Can follower check be done before the giveaway ends?

It cannot. Since the check runs on the winner's account, it can only be completed after the winner is picked.

Are entrants who do not follow removed from the giveaway?

They are not. The winner is picked from the entire entrant list, the follow status is checked on the winner afterwards.

How many accounts can be added to the accounts to follow list?

You add as many accounts as you want to the list, but at most 30 accounts are queried in one check. If the list is longer, 30 of them are picked at random.

Does the winner change automatically if they are not following?

It does not. You mark the winner as Invalid and pick a new winner instead with the Repick button.

On which platforms does follower check work?

In Instagram and X (Twitter) giveaways. In TikTok giveaways follower check is not done, the profile picture, name, biography, post and follower count checks run.

How Does Follower Check Work in an Instagram Giveaway? Advanced Rules

At a Glance

When you write a follow requirement on the giveaway post, you need to see whether the winner actually did it. Follower check looks at whether the winner follows the accounts you specified, one by one, after the giveaway ends.

Follower check does not eliminate entrants, it checks the winner's account after the winner is picked.
At most 30 accounts are queried in one check, if your list is longer 30 of them are picked at random.
The result comes in three forms: following, not following and could not be read.

Run a free giveaway Giveaway rules guide

What Is Follower Check?

Follower check is a check that queries, account by account, whether the winner follows the accounts you specified. You fill in the accounts to follow list while creating the giveaway, but at that moment the list does not eliminate any comment.

The comments are collected, the entrant list comes out and the winner is picked at random from that entire list. The check runs when you press the Check button on the winner's card on the result page.

Before the giveaway: The list is saved in the rules step, the entrant count does not change.
After the giveaway: Advanced Rules opens on the winner's card, the check starts with a button.
Each winner separately: If more than one winner came out and you set substitutes, each one is checked from its own card.

How Are Accounts To Follow Added?

The field is in the Advanced Rules section of the rules step while you create the giveaway. It can also be changed from the Advanced Rules window on the result page after the giveaway is resulted.

Write the username: It is added to the list when you type the account and press ENTER, you can specify more than one account.
Get following accounts: The accounts followed by the account running the giveaway are added to the list in bulk.
30 account limit: At most 30 accounts are queried in one check, if the list is longer 30 of them are picked at random.

The Advanced Rules window on the result page and the accounts to follow field

If you run the giveaway with more than one account you can add all of them to the list. Keeping the list short makes the results easier to read.

How Are the Results Read?

When the check ends, the Results heading opens on the winner's card and every account on the list is marked one by one.

Green check: The winner follows that account.
Red cross: The winner does not follow that account.
Question mark: The follow status could not be read, the Please check manually warning appears on the row.

The follower check results on the winner's card on the result page

A row that could not be read does not make the winner invalid. You open the account on Instagram and look at the follow status yourself.

What Is Checked Besides Follower Check?

The same button looks at a few more things on the winner's profile. These checks also run after the giveaway ends.

Must Have Profile Picture: It looks at whether the winner has a profile picture.
Must Have Name: It looks at whether the winner's profile has a name.
Must Have Biography: It looks at whether the winner's profile has a biography.
Minimum Posts Count: If the winner's post count is below the number you set, it is marked red.
Minimum Followers Count: If the winner's follower count is below the number you set, it is marked red.

Follower check works in Instagram and X (Twitter) giveaways. In TikTok giveaways follower check is not done, only the profile checks run.

What Happens if the Winner Is Not Following?

The winner does not change on its own. If a red or unread row comes out of the check, the Repick button appears on the winner's card.

You make the decision. You mark the winner as Valid or Invalid, and if needed a new winner is picked instead.

Repick: A new winner is picked at random from the entrant list instead of the winner.
Check again: When the winner changes the previous check result is deleted, you run the check again for the new winner.
Valid and Invalid: You mark the winner by hand, the mark is visible to everyone on the winner's card. When you mark Invalid the Repick button appears.

The follow requirement also needs to be written on the giveaway post, how the rules are written is in the giveaway rules guide.

Common Mistakes

Most of the confusion about follower check comes from not knowing when the check runs.

Expecting entrants to be eliminated: Even if the list is filled in, accounts that do not follow are not removed from the giveaway, the check is done on the winner.
Writing too many accounts in the list: Since at most 30 accounts are queried in one check, some accounts are left out in long lists.
Counting an unread row as invalid: A question mark does not mean not following, you check that row by hand.
Forgetting the check when the winner changes: After Repick the old result is deleted, you run the check again for the new winner.
Not writing the requirement on the post: If the follow requirement is not written on the giveaway post, changing the winner for not following causes an argument.