How to be big on instagram


Get More Real Instagram Followers in 10 Steps

Instagram is the foundation of so many brands’ social presence. The platform is proven to drive traffic, support sales and engage customers.

And that’s why 59% of marketers plan to up their investment in Instagram this year.

But if you’re not thrilled with your Instagram growth and engagement, you’re not alone.

Competition on the platform is fierce as more and more brands get on board. Thing is, taking steps to grow your audience is absolutely worth it. That’s because the bigger your audience, the more opportunities to delight your customers.

Ready to tweak your presence to attract authentic and organic Instagram followers? This post breaks down how to make it happen.

10 ways to increase Instagram followers

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, this post is about building an organic following.

And yes, the distinction matters!

Some brands want to take shortcuts when it comes to trying to get more Instagram followers. We don’t pretend that pay-for-play sites exist.

That said, these services aren’t worth it for brands long-term. The Instagram algorithm weeds out low-quality accounts and phony engagement from paid bots.

But we’ll bite: there’s definitely some legwork involved in growing your audience authentically.

Doing so it worth totally worth it, though. Below are our ten best tips for getting more Instagram followers the right way.

1. Optimize your Instagram account

Before you worry about how to get followers, consider how your Instagram account is set up first.

Ask yourself: does your profile “look the part?” For starters, consider your:

  • Your Instagram bio (including your slogan, tagline and/or a branded hashtag)
  • Your profile picture
  • Your bio link (and where it points to)

These details define your brand identity on Instagram. More importantly, they impact your account’s discoverability. Building a follower-friendly account means:

  • Having a search-friendly username. Stick to either your brand name or whatever’s closest to your existing social handles. If your name is too long, shorten it to a variation your audience would recognize (ex: Cold Stone Creamery’s account is @coldstone).
  • Making your profile picture professional. An appropriately-sized logo is ideal. Any text in your profile picture should be legible on a smartphone screen.
  • Minding where you point your bio link. This is crucial for turning Instagram followers into meaningful traffic or customers. It’s your only way to funnel social traffic to your site and promotions.

Linking to your homepage is fine but not always ideal. To encourage more meaningful interactions, a social landing page that points to multiple links can help.

This gives your audience total control of how they engage your business next. That means a better experience for your followers.

The best way to optimize your account is to follow a proven Instagram marketing strategy. Download our free guide to get started.

2. Keep a consistent content calendar

Momentum matters on Instagram. In other words, you likely won’t get followers on Instagram if you post at random.

Creating content and providing value is what builds your audience. Doing so consistently is what helps you keep them. Don’t let your Instagram account gather cobwebs.

That’s why sticking to a regular posting schedule is crucial.  In terms of when and how much to post, you don’t have to stick to a set-in-stone number. Most brands post daily or near daily. This tracks our own research on how often to post as well.

For reference, below is a breakdown of the best times to post to Instagram.  “Optimal” engagement is during the mid-to-late morning and early afternoons during the week.

If you’re worried about your posts not getting seen enough, we get it. Consider how features like Stories can get more eyes on your content if it wasn’t seen the first time.

3. Schedule Instagram posts in advance

There’s no denying that brands are at the mercy of the Instagram algorithm for reach. Still, posting at the right times can still give your posts more visibility. Anything you can do to maximize engagement is a plus.

This speaks to the value of scheduling Instagram content. With Sprout’s newest tools, brands can schedule Stories, Carousels, Reels and Posts.

Scheduling content in advance ensures control and organization. Instagram scheduling tools ultimately help you hit that cadence we mentioned earlier. The ability to crosspost content from other networks helps here, too.

You can also use Sprout’s ViralPost feature to nail down your timing, too. Our platform analyzes your engagement history and identifies the best times to post.

Perfect your Instagram content plan with Sprout Social

In addition to scheduling a complete picture of your Instagram content calendar, Sprout offers even more features to perfect your brand’s feed.

Share IG-approved visuals with your team using our Asset Library, or test out our grid preview feature to make sure every aspect of your presence is true to your brand style.

Get a hands-on look at these features and more with a 30-day free trial of Sprout.

4. Engage with customers, brand advocates and influencers

Figuring out how to get more Instagram followers means engaging your audience.

And one of the best ways to do that is through responding to and republishing their posts.

Enter the power of user-generated content. UGC campaigns build social proof by showing followers you’re invested in them. For example, Drunk Elephant regularly regrams their followers’ posts. They gather content with their #BareWithUs and #DrunkBreak hashtags.

