As a marketer who regularly checks their stats, or as an influencer trying to grow their account on Instagram by keeping up with their metrics, you might wonder if there’s any order of Instagram followers. I’ve been there. When I realized that they weren’t arranged in any specific order, I was surprised and wondered how.
The moment when I noticed a bunch of people with high engagement metrics at the top of the list, including one of my best friends, stood out to me. I even saw a person with whom I think I have so much in common but have never talked to much.
Let’s figure out the algorithm behind this order by explaining the factors affecting the order together!
How Instagram Algorithm Sort Followers?
Instagram hasn’t announced any official statement about the details of the order of Instagram followers. However, there are several independent studies on how the algorithm works. Let’s explore the factors that may affect the order of the follower/following list:
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Personal Interactions
You may realize that the person with whom you’ve shared much through direct messages, maybe tagging each other under related posts, answering your stories, shows up at the top parts of the list. The frequency of interaction between you and your followers has a significant impact on the list.
Therefore, the algorithm shows your most loyal connections at the top of the list to make it easier for you to continue the conversation. In a way, the algorithm helps you.
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Active Accounts
Active accounts have a comparatively very high chance of appearing on the following lists. These accounts usually post stories and comments frequently and create interactions with other users. Therefore, your chances of appearing high on someone’s list also increase if you consider your account active. This will help more people follow you. However, if you want a quicker way to enhance your account, the shortcut to success is Views4You!
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New Followers
There is a high chance that your new followers will appear higher on the list even though you have not had any interaction with them yet. Other factors that affect the order of Instagram followers may also impact your new fans’ rank at the top of your list. Maybe they have such active accounts that it also helps them to appear on top.
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Mutual Followers
The algorithm aims to help you by keeping the conversation going with people you may like or already do like. Therefore, it may show people with whom you have several mutuals, thinking you have similar interests. Maybe you have connections with people from your school. Instagram may recognize this and categorize your connections accordingly to enhance your interaction.
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Location
The Instagram algorithm considers you and your followers’ location data to sort the list. Again, to enhance your interaction, the algorithm may show people from your close environment at the top of the list. If one of your following lives in the same city as you, their account has a high probability of appearing on the list.
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Popular Users
Popular verified accounts you follow can appear at the top of your list, especially if you have also interacted with them.
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Profile Visits
If you visit your followers’ profiles, spend time watching their stories, and increase their engagement by making comments, liking, etc., you increase their chances of appearing at the top. Again, Instagram makes it easier for you to connect with people by showing you those with whom you interact most.
Why Does Instagram Have an Order of Followers?
There are several obvious reasons why Instagram has this kind of system. The system wants to offer you a better experience by recognizing your efforts. It kind of rewards your efforts and high engagement rates by placing your profile in more places like your followers’ following list! Enhanced engagement always comes with good consequences. Therefore, you might consider to buy followers to level up your game! Instagram tries to reward your interactions as much as it can. This will only result in satisfied users.
The algorithm doesn’t only consider your level of engagement rates but also your close connections. It tries to keep you updated about your close circle. In that way, it is also aimed to offer you a more personalized Instagram experience. It suggests or shows accounts you might be interested in to enhance the time you spend on this platform.
Also, it filters out less engaging content with this system. A chronological feed might become useless and irrelevant. Therefore, having the users with whom you have the maximum interaction appear more on your Instagram is the best solution.
Lastly, with geographical factors, it appears that the algorithm supports increasing the visibility of local businesses. Thus, they get the visibility they need to reach more people from their environment. These people have a high potential to develop their businesses.
FAQs
Can I change the order of Instagram followers list?
Unfortunately, there isn’t any option to set the order for your following list. So, you should stick to the default order of Instagram. However, if you want to change the order of your following list, you can view them by default or manually sort them by the latest and earliest followed date.
Also, Instagram can show you the accounts with which you’ve interacted the least and those most shown in your feed. This way, you can clear your following list by reducing the number of unnecessary followings.
My order has changed. Why?
With the factors mentioned in this article, Instagram changes the order to update your account.
Can I see other users’ lists?
Yes, you can see other people’s lists as long as they are not private accounts that you are not following. Just visit the public profile and tap on their followers or following count. If the account is private, you need to follow them. Also, the order of another account’s list might be different. It is impacted by many factors; therefore, I suggest trying not to make any meaning from the list.
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