Is your audience plateau-ing? Not seeing the growth you want to? What are some of the most common reasons people hit the unfollow button on Instagram? Let’s dive in & discuss strategies to help you avoid losing followers on Instagram:
Inconsistency
There is no quicker way to lose followers than inconsistent content strategy. Trust me, I know it can be tough to get into the groove of posting consistently. Work to develop a schedule that works for you. Consider what you can manage. What can you maintain on a weekly basis? 2 posts a week? 3 posts a week? 5 days a week? Okay, now how many static posts? What about reels?
Find a content strategy that works for you and stick with it! And no, you don’t have to post every day. That is a common misconception. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. If you can share 3 awesome pieces of content Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, that is great! I find that people often get over-ambitious with posting goals and their content suffers as a result.
Having a consistent posting schedule will allow your audience to expect content from you on certain days or times. Maybe you share sales every Monday, or travel tips every Tuesday. Creating consistent content is a huge attractor for your community on Instagram – and hey, brands love to see it too!
Narrow in on your posting strategy and content plan. Once you have it, write it down and stick to it! You can even share with your audience what days and times you’ll be posting each week so they’ll know what to expect from you. I always share my Tip Tuesday posts for bloggers and content creators on Tuesdays, and my audience knows to expect this from me. As a result, Tip Tuesday posts always receive high engagement and views!
Not clearly defining your brand
Think about the influencers, celebrities, or brands that you follow. You follow them for a reason right? Think about what that reason is. What keeps you from hitting that unfollow button? What does their content mean to you? For example, maybe you’re a mom to toddlers and you love following a blogger who shares gluten-free recipes for your kids. Perhaps you’re a new homeowner looking for home design inspiration from your favorite home decor Instagram. Or maybe, you love a good Amazon find, so you turn to your favorite influencers to help you seek out the deals.
Either way, it is the same thing with your account. Think about what your content should mean to your audience. Clearly define who you are & what you do. Work to establish your niche and content style. Maintaining followers can be tough when you’re not clear on your mission and branding. Get clear and your audience will stick around! Remember, you can’t be all things for all people. And that is okay! Think about what makes you or your content unique.
No value added
Value comes in different forms. Every time I share a new post, I consider the following. “Would someone save this to refer to later?”
As we know, saves can be huge for engagement. They are also a great indicator that you are providing value to your audience as they are saving your post. Maybe they are saving because they liked your outfit and you’re sharing a great sale on your shoes. Maybe you’re providing travel recommendations for a new city. Or, maybe you’re talking about your favorite Starbucks drink and everyone is sharing theirs in the comments.
Think about what will get your audience to save and keep coming back to your content. Value comes in a number of ways. Value can be aspirational – like maybe following a glamorous influencer who travels the world because you’d love to have that lifestyle. Maybe the value is added when your favorite travel blogger shares new destinations you can visit on a budget. Just know, value CAN come in other forms besides tips or educational content.
Adding value can be a huge way to grow and nourish your community. By adding value in each post, you are providing a service to your audience. This allows them to trust you and consider you a resource that they constantly want to refer back to. How could they hit the unfollow button when you are providing great info and content on a regular basis? Think about what will get your audience to save and keep coming back to your content.
Adding value can be a huge driver of engagement and community growth, especially now that Instagram is likely prioritizing posts with a high number of saves and shares. When one of my posts receives a high number of either, it is a great indicator to me that I am providing value to your audience. Do a deep dive on your past posts and see what performed well! I use these metrics to drive content strategy moving forward as I know my audience enjoys that type of content.
Not showing personality
One of the biggest mistakes I made when I first started out on Instagram is that I was embarrassed and did not show any personality.
I even tried to mimic content I was seeing on Instagram from popular creators in the fashion and lifestyle industry. But, it just wasn’t me! And it certainly wasn’t unique. Why would someone choose to follow me over anyone else when our content was the same? People were definitely hitting that unfollow button.
It wasn’t until I started showing my personality and more of my life that I started gaining followers. For a long time, I thought, well I’m not that interesting, why would anyone care about my personality? But, your personality is the BEST way to distinguish yourself! I like to treat my audience like they are my personal friends. I do so by sharing little details of my day-to-day life. By doing so, I have connected with so many people and have gained lifelong relationships.
Trust me, don’t hold back like I did. You will lose followers if you share the same standard content as everyone else. Think about what makes you YOU and run with it!
Inauthenticity
Most people can spot inauthenticity from a mile away. And trust me, when they do, they will hit that unfollow button. Don’t let that happen! Do not take the easy way out.
What do I mean by that? Don’t cut corners! I see a lot of influencers do this when they use tactics like buying followers or joining comment pods. Comment pods are groups of influencers who regularly engage with each others content. They will share their latest post in the group message and the other girls in the group HAVE to engage (like, comment, save) before sharing their own post with the group. Now, this may seem like a harmless practice, but Instagram actually flags this activity.
Instead of focusing your time on these groups, spend your time authentically engaging with your audience and finding new accounts to connect with.
Same goes for practices like following people just to unfollow them. Same goes for those accounts that DM you and say “We can grow your audience by 100,000 over night!” If it seems too good to be true, it is. Cutting corners is a surefire way to turn off your community. Lead by example!
Another way to come across as inauthentic to your audience is to take on brand partnerships that DO NOT align with your brand or audience. Choose your partnerships wisely. Some individuals are skeptical of branded content to begin with, and they will not receive content they deem as “fake” well. Only take on partnerships that truly align.
You’re not engaging back
Spend time authentically engaging with those who do the same for you. Remember the golden rule? It applies in the influencer marketing world! I carve out time every day to interact with my audience. There are a few ways I do this. The biggest one is replying to comments that my followers have left on my posts. Typically when I do this, I also try to leave an authentic comment on one of their last posts.
I also seek out new accounts regularly. Finding new accounts is easy! I love to use hashtags to interact with other creators. I’ll typically choose a few hashtags that I’ve used on my own post and interact with some of the most recent posts in that category. When I do this, I leave authentic comments that show that I have actually read the caption. I often see people commenting “omg so cute” on posts with a more serious caption. Nothing shows more that you didn’t bother to take the time to look at the content or read the caption. When you are engaging, do so in a way that reciprocates what engagement you would like to receive. When other creators see you consistently engaging with their content, they’ll be more likely to spread the love and do the same! This will keep your audience interested and engaged with your content, making them much less likely to hit the UNFOLLOW button!
Are you a new blogger or content creator looking for more resources? Check out these recent posts:
- Influencer Terms You Need to Know
- Boost Your Engagement on Instagram Stories
- Grow Your Following
- Negotiate with Brands
- How to Find and Pitch Brand Contacts
- Pitching Techniques: How to Land the Perfect Pitch Every Time
- How I Build My Content Calendar
- 9 Blogging Essentials You Need
- How to Maintain Relationships with Brands
- Pitching to PR Contacts (+ How To Find Them)
- Boost Your Instagram Story Engagement
- Pitching to Brands as an Influencer (+ real email templates that I actually sent!)
- The Tea on Instagram Giveaways
- Influencer Marketing Platforms to Help You Make Money
