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How are followers ordered on instagram


Instagram Following List Order Algorithm Explained [2023]

If you’re confused about the Instagram following list order, the first three sections of this guide will show you how the list order algorithm works. 

This guide also covers proven strategies for managing and re-ordering your client’s followers and following lists.

Everything can be done using only the free mobile app—no need to invest in premium Instagram marketing tools!

Let’s get started. 

Table of Contents

  • How the Instagram followers list is sorted in 2023
  • How the Instagram following list is sorted in 2023
  • How the followers/following list Instagram algorithm works
  • The order of followers on Instagram: Why should you care?
  • How to order your following list on Instagram
  • Instagram following list order: Frequently Asked Questions
  • Build a healthy follower base with Vista Social

How the Instagram followers list is sorted in 2023

Instagram organizes the follower’s list based on a handful of factors.  

The followers list of new accounts, specifically those with less than 200 followers, is usually alphabetically ordered. This uses the registered full names of Instagram users—not their usernames or “handles,” which are needed for logging in. 

Image Source: Instagram

Instagram automatically sorts an account’s followers list once enough data has been gathered on three aspects: recent interactions, relationships, and follower relevance. Each aspect is influenced by multiple factors, which will be analyzed by Instagram’s algorithm before sorting the follower’s list. 

The faster a new account builds connections, generates engagement, and garners interactions, the quicker Instagram will be able to sort its list of followers. 

That’s why most old and active accounts have a followers list (even those with less than 200 followers) that appear randomly-sorted. 

If your client’s followers list isn’t in alphabetical order anymore, you’ll find that user accounts at the top are the ones who interact with your client more frequently. They may give your client more likes, write frequent comments on their posts, answers most of their Instagram poll questions, and so on. 

Do stalkers appear first on the Instagram followers list?

No, being a social media “stalker” doesn’t propel your client’s Instagram account to the top of someone else’s followers list. 

A social media stalker is someone who routinely checks your client’s Instagram profile and views their content, including stories, reels, and feed posts. 

While these interactions are clear user engagement signals, Instagram orders your client’s followers list based on their online relationship. That includes your client’s interactions with the Instagram account (the stalker) in question. 

How the Instagram following list is sorted in 2023

Contrary to the followers list, the Instagram following list order is more straightforward. 

The order of your client’s Instagram following list is sorted according to mutual interactions with other users. This is Instagram’s “Default” method of organizing the following list, which is meant to help users find their closest connections. 

Image Source: Instagram

It’s worth noting that your client’s following list may look different when viewed through other accounts. 

The exact, default order of your client’s following list is only visible to you, your client, and anyone else that possesses their Instagram credentials. 

For other users, your client’s following list will be sorted according to mutual connections. This is designed to help Instagram users find relevant contacts they frequently interact with—in the same circle. 

How the followers/following list Instagram algorithm works

Instagram never publicly released the details of their followers/following list algorithms. 

However, widespread evidence and the independent studies conducted by the social media community—including Instagram influencers—reveal the following to be the biggest factors affecting the order of the followers/following list: 

1.

Mutual followers

When viewing another person’s followers or following list, mutual followers will appear at or near the top of the list.

Mutual followers are Instagram accounts that follow your client as well as the account you’re viewing. 

Your client doesn’t have to follow these users back for them to appear. This is intended by Instagram to help users identify people they may know based on their association with the account being inspected. 

2. Mutual followings

When checking someone else’s following list, Instagram may bump up the position of profiles your client also follows. 

Mutual Instagram followings help users identify shared interests between them and another user. 

For example, your client and another brand may follow the same group of food influencers. When viewing the followers list of one of those influencers, your client and the other brand may find each other near the top.

3. Mutual interaction data 

Interactions on Instagram include likes, comments, saves, and shares.  

The more your client interacts with another Instagram account, the higher their positions will be in each other’s followers/following lists. 

Users that your client doesn’t follow may still appear at the top of the list if they frequently engage your client’s account. However, they will be overtaken by users who are followed by your client AND often interact with your client’s Instagram content. 