Partnering with influencers with an established following is another way to grow your own audience. Content creators can get your brand in front of your target audience and build ongoing awareness for your products.

5. Avoid fake Instagram followers

There’s a big difference between fake and legitimate followers on Instagram.

We get it, too. For the sake of quick growth, it might be tempting to purchase followers.

But the drawbacks outweigh the benefits 100%. Why? Because fake Instagram followers…

  • Confuse your potential organic followers. An inactive, low-engagement account with a big following is suspicious. This can be a turn-off for fans that’d otherwise follow you and engage.

  • Provide no monetary value to your business. Think about it. Your bot followers can’t buy your stuff, can they? 

  • Generate no buzz: If you have 10,000 fake followers, how many are going to engage with your posts? Does it really even matter if your posts are brimming with spam comments?

Real people have the ability to share, like, comment and engage with your Instagram posts. Additionally, real followers actually appreciate the time you spend interacting with them. 

For example, Lush Cosmetics takes the time to answer questions and engage followers all the time. This results in customers regularly returning to share shout-outs and positive comments.

6. Showcase your Instagram everywhere you can

Don’t be shy about promoting your Instagram if more followers are your goal.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to promoting your ‘gram, either. Here are a few ideas:

  • Add social media icons to your website and marketing emails. Social media icons make it easier for people to find your business and help you connect with customers.
  • Feature an Instagram feed on your homepage or product pages. Many ecommerce brands have dedicated UGC feeds on-site (see below).
  • Reshare Instagram-specific content or announcements on other social channels. For example, you could talk about an upcoming IG Live via TikTok or Facebook.

7. Post content that followers actually want to see

Easier said than done, we know.

Filters. Captions. Content types. Post times. That doesn’t even scratch the surface.

There are so many variables to consider, right? It doesn’t help that Instagram’s algorithm is fickle. What works for one brand might not work for the next in terms of format and timing.

For example, some brands swear by Carousels. Others are all-in on Reels. Both approaches can work. You’ll quickly find on Instagram that some content performs better than others. This is why testing is so important.

Instagram’s native analytics are surprisingly powerful. That said, investing in Instagram analytics tools will take things to the next level.

For example, Sprout makes it easy to benchmark and analyze Instagram content across accounts. Rather than second-guess what’s working and what’s not, our reporting spells it out for you.

Be confident in your content strategy by analyzing those variables we mentioned earlier.

And if you’re unsure where to start, try analyzing your competitors. A staggering 90% of brands say that social media data helps them keep up with competing social accounts.

You obviously shouldn’t copycat your competitors. That said, you can take notes on what they’re doing or posting that drives engagement.  Sprout’s Instagram Competitors report can provide a breakdown of what’s working in your industry. A little competitive research can go a long way.

Oh, and keep your ear to the ground with new Instagram trends. That way you won’t miss out on platform-wide opportunities to hop on trending content formats.

For example, Reels are popping off right now. Our data shows that 66% of consumers want to see more short-form videos from brands. In terms of trends, Reels should be on your radar.

 

8. Make meaningful conversation with your audience

Food for thought: 60% of marketers use Instagram as a service channel.

The platform is perfect for going back and forth with followers. Likewise, many popular post ideas center around asking questions and engaging in a dialogue for a reason.

Off-the-cuff questions, shipping concerns or praise for products are all fair game from followers. Check out how Cometeer responds to all of the above on their Instagram posts:

Being supportive and responding promptly shows people that you care.

You’d be surprised at how your Instagram followers increase once you start acting more personable. Our Index research shows that 89% of consumers will buy from a brand after following them on social. Every interaction counts.

Again, try to respond to as many questions or comments as possible. Doing so could make or break someone becoming a long-term follower or a customer.

9. Find hashtags where your followers hang out

Instagram hashtags have been a staple of the platform, like, forever.

That said, they don’t hold as much weight as they used to.

Dumping hashtags into your posts isn’t going to net you any new followers. Especially when there’s so much noise on the platform.

Be proactive by focusing on industry-specific hashtags relevant to your customers. For example, Lashify regularly posts content to the #LashEducation hashtag. Tags are less general and competitive than #beauty. Becoming more visible within these types of tags is meaningful for brands in the right niche.

Understanding how your hashtags perform on Instagram is critical. With Sprout Social’s hashtag analytics tools, you have direct access to in-depth performance and usage data. Figuring out which hashtags to use is just a few taps away.

