Having a large and engaged following on Instagram is important for personal brands, influencers, artists, photographers, businesses and more. However, it’s common to experience a plateau with your Instagram growth at some point, where you stop gaining new followers or your engagement starts to decline.

There are several potential reasons why your Instagram following might plateau, but the good news is there are also plenty of tactics you can try to get your growth and engagement back on track. In this article, we’ll explore the main reasons an Instagram account can plateau and provide actionable tips to help fix it.

Reasons Your Instagram Growth Has Plateaued

Before we get into the solutions, it’s important to understand some of the possible underlying causes of an Instagram plateau. Here are some of the most common reasons growth and engagement stall out:

Poor Content Quality

High-quality, relevant and engaging content is critical for continual Instagram growth. If you start posting subpar content that doesn’t resonate with your audience, fewer people will naturally be interested in following you or interacting with your posts.

Tips for improving content quality:

1. Analyze top-performing content and recreate similar posts.
2. Experiment with new content formats like Reels.
3. Improve visual aesthetics.
4. Use relevant hashtags so your content is discoverable.

Not Posting Consistently

Being inconsistent with your posting makes it difficult for new users to discover you, and it gives existing IG followers less reason to check back and engage regularly.

Tips for being more consistent:

1. Create an editorial calendar and commit to a regular posting cadence (e.g. once daily or 3x a week).
2. Prepare content in advance so you always have great posts lined up.

Using Banned Hashtags

Instagram routinely bans certain hashtags when they are abused by spam accounts or used to spread harmful/dangerous content. If you use a banned hashtag, your content will not show up in that hashtag search – severely limiting your discoverability.

Tips for avoiding banned hashtags:

1. Search hashtags before using them to see if they work.
2. Use Niche hashtags related specifically to your content.
3. Check which hashtags get you the best engagement.

Your Niche is Too Narrow

While it can be beneficial to focus on a tight niche on Instagram, an overly narrow niche means there are only a limited number of potential followers available. If you exhaust your niche audience, growth will stall.

Tips for broadening your niche:

1. Widen niche focus while still creating content your core audience wants.
2. Cross-promote content to loosely related niche communities.
3. Host giveaways or contests to attract new followers.

You Have High Unfollows

Even high quality Instagram accounts will lose a certain percentage of followers each month. But if you’re getting an abnormally high unfollow rate, it will cancel any new followers you are getting.

Tips for reducing unfollows:

1. Analyze follower insights to understand who is unfollowing and why.
2. Regularly clear out fake/inactive followers.
3. Create more engaging Stories and Instagram Lives to nurture followers.

Your Account is a Private

While going private can be the right choice for personal accounts that want more privacy, it also cuts off potential growth avenues, such as hashtag searches and Instagram algorithmic recommendations.

Tips for getting growth with a private account:

1. Enable shareable profile links so your content can still spread.
2. Proactively connect with users in your niche to build a following.
3. Occasionally switch back to the public, gain followers, then switch back.

You Have Low Engagement

Accounts with poor engagement metrics often have lower organic reach on Instagram. If your content doesn’t spark conversation in comments or rack up ample likes, the algorithm won’t put it in front of as many new viewers.

Tips for driving more engagement:

1. Respond to all comments.
2. Ask engaging questions in captions.
3. Run polls and questions in Stories.
4. Promote posts with tags and shares.

Your Account is Shadowbanned

In rare cases, accounts can be “shadowbanned” if Instagram’s automated systems suspect you of spam/bot activity. This severely limits your visibility and reach for all posts.

Tips for recovering from a shadowban:

1. Avoid automated third-party services that break Instagram’s TOS.
2. Temporarily switch to manual engagement tactics (no bots).
3. Contact Instagram support if the issue persists.

Actionable Strategies to Get Your Instagram Growth Back on Track

Now that we’ve explored some of the reasons your Instagram growth could be stuck let’s talk about proactive tactics you can implement to regain momentum and gain more followers.

Step Up Your Hashtag Strategy

Leveraging relevant hashtags is critical for discovery on Instagram. But you need to be strategic – simply piling on popular hashtags is not effective. Here are some smart hashtag tips:

Use a Mix of Popular and Niche Hashtags

Pair one or two popular hashtags, such as #fashion or #food, with several longer-tail niche hashtags relevant to the specific content, like #minimaliststreetstyle or #spicyramen. The niche tags help the right people find your content, while the head terms give it a signal boost.

Research Trending Hashtags

Use trending hashtags related to events, holidays, and other trends, but don’t overdo it. It can make you look spammy. There are tools that can help you find hot new hashtags.

Analyze Hashtag Performance

View all your hashtags impressions and engagement using Instagram analytics. Instead, focus on the ones driving strong results and get rid of the poor performers.

Collaborate With Complementary Accounts

Strategic collaborations are a great way to tap into a new audience from someone else’s follower base.

Some collaboration ideas:

1. Co-create content highlighting both of your products/services.
2. Swap takeovers of Instagram Stories or accounts for a day.
3. Cross-promote giveaways or contests.
4. Share each other’s posts and Stories.

Look at accounts with an audience demographic that would also be interested in your content. Aim for accounts that are around your same size or slightly bigger – huge mega-accounts likely won’t see enough mutual benefit to collaborate.

Invest in Paid Ads

Once you’ve optimized your organic content, another proven way to accelerate Instagram growth is through paid advertising. Here are some options:

Promote Posts

Use Instagram’s built-in “Promote” option when publishing new posts. You can target followers of similar accounts or people who visit your profile. Promoted posts appear in feeds just like organic content.

Create Instagram Story Ads

Design visually engaging short video Story ads. You can target users by demographics, interests, behaviors and more to get them in front of your perfect audience.

Work With Influencer Marketing Platforms

Influencer platforms let you pay individual accounts in your niche to promote your brand to their audience through posts, Stories and more. Micro-influencers are often more affordable while still providing great ROI.

Go Live More Frequently

Instagram Lives presents a big growth opportunity because it is prominently displayed at the top of followers’ feeds when they are happening.

Ways to use Live effectively:

1. Give exclusive behind-the-scenes access.
2. Host educational Q&As.

Create More Instagram Reels

Instagram is heavily prioritizing Reels content right now since it wants to compete with TikTok. Taking advantage of the current boost Reels get in the algorithm is an easy win.

Reels best practices:

1. Film creative short-form video content optimized for mobile.
2. Use popular songs and audio clips.
3. Leverage trends by putting your own spin on viral formats.
4. Share Reels widely across your other social channels.

Key Takeaways

Gaining followers and engagement on Instagram can fluctuate over time, depending on many factors. However, with the right strategy, which includes high-quality content, smart hashtag usage, strategic collaborations, and taking advantage of emerging formats like Reels, you can regain and sustain Instagram’s growth momentum.

Be proactive about analyzing and replicating what content resonates best with your audience. Double down on tactics that drive results. And don’t be afraid to experiment with something totally new if you experience a prolonged engagement dip.

Stay persistent and consistent so that the Instagram algorithm will reward you. The more value you provide, the more visibility and new followers you’ll earn over time.