Instagram interactions that indicate a personal relationship, such as tags and Direct Messages (DMs), also heavily influence the followers and following lists. For Instagram, these interactions mean that the relationship between two users goes beyond the social media app.

4. Recent followers

On your client’s follower list, users who recently followed may get listed near the top—just below relevant users who interact with your client frequently. 

A recent follower may not have interacted with your brand before. But if they’re active on Instagram, published a lot of posts, and have a decent number of followers, they could make their way to the top of the list.  

5. Popular followers/following

Lastly, popular Instagram users may easily find their way to the top half of anyone’s followers and following lists. 

Interestingly, several users and publications report that verified accounts (blue check mark) appear near the bottom. However, they can be pushed up your client’s following or followers list through frequent interactions.

The order of followers on Instagram: Why should you care?

The order of the followers and following lists may not seem like a big deal. But if you know how to use them, they can be used to further social media marketing goals. 

1. Show off the most influential followers

Having popular and verified Instagram accounts at the top of the list lets you build authority by association. 

Following relevant influencers, thought leaders, and experts shows that your client is in-tune with the community surrounding their niche. If popular users follow your client, showing them at the top of the followers list elevates the brand’s image and credibility.  

2. Keep Instagram content inspirations close

Borrowing inspiration from popular Instagram creators ensures you never run out of content ideas for client campaigns. 

With talented users at the top of your client’s following or followers list, it’s easier to plan your next Instagram post. Just look at their profiles and analyze their top-performing posts to plan your own content pillars for Instagram.

Instagram implemented a feature for finding creators and businesses called “Categories.” You’ll find it at the top of your client’s following list. 

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Image Source: Instagram

While handy, this feature doesn’t include Instagram accounts below a specific popularity threshold. This can be problematic if you regularly obtain content ideas from smaller Instagram profiles. 

3. Screenshot purposes

Social media marketing agencies, “gurus,” and bloggers may need to take screenshots of the Instagram app for specific content topics.

Rather than a list of different accounts, you may want to use screenshots that show popular Instagram profiles. Maneuvering Instagram’s algorithm and switching up your followers and following lists will get this done. 

Instagram screenshots can be embedded in blog posts, compiled into reels, shared as stories, and more. 

Must-read: How to Make a Reel with Photos

4. Identify your hottest prospects

The algorithm-based followers and following lists make it easy for businesses to identify their most active connections. 

This can lead to high-value leads that expressed strong purchase intent through multiple social media interactions. 

If your client’s top followers are influencers or accounts with a sizeable following, you can seize the opportunity to work on a collaborative project. This will help your client win their target audience’s trust, raise brand awareness, get more followers, and generate more conversions. 

5. Gauge performance of recent content

Publishing Instagram content pieces may lead to a boost in followers. However, it’s only beneficial if you draw the attention of the right kind of audience. 

Looking at your client’s followers list and analyzing recent followers help you gauge the effectiveness of your content strategy in generating high-quality leads. 

If you only attract users who don’t fit your client’s ideal customer profile, you may need to rethink your Instagram content strategy. 

Don’t forget that you can also evaluate your strategy by checking if your client is gaining or losing followers on Instagram. Again, a quick look at the followers list from their Instagram page will point you in the right direction. 

How to order your following or followers list on Instagram

Manage the order of your client’s following and followers list on Instagram with the tactics below.  

1. Interact with your top profiles

Frequently interact and engage the Instagram profiles you want to appear at the top of your client’s lists.

Remember, the only way to influence the default order of your client’s following or followers list is to do it naturally. 

Once you identify your target accounts, develop an ongoing relationship-building strategy that consists of regular interactions, like: 

  • Writing constructive comments on their Instagram posts.
  • Exchanging regular DMs. 
  • Consistently liking and sharing their content. 

Streamline your relationship-building efforts with a social media management platform like Vista Social. 

With the consolidated “Inbox” feature, stay on top of social media conversations across all linked accounts. 

2. Arrange your following list chronologically

Arrange your client’s following list in chronological order using the Instagram app—no need for third-party IG tools.