10. Take steps to delight your Instagram followers

When you make your Instagram followers happy, you’ll see the payoff in audience growth. The best Instagram accounts have fans and communities (hint: not just followers).

The tips below are the building blocks for a follower-friendly account. Put them into practice in a way that aligns with your brand voice and values. Avoid coming across as needy,  solesy sales-driven or robotic at all costs.

So much of how to get Instagram followers for free is about creating an authentic community. For many accounts, this means building customer relationships. Content that highlights your personality and the humans behind your brand is a plus. This includes:

  • Inspirational content
  • Humorous content
  • Re-sharing UGC with unique captions
  • Storytelling posts
  • Behind-the-scenes photos and videos
  • Posts that raise awareness for social causes

How to get more Instagram followers (the wrong way!)

Disclaimer: Sprout Social does not endorse purchasing Instagram followers. We don’t recommend services that sell followings or “Likes.” 

As the social space becomes more crowded and competitive, brands are willing to take risks for the sake of instant results.

We’ll say it again: brands shouldn’t buy Instagram followers. Nobody should!

Why you shouldn’t buy followers on Instagram

Here are some reasons why buying followers to grow your account is a serious mistake.

Your real followers know what fake followers look like

Social consumers are getting savvier. Privacy concerns and social scammers have made people hyper-aware of weird activity. In short, people today are spam-detectors.

A sudden follower spike is a red flag. Not to mention having bots stink up your account with endless spam followers. This all damages your reputation and keeps you from growing an authentic Instagram following.

Fake followers bring nothing to the table

You’re probably worried about your Instagram metrics and understandably so.

That said, your follower count doesn’t mean much if your “followers” don’t drive engagement. You might look “bigger” at a glance but who cares? Consider how your engagement rate on the platform will suffer if your follower count is inflated.

If nothing else, buying Instagram followers violates TOS

No surprises here.

Consider how Meta has taken direct action against buying engagement in the past. They’ve gone as far as to shut down companies that sell likes. That’s because this practice violates the platform’s terms of service:

Help us stay spam-free by not artificially collecting likes, followers, or shares, posting repetitive comments or content, or repeatedly contacting people for commercial purposes without their consent.

How are you growing your Instagram following?

Listen: getting more followers on Instagram isn’t going to happen by accident.

And despite what you might have heard, there’s no silver bullet solution for making it happen.

The tips above can help you build the foundation for an organic following that actually engages with you. Putting these tips into action is so much easier with a powerful publishing and analytics tool like Sprout.

Want to see our suite of tools in action? Start a free trial today and see for yourself!

17 Ways to Get More Followers on Instagram (2023)

Instagram can be a highly targetable, visual marketing channel for your brand and an opportunity to build a loyal audience that grows with your business.

In fact, more than 500 million Instagram users browse the app every day, making it home to some of the most engaged audiences around.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to grow your Instagram follower profile and increase engagement, while growing a massive following over time—one that’s full of real fans, not bots or fake followers.

How to boost my Instagram followers?

Here are some tactics to help you get more followers on Instagram, from incorporating new features like Reels to cross-promoting content, curating your profile, and working with brand ambassadors.

Whether you're just starting out or looking to expand your reach, these 17 tips will help you grow your Instagram followers and increase engagement on the platform.

  1. Incorporate Reels into your content mix
  2. Cross-promote content
  3. Curate your profile grid
  4. Work with brand ambassadors
  5. Get follows from your loyalty program
  6. Market through your personal Instagram account
  7. Get on feature accounts
  8. Use the right hashtags
  9. Post at the right times
  10. Steal your competitors' followers
  11. Pay for sponsored posts and product reviews
  12. Use geotags to boost local discovery
  13. Organize your Stories in highlights
  14. Ask for more followers
  15. Run a giveaway
  16. Share user-generated content
  17. Use Instagram Live

Let’s dive deeper into how to implement each tactic to get more Instagram followers.  

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1. Incorporate Reels into your content mix

Reels are fun videos you can share with followers on your Instagram account. They have audio, effects, and creative tools. You can share them on your feed and publicly in Instagram Explore to reach new audiences. 

Reels are new territory for brands. Kristie Dash, Instagram’s beauty partnerships manager, stated in a Glossy forum that there isn’t one formula for success with Reels. However, she does suggest the following tips to gain traction:

  • Keep content unique and trend-driven. Identify trends on Instagram and TikTok and put your own spin on them. This increases the chance your Reels will go viral and get in front of new people.
  • Make content relatable and simple. Not every Reel needs to be a production. Lower quality videos can perform as well as, if not better than, highly produced Reels.
  • Educate your audience. Find the balance between education and entertainment in your Reels.

