Instagram follower growth is one of the key metrics that brands and content creators focus on. Whether you’re building a personal brand or managing a business account, understanding the trends behind your follower growth is critical for adjusting your strategies effectively. In this blog, we’ll take a deep dive into why tracking follower growth matters and how RecentlyFolowed can help you easily monitor your Instagram follower growth over time.

What is Instagram Follower Growth Rate?

Instagram follower growth rate is a measure of how your follower count changes over a certain period. It gives you a clear indication of the growth or decline in your follower base, and it can be calculated using the following formula:

For example, if you gained 1,000 new followers in a month and started with 5,000 followers, your follower growth rate for the month would be:

Follower Growth Rate = 1000/5000 ∗ 100% = 20%

This metric helps you assess the effectiveness of your content, marketing efforts, and overall engagement strategy on Instagram.

Why is Instagram Follower Growth a Vital Metric to Track?

Tracking your follower growth is not just about collecting numbers; it’s about understanding the health and reach of your Instagram account. Here’s why monitoring your growth is crucial:

1. Evaluating Content Performance

By tracking follower growth, you can determine which types of posts or campaigns are attracting more attention. For example, if certain topics or formats (like carousels or Reels) lead to an uptick in followers, you can optimize your future content to align with what resonates best with your audience.

2. Improving Engagement and Interaction

A growing follower base usually indicates that your content is getting noticed, but it also provides an opportunity to engage further. By tracking the types of interactions (likes, comments, DMs) that correlate with follower growth, you can refine your engagement strategy to build stronger relationships with your followers.

3. Refining Marketing and Promotional Strategies

If you’ve launched a marketing campaign or collaborated with another creator, tracking the growth of your followers can help you assess its effectiveness. Were the new followers attracted by your campaign or collaboration aligned with your target audience? Monitoring growth allows you to quickly adjust your strategy if necessary.

Overall, follower growth gives you insight into what’s working on Instagram, helping you adjust your strategy to continuously improve your results.

How to Track Instagram Follower Growth Over Time

There are several ways to track Instagram follower growth, but not all methods provide the level of detail or accuracy you need. Let’s explore some common methods and why RecentlyFolowed is the best tool to track your follower growth effectively.

1. Instagram Insights

Instagram’s native Insights tool gives you a basic overview of your account’s performance, including follower growth over the last 7 to 90 days. However, it has limitations:

Limited time range: You can only view data for the past week or the past 90 days, without the option for custom time ranges.
No competitive tracking: You can only see data for your account, which means you can’t analyze competitor accounts for growth comparison.

2. Third-party Analytics Tools

Many third-party tools offer more advanced analytics, such as detailed reports and historical data, and some can even track competitor performance. However, these tools can be expensive and often require login credentials to access Instagram’s data.

Why Choose RecentlyFolowed?

RecentlyFolowed is a user-friendly tool that specializes in tracking Instagram follower changes over time. It allows you to view recent followers and recently followed accounts in an ordered, easy-to-read format. Here’s why it’s an excellent choice for tracking follower growth:

Simple and Fast: Just enter a public Instagram handle, and you’ll get an ordered list of recent followers and follows — no login or signup required.
Real-time Tracking: Get immediate insights into who followed you recently and who you’ve followed, making it easier to track changes over time.
No Friction: No need to log into Instagram or grant access to your account — just visit the site, input the handle, and start tracking.
Accurate Insights: Compared to Instagram Insights, RecentlyFolowed offers a more specific, time-based view of follower growth, giving you actionable insights into recent changes.

With RecentlyFolowed, you can track how your followers are growing in real time and stay on top of changes as they happen.

Avoid Using Bulk Follow/Unfollow Tools

While some may consider using bulk follow/unfollow tools to artificially inflate follower counts, this practice is risky and should be avoided. Here’s why:

Account Risk: Using these tools can result in your Instagram account being flagged or even banned by Instagram. Instagram’s algorithms are sophisticated and can easily detect unusual activity, including massive follow/unfollow actions.
Inaccurate Data: These tools can create fake follower growth, which skews your data and leads to inaccurate insights. This will ultimately impact your ability to make informed decisions about your Instagram strategy.
Damaged Reputation: If you gain followers using these shortcuts, they’re unlikely to engage with your content, which can lead to lower engagement rates and a poor overall brand reputation.

Instead, use ethical, accurate tools like RecentlyFolowed to track your growth in a natural and transparent way.

Conclusion: Track Your Instagram Follower Growth with RecentlyFolowed

Tracking Instagram follower growth is an ongoing process that requires accurate, up-to-date data. While Instagram’s native Insights feature provides some useful information, it lacks the flexibility and real-time tracking that many users need. RecentlyFolowed offers a straightforward, effective way to track your Instagram follower growth without the hassle.

If you want to gain better insights into your Instagram growth and make data-driven decisions to improve your strategy, start using RecentlyFolowed today. It’s simple, fast, and reliable.

Pricing: $6/week. Start when you need it, stop when you’re done

FAQ

Q1: How often should I track my Instagram follower growth?
Ideally, you should review your follower growth weekly or monthly. Weekly tracking helps you catch sudden changes — like spikes or drops — right after campaigns or collaborations. Monthly reports, on the other hand, reveal long-term patterns and audience trends that help guide future strategies.

Q2: Can RecentlyFolowed show me historical follower data?
RecentlyFolowed focuses on real-time tracking of your most recent follower and following changes. While it doesn’t provide full historical analytics like enterprise-level tools, it gives you instant clarity on who recently followed or unfollowed, which is often the most actionable insight.

Q3: Will using tracking tools like RecentlyFolowed affect my Instagram account security?
No. RecentlyFolowed works entirely through public data and doesn’t require any login or authorization. That means your account remains completely safe — no risk of bans, data leaks, or privacy violations.

Q4: What if I notice unusual follower activity — like bots or sudden drops?
That’s exactly where follower tracking helps. When you see irregular spikes or drops, it’s often a sign of low-quality followers, fake accounts, or algorithmic changes. Regular tracking helps you act fast — filtering out noise and refocusing your content on real, engaged followers.

Q5: Is RecentlyFolowed suitable for brands or only individuals?
Both. Whether you’re a creator, influencer, or brand, RecentlyFolowed helps you stay on top of changes that affect your audience strategy. For brands, it’s particularly useful for campaign reviews, influencer due diligence, and competitive insights.

Q6: How much does RecentlyFolowed cost?
It’s simple and flexible — $6 per week, with no long-term commitment. Turn it on when you need insights; pause it anytime.

How to Track Instagram Follower growth Over Time