People Don’t Follow Most Of The Brands They Buy From

Instagram growth used to mean follower growth. A few years ago this is what I believed.

I thought if the number wasn’t going up, something must be wrong. Maybe the content wasn’t strong enough, or the algorithm wasn’t working, or whatever it may be.

There are a million things you can convince yourself are the problem before you stop to consider something much simpler;

What if nothing is actually wrong?

Most people don’t use Instagram to follow brands

They use it to follow friends, creators, entertainment, and people they feel connected to. Brands in 2026 usually sit in a different category.

Only 20-30% of people follow brands on social media. Most customers interact in quieter ways, and a very normal customer journey looks like this:

— Discover the brand

— Check the IG profile

— Scroll a few posts

— Visit the website

— Buy

No follow required.

What the research says...

Around 80% of consumers research a brand online before making a purchase. (which means your website usability should be perfect, but that’s a topic for another day).

Instagram is very often part of that research step.

This is where the metrics start to change. For most businesses, growth usually comes from things like:

— Advertising

— Email marketing

— Search traffic

— Returning customers

Instagram supports the journey, but it very rarely carries the whole thing.

So instead of asking “why aren’t more people following?”

Some better questions might be:

— Are people discovering the brand?

— Are they visiting the profile?

— Are they clicking through?

Because that’s what actually leads to sales.

One thing i’ve noticed?

Instagram isn’t just a place people follow brands. It’s a place people research them.