I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again: There’s no shortcut to Instagram account growth. More often than not, people looking for a shortcut or a hack for quick results will end up hurting themselves in the long run. If you’re chasing Instagram account growth, you’ve probably come across one or two of these growth strategies below. Maybe you’ve even tried a few of them. So if your numbers are stuck or declining, and you’ve said “I swear I’m shadowbanned,” then you might be making some of these missteps. These mistakes don’t just hold you back – they actually damage your long-term success. Let’s dive deep into the 7 Mistakes That Are Hurting Your Instagram Account Growth, and what you can do instead.

Mistake #1: Not Posting Reels

In last week’s post, I talked about how Reels is one way to “hack” the Instagram algorithm. What I really mean by that is that Reels present the biggest opportunity for reach and growth right now, and it will continue to do so for a long while. Just take a look at how much Instagram pushes Reels on the Explore Page and the dedicated Reels tab. On top of that, brands actively look for creators who have expertise in creating captivating short-form video content.

To summarize, skipping Reels is like trying to grow a plant without sunlight.

What to Do Instead

Start posting Reels ASAP. Reels aren’t just a growth tactic, they’re essential for staying relevant. If you want to grow fast, posting 3 to 5 Reels per week is a non-negotiable. But it’s not enough just to go through the motions of posting, you need to post strategically. 

I walk you through how you can structure your Reels for performance in my free workshop here.

Mistake #2: Participate in Loop Giveaways

I know what you’re thinking, “Catarina! I’ve seen many influencers and content creators co-host giveaways with a brand they’re partnering with.” You’re absolutely right. This is the right way to participate in a giveaway that isn’t detrimental to your account. The types of giveaways that I’m referring to are also known as Loop Giveaways.

Loop Giveaways involve a handful of creators pooling together to give away a valuable gift, like a new iPhone or a camera. Often, it isn’t specific to your niche, and participants wanting to win the prize will have to follow all the creators involved (which is often a very large number). While this is a tempting growth strategy, you’ll attract a large number of followers in a short amount of time, most of whom won’t be interested in your content, leading to a huge discrepancy between your follower count and engagement. In the long run, this will tank your engagement and put the health of your account in the red, which is really hard to recover from.

What to Do Instead

Giveaways are still a great way to grow your followers organically, if you do it the right way. Work with a brand you love and that aligns with your niche/content so that it’s a seamless fit. Or host a giveaway with another creator in your niche. You might not get a huge reach like a Loop Giveaway will get you, but you won’t have to deal with the negative effects it’ll have on your Instagram account growth.

Mistake #3: Not Staying Consistent

One thing that Instagram’s algorithm loves is predictability. If you give the algorithm what it loves, it’ll reward you in turn. And the way to do that is to consistently deliver on the type of content that performs well. Aside from getting on the algorithm’s good side, consistency builds habit, which is what you need to stay successful.

When you stop creating content consistently, the algorithm may deprioritize your content, and your audience might forget who you are.

What to Do Instead

Come up with a plan of action to stay consistent and work ahead of time. Plan days to batch your content so that you have a reliable system to keep on top of your content.

Mistake #4: Using Instagram Pods and Engagement

Engagement pods, also known as Instagram pods, are groups where creators agree to like and comment on each other’s posts to boost engagement. This might seem like a smart strategy, since it’ll bring a brand new post a boost of engagement as soon as it is posted. Logically, you’ll think this looks good to the algorithm, since it’s seemingly picking up a lot of momentum. But there are hidden downsides.

When I was first growing my account, I joined a few engagement pods for that very same reason. But I left every single one of them very shortly after. Engagement pods send misleading signals to the algorithm with a sudden influx of engagement, which the algorithm sees as a signal to push your post out. This often results in your content reaching the wrong audience instead of new audiences who would genuinely engage with it, and it ultimately leads to stagnant growth. Not to mention, you’ll have to reciprocate engagement on every post on that engagement thread, which means you’ll spend hours leaving comments and likes that aren’t intentional or genuine. What a waste of time!

What to Do Instead

There’s no alternative here except for putting in the legwork and working on your strategy. Grow organically without the harmful hacks. At the end of the day, your engagement and Instagram analytics are there to help you. Those numbers tell you what’s working and what isn’t. If you’re manipulating those numbers, you won’t have the slightest clue as to how to improve and optimize your content, something you need to do if you want long-term account growth on Instagram.

Mistake #5: Follow/Unfollow Tactics

This is one of the oldest tricks in the Instagram account growth book. But don’t be fooled. The premise behind this tactic relies on tricking people into following you, only to unfollow them later, which creates inauthentic growth and a poor reputation. Not only does this method not work, but Instagram actively penalizes accounts that use it.

You could even risk account suspension for suspicious activity, and it damages your reputation.

What to Do Instead

Focus on posting “Growth” content. This is a content type in my G.A.I.N. Framework, which is focused on reaching new audiences and growing your account. I dive deeper into this method in my free workshop.

Mistake #6: Buying Followers

This is just never a good idea, especially if you’re serious about growing your business the right way. It’s a waste of money that ends up hurting your account growth more than it will ever help you. Save your money and don’t go down this route. Trust me, it’s not worth it.

What to Do Instead

Same note here as before – focus on growing your account through strategic content.

Mistake #7: Using Engagement Bots

Similar to buying followers, you can buy bots to engage with accounts, leaving automatic comments that don’t relate to the post you’re engaging with. This is sure to backfire as it damages your reputation and doesn’t foster authenticity and community.

What to Do Instead

Set aside a few minutes in your day to genuinely engage with your audience and other creators in your niche. It doesn’t have to take long at all. But over time, your efforts will pay off.

Wrapping Up

Your Instagram Account Growth depends on consistent action and genuine value. Reels are the priority, backed up by data. Giveaways work when thoughtfully designed. Avoid shortcuts like pods, follow/unfollow, bots, or bought followers—these hurt more than they help.

The secret sauce? A rhythm of valuable content and real engagement consistently over time. Try batch-creating Reels, partnering with friends or other creators for a giveaway, and dedicating time daily for authentic interactions. This combo grows followers and builds an audience that actually cares.

Let your Instagram account’s growth be powered by strategy, not shortcuts.