Case: a 4,000-account unfollow purge raised reach rate 2.1 points

Case: a 4,000-account unfollow purge raised reach rate 2.1 points
A wellness account (110k) cut ghost/bot followers flagged as inactive 180+ days.
— Pre-purge: median reach 12,100 (11.0%)
— Post-purge (106k followers): 13,860 (13.1%)
— Absolute reach rose despite a smaller base — engagement-rate signal improved
Dead followers diluted the early-engagement ratio the algorithm reads.
So what: a smaller engaged base can out-reach a bloated one; reach RATE, not follower count, drives distribution. (n=80 posts, 45-day windows pre/post)