On the app, head to your client’s profile page, and tap ‘Following. ’ 

Switch from the default order by tapping the ‘Sort by’ icon right above the list of followed accounts. 

Image Source: Instagram

On the pop-up bottom menu, tap the order you prefer to refresh your following list. 

‘Date followed: latest’ will prioritize the accounts you recently followed. ‘Date followed: earliest,’ on the other hand, starts the list with the accounts you followed first. 

Image Source: Instagram

3. Use social media interaction posts 

Publish content pieces that encourage other users to interact with your posts. 

This strategy is perfect if you want your client’s followers list to reveal high-quality prospects. 

Some of the best social media interaction post ideas for Instagram are: 

  • Instagram Stories. Use interactive stickers like polls, questions, and the “Add yours” sticker to stir up interactions. These interactive assets are also helpful in extracting feedback from followers and acquiring user-generated content.  
  • Hashtag contests. Obtain truckloads of comments on Instagram posts by running a hashtag contest. Other than user engagement, hashtag contests also maximize your client’s reach and discoverability on social media. 
  • Reel response videos. Use the remix feature to publish response videos to Instagram Reels followed by someone else. 

If you have a list of priority accounts to bump up in your followers or following list, be sure they see your content first. You can share it with them via DM or mention your content in a comment. 

4. Build mutual connections

Lastly, aim to build a similar following and followers list to increase the position of your target accounts on Instagram. 

Head to their profile and tap ‘Following’ for a list of potential mutual connections. From there, simply tap the blue ‘Follow’ button to the right of each account—working your way from top to bottom. 

Image Source: Instagram

Instagram following list order: Frequently Asked Questions

Is Instagram following list in order of interaction? 

The order of Instagram’s following list is largely based on frequent social media interactions. Profiles you usually engage with through likes, comments, DMs, and shares are likely to appear at the top. 

Is Instagram following in chronological order 2023? 

Instagram uses an interaction-based algorithm to sort the following list by default. The app also lets you organize the following list chronologically. 

Can you see what someone likes on Instagram?

Instagram used to include a feature that lets you find content other users recently interacted with. Today, this information is private and can’t be unveiled by other users. 

Build a healthy follower base with Vista Social 

Managing conversations isn’t the only way to use Vista Social to manage your followers or following lists.

Vista Social also lets you schedule Instagram content according to optimal posting times.

The platform also offers free hashtag suggestions, user engagement analytics, and social media listening to help you manage your client’s followers and following lists.  Learn more by creating a free Vista Social account and using it yourself!

How the Instagram Followings and Followers List is Ordered (Sorted) in 2023

If you’ve taken a look at your Instagram Followings and Followers list, you may be wondering how it’s sorted. At first glance, it may be seemingly random, but there’s actually a lot more to it.

In past years, Instagram arranged your followers and following list in order based on who you followed recently. But now, you may be intrigued by seeing certain profiles appear at the top of the list, but others buried deep below. Although Instagram hasn’t officially announced how these lists are precisely ordered, it’s clear that there’s a complex algorithm behind it.

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You may have even “stalked” or closely examined a friend’s profile. By taking a quick glance at their followings and followers list, you may be curious to know why some profiles are at the top of the list while others are at the bottom.

Many Instagram users look at these lists to try and see who’s a recent follower. But you’ll soon realize that this isn’t a reliable method. In fact, there’s a wide variety of factors that determine the order and it’s sorted differently in each list. Let’s get right into it.

How the Instagram Following List is Ordered in 2023

Currently in 2023, for third-party accounts that you’re viewing, Instagram orders the Following list based on mutual interaction. For example, accounts that you often like or receive likes from are prioritized towards the top.

In addition, if you DM each other, comment, tag or frequently visit their profile, the account will appear towards the top of the list. This is true for other accounts you’re viewing, but what about your own?

If you look at your own profile’s Instagram Followings list, you’re now able to sort it. While you can’t do this with other accounts you’re viewing, you can do it with your own while you’re logged in.

Simply click on the Following number on your profile page, and there will be two arrows you can click. This will bring up the “Sort by” feature that will let you sort by the latest or earliest accounts you’ve followed, based on date.

