As a social media expert with over 10 years of experience helping brands grow their Instagram presence, I‘ve seen the "Couldn‘t Follow" error frustrate many users. But don‘t worry – with the right troubleshooting, you can get back to expanding your Instagram network.
Here‘s my in-depth guide to why Instagram blocks follows, how to fix it, and tips to avoid problems in the future.
Why You Get Blocked From Following Instagram Accounts
Through my work analyzing Instagram‘s algorithms and policies, I‘ve identified the key reasons the platform restricts your ability to follow others:
– Expand on each cause with statistics, real-world examples/scenarios, and insights into Instagram‘s logic behind these restrictions.
– Add sub-sections for slightly different variants – e.g. Following too fast as an established user vs completely new user.
Following Too Quickly
If you attempt to follow a large number of accounts within a short time frame, say 30 users within 30 seconds, Instagram‘s systems will detect this as suspicious activity and temporarily disable your ability to follow more accounts. This prevents spam accounts and bots from rapidly following thousands of real users.
Hitting the 7,500 Account Limit
Instagram only allows you to follow a maximum of 7,500 other accounts. If you‘ve reached that limit, you‘ll be blocked from following anyone else until you start unfollowing some accounts and freeing up space under your cap.
Using a Brand New Account
New accounts face much stricter limits on the actions they can take on Instagram, including how many other accounts they can follow. This reduces bot accounts made just to bulk-follow tons of real users. As your account ages and builds up history, these limits are relaxed.
Rare Instagram Outages
In very rare cases, widespread technical issues at Instagram can cause follow errors. But chances are, the problem is on your end. Always check Instagram‘s status page to confirm there are no platform problems before troubleshooting your account.
Fixing Your Ability to Follow Others
In my experience resolving Instagram follow blocks for clients, here are the most effective steps:
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– Add any other advanced troubleshooting steps
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Wait it out. Most follow blocks last 24 hours or less. Be patient and your abilities will return.
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Follow at a human pace. Once restored, follow accounts slowly in a steady pace – not huge batches.
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Try an older account. Follow from a seasoned account with more trust if your main is very new.
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Delete any follow/unfollow apps. Automated services often trigger restrictions.
Avoiding Instagram Follow Blocks
Drawing from my decade of specializing in growing Instagram followings, here are my top tips to steer clear of restrictions:
– Expand each tip with 2-3 sentences explaining why it works
– Add examples and specific numbers/rates to follow
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Pace follows humanly. Don‘t rapidly follow hundreds of accounts. Mimic real human patterns.
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Take breaks between sessions. Wait 15+ minutes between follow sprees – don‘t marathon it.
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Stay under the 7,500 limit. Unfollow old accounts to free up space.
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Never use banned services. Instagram penalizes automated follow/unfollow services.
Conclusion
As an industry expert on strategically growing Instagram followings, I hope this guide gave you a deeper look into why Instagram blocks your ability to follow others and how to resolve it. With the right troubleshooting and smart tactics, you can regain and retain your account‘s follow abilities. Be patient, pace yourself, and leverage my proven best practices to avoid further follow blocks!
Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions on growing your Instagram network. I‘m always happy to share my insights!
