You lose Instagram followers when people unfollow you or when accounts disappear. Are fewer new followers joining than are leaving? Then your total decreases. First, check your numbers over several days and compare them with the past 30 days, if you have that data. One lower number does not show why you are losing followers.
Below, you will read how to identify the possible cause and what you can do afterwards.
Measuring Instagram follower loss: look at several days
For one week, record how many followers you have each day at roughly the same time. There is no need to check every hour. One measurement per day gives you a better view of how your number changes.
Note whether you posted anything and what was different from usual. Do you have older data? Then also look at the past 30 days. That is a useful period for comparison, not a fixed Instagram rule.
Can your statistics show separately how many followers join and leave? Record those numbers too. If necessary, read how to view your Instagram statistics. If you cannot see that data, track only your total number. This shows how much your total decreases, but not how many people joined or left.
Your decrease is not the same as your number of unfollowers
A fictional calculation example: you start the week with 1000 followers. You gain 15 followers and 35 people unfollow you. At the end of the week, you have 980 followers:
1000 + 15 − 35 = 980 followers.
Your total has decreased by 20 followers. To calculate that decrease as a percentage, divide the loss by your number at the beginning. Then multiply by 100:
20 ÷ 1000 × 100 = 2% decrease.
So you have 2% fewer followers than at the beginning. Yet 35 people unfollowed you, not 20. The 15 new followers make the difference.
There is no fixed percentage that lets you determine that follower loss is always normal. Therefore, compare it with your own previous weeks. Pay particular attention to whether your number decreases once or continues to fall week after week.
Which cause fits your declining number of Instagram followers?
Do not look only at your number of followers. Also check your reach, changes in your posts and notable accounts in your follower list. Reach is the number of different accounts that have seen your content. That is not the same as the number of views.
Use this table to choose what to check first. A pattern gives you an indication, not proof of the cause.
| How is your number decreasing? | Your reach | Posted different content? | Seen suspicious followers? | What do you check first? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suddenly | Approximately the same | No | Seen frequently before | Check whether it remains a single decrease. Accounts may have disappeared, but this does not tell you that for certain. |
| After a post | Same or higher | Yes | Nothing unusual | Compare the subject, tone and amount of advertising with your earlier posts. |
| Gradually | Lower | No | Nothing unusual | Check whether mainly fewer new followers are joining. |
| Gradually | Approximately the same | Yes | Nothing unusual | Check whether your new topics still fit what people followed you for. |
| Suddenly | Unknown | No | Unknown | First, track your numbers for a few days. Your total alone does not show the cause. |
Lower reach does not by itself make followers disappear. However, it can occur alongside fewer new followers. If the same number of people continue to leave meanwhile, your total may decrease as a result.
Follower loss also does not prove a shadowban. By that term, people usually mean that they suspect Instagram is making their posts less visible without clearly saying so. A lower number of followers alone is not proof of this.
Instagram followers lost because accounts disappear
Not every follower who disappears deliberately pressed unfollow. The account may also have disappeared. FollowNow mentions the removal of spam accounts as a possible cause of follower loss. That does not mean this also happened to your profile.
Did you previously suddenly gain many followers with empty profiles or strange names? Note that as an indication. An empty profile can also belong to an ordinary user. You cannot reliably tell whether an account is fake based only on a name or profile picture.
Do not immediately remove large groups of followers. This makes your own number decrease and makes it harder to understand the original decrease. First, check whether the loss continues.
Losing Instagram followers after different posts or a break
Look at the posts you published just before the decrease began. Did you start posting about a different topic? Did you post much more often? Or did you suddenly mainly share offers? You can compare this with your earlier posts without having to guess how Instagram distributes your posts.
A fictional example: you usually share walking routes and nature photos. Then, for a week, you mainly post discount codes. Some followers may find that change less interesting. Try a few posts with routes and photos instead of immediately changing your entire profile.
Did your number decrease after one post? That does not yet prove that the post caused it. Check whether you see the same decrease more often with similar posts. Do not delete a post solely because you have fewer followers afterwards.
After not posting for a while
After a break, fewer new followers may join. If people do leave, your total decreases. This does not have to be an Instagram penalty. Start posting again at a pace you can maintain and track what changes.
Following, unfollowing or sending the same messages frequently
Posting the same response repeatedly or sending unsolicited messages can irritate people. If you do this, stop. Also do not follow and unfollow many accounts to quickly reverse your decrease. That makes it harder to see how your number changes without those actions.
Can you no longer follow new accounts yourself? That is different from losing followers. For that, read the Instagram help about the following limit.
Can purchased Instagram followers disappear?
Yes, purchased followers can also disappear. Those accounts may later unfollow you or no longer exist. Without more information about those accounts, you do not know why they are gone.
Are you considering buying Instagram followers? A higher number is not the same as people consciously choosing your posts. A purchase does not guarantee that followers will stay, respond to your posts or that your posts will automatically reach more people. To compare quantities and prices, explore our Instagram services, including packages for followers and likes.
Did the decrease begin after a purchase? Note the purchase date and compare your number before and after it. Check your order terms if you have questions about them. Buying more followers does not explain the decrease. It also makes your measurements less clear.
What can you do if you keep losing Instagram followers?
Use your measurements to choose one next step. Do not change your topics, how often you post and your entire profile at the same time. Afterwards, you will not be able to see which change made a difference.
- Check whether fewer new followers are joining. Compare new followers and unfollowers if you have that data. Are fewer people joining, or are more people leaving?
- Choose one adjustment that fits. For example, share fewer sales posts or return to a topic you posted about frequently before.
- Keep everything else as consistent as possible. Keep posting at a pace you can maintain. This lets you compare your posts more effectively.
- Continue tracking your numbers for another one or two weeks. Record your total, the statistics you can see and the posts you published. This is a practical test period, not a promise that your number will recover afterwards.
- Compare how your number changes. Alongside your final total, also look at new followers, unfollowers and reach. Is the cause still unclear? Collect data for longer instead of constantly trying something different.
Are there also unknown posts on your profile? Or are you receiving notifications about logins you do not recognise? Then check your security through Instagram itself. This is a separate account issue. Never give your password or login code to a service that promises to find out who unfollows you.
You cannot prevent someone from unfollowing you. You can consciously choose your topics and pace and compare your numbers at set times. Look at several days, not only the latest number on your profile.