How the Instagram Followers List is Ordered in 2023

There’s a bit more behind the scenes in regards to how the Instagram Followers list is ordered.

For many accounts with less than 200 followers, the Instagram Followers list will be alphabetically ordered by profile names. Not by actual usernames, but by the specific name that’s listed on their profile. If they haven’t entered any name and/or intentionally left it blank, their profile will appear at the very top of the followers list, followed by alphabetically ordered first names.

But this isn’t always the case, even with some accounts that have less than 200 followers. In fact, this is mostly true for older accounts that were created several years ago. Now, if you examine a followers list and you notice it’s seemingly random, Instagram’s algorithm is to blame. Recently, this is actually what we’re seeing happen more often than not.

In 2023, Instagram uses artificial intelligence (AI) and a complex algorithm to determine the order of the followers list. Three important factors are taken into consideration. These include your relationship, relevance and recent interactions.

Simply put, Instagram’s algorithm lists accounts at the top of the followers list that you’re most likely to interact with, based on profiles you most commonly view, message, or DM. If you haven’t necessarily interacted with any of them, Instagram may base the order on shared interests.

How the Instagram Followers List Algorithm Works

While Instagram doesn’t directly communicate specific details on how the followers list is ordered, we’ve spent countless hours researching and analyzing a wide range of accounts and their followers lists. Ultimately, we’ve discovered quite a few factors that determine the order:

1.
People You Follow

If you’re looking at a third-party account such as your friend’s Instagram followers list, you’re most likely to see people you follow appear first. Accounts that you, yourself follow through your own account will be at the top. Instagram shows mutual followers as the most relevant at the top of the list. Simply put, if you follow the same people that your friend follows, you’ll see them first.

2. Interactions

Another important factor that will display certain accounts at the top of the list is based on interaction. An interaction can be a DM, like or comment. For example, if you and another account often likes or comments on the same posts, you’re most likely going to find them at the top of the followers list. Regardless of if you’re following them or not, Instagram will compare your interaction habits and position these accounts first.

3. Mutual Followers

If accounts that follow you and also the person of the followers list that you’re viewing, they will appear towards the top. Even if you don’t follow them back, accounts that follow you and the account you’re spying on will be prioritized.

This is true when the person is being followed by an account that you also happen to follow. When Instagram sees that you’re mutually following the same accounts, it’s a clear indication that you share a similar interest.

4. Accounts that Follow You

Another important factor that Instagram’s algorithm takes into account is the accounts that follow you. If you’re browsing a followers lists, you’ll likely notice accounts that are already following you.

If this is the case, it’s because Instagram assumes you may already be familiar with them. Therefore, they’ll make the accounts that follow you appear towards the top of the list so you have a better chance of viewing their profile and possibly following them shortly thereafter.

5. Accounts that Stalk You

On an account’s followers list, you may assume that other profiles that commonly view yours will appear towards the top. This isn’t true if they simply often view your profile without liking or commenting. However, if they don’t follow you, but sometimes comment or like your posts, they’ll most likely be prioritized towards the top of the followers list.

Simply put, viewing a profile isn’t a sole-indicator that they should appear at the top. But if they interact with you in any other way, it’s an indication to the Instagram algorithm to position them higher than would otherwise be.

6. Accounts That Have Recently Followed You

Instagram accounts that have recently followed your own account is another factor that the algorithm looks at. When you’re viewing a followers list, people that have recently followed you will be prioritized next. Instagram sees this as a clear indicator that they have a connection to you.

Even if you don’t follow the account back, it’s an important variable that shows a connection. Ultimately, this may even lead you to follow them back, which will then tell the algorithm that they should prioritize the account even more.

7. Geo-Location

The actual geo-location of other accounts is another factor that Instagram looks at with their followers list algorithm. An account that shares the same location with your own is given priority. If you check a followers list and there are no other traits you share, the physical location is taken into consideration.

For example, if you’re located in the USA, but the account you’re viewing is UK-based, USA users will appear towards the top of the followers list. However, this is only apparent when the geo-location is somewhat close by; typically by city, state, province or country. Truthfully, geo-location isn’t that big of factor, but it’s still a factor, albeit a small one.

