Instagram is one of the most used social media applications in the world, where millions share their pictures and videos daily and stories. To get an insight into how followers have grown need to be known by influencers and businesses alike because it provides them with the knowledge regarding the engagement level of audience reception and success on such a platform. Among the questions asked repeatedly is how to see recent followers on Instagram. As unfortunate as this is, it doesn’t enable its users to access who the newest followers are of an account. But there are some ways that allow this: either by employing what the app offers, third-party applications, and tools, or even other methods.
In this guide, we will break down each available method to see recent followers for an Instagram account. Then, we will delve into tips and tricks on how to maximize that information for growth and engagement.
To see recent followers on an Instagram account, you can:
- View your followers:
- Click or tap your profile picture
- Click Followers under your username
- Sort by date:
- Tap the Following tab
- Tap the Sorted by Default header
- Choose Date followed: Latest
- Track your followers over time:
- Press Total followers
- View up to 90 days of historical data
- Use Instagram’s Supervision feature:
- Log in to Instagram
- Tap your profile icon
- Click the three stacked menu lines
- Go to the Supervision section
- Choose your settings and add the account you want to supervise
- Use IGExport
- Use the Instagram website:
- Go to Instagram’s website and log into your account
1. Understanding Instagram’s Follower System
Well, before we say how you can view new followers, let’s first understand the system that Instagram uses for its followers. So, with every new follower you receive on Instagram, they are automatically added to your “Followers” list. In the Instagram app, there is a non-chronological way of showing followers; therefore, you cannot easily tell who your new followers are.
While you can see a notice for each individual when someone new is following you, Instagram is not able to view the whole list of most recent followers in a particular order. The limitation put forward might make it a little more challenging to track followers, but there are ways of working around that.
2. Manual Method: Using Notifications
One way to find out who recently started following you is through your Instagram notification: When a new person follows you, Instagram notifies you with the username of the person who just started following you. Check here’s how you can find recent followers manually:
Steps:
- Open Instagram: Open the application on your smartphone.
- Tap the Heart Icon On the bottom right corner, tap the heart icon to find your activities feed. This section lists all like comments and followers.
- Scroll up your notifications Look for the “started following you” notifications. These will come in with the user’s name, which allows you real-time updates on who recently followed you.
- Take a Screenshot for Record: You can either memorize the new followers or take a screenshot and keep the list for reference purposes later on.
Even though this method is okay for just checking the followers once in a while, it is not ideal for checking a huge number of followers or for keeping an overview for a long time.
3. View Followers List in the Instagram App
You can also check for recent followers in the followers list on your profile:
Steps
- Open Your Profile: From the bottom-right corner of the app, tap on the profile icon.
- Tap on Followers: Under your username at the top would be an option called “Followers”. This opens up a followers list.
- Scroll Through the List: This is an indirect way. It cannot be used to check followers as Instagram doesn’t display followers in chronological order. This means that scrolling through the list and noting changes mentally may help you find new followers.
This isn’t the most efficient method either because the list isn’t chronological, so even for the keen eye, it can be difficult to look for changes.
4. Third-Party Apps and Tools
If manually tracking followers through Instagram’s ‘notifications’ seems too much to handle, third-party apps and services have been designed specifically to help track follower growth, recent followers, and other metrics.
Here are a few tools that can help:
1. Follower Analyzer for Instagram (Android Only)
This app will give you in-depth insights into who is following you. It can show recent followers, accounts that have unfollowed you, and much more. Unluckily, this app is only available for Android users.
Features:
- Identify new followers and un-followers.
- Track accounts that you follow but do not follow back.
- Analyze your top-engaged followers on your content.
2. Followers Insight for Instagram (iOS and Android)
Another that works on both iOS and Android is Followers Insight. Gives everything from recent followers to recently inactive users, etc.
Features:
- Real time notifications regarding what’s happening with the followers.
- Information regarding engagement activities of followers.
- View Newly gained followers and those who have unfollowed.
3. Social Blade
Social Blade is an online analytics tool that gives detailed information on follower growth as well as engagement of an Instagram account. While Social Blade does not directly show you a list of recent followers, it gives you the graphical progress of follower growth over time, thus tracking spikes or drops in the number of followers.
Features:
- See trends in follower growth
- Compare how your account fared compared to other accounts
- Get content performance insights based on follower metrics.
Note: Please be very careful using third-party apps. Ensure that you are installing authentic apps that pass the guidelines of Instagram so there is no security threat to your account or suspension.
5. Why Tracking Recent Followers Matters
Instagram tracking recent followers has been a hobby, most say. For others, tracking who they have recently followed has been an imperative part of building up their account. Here’s why you may benefit from keeping track of your followers:
1. Measure Audience Interest
New followers always tend to begin following after posting nice content or a new campaign. Tracking recent followers helps one know what people like more about your content.
2. Engagement and Interaction
Whenever someone follows you, this will provide an avenue for communication with them. Tracking recent followers may relate to the liking of their posts or welcoming them shortly.
3. Recognizing Trends
There will be a spike in followers after a particular post or event, which makes it an excellent form of feedback on what works and does not work with your audience. It refines your content strategy for the future.
4. Monitoring Unfollows
You can also track recent followers to see if there are any patterns of unfollows. If people are unfollowing you after specific types of posts, it might mean that something in your content isn’t meeting audience expectations.
5. Instagram Insights for Business Accounts
If you operate an Instagram business account or are an Instagram creator, you will also be able to see your followers through Instagram Insights. This doesn’t give you an exact list of followers, but rather some analytics that you can use, for instance, for the actions of your audience including growth in followers.
6. Accessing Instagram Insights
- Go to your profile by tapping the profile icon in the bottom right.
- Tap Menu Icon: The three horizontal lines at the top right corner of your profile page.
- Tap Insights: From this view, you’ll be able to access a number of metrics about your posts, stories, and followers.
- Follower Growth: From the “Audience” tab you will be able to see information about the growth of followers over some period. This also includes information on the number of new followers and un-followers plus details about where they are, their age, and what time they are typically active.
Although Insights won’t show you individual recent followers, it’s a great tool for finding trends in follower growth.
Conclusion
Although Instagram does not have a quick view list of recent followers that came to you, there are several methods and third-party tools for achieving this. Whether you track recent followers manually by noticing new notifications or using various third-party apps, monitoring recent followers can be very enlightening on the growth and engagement within your account.
Knowing who is following you, why they are following you, and when exactly can be very important for formulating a winning strategy on Instagram. Whether you use the platform as an individual or in a business strategy, knowing your audience and how your followers are fluctuating are key to really maximizing your presence on the platform.