    Reels should be a huge priority for you right now. It’s prime real estate for your brand to be discovered by new followers.

    —Kristen Dash, Beauty Partnerships Manager, Instagram

    Trilce Jirón Garro, owner of social media marketing agency TBS Marketing, agrees. “Don’t sell your products through Reels content,” she says. “Share facts. Provide tips about the industry you’re in. Entertain viewers.” 

    Trilce suggests that both new and existing brands incorporate entertaining Reels into their Instagram strategy. “Reels give anyone the opportunity to reach new target audiences,” she says. “There’s no learning curve because Reels content is lo-fi. And creators can produce community-driven content that builds trust, gains followers, and makes sales over time. ” 

    Trilce also loves the Instagram Insights Tool introduced for Reels. “Reels have become an integrated part of any Instagram marketing strategy,” she says. “Analytics tools for Reels have made it easy to track metrics and analyze data to see if your Reels are working. Now, you can understand exactly what your audience likes and dislikes, when to post Reels, and what calls to action resonate with viewers.” 

    Using Reels Insights, you can see patterns and understand different spikes in engagement that affect your visibility on the platform. That way, you can create higher-quality content that gets even more engagement and followers. 

    Need help creating a Reels strategy? Read How to Use Instagram Reels to Market Your Shopify Store to learn more.

    2. Cross-promote content

    Cross-promoting involves posting similar content across various social media channels. It’s a tactic used to save time and resources. It’s also effective at increasing brand awareness and growing an audience on Instagram.  

    Mobile users are spending an increasing amount of time with video and entertainment apps, with video content on social media platforms accounting for the biggest increase. Whether it’s a short-form video or lengthy tutorial, you want to improve the reach of your Instagram content. 

    Justin Bieber’s holiday dance challenge is a great example of successful cross-posting. During the 2020 holiday season, the Canadian singer posted the same dance challenge on both TikTok and Instagram. On TikTok, his video short received 9.8 million likes. The same content on Instagram received 4.8 million likes. While some users may overlap, others likely use just one of these services. Thus, Bieber was able to reach more people just by posting the same video on two different platforms. 

    Nadya Okamoto, founder of lifestyle period brand August, has found that TikTok naturally cross-pollinates to Instagram and YouTube. In an interview with Modern Retail she said, “As we’ve grown on TikTok from August, we’ve also grown to 175,000 followers on Instagram. ” Actively posting on multiple platforms has “affected our overall cost of acquisitions to be super effective,” allowing the brand to steer away from paid media as a main acquisition channel. 

    TikTok isn’t the only channel you can cross-post on. The Instagram Reels format translates well to YouTube Shorts and Pinterest Stories. It’s important to note that Instagram’s algorithm won’t promote Reels that have a TikTok watermark. So if you’re going to cross-post content from Instagram to other channels, ensure the content is high quality and doesn’t promote a competing platform through watermarks. 

    3. Curate your profile grid

    Most of your Instagram followers won’t follow you for what you posted in the past but for the promise of what you’ll post in the future. Your audience wants to know what they’re going to get if they hit that Follow button.

    Having a feed with a consistent posting schedule and theme can have just as much of an impact in growing a following as many of the other growth strategies we’ve covered above. Even a simple pattern can entice new followers, as long as it’s communicated at first glance to anyone who lands on your profile.

    Consider your Instagram bio and your last nine posts as your first impression on Instagram. Do they effectively communicate some degree of consistency through personality, filters, colors, or layout? Does the clickable link send people to the same homepage every week or are you linking out to fun and exciting content too?

    The layout of your grid is an often underestimated way to get creative with the aesthetic of your feed while adding a rhythm to your publishing strategy and consistency that’s worth following.

    In fact, many accounts that adopt this approach often are able to spend less effort on creating content by focusing on converting visitors into followers, producing text graphics or other content with a faster turnaround, and streamlining the overall production of their Instagram content.

    You can use a tool like Later to easily plan out and schedule Instagram posts to create the look and layout of your feed. Letterfolk is just one example of how far some brands go with the aesthetic of their Instagram layout. 

    Your feed serves as the billboard for your brand. It’s a customer’s first touchpoint with you and captures the essence of your brand.

