Why am I losing Followers on TikTok and How to Prevent It?

If you see your posts getting less engagement and followers count decreasing by the day, this post will explain why you are losing TikTok followers and steps to prevent it.

TikTok followers going down for a reason

Before we get to the point, let’s get some statistics first to understand the dynamics of it.

As of 2021, 69% of teenagers on TikTok are regular TikTok users, and almost every third of them have followed at least 10 other users in the past month but received less than 1% following back.

Thus, it is understandable that the problem is not with following other creators, but them not following you back.

Also, it is common to believe that once the new followers have joined your profile they are there to stay.

Yet again, weeks past and you start questioning why am I losing followers on TikTok.

Let’s now count the reasons.

  • In the beginning, you may have been lucky to get matched with users who have similar views or know you personally and thus, are willing to follow you.
  • Your content has evolved or suddenly changed and your audience, or at least some of it, no longer is interested in your videos.
  • The TikTok algorithm has been removing suspicious accounts.
  • Your videos have stopped getting into users’ For You pages.
  • You stopped being active on TikTok and elsewhere on social media.
  • One of your videos has accidentally offended a certain group, notion, or belief.
  • Users decide you are dead or fake, and no longer wish to follow you.

Why is TikTok removing my followers – the truth

Out of 100% cases when you start massively losing followers on TikTok in 2024, it is the TikTok algorithm that is removing them. The reasons are many, the experts at whattdw.com say. There might be some minor algorithm updates that review profiles on TikTok and suspend scammers and fake profiles.

In fact, accounts with no posts uploaded following thousands of other accounts are doomed to be removed for fakeness. As more creators are buying followers on TikTok, the need for high-quality followers with fully filled profiles and posts of their own is required to pass the algorithm’s screen test. 

Otherwise, you may not only lose TikTok followers but your account as well if TikTok marks it as suspicious.

What should you do to stop losing followers?

Although purchasing fans for TikTok accounts is not recommended it is still an option that new creators often consider. 

So, if you are one of them, you should always check for how real those followers look before you buy any. Unique usernames, filled bio and the presence of posts are all the signs of an account run by a human and not bot.

Losing TikTok followers because of content 

Another reason why you may be losing followers on TikTok is changes of some sort in the content you upload. 

Analyzing your posts and the followers’ engagement and general profile growth from TikTok Analytics you should notice a few things.

First, what are the days of the week that you receive the most engagement (views, likes, comments, etc.). Notice how your posting schedule has progressed over a month. Have you uploaded on the same days or jumped from one day to another without giving it much thought?

How many videos have you uploaded in the past week? How is this number different from the number of posts uploaded on the days with the most follower growth?

Also, it is important that you stick to your niche and create a certain pattern for your posts. This is why some of the most popular creators upload Q&A videos or go Live on one day and post POV on the others. 

That said, switching from home cooking to athletics and yoga is not nearly as bad as jumping from gaming and anime to gardening or DIY. 

Prevent losing followers on TikTok by carefully considering a change in the content you create. It’s not rocket science and every successful influencer knows what makes their audience tick. Else, stick to your guns and do not force dramatic shifts upon your followers. 

Your videos on TikTok losing popularity

Popularity on TikTok, as on any social media platform is not a forever-lasting thing and is rather fleeting. Almost every tenth creator starting on TikTok has at least experienced the “losing TikTok followers” issue. 

Besides the reasons mentioned above this may also happen because the so-called “novelty effect” is no longer affecting the TikTok algorithm. To explain, once a new video is released, especially on a new channel, the algorithm pushes it to a select number of people based on the type of content. Receiving the viewers’ interest, it puts a video on the For You page(the front page of TikTok) for more reach and interaction.

While this organic and free promotion is a good thing, a string of not so well-received videos may put your videos out of sight if the algorithm decides the content is of low quality. The creator is likely to get discouraged and lose TikTok followers as a result.

The solution for keeping videos popular on TikTok is a complex one. In fact, besides a thorough analysis of why the videos are no longer getting on the For You page, you should add relevant hashtags, tag people, and stick to a schedule.

TikTok followers going down for a long inactivity period

With its short-lived content and growing popularity TikTok is one of the most fun and hectic social media platforms, but it could be the most demanding as well.

Initially uploading up to 10 and 20 videos a day (yes, we have some creators doing this) it is common for TikTok creators to get overwhelmed at some point. 

Due to the growing competitiveness within the niche and volatility of the TikTok algorithm favoring one video over another, the frequency of content upload is typically hard to maintain, according to a study by whattdw.com. Thus, a massive drop in profile followers may happen when the creator who has been active suddenly stops posting or uploads barely any content for months. 

Why would you follow a TikToker who no longer makes videos and has fallen from the face of the Earth?

How to stop losing followers on TikTok due to inactivity?

You can try scheduled upload and plan content ahead if you are having a hard time keeping up with a certain number of posts. Sometimes uploading a few videos a week is better than 10 posts a day and then, being inactive for weeks.

Losing TikTok followers for being fake or offensive 

Last but not least a creator is seen losing Tik Tok followers for embarrassing incidents such as exposing a fake profile or being offensive or downright rude interacting with followers.

There are many incidents with fake profiles of celebrities, and sometimes even TikTok itself is misled. As with the case of Kendall Jenner’s account which has been verified before its deletion when it turned out to be fake.

That said, running a fan page is not against TikTok Terms. It is only when the purpose of having one with the celebrity’s name on it is for deceit the app cracks down on the creator. 

Even real influencers with millions of TikTok followers are familiar with the cancel culture. Zoe Laverne is one of those who received the backlash and mass unfollow for her jokes on cheating on her boyfriend and then actually cheated. Or for her wrongful accusation of abusing her and the alleged romantic relationship with a minor.

How to prevent it? 

The lesson is to only claim credit for who you really are, and not being offensive or overly judgemental. If you are keeping a fan account dedicated to a celebrity, be open about it by mentioning somewhere in the bio.