reason.
Better have less followers and you know they are real, than more followers who are fake.
3. Some accounts automatically follow and unfollow you
This is what Instagram is against and punishes.
Unfortunately there are a lot of spam accounts doing this to get your attention.
They follow you in the hope that you will follow back. Then 3 things happen:
- They continue following you because you follow them back (but they’ll probably never interact with you anyways), or
- They unfollow you even if you follow them back, or
- You don’t follow them and they unfollow you a few days later
Not cool.
Don’t worry about losing these followers. They were not genuinely interested in your account in the first place.
There are a few things you can do from your end to avoid these follow-unfollowers from coming to your account. I’ve explained everything in this blog post.
That’s it!
I hope this helps. These are the 3 main reason why you might be losing followers very quickly.
If none of the reasons relate to you, then it might be time to refresh your Instagram strategy. Click here to read our favorite Instagram tips to grow your account. Can’t wait to see you grow your own community of awesome people!
Have fun!
