Should You Delete Ghost Followers on Instagram?
There is a hot debate on whether or not deleting ghost followers on Instagram can boost your engagement rate.
It's long been a common misconception that more is more when it comes to Instagram followers. The idea makes sense at face value. The more followers, the better right? Well, not exactly.
Instagram has undergone quite a metamorphosis in the past few years. They’re doing their best to keep up with the evolving user base and tactics, and it ultimately affects everyone. If you take audience engagement seriously — after all, it is a social network — you need to keep up with the changes.
The mark of success on Instagram only used to be the “bigger is better” follower concept. Recently, however, engagement rates have become more critical. If you’re trying to take advantage of Instagram’s power to build a community or get ahead in your business, engagement matters.
As the saying goes, it's better to have 100 people love you than a million people that sort of like you. The same goes for your Instagram audience. In this blog you’ll get answers to the most common questions about ghost followers on Instagram, including:
What are ghost followers?
How inactive followers affect Instagram engagement.
How to find ghost followers on IG.
How to get rid of fake instagram followers.
Let's dive into the debate about deleting ghost followers from Instagram.
What is a Ghost Follower?
An Instagram ghost follower is a user who follows an account but never engages with the content, such as liking or commenting on posts. These followers are often inactive or fake accounts created to increase an account's follower count.
They do not provide any value to the account and are considered "ghosts" because they are essentially invisible and do not contribute to the engagement rate of the account.
How to Spot Instagram Ghost Followers
how to find inactive followers on instagram
Here are telltale signs of an Instagram ghost follower:
1. Ghost followers will have little or no activity on their account. They won't have any posts, or they may have very few followers.
2. Check the Profile Picture: Ghost followers often use generic profile pictures or pictures of celebrities. This is because they are not real people and do not have their own pictures to use.
3. Check the Followers to Following Ratio: Ghost followers will often follow a large number of accounts but have very few followers themselves.
Should you Remove Ghost Followers on Instagram?
There are two schools of thought on this topic.
Case One: Ghost Followers Lower Engagement
Deleting ghost followers will help improve engagement on your Instagram page. Instagram cares more about engagement and active followers rather than your number of followers. Instagram will flag your account as uninteresting, therefore decreasing your ranking.
Case Two: Don't Waste Your Time on Ghost Followers
The decrease in engagement is not significant enough to be worth the effort of weeding out your followers.
Plus, even if followers do not engage, it doesn't mean they're not looking! Plenty of my clients followed me but did engage before signing on.
My Take: Remove Ghost Followers To Instagram Increase Engagement
There is a difference between a fake/bot follower and an inactive follower; fake/bot accounts have to go. They don't have thumbs and brains, so there is NO potential for them to interact, learn, or buy for you. And they'll lower your engagement rate.
When it's clear there is a real person on the other side of that unengaged handle, I won't remove them.
The biggest reason is that some followers aren't inclined to double-tap but can become clients. So many of the clients I gained from Instagram NEVER engaged with my content before signing on.
Instead, use the time you would have taken to delete ghost followers and create better content for your ideal clients to attract new, more engaged followers.
How To Remove Ghost Followers
Step-By-Step Guide To Removing Instagram Ghost Followers
Here’s How To Clean Up Your Instagram Followers:
1. Identify Ghost Followers: Before you remove ghost followers, you need to identify them. You can use Instagram audit tools to identify ghost followers, or you can manually analyze your followers and identify inactive or fake accounts.
PRO TIP: If you want to remove ghost followers and bots, take it slow. A drastic drop in followers can be a red flag to the algorithm.
2. Block Ghost Followers: Once you have identified ghost followers, you can block them from your account. To block a follower, go to their profile, click on the three dots in the top right corner, and select "Block." Blocked users can’t follow you or view your content.
3. Remove Inactive Followers: Another option is to remove ghost followers from your account. To do this, go to your follower list, find the ghost followers, and click the three dots next to their name. Then select "Remove Follower." This will remove the ghost follower from your account, and they will no longer be able to follow you or view your content.
Removing ghost followers from your Instagram account can help you improve your engagement rate and ensure that your followers are genuine and interested in your content.
Happy Creating!
Cyndi, Owner of Ascent StoryCraft
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