Yes! It is still important to prioritize quality over quantity
It is important to not focus on how many followers you have but on the quality content you produce. You will naturally grow your audience if you invest time and effort in creating informative and inspirational content, rather than worrying about quick fixes to increase followers.
You should also consider that your audience size doesn’t affect how many people follow you. Your content is what keeps them following you.
Maybe I was initially influenced by an influencer because she had over 200K followers. This indicated to me that she was worthwhile following.
However, this doesn’t mean that I have stopped following influencers or brands based on their size audience. I have unfollowed many mega-influencers and brands with thousands, if not millions of followers simply because they were no longer inspiring me.
If you want to win the long game of Instagram, you need to focus on what you control. This includes the quality and promotion of your content, as well as the brand you create.
Ironically, I would wager that the less you worry about how many followers you have the greater the community members you will attract.