Why fewer contacts than followers?
Last reviewed:
Short answer
Instagram doesn’t give apps a list of your followers. A person becomes a contact in DMowl when they interact with your account: comment on a post, send a DM, reply to a story or mention you. So the contact list grows with activity, not with followers.
How contacts are added
- Comments on your posts and reels (while Instagram is connected)
- DMs, story replies and story mentions
- Giveaway entries, which come from comments or DMs
Whether someone follows you is checked when an automation needs it, e.g. for a follow gate. The followers audience in campaigns uses these confirmed follows.
Contacts vs active contacts
All contacts are stored for free. Your plan only counts active contacts: people who got an automated message this month.
Questions? Answers.
Can I import my followers?
No, Instagram doesn’t allow it. Start a comment-to-DM post or a story with a question — everyone who reacts becomes a contact.
Still stuck? Write to us and tell us what you tried: hello@dmowl.com