    —Trilce Jiron, TBS Marketing

    4. Work with brand ambassadors 

    Don’t want to pay the celebrity influencer big bucks to market your brand? Work with brand ambassadors who have anywhere from a couple hundred to a few thousand followers. Ambassadors are people who genuinely support and believe in your brand and will tell their friends about it. 

    Luxury shoe retailer Sarah Flint reports seeing success with its brand ambassador program, which has more than 500 women as members. Each ambassador has their own unique discount code, which gives them a free pair of Sarah Flint shoes after five new customers use it. 

    Looking for a way to find brand ambassadors with an established and engaged audience? Use Shopify Collabs to connect with customers and manage your influencer marketing campaigns all in one place.  

    Find influencers to drive sales with Shopify Collabs

    Shopify Collabs makes it easy to partner with creators, promote your products, reach new customers, grow your sales, and track affiliate campaign performance all from Shopify admin.

    Discover Shopify Collabs

    Ambassadors like Holly Hollon attest to the quality and comfort of the brand’s shoes. Her Instagram posts are authentic and relatable to regular Sarah Flint shoppers. This helps the brand grow its Instagram following and earn sales. 

    5. Get follows from your loyalty program

    Retailers are increasingly launching loyalty programs, repeatedly encouraging consumers to shop with their brand over another. It’s worked for brands like Sephora and Blume. One way brands are capitalizing on loyalty programs is by rewarding those who follow them on Instagram. 

    When luxury retailer Rebecca Minkoff launched its rewards program, RM Rewards, it gave shoppers the option to earn points by following the brand’s Instagram account. Brands like Blume are also finding the value in rewarding Instagram followers. Program members can earn Blume Bucks for becoming a friend on Instagram versus Facebook or Twitter. 

    6. Market through your personal Instagram account

    Another popular way to increase your Instagram following is growing your personal account—basically, make yourself the influencer. Harnessing both the company account and your personal account can increase brand recognition, follower counts, and sales. Pro tip: You can also run this playbook on TikTok to improve your numbers. 

    It’s a tactic that works well for fashion label ANINE BING. In addition to the brand’s Instagram profile, the company’s founder also drives engagement and awareness through her personal Instagram page, which has more than one million followers. 

    Anine invites followers into her design studio, takes them through the design process, and even gets feedback from followers throughout the creative process. Anine also shares a bit about her personal life and milestones, giving followers a peak behind the curtains of their favorite designer’s life. 

    7. Get on feature accounts

    Instagram feature accounts are pages that curate the best content in a specific niche. They are like the “best of” photo journals for an industry. Some feature accounts have a massive following. If you get placement on the account, it can send new Instagram followers to your profile. 

    There are feature accounts for every niche: travel, fashion, photography, and more. For example, @discoverearth curates adventurous travel content from around the world for more than 6.6 million followers.

    8. Use the right hashtags

    Your goal on Instagram is to engage your current audience on a regular basis while also growing your number of real followers. Posting new, interesting, and engaging photos will satisfy the first requirement, but to begin growing you’ll find hashtagging your photos extremely important. Hashtagging makes it easy for people searching for specific terms to find your photos.

    So which hashtags should you use? Just like with Twitter and other social sites, users on Instagram choose certain hashtags over others. If you use popular Instagram hashtags within your photos, you’re much more likely to reach new users and be discovered.

    At the time of this writing, these were the top 20 hashtags on Instagram:

    1. #love
    2. #instagood
    3. #fashion
    4. #photooftheday
    5. #beautiful
    6. #art
    7. #photography
    8. #happy
    9. #picoftheday
    10. #cute
    11. #follow
    12. #tbt
    13. #followme
    14. #nature
    15. #like4like
    16. #travel
    17. #instagram
    18. #style
    19. #repost
    20. #summer

    If you looked at this list and said, “But none of those apply to my products or brand,” you’re likely correct.

    Using hashtags is one thing; using the right tags is something else.

    Popular tags like the ones listed above will likely net you additional engagement and likes. However, they won’t lead to increased long-term engagement from relevant users, new followers, or, most importantly, sales.

    If you want to tag your photos properly, you’ll need to find and use the most relevant hashtags. This means doing the appropriate research to make sure you’re using hashtags that not only describe your brand but that are also being searched for on Instagram.

    You can use a free online tool like IconoSquare or Webstagram to find relevant, related, and popular hashtags by searching for key hashtags closely related to your brand.

