Alexis Kestler
Want to refine your Twitter community and follower list? As a social media expert, let me walk you through the ins and outs of easily removing followers on Twitter.
Controlling your followers is a key part of curating your presence on the platform. While you can‘t outright force someone to unfollow you, I‘ll show you a few simple tricks to prune your followers without them realizing it.
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll cover everything you need to know about removing Twitter followers in 2023. Whether you want to cultivate a more niche audience, deal with bots and spam accounts, or just start fresh, you‘ll have the tools to shape your ideal follower community.
Let‘s dive in friend!
Why Would You Want To Remove Followers?
Here are the main reasons you may want to remove or prune your followers on Twitter:
Maintain a Niche Community
If you have a focused personal brand or niche presence on Twitter, keeping your follower list tailored and relevant is key. Removing irrelevant followers can help avoid diluting your niche and improve engagement.
Deal With Spam Accounts
Unfortunately Twitter is rife with bots and spam accounts that aggressively auto-follow people hoping for a follow back. Pruning these fake and irrelevant accounts helps keep your community high quality.
Increase Privacy
If you aim to have a smaller, more private Twitter community, removing excessive followers helps you control things and keep your sharing more intimate.
Start Fresh
Removing old or outdated followers can help you rebuild your Twitter community from the ground up if desired. This allows shaping things around your current interests vs older followers.
Improve Engagement
Studies show that highly engaged communities have a follower to following ratio of around 1:1. Removing excessive followers can help balance things out and increase overall engagement.
While removing followers has clear benefits, don‘t go overboard! Be thoughtful about who you remove to avoid alienating real connections. Moderation is key.
Step 1: Review Your Followers List
Before you start removing followers, you‘ll first want to audit your list so you know who to prune. Here is how you can see your full followers list on desktop and mobile:
On Desktop:
- Go to your Twitter profile page
- Click on "Followers" in the left sidebar
- This will display your full list of followers
In The Mobile App:
- Tap your profile icon in the bottom bar
- Tap on "Followers"
- This will show your full follower list
Carefully look through your followers list and take note of any accounts that you wish to remove. Things to watch for:
- Suspicious looking bot or spam accounts
- Strangers or people you don‘t recognize
- Irrelevant accounts to your niche or interests
Compile a list of followers to potentially remove. Don‘t worry, you don‘t have to remove them all at once. Take it slow over time.
Now let‘s go over your options for actually removing followers once you know who to prune.
Remove Followers Directly (Limited Availability)
Twitter has actually begun testing a native "Remove this follower" feature to simplify the process. Here is how it works:
On Desktop:
- Visit your Twitter followers list
- Hover your mouse over a follower‘s name
- Click the 3 vertical dots menu that pops up
- Select "Remove this follower" to instantly remove them!
This new option makes pruning followers a breeze! However, it is still in limited testing and not available to all users yet.
If you don‘t see the "Remove this follower" choice, don‘t worry, you can use the methods below.
Block Then Unblock
A common trick Twitter users have employed for ages is to block a follower, then immediately unblock them right after. Here‘s how it works:
On Desktop:
- Go to the profile page of the follower you want to remove
- Click "Block @username" below their name and avatar
- This will block that user and remove them from following you
- Immediately go to your account settings and blocked accounts list
- Find the user you just blocked and click "Unblock"
- Although now unblocked, the user will still be removed from your followers!
On Mobile:
- Go to the profile page of the follower
- Tap the 3-dot menu button in the top right corner
- Select "Block" to block that user
- Once blocked, immediately go to Settings & Privacy > Blocked Accounts
- Find the user and tap "Unblock" to remove the block
- The user will no longer be following you
This block/unblock trick removes the user without sending any notification. However, savvy users may notice if they check your profile. For a more subtle approach, try using Twitter Lists.
Use Twitter Lists to Remove
Twitter Lists allow you to segment who sees your tweets. By adding unwanted followers to a private list, you can effectively remove them from your main feed.
Here is how to prune followers with lists:
- Create a new private Twitter list
- Give it an innocuous name like "Prospects"
- Go through your followers list
- For any you wish to remove, click "Add to list"
- Select the private list you created
- Repeat for all unwanted followers
This keeps them following you, but removes your tweets from their main feed since they are relegated to your private list. When done, delete the list to remove all those followers in one swoop.
Things To Keep In Mind
When going about removing Twitter followers, keep these tips in mind:
- Do it gradually over time – Don‘t aggressively purge your followers
- Avoid publicly announcing you are removing followers – This can backfire
- Be thoughtful and selective – Don‘t alienate real connections
- Periodically check on any removed followers – You can refollow if removed mistakenly
Follower removal is powerful but should be used judiciously. Be strategic and subtle as you shape your ideal community.
Frequently Asked Questions
Let‘s go over some common questions around removing followers on Twitter:
How Many Followers Can You Remove Per Day?
Twitter doesn‘t disclose any official limits. However, if you remove hundreds per day it may trigger spam detection. Take it slowly by removing just a few each day to be safe.
What Happens When You Remove A Follower?
Once removed, the user will no longer see your tweets in their main timeline feed. However, they can still search and find you to refollow unless you block them.
Can Followers Tell If You Remove Them?
Followers won‘t receive any notification when removed. But savvy users may notice if they check your profile and see they‘ve been unfollowed.
Is It Bad To Remove Followers On Twitter?
Removing followers in moderation is fine. Pruning a few irrelevant followers periodically helps maintain your community. Just don‘t overdo it and inadvertently remove real connections.
Should You Remove Inactive Followers?
It can help to prune very old inactive accounts once in awhile. But be cautious about removing all inactive followers – some may become active again. Use discretion.
Conclusion
While Twitter doesn‘t allow you to directly remove followers, these tricks let you effectively refine and curate your community. Be thoughtful and selective in who you remove to avoid alienating real connections. With a refined followers list, you can enjoy more focused engagement from an audience that better aligns with your brand.
I hope this guide gives you the knowledge to easily remove followers on Twitter and take control of your presence. Remember to go slowly, subtly, and strategically. If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out! I‘m always happy to help fellow social media managers strengthen their communities.
