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Instagram Follow to Unfollow Method- How to Beat it

Instagram follow to unfollow method is getting more and more common in the Instagram world. I’m sure you have been a victim of this method if you are an active user on the platform.

You might be happy to have gained 10 followers after posting a post you are very proud of. Then you check your following numbers some hours later to realize that your follower count now has dropped by 8.

Let me tell you, me and many of my clients have been there, and I guess you have experienced this as well.

This is the Instagram follow and unfollow method. If you are an influencer, entrepreneur, or business owner, changes in follower numbers are one of your main frustrations when it comes to Instagram, right?

So, what is all this about and how do you stop it?

Keep on reading to learn more about how to beat the Instagram follow to unfollow method so you can focus on the right followers and potential customers instead.

Instagram Follow to Unfollow Method - How to beat it.

What is the Instagram Follow to Unfollow Method?

The Instagram follow and unfollow method refers to a person following a massive amount of other Instagram media accounts with the goal in mind to get follows back in return.

If they don’t get a follow back, they’ll unfollow after a period of time. It can be a day, a week, a month…

And often, they will still unfollow you even if you actually do follow them back.

A really good strategy, especially when you are just starting out and trying to grow your audience of potential clients, is to genuinely connect with similar accounts in your niche. Also, it is beneficial to strategically follow accounts based on if they have posts you like to see in your feed.

Another reason to connect with new people is if it’s someone you would like to engage with because they match your target audience and might one day be potential clients. In other words, it’s all about genuinely connecting with the intent to add value and to be social.

But to following a massive amount of random accounts with the only purpose of increasing the number of followers on your account is a very spammy move. Also to unfollow everybody that didn’t follow you back, or even worse, unfollowing everyone independent of if they follow you back or not, is a really awkward strategy and against good business morals.

The best way to go is to connect and engage with your new followers over a number of weeks and have some patience to unfollow until you are sure that this person doesn’t engage back or interact with you at all. They might not be your kind of type and you’re not going to develop any kind of interaction or relationship.

Ok now when we have this clarified, how do you find out who the spammy guys are?

Who Uses the Instagram Follow Unfollow Method?

Most often, there are two different kind of people who use the follow unfollow method.

  • People wanting to grow their account at all costs. These people don’t care that it’s an unfair strategy that annoys other people.
  • Bots are used a lot for this purpose as well. These bots can randomly place comments on your picture that are completely un-genuine or just totally irrelevant. People pay for bots to auto-comment and/or follow new accounts with the only purpose of getting a fast-track to growing their Instagram account.

How do I Stop Instagram Followers that Unfollow my Account?

If you’re spending all of your time thinking about the following numbers of your account with follow/unfollow types, you’re not doing what you need to be doing. You need to focus on how to actually attract the people who might be genuinely interested in your content.

The follow unfollow method is, unfortunately, a fact of Instagram life, but here are a few tips to soften the blow.

Stop obsessing over the few unfollowers and instead focus on this:

Engage with your target audience

Spend time proactively socialize with your target audience. Focus on the people who might do business with you in the future.

People aren’t searching through hashtags looking for accounts to follow, they are most often too busy for that. The fact is, YOU need to do the work and go find your people in order for them to find you.

Get out there and start showing people you EXIST.

Genuine engagement, that’s how you grow your following.

Deliver high quality content

Quality content is the number one reason that people want to follow you. Instagram is a visual platform and to catch interest you need to publish high-quality images followed by informative captions.

Make your content highly attractive to your target audience, and they’re gonna follow you so they can learn more.

Don’t use too many big hashtags

Can my use of hashtags play a role in attracting unfollowers to my account? Yes, if you use to many big broad hashtags with millions of posts like #entrepreneur or #business or #fitness. You are opening your account to a higher degree of follower fluctuation.

Bots and some only following focused accounts love searching through these broad hashtags on Instagram for follow/unfollows and you’ll realize that you get a bunch of new followers, and a bunch of unfollows.

I recommend using no more than a maximum of five of these broad types of hashtags.

These hashtags can help to increase your post engagement (and favor the Instagram algorithm), but they are not going to reach your target audience.

People genuinely searching through hashtags won’t usually be searching for something like #health.