    For instance, if you have a men’s accessory business, you can use the hashtag #MensFashion in Webstagram to pull the following list of additional keyword hashtags, along with the number of times they have been used (i.e., their popularity).

    You can also find more related hashtags and their popularity if you search for any of your target keywords directly in the Instagram app.

    You’ll want to go through this exercise trying different keywords that describe your brand and products, building out your hashtag keyword list as you go.

    Keep in mind that Instagram allows for a maximum of 30 hashtags per post. Additionally, the popular words will change over time: make sure you revisit your hashtag keywords every few months so you’re using the best possible terms.

    You can also steal hashtag ideas from competitors or similar accounts that have the kind of following you aspire to, but, ultimately, you want to create your own groups of hashtags that relate to your specific account.

    Pro tip #1: For every product and product category in your store, research the most popular related Instagram hashtags. Use this research to compile a list of 15 to 20 popular hashtags for each category of products, as well as a base of five to 10 popular tags that describe your brand and product offering. Finally, create a list of location-specific hashtags that relate to your brand.

    For example:

    Brand keyword hashtags

    #mybrandname #mensfashion #mensaccessories #mensgoods #fashion #mensstyle #instafashion #menswear

    Product category keyword hashtags

    #bugatchisocks #happysocks #corgisocks #socks #sockswag #socksoftheday #sockgame #sockswagg #socksofinstagram #happysockday #sockwars #funsocks #happysockday

    Location-specific keyword hashtags

    #Toronto #TorontoFashion #TorontoFashionBloggers

    Store these groups of keyword hashtags in a convenient location like Evernote or Google Drive. This makes it easy to post a new Instagram image optimized for the most relevant keywords when you’re on the go. Some Instagram scheduling tools also let you save caption templates for storing your hashtag groups.

    Doing the work of researching, organizing, and saving the most applicable and popular hashtags upfront will save you a ton of time down the road, increase your engagement, and help garner new followers.

    Pro tip #2: If you’ve been posting to Instagram for a while and feel you’ve missed out on all these opportunities to build your audience using keyword hashtags, fret not. You can still go back and post a comment with your new hashtag keyword lists and watch the likes and followers roll in.

    Using hashtags in Instagram stories

    Hashtagging on Instagram posts is a given, but you should also be using hashtags in your Stories for the chance to be seen by users who follow that specific hashtag.

    You can use hashtag stickers (which can be found in the Instagram Stickers menu when creating a Story) or just hashtag directly in your post captions for a chance to be featured in a hashtag story.

    Now that users can follow hashtags, your Stories on Instagram have a chance to be seen by both people who are following that hashtag and anyone who’s just checking it out.

    9. Post at the right times

    Beyond adding the appropriate hashtags and using the best filters to get more Instagram followers, you should also consider the timing of your posts.

    A targeted approach involves analyzing what has and has not worked for you in the past. By visiting IconoSquare’s optimization section, you can get a detailed analysis of your posting history versus engagement. This report will also highlight the best times of the day and days of the week to post.

    The dark circles indicate when you usually post media. The light gray circles show when your community has been interacting. The biggest light gray circles represent the best times for you to post.

    You can also get a lot of great insight for free from Instagram analytics for business accounts, found under the Followers section.

    You may want to consider using a social media scheduling tool to automatically publish your posts when your audience is the most engaged.

    10. Steal your competitors’ followers

    One of the best ways to find and attract a new following is by seeking out your closest competitors’ Instagram accounts and engaging with their audiences. These people have already shown some level of interest in the products you carry simply by following your competitors.

    So how do you effectively steal your competitors’ followers? By engaging with them. There are several ways to engage with Instagram users, and the more work you put in, the more followers and repeat engagement you’ll get out of it.

    The three types of engagement on Instagram are:

    • Follow a user
    • Like a photo
    • Comment on a photo

    Don’t be afraid to use an emoji or two to add some personality to your text.

    11. Pay for sponsored posts and product reviews

    All this optimized posting to your account is great, but if you really want to increase Instagram followers, you need to take advantage of influencer marketing and expose your brand to a wider audience.

    So, how do you do that? First, unlike the tactics to grow Instagram followers mentioned above, this one usually isn’t free. However, if done correctly, it’s of good value.

    To get started, you’ll need to make a list of large accounts in your niche. For example, if you sell beauty products, you’ll want to find large accounts from beauty bloggers.

    You may already be following these accounts, but if not, you’ll need to find them. One of the best ways is by using Webstagram to search for some of the best hashtag keywords you’ve uncovered. When you do a search for your keywords, you’ll see any related keywords, along with the top Instagram accounts that feature those keywords.