8. Lots of Posts

Accounts with a lot of posts tend to appear towards the top. Even if you don’t have a close connection to them, an account that has a lot of posts shows Instagram that these accounts are very active. Therefore, they will tend to prioritize them above accounts that aren’t used as often. When a person has an account with hundreds or thousands of posts, it indicates users who spend a lot of time on Instagram.

9. Popular Accounts with More Followers and Following

When Instagram sees accounts that have a lot of followers or followings, the algorithm tends to trust them a bit more. Because of this, the most popular accounts, even if you don’t interact with them, are given a higher position than others that have a low follower or following count. In fact, the smallest sized accounts tend to be at the bottom of the followers list.

10. Verified Accounts

Although it’s somewhat hard to explain, we found that verified accounts tend to appear much lower on the followers list than others. You’d think it would be the other way around. However, we always notice verified accounts with lots of followers to appear at the bottom of the list.

While it’s unknown as to why they do this, it seems to always be the case. One possible theory is that Instagram tends to associate verified accounts with “brand” accounts. Therefore, they may assume you don’t want to necessarily interact with brands in the same manner you’d interact with accounts for actual people.

Instagram’s Followings & Followers List Algorithm is Always Changing

The truth of the matter is, Instagram’s algorithm that determines the followings and followers list is always changing. Just last year, the algorithm was completely different than it is today in 2023. While it may seem complicated and a bit contrived, Instagram’s main goal is to keep interaction at an all time high.

Simply put, they want you to stay on the Instagram app as long as possible. It looks good for their advertisers and their overall statistics. That said, the order of the followings and followers list is seemingly based on who Instagram thinks you’ll browse or interact with more often than not. In the end, they want you to be deeply invested in the app for as long as possible.

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Instagram follower sorting - how is it going?

Instagram algorithms are often not always clear, but not in the case of subscriptions. The creators of the social network are always trying to make the user's life easier, so a very useful option has recently been introduced that helps to systematize subscribers in the right order.

Features of sorting followers on Instagram

Insta now has an important and useful new feature that allows you to control the visibility of followers. In the “Categories” section, profiles of people on whose photos you leave a reaction are displayed, you often comment, and, in addition, there are pages of subscribers with which there was the least interaction. nine0003

The main advantage of this approach is the ability to quickly unsubscribe from accounts that do not arouse the necessary interest. Therefore, the feed will become much cleaner, and there will be no unnecessary posts. In addition, you can receive notifications about when new images and videos appear on the page of a certain profile, or even hide all data about updates.

How can I see distributed subscriptions?

The sorting option is a great way to sort your subscribers based on how long you've been following them. This is convenient for business pages that are promoted manually. Prior to this, subscribers were displayed in random order, but now they have become systematized. nine0003

1. Sort by most frequent interaction. The main task of the creators of Instagram is to organize the management of accounts so that they optimally show your current contacts and interests. An additional filter has appeared in the Subscriptions category, which makes it possible to track profiles whose posts have appeared a lot in the feed over the past couple of months. If you constantly interact with a certain profile, then the system notes that you like posts from a particular page. It is this reason that determines the fact that posts of favorite bloggers and friends with whom you often communicate often appear at the top of the news feed. nine0003

2. By the smallest interaction. Sorting subscribers on this basis makes it possible to ask the question: who should you unfollow? Instagram users said that the meaning of the indicated option is to “clear” their subscriptions from unnecessary pages.

3. Chronological distribution of subscribers. In addition, the network has another option - now you can distribute subscribers by subscription date.

User activity on Instagram is an important point. When you follow someone, the posts of this person are prioritized in the feed for the first time, but if you stop being active, then all posts are reduced to the very depths of the news feed. Lack of feedback is the main signal that uninteresting posts should be removed from the feed. Over time, the Instagram ranking system has become more and more useful and user-friendly. The subscriber distribution option is no exception. nine0003

If you need to increase the popularity of the page, develop your account, increase the number of subscribers, views and likes, please contact our company. We know how to get followers on Instagram.

