Following Back on Instagram Could Secure Your IG Community

There are so many potential followers for your page out there. Some of them, you already follow yourself. You hope that they are considering following back on Instagram. 

Did you know that this is how some creators gain followers? The two creators mutually agree to follow each other on Instagram. 

This conversation may occur in a direct message chat or in the comment section. Some creators even have Reels promising to follow anyone who follows them. They hope they have an engaged audience at the end of it all.

You might be open to new ways of increasing your following. Does the IG follow-back method intrigue you? If so, let’s discuss it. We can help you decide if this method is right for your brand.

Can You Track Instagram Follows and Unfollows?

Yes, there are ways to track Instagram follows and unfollows. You are in the process of growing your Instagram page. Some days are really good, and then there are days you don’t see any new followers. 

Sometimes, it seems like your numbers have even decreased. It’s time to take a magnifying glass to your numbers. Here are some ways people do it.

Instagram Insights

With this first option, you don’t have to leave the social media platform. Your Instagram Insights are a great place to keep up with your numbers on IG. 

They will give you a breakdown of how many new followers you have and how many people unfollowed you. The big number on your IG page is just not detailed enough. With this method, you can get a breakdown of the net result.

Third-Party Apps

Sometimes the numbers are not enough. That’s why some creators find third-party apps so tempting. Some websites promise to tell you the names of the accounts that follow you. 

However, Instagram did not have any part in these tools. If you use these resources, you are at their mercy. Instagram will not be able to help you if something goes wrong. 

Make sure you have added protection for your Instagram account. Two-factor authentication will be helpful. If it helps, it may not matter who unfollowed you on Instagram. It’s better to have a community of Instagram users that want to follow. 

That way, they are more likely to engage in your content. All they did was make more room for the followers that wanted to be there.

Who’s This on My IG Feed? Does Instagram Automatically Follow Accounts

No, IG does not automatically follow accounts. Still, you cannot seem to remember ever following this account. You look through their page and can’t see why you follow them. 

Unfortunately, this happens a lot for you. Random pieces of content show up on your timeline. 

We’re not just talking about the sponsored posts. These are the pages that you follow. Now you’re asking, “Does Instagram automatically follow accounts?”

This is not a normal activity for Instagram. The platform wants you to follow people that you like. That way, you can stay on the app longer and engage with their content. If IG wanted you to follow a particular page, it would put it on your Explore Page.

Did you give a website access to your page? You see this random account because you gave your login information to a third party. Well, they may be engaging in some IG follow-up tactics. For that page to follow you, you have to follow them back. 

That could be the explanation for these random pages on your timeline. This is why some people don’t like this follower growth method.

Why the Follow for Follow Method May Not Be a Good Idea 

Having a balanced approach to your growth tactics is so important. Not everything possible is beneficial for your brand. It can be trendy but have lasting negative effects on you. The Follow for Follow method could be one of these things. 

You see other people growing their pages exponentially with this method, and naturally, you wonder if it will work for you. Let’s weigh the pros and cons of the IG follow-back method. Here are a few considerations before you hop on the IG follow-back trend.

1. You Want People To Follow Out of Genuine Interest 

Having a community of people who like your content is priceless. What feels better than knowing people feel at home when they visit your page? Instagram is about creating a community. It’s not about reaching the highest number of followers possible or having great numbers to look good to brands. 

This is why some creators prefer to have genuine followers. Accounts that follow with the hope that you follow back are not that genuine. 

They don’t follow your page because they like what you have to offer. They probably don’t appreciate the extreme effort you put into your content. They may not even pay attention when you come on the feed. 

Is that what you want? A trade-off won’t give you that satisfying feeling when someone follows voluntarily. There is nothing like someone following you simply because they want to see more of you. You may have to forfeit that feeling if you try this method.

2. They May Unfollow Shortly After

If there is no genuine interest in your content, will these new followers stay? How do you know they didn’t follow you just to follow back? They might be waiting for you to follow them and then unfollow you. They may wait until the coast is clear before unfollowing your page. 

Who has time for games like this? Hopefully, it’s not you; you’re going with your brand. Ensuring that people continue to follow you will be a full-time job. You shouldn’t have to waste your time doing things like that. If you follow a page, you should hope people keep up their side of the agreement. 

These aren’t deals that Instagram sanctions, so you cannot go to them for support when someone defaults.

3. You Have To Follow Pages You Have No Interest In

There is something worse than a page unfollowing you. This is the fact that you have to follow pages that you don’t like. 

Sure, there may be some people in the community that you like to see on your timeline. And, sometimes, these are the people that you want to see. But to get their support, you have to give them yours. 

Now, you have a host of random IG pages on your timeline. To maintain peace, you have to do things like mute them from your stories and IG feed. Maybe you have no problem doing this, and that’s fine. Still, securing a few new followers is a lot of work.

4 Your Engagement Rate Will Suffer

You need to be very protective of your engagement rate. It is your strongest bargaining tool on Instagram. 

Unfortunately, asking an account to follow back on Instagram jeopardizes this. This is because these pages may not care about your content. They may not like, comment, or share with their friends. If they don’t do this, your engagement rate will suffer. 

Instagram will see that you have many followers with very little interaction. The result is a plummeting engagement rate. This will not impress brands looking for influencers who can command their audience. 

Some people will even think you bought fake followers because of their dormancy. It sounds like very risky business to us. This is why it is so important to stick with your niche. 

If you were going to do this method, stick to people who fit your overall brand identity. That way, you will willingly interact with each other’s content.

How To Control Who’s Following Me on Instagram

You may not see the boosted engagement you expected. Your followers just aren’t doing what they need to do. You may have asked yourself, “Who’s following me on Instagram?” You may have decided that it’s better to have fewer engaged followers.

This is a very bold choice, and few content creators will understand it. But you know it makes sense because you know how engagement works. We will give you two options for controlling your followers. One may seem more extreme than the other. 

Remove Followers

The followers that don’t interact with your content have to go. You see the statistics. You know that people see your photos and Reels. 

The interaction with the content just is not lining up. It’s time people stopped enjoying your content without expressing it to you. Your engagement rate depends on it. 

To protect your page, start going through your list of followers. With a fine tooth comb, remove the followers that don’t interact with your content. Does their profile show that they don’t fit your ideal community profile? 

Well, remove them. You may have to do a bit of profiling here. But it should be obvious that some people just aren’t truly fans of your work. 

You want to remove the people who won’t share it with other people. It may hurt at the moment to reduce your numbers. We know how hard you worked to build up your following in the first place. But you just need to trust that this method will pay off eventually.

Make Your Page Private

You may have lost control of your followers. They all came in like a flood, and now all kinds of people follow your content. You will need to halt this for a moment. You do this by making your page private. 

Yes, we know of all the benefits of having a public profile. However, one of the drawbacks is that people will peruse your page at will. 

With a private page, you can control your followers for a bit. Avoid the negative side of the IG follow-back tactic. Now, when you get a follow request, you know that it’s from genuine people. You can follow back on Instagram, knowing that you like the page.

Following Back on Instagram: Not the Only Way To Increase Instagram Following

Content creators can get creative with how they grow their pages. The IG follow-back method is just one of them. We understand that it may not be everyone’s cup of tea. 

You might want to grow your page organically. It’s just that you don’t like how long it may take you to grow your Instagram following. 

You should consider your other options. An organic growth site like Plixi is exactly what you need. 

We know how to bring in the following that your account deserves. We have an advanced targeting method that secures followers. These are the kinds of followers that will interact with your page. 

Let’s increase your follower count without following back on Instagram! Sign up with Plixi!