    There are a couple of things to look for in the profiles results:

    • A large following (usually 20,000 to 200,000)
    • An email address in the profile

    If there is an email address in the profile, it usually means the account is open to sponsored posts or a shoutout in a sponsored Story.

    You’ll want to email and ask their sponsored post pricing. While this differs from influencer to influencer, you’ll likely find  the average rate to be anywhere from $20 to $50 per post, depending on the size of the following.

    If you’re selling a unique and original product, you may also want to consider sending your product for the influencer to review and post. Usually, the more natural and less advertisement-like the image, the greater the engagement and response.

    You don’t necessarily need influencers with a massive following to get more followers on Instagram, but rather ones with a high engagement rate (likes and comments relative to follower count), which many influencer marketplaces can provide.

    12. Use geotags to boost local discovery

    Besides hashtags, you can also make your Instagram posts and Stories discoverable by tagging your location—either the city you’re in or the venue where the photo or video was taken.

    Locations not only have their own Instagram feed but also their own Story, and hashtags you can contribute to when you use the location sticker in your own Stories.

    Local businesses can get the most value out of location tags by posting regularly to these feeds and also engaging with posts from prospective customers who are physically in the vicinity.

    13. Organize your Stories into Highlights

    Whenever a potential follower lands on your business profile, you have a short span of time to convince them to follow you.

    One way to do this is by using the Highlights feature on your profile to organize your Instagram Stories in a way that communicates what your account is about.

    Since Stories have a 24-hour lifespan, Highlights can be used to give them a second life and entice others to follow you so they don’t miss out on more Stories in the future.

    Use Story Highlights to grow Instagram followers by:

    • Creating trailers that tease what your account is about
    • Organizing your Stories into themes (like countries you’ve visited, for travel accounts)
    • Explaining your products through pictures and videos

      14. Ask for more followers

      It sounds obvious, but it deserves to be said: Don’t be afraid to occasionally ask your target audience to follow you.

      The same way YouTubers ask their viewers to follow them at the end of their videos, you can also ask viewers to follow you for more content.

      Sometimes people might really enjoy what you put out on Instagram but need a nudge before they actually follow you. 

      You can also do this in your Instagram captions: work it into your content by pitching what your audience will get if they follow you or by hinting at content that’s coming up that they won’t want to miss.

      15. Run a giveaway

      One of the best kinds of comments you can get on any social media post, not just Instagram, is when one user tags a friend. Not only do these comments contribute to your post’s engagement, which in turn makes it favorable to the Instagram algorithm, but each tag brings you a new audience member who arrived through a recommendation and who you could potentially win over as a follower.

      One way to encourage this behavior is by posting relatable content that begs for one-to-one sharing (e.g., a gym meme that asks you to tag a friend who skips leg day). But a more reliable way is by running a giveaway that encourages your audience to tag a friend and follow your account.

      Follow Instagram’s promotion guidelines and any legal requirements for running an Instagram contest that applies in your country of operation.

      For inspiration, here’s an example of a successful product giveaway from Philip Kingsley that incentivizes people to follow its account and tag a friend for the chance to win a collection.

      Social media strategy and planning templates

      Ready to get started with your social media strategy? These free, customizable templates give you tools to plan and execute a strategy that connects you with your target audience while keeping your content calendar organized.

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      16. Share user-generated content

      User-generated content (UGC) is any type of content—such as videos, photos, reviews, audio, and more—that you curate from fans or followers. It’s an essential tool in your marketing arsenal for gaining followers on Instagram. UGC helps humanize your brand by featuring real people, with real stories that show your product in real life, and builds a more trusting relationship with potential customers.

      Not only does your audience love their 15 minutes of fame on your Instagram feed, featuring them also helps drive more sales in your online store. According to research from Olapic, consumers today are 56% more likely to buy something after seeing a photo of the product shared by customers. 

      Take Fashion Nova, for example. The online retailer’s Instagram account relies heavily on user-generated content.

      Fashion Nova’s user-generated content gives it access to thousands of pictures from people all over the world to share with its target audience—pictures that both showcase the brand’s values and inspire followers to engage with the brand’s posts and buy the clothes real people are wearing.  