Also recommended - Disappearing messages appeared on Instagram in Direct

Sequence in the Instagram list

Content:

If you want to know about the following Instagram list and how it is ordered, there are several algorithms that work based on some Instagram activities. The following list on someone's profile might even change based on changes to your Instagram account. nine0003

If you see the following lists change every time you refresh (usually it doesn't) then you should know that there are some things that change either in the posts or the follower rankings, this only happens for the most popular accounts posts on Instagram where the algorithms take their job well.

To find out the next Instagram follow order , you need to know that it is based on the number of followers, or the posts someone has on their profile will be at the top of the next list. There you can see the most common people who are also on your next list will appear on the person's next list, and this mutual friends algorithm works the same way. nine0003

Although there are many more algorithms that can change the following list on an Instagram profile, and it can be a little tricky.

In this article, I will explain all the factors that matter for ordering the next listing on someone's Instagram profile, and they are the same for all Instagram accounts.

How is the Instagram follower list organized?

Essentially, there are many more factors or algorithms that do the following in a certain order, and these are the most important ones below:

1. Shared followers are displayed at the top.

If you are spying on someone's next list, you may notice that some profiles are also shared from your next list. These are the people you follow too.

Since these people are known to you, they will be visible in the next list of someone else's Instagram profile.

The steps to open or open an Instagram account and those users who follow you back are the same. nine0003

You can simply go to their profile by searching for their name in the search and then clicking the next button, which will automatically display a list of people who follow you at the top of their list, who are actually mutual friends that you both share. .

2. Interaction based

The following Instagram list is sometimes ordered based on your interactions with the people you follow.

Note here that your Instagram account only displays the following list of users based on interactions if your Instagram account must have at least 200 Instagram users whose Instagram account is being tracked in the following list. you. nine0003

Only then will your next list be displayed based on your interactions. Users you interact with frequently appear at the top of your Instagram account's next list.

3. Priority is geolocation.

Your Instagram account's next and follower list are not ordered in the same way. They used to be in chronological order. However, this chronological order is no longer observed. nine0003

Instagram has been changed and the algorithm is designed so that the following list is no longer displayed in the same chronological order, but is displayed in such a way that the last Instagram account you interacted with will be displayed at the top of the list.

If you want to check on someone who is an expert in their field, they would also follow someone from the same experience or place of work.

Here, regardless of the number of posts or followers he had, people from the following list will be displayed depending on which country you are viewing it from, the person from your country will be mostly at the top, you can check this with a VPN. nine0003

4. Inactive people downstairs

The following list of your Instagram account is sometimes ordered in such a way that people or accounts that are not as active as others are at the bottom of the list. White people publish stories regularly, and power will be at the top of the list.

But this Instagram algorithm only works when your next list has a huge number of people you follow, which is more than 200.

nine0002 This algorithm is such that people who have not posted anything in the last few weeks or months are automatically displayed at the bottom of the list.

So if you have a follower list of more than 200 people, you can expect your Instagram account's algorithm for Instagram list order to be such that inactive people live at the bottom of the list, while those who are frequent users, will be at the top.

5. People with more messages

People who have more posts on their Instagram profile will be at the top of your next list. This is due to a special application algorithm that interprets the activity of people from the following list.

And hence the following list is ordered with the people who have more posts posted on their Instagram account going to be at the top of the list of other Instagram users.

You can cross check this by simply going to your profile by clicking on the following option. Here you see a list of people or accounts you follow. Just click on any user and then you will see that they have posted messages in their account which you can compare with others from the list, the reason they are at the top will be the number of their messages. nine0003

But this counts posts and followers compared to those following the person in the list, the fewer followers a person has, the more likely it is to be at the top, regardless of the posts and followers that he had.

6. People who have more followers and followers

The order in the following Instagram list follows different algorithms for different accounts based on their actions in the app. And one search algorithm based on the number of people in subscribers and the following list. nine0003

Your next list can be ordered so that members have more followers and add followers to their profile by appearing at the top of the list.

Learn more