An In-Depth Guide to Cleaning Up Your Instagram Account

Hey there! If your Instagram profile is looking a little cluttered lately, don‘t worry – I‘ve got you covered. Maintaining your Instagram can feel like a chore, but it doesn‘t have to be. This comprehensive guide will walk you step-by-step through refreshing your account, removing inactive followers, and curating an authentic, engaging profile.

Let‘s get started cleaning up your Instagram and creating the stellar profile you deserve!

Why You Need to Spring Clean Your Instagram Account

Before we dive in, let‘s talk about why giving your Instagram account some TLC is so important for growth and engagement.

Removes fake accounts: Getting rid of bots and inactive accounts leaves you with real fans who actually care about your content.
Increases visibility: With fewer irrelevant accounts clogging up feeds, your content gets seen by more of the right people.
Boosts engagement: When you prune low-quality followers, your posts can reach accounts more likely to interact.
Shows real metrics: Eliminating fake followers gives you an accurate picture of your reach and growth.
Improves aesthetics: Archiving old posts declutters your grid for a cohesive, eye-catching profile.
Enhances brand image: A clean, consistent profile makes you look more professional to potential partners.

See why a little effort goes a long way? A tidy Instagram demonstrates you‘re serious about quality over vanity metrics. Let‘s dig in!

Step 1: Prune Inactive Followers From Your Account

The first step is analyzing your followers list and removing any ghosts. Here are signs of an inactive account:

Default profile picture
Follower/following count drastically off
No posts or story content
Username with random numbers/letters
No likes or comments on your posts

Third-party analytics apps like Followers+ make it easy to identify inactive followers. Simply connect your account, and the app generates a report with insights about your audience. The premium "ghost followers" feature shows you exactly which followers are inactive so you can prune them right from the Instagram app.

Other options like Crowdfire and Ninjalitics also offer detailed follower analytics and cleanup tools. I suggest taking advantage of their free trials so you can test out the features.

While these apps make sorting through your thousands of followers much easier, don‘t go on a massive unfollowing spree all at once! Instagram flags accounts that make huge changes too quickly. Stick to removing about 100 inactive followers per day max to keep your account safe.

Chloe S. shares her experience: "I used a follower app and did a huge account purge over 2 days. Instagram thought my activity was spammy and blocked me from liking and commenting for a week!"

Patience is key when cleansing inactive followers. Stay consistent, and your account will reap the benefits of an engaged audience in no time.

Step 2: Review Who You Are Following

Just like decluttering your home, cleaning your Instagram means sorting through your stuff as well as other people‘s. Set time every month to review your following list. Be ruthless and unfollow accounts that:

You haven‘t checked in on in a long time
Post irrelevant or uninteresting content
Are inactive or have a poor engagement rate
Don‘t follow you back

Luckily, Instagram introduced the "Least Interacted With" tool to simplify this process. Go to your following list, and choose "Least Interacted With" to surface accounts you‘ve engaged with the least over the last 30 days. From here, you can easily unfollow them.

Again, avoid mass unfollowing all of these users immediately. Space it out over weeks and months. Aim to unfollow about 100 accounts per week. Monitoring your following list should become a regular habit, just like cleaning out old clothes from your closet!

Pro Tip: Jot down users you‘re unsure about unfollowing and give them 1-2 weeks to impress you. If they still aren‘t posting content you love, unfollow them.

Step 3: Tidy Up Your Profile Grid

If your profile aesthetic has changed since you first started on Instagram, it may be time to give your grid a refresh. Archive old posts that no longer fit your vibe. For example:

Photos with editing styles you no longer use
Low-quality images
Bad angled selfies from 5 years ago
Outfits that are totally out of fashion now

Review your last 15-20 posts. Do they feel cohesive? If not, re-order your grid and archive the outliers. Need help visualizing options? Apps like Preview let you plan and edit your profile layout.

Posting consistently also keeps your grid looking sleek. Use the same filters, aspect ratio, and color palette for a smooth flow. Reposting random content from others makes your profile feel disjointed. Stick to original, high-quality photos and videos relevant to your brand.

For Chloe, tidying her profile grid made a huge difference: "I archived my old dorm room selfies and first attempts at food photography. Now my feed has a pretty, cohesive aesthetic that reflects my style!"

Step 4:Clean Up Your Comments

Just like your followers and posts, your comments need regular maintenance too! Here are 3 tips:

Delete spam/irrelevant comments: Don‘t let them clutter your posts. You can bulk delete by date range.
Turn off comments on irrelevant posts: If old posts attract spam, limit comments to more recent, popular ones.
Reply to positive comments: Interacting with followers boosts engagement and goodwill.

Deleting spam comments monthly keeps your posts tidy. Handy apps like Commentique let you mass manage comments across multiple accounts too. Replying consistently nurtures relationships with your audience.

Step 5: Verify Your Instagram Account

Take your cleaning a step further by verifying your Instagram account. The blue verification badge signals an authentic brand or public figure.

You‘ll need:

Profile photo clearly showing your face
Complete bio with contact info
Public account with minimum 10k followers
Unique name + active account

Submit a request through Settings > Account > Request Verification. Meeting the checklist doesn‘t guarantee approval, but it helps! Verification makes your account more visible and legitimate.

Instagram may also enable badges like "In Memoriam" for memorialized accounts or "Music Artist" for musicians. These showcase authenticity in specific niches.

Step 6: Analyze Your Instagram Insights

Instagram provides advanced analytics under Settings > Account > Insights. Regularly exploring your metrics helps optimize your growth.

Look at:

Follower demographics: location, age, gender
Most popular content: top posts, likes and comments
Interactions: saves, shares, profile visits
Traffic: website clicks, call and text clicks

Compare new and old posts, different content formats, and posting schedules. See what resonates best with your audience. Then create more of that high-performing content!

Auditing your metrics every month informs your strategy. Leaning into what already works well is the smartest way to grow.

Step 7: Set Goals and Improve Consistency

Cleaning your account sets the stage for new growth. Now it‘s time to look ahead. Ask yourself:

What content should I post more of?
What posting schedule works best?
How can I continue improving my content?
What engagement goals do I have?

Consistent, high-quality content keeps your engagement steady and profile polished after you‘ve finished cleaning.

Post at least once daily if you can. Pay attention to when your followers are most active. Schedule content during peak times using tools like Planoly or HootSuite.

Set quarterly engagement goals to keep growing, like "10% more comments per post". Track your progress in a spreadsheet. Improving bit by bit over time yields big rewards!

Let‘s Recap

Hopefully this guide provided a helpful roadmap for tidying up your Instagram presence. Here are the key takeaways:

Regularly prune ghost followers and spam accounts
Audit your following list monthly
Archive irrelevant old posts
Verify your account if possible
Respond to comments consistently
Analyze your Instagram insights
Set engagement goals and post consistently

Keeping up with small cleanup tasks prevents your Instagram from needing a huge overhaul. Dedicate 30 minutes a week, and you‘ll maintain a stellar presence.

For more tips, check out my other Instagram posts on optimizing your bio, using viral hashtags, and tools to boost growth. You‘ve got this! If you have any other questions on leveling up your Instagram game, drop me a comment. I‘d be happy to help. Let‘s keep in touch!