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Get Followers

Retrieves the list of followers for an Instagram profile with optional limits. Returns follower usernames, profile information, verification status, and engagement metrics.

Common Properties​

  • Name - The custom name of the node.
  • Color - The custom color of the node.
  • Delay Before (sec) - Waits in seconds before executing the node.
  • Delay After (sec) - Waits in seconds after executing node.
  • Continue On Error - Automation will continue regardless of any error. The default value is false.
info

If the ContinueOnError property is true, no error is caught when the project is executed, even if a Catch node is used.

Inputs​

  • Session ID - The session identifier from the Login node.
  • Username - Instagram username to retrieve followers for (without the @ symbol).
  • Max Followers - Maximum number of followers to retrieve. Set to 0 to retrieve all followers (use with extreme caution on accounts with many followers).

Output​

  • Followers - Array of follower profile objects, each containing:

    • username - Follower's Instagram username
    • user_id - Unique user identifier
    • full_name - Display name
    • is_private - Boolean indicating if account is private
    • is_verified - Boolean indicating if account is verified
    • profile_pic_url - URL to profile picture
    • followers_count - Number of followers this user has
    • following_count - Number of accounts this user follows
    • posts_count - Number of posts this user has

  • Follower Count - Total number of followers retrieved.

How It Works​

The Get Followers node fetches the follower list from a profile. When executed, it:

  1. Validates the Session ID and Username
  2. Retrieves the profile using the Instagram API
  3. Iterates through the profile's followers
  4. For each follower, extracts profile information
  5. Stops when Max Followers limit is reached or all followers are retrieved
  6. Returns the followers array and count

Requirements​

  • An active Instagram session (from Login node)
  • A valid Instagram username
  • Login is required to access follower lists (even for public accounts)
  • For private profiles, you must follow the account

Error Handling​

The node will return specific errors in the following cases:

  • ErrInvalidArg - Username is missing or empty
  • ErrNotFound - Profile does not exist
  • ErrPermission - Profile is private and you don't follow them
  • ErrAuth - Login is required to access follower lists
  • ErrRuntime - General failure to retrieve followers

Common Errors​

Profile Not Found:

Profile 'username' does not exist

Solution: Verify the username is correct.

Private Profile:

Profile 'username' is private and you don't follow them

Solution: You must follow the account to access their follower list.

Login Required:

Login required to access followers list

Solution: Ensure you're using a valid authenticated session.

Usage Notes​

  • Retrieving followers from large accounts (100K+ followers) can take significant time
  • Use Max Followers to limit retrieval time and API calls
  • Follower order may vary (Instagram doesn't guarantee specific ordering)
  • Each follower object includes their own follower/following counts
  • Private account followers require follow relationship
  • Rate limiting may occur when retrieving large follower lists
  • Instagram may restrict access to very large follower lists

Example: Analyze Follower Demographics​

Inputs:

  • Session ID: (from Login node)
  • Username: "brand_account"
  • Max Followers: 1000

Output Sample:

{
  "followers": [
    {
      "username": "user123",
      "user_id": "1234567890",
      "full_name": "John Doe",
      "is_private": false,
      "is_verified": false,
      "profile_pic_url": "https://instagram.com/.../profile.jpg",
      "followers_count": 542,
      "following_count": 890,
      "posts_count": 127
    },
    {
      "username": "influencer_pro",
      "user_id": "9876543210",
      "full_name": "Jane Smith",
      "is_private": false,
      "is_verified": true,
      "profile_pic_url": "https://instagram.com/.../profile2.jpg",
      "followers_count": 125000,
      "following_count": 450,
      "posts_count": 892
    }
  ],
  "followers_count": 1000
}

Example: Find Verified Followers​

Workflow:

Login
  ↓
Get Followers (your_account, max: 5000)
  ↓
Filter followers where is_verified == true
  ↓
For each verified follower:
  Log username and followers_count
  ↓
Generate verified followers report
  ↓
Logout

Use Case: Identify influential followers for potential collaborations.