They’ll be searching for location specific, or community, or brand hashtags because they are more relevant to what they are looking for.

If you have a location specific business serving only customers in your location you have to use more location specific hashtags.

For example, someone looking for a restaurant to visit in New York is more likely to be searching for #NewYorkRestaurant than they are under #Restaurant, right?

Be picky about who you follow back

Don’t follow all accounts back that follows you in an attempt to be kind and increase your following numbers.

Especially if this account is a brand in a totally different niche, (not your target audience) that most likely never gonna do business with you.

The goal with social media if you are an entrepreneur is to engage with people that might one day do business with you.

When some random accounts follow you and you’re thinking about whether to follow them back or not, this is how to think:

‘Are they my target audience’?

If yes, follow back and start to engage!

If no, don’t follow back.

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    How to See who Unfollowed You on Instagram?

    Want to know how to check who’s following and unfollowing you on Instagram?

    Well, you actually can do this with some help.

    Instagram follow unfollow app

    I have some tips on two good apps to see who unfollowed you on Instagram. But remember this first, Instagram has really cracked down on the use of third party apps. This means that app developers are way more limited in how they’re able to access users’ followers.

    If you tried to use an app that claimed to show you who unfollowed you but noticed it doesn’t work, these changes made to the Instagram API might explain why.

    Does Instagram allow third party apps?

    Instagram doesn’t necessarily sanction all third party apps. There’s no list on Instagram of approved third party programs you can use. However, in order to have access to the Instagram API, apps need to pass through an approval process.

    This doesn’t mean every Instagram app is approved, however. 

    The use of the two third-party apps mentioned below lets you manage your followers more easily than doing it through the Instagram app.

    Although, I don´t recommend taking actions through any third-party app since there’s a risk that Instagram will notice and put a red flag on your account, block you or get your account shadowbanned. Use these apps only as tools to observe your numbers.

    These two apps below connect to your Instagram account and tell you some useful information about your followers (and unfollowers).

    Followers Plus

    Instagram Followers Plus

    Followers Plus is a free Instagram follow app to download and start using right away (extra features are available with in-app purchases). This app functions as a simple follower/following tracker and has a user-friendly design.

    Have a quick and easy overview over followers you gained, followers you lost, unfollowers, and deleted likes and comments. Just tap on the Lost Followers tab to see a list of your unfollowers.

    app instr

    Download for:

    ios

    Follow Cop

    Unfollowers for Instagram Follow Cop

    If you’re an Android user Follow Cop is an Instagram follow app that is definitely worth checking out. This app allows you to see users who recently unfollowed you, ghost followers, top likers and more.

    The app only shows who unfollowed you most recently, so you’ll want to make sure to check your unfollowers on a regular basis. Of these unfollowers, you’ll also be able to see if you follow or don’t follow them.

    There are also some paid features in the Follow Cop app.

    follow cop 2

    Download for:

    android

    Related articles:

    Instagram Growth Hacks That Won’t Break the Bank

    Conclusion

    To gain more followers is what everyone wants on Instagram.

    The Instagram follow unfollow method is a very annoying and spammy method and against good business morals. But it is one of the main ways people try to gain new followers and for that reason, it’s not a trend that’s going away anytime soon. As a result, your follower numbers are going to continue to have ups and downs.

    There are things you can do to reduce the fluctuation though, like using more niched hashtags and to keep an eye on who is unfollowing you. Download an app to keep an eye on your numbers and be picky about who you follow back.

    But at the end of the day, my advice is to just ignore the fluctuation in your following numbers.

    Spend your time and energy on doing more important things like producing quality content, reaching your business goals, and engaging with your target audience. This strategy is going to attract the right type of followers for you. Ones that genuinely loves your content, find it valuable and that might one day do business with you.

    Because in conclusion, that’s the whole point with social media for businesses. Do you agree? Comment and share your experience below!

    Talk soon!

    Hanna1

    Leave a Comment

    The Comments

    • Ash
      July 9, 2020

      Great write up! I’ve all but given up on those unfollow apps. More often than not they’re extremely buggy and present outdated or completely inaccurate information on those pesky unfollowers. Sigh.

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