Example: Follower Quality Analysis​

Workflow:

Get Followers (max: 1000)
  ↓
Analyze:
  - Count private vs public accounts
  - Calculate average follower/following ratio
  - Identify accounts with 0 posts (potential bots)
  - Count verified followers
  ↓
Calculate follower quality score

Example: Competitor Follower Analysis​

Workflow:

For each competitor:
  Get Followers (max: 500)
  ↓
  Categorize followers:
    - High influence (followers > 10000)
    - Medium influence (followers 1000-10000)
    - Regular users (followers < 1000)
  ↓
Generate competitive follower landscape report

Best Practices​

  • Use conservative Max Followers limits (100-1000) for regular use
  • Add significant delays when retrieving large follower lists
  • Calculate follower quality metrics (e.g., follower/following ratio)
  • Filter for verified accounts to find influential followers
  • Identify potential bot accounts (0 posts, suspicious ratios)
  • Store follower data to track growth and changes over time
  • Handle rate limiting errors with retry logic
  • Consider processing followers in batches for large accounts

Tips for Effective Use​

  • Quality Over Quantity: Analyze follower/following ratios to assess account quality
  • Bot Detection: Accounts with 0 posts or very high following/follower ratios may be bots
  • Influencer Identification: Filter by is_verified or followers_count > threshold
  • Engagement Potential: Compare followers_count to posts_count for activity level
  • Private Account Ratio: High percentage of private followers may indicate certain demographics
  • Follower Growth Tracking: Regular snapshots help track follower acquisition
  • Competitive Intelligence: Compare your follower demographics to competitors
  • Segmentation: Group followers by size (micro, macro, mega influencers)

Common Use Cases​

  1. Audience Analysis - Understand follower demographics and characteristics
  2. Influencer Discovery - Find verified or high-follower accounts in your audience
  3. Bot Detection - Identify and quantify fake/bot followers
  4. Growth Tracking - Monitor follower list changes over time
  5. Competitive Research - Analyze competitor follower bases
  6. Lead Generation - Identify potential customers or partners
  7. Quality Assessment - Evaluate follower authenticity and engagement potential
  8. Community Building - Find and engage with valuable followers

Follower Quality Metrics​

Key Metrics to Calculate:

Follower/Following Ratio:

ratio = followers_count / following_count
- Ratio > 1: More followers than following (influencer-like)
- Ratio < 0.5: Following many more than followers
- Ratio ≈ 1: Balanced account

Account Activity Score:

activity = posts_count / account_age (if known)
- High posts_count: Active user
- Zero posts: Potentially fake account

Influence Score:

influence = followers_count * (is_verified ? 2 : 1)
- Verified accounts weighted higher
- Helps identify key followers

Example: Comprehensive Follower Analysis​

Workflow:

Get Followers (max: 2000)
  ↓
Categorize:
  - Verified: is_verified == true
  - Influencers: followers_count > 10000
  - Private: is_private == true
  - Suspicious: followers_count == 0 or following_count/followers_count > 10
  ↓
Calculate:
  - Average follower/following ratio
  - Verified percentage
  - Private account percentage
  - Potential bot percentage
  ↓
Generate audience quality report

Performance Considerations​

  • Retrieving 1000 followers typically takes 2-5 minutes
  • Large accounts (100K+ followers) can take hours to fully retrieve
  • Instagram rate limits apply; expect slower retrieval for large lists
  • Use Max Followers to balance completeness and performance
  • Consider retrieving followers in scheduled batches
  • Cache follower data to minimize API calls
  • Processing time increases linearly with follower count

Follower Growth Tracking​

Strategy for Monitoring Growth:

Schedule (Daily):
  Get Followers (max: 0)
  Store in database with timestamp

Weekly Analysis:
  Compare current follower list with previous week
  Identify new followers
  Identify unfollowers
  Calculate growth rate

Important Notes​

  • Privacy: Private account follower lists require follow relationship
  • Authentication: Login is required even for public account followers
  • Rate Limiting: Large follower lists may trigger Instagram's rate limits
  • Ordering: Follower order is not guaranteed to be consistent
  • Completeness: Very large accounts (1M+ followers) may have retrieval limitations
  • Bots: Social media often contains fake/bot accounts; filter appropriately
  • Performance: Set realistic Max Followers limits based on your needs
  • Data Privacy: Handle follower data responsibly and in compliance with privacy regulations