      When it comes to creating user-generated content for your online store, start by asking customers to share their favorite experiences and images with your products by:

      • Creating a branded hashtag feed where customers can post images
      • Adding a call to action in your Instagram bio
      • Running a contest 
      • Reaching out to influencers
      • Adding an “ask” for user-generated content in your packaging

      Remember, the goal of UGC is to show an authentic view of your products. If some customers send you lower-quality photos that still highlight your products’ best features, don’t be afraid to use them. 

      17. Use Instagram Live

      Live video is the key to running a successful marketing strategy on any social media platform. With Instagram, you can use Instagram Live to stream videos to your followers and engage with them in real time. 

      When your brand starts a live video stream, a ring encases your profile picture in Instagram Stories to tell followers they can check it out. Followers also receive a notification when you start a live video. Once you finish your livestream, you can upload it to your Story for 24 hours. 

      Remember that Instagram Live is interactive. Your followers will probably comment while you’re live, so try to acknowledge their comments and find ways to get them to participate. 

      Some ways to gain more followers when using Instagram Live include:

      • Influencer takeovers
      • Hosting an AMA (ask me anything) or Q&A
      • Teasing a product launch or update
      • Hosting a talk show
      • Going behind the scenes on your operations
      • Sharing a current event 
      • Running product tutorials

        Building an Instagram growth strategy to drive followers 

        Growing your Instagram following isn’t always a numbers game. As with any social network, the most successful content strategy is being authentic and social.

        If you focus on engagement, not just number of followers, Instagram can be a great home for your products and brand and can lead to a healthy stream of revenue for your ecommerce business. For more tips on turning this social media platform into a profitable channel, check out our guide on how to make money on Instagram.

        Illustration by Eugenia Mello


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        How to get more followers on Instagram FAQ

        How do you get more followers on Instagram for free?

        1. Find and use popular hashtags related to your photo, product, or brand.
        2. Create your own branded hashtag.
        3. Use hashtags in Stories.
        4. Create Instagram Reels.

        How can I increase my followers on Instagram?

        1. Use the right Instagram hashtags.
        2. Steal your competitors’ followers.
        3. Use geotags on Instagram posts.
        4. Organize Stories into Highlights.
        5. Post user-generated content.
        6. Collaborate with other brands.
        7. Post at the best times.
        8. Use Instagram analytics tools.
        9. Publish Instagram Reels.
        10. Livestream on Instagram Stories.

        19 Ways to Get More Followers on Instagram*

        Regardless of whether you are on Instagram The product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation. personal blog or brand page, subscribers is one of the main metrics that determine the effectiveness of your account. We talk about 19 ways to get more followers on InstagramThe product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation..

        Of course, you can quickly increase subscribers by purchasing bots, but this will not work, because without a live audience you will not see an increase in reach and engagement, and it will not be difficult to “open” such a trick. In addition, it threatens to block Instagram. The product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation, which we talked about in an article about cheating on this social network. So keep up the more workable ways to grow your audience.

        20% discount for the first two months in Amplifer with the promo code AMPLI20

        Yes, yes, the phrase “Know your audience” that has set the teeth on edge, but has not become less relevant. This will increase the chances of getting a relevant audience, and if you have a business account, it will help turn subscribers into customers.

        All methods are effective only if you work with the target audience. Accordingly, it is better to subscribe to the audience of your competitors, to do mutual PR with blogs of your subject.

        Julia Petrova
        ilovetasty food blogger on Instagram

        2. Tailor the content to your target audience

        Once you have defined your audience, you need to start creating content that is related to their interests and needs. Your posts in InstagramThe product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the territory of the Russian Federation. should inspire subscribers, motivate them, evoke emotions. Look at successful profiles in your niche and learn from their posts.

        We also talked about how to get your first thousand followers on the main social networks

        Once you get your first thousand followers, you can ask them what posts they would be interested in. So existing and potential subscribers will understand that you are listening to them, and the desire to click the coveted "Subscribe" button will increase.

        3. Create high-quality and interesting publications

        InstagramProduct belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation. - about visual content, and therefore, your photos and videos should look the same. But it’s not enough to make a good visual, in Instagram, the product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist on the territory of the Russian Federation. The text of publications also plays an important role. We talked about some tips that will help you make cool posts for InstagramThe product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation..

        There are many apps that will help you make beautiful and interesting posts. Check out the video and story app collections to help diversify your content.

        4. Use hashtags wisely

        When done well, hashtags attract new followers. But it's not enough to use the most popular tags. For example, if you post a photo of a forest and want to use the #forest, #nature and #trees hashtags, you will see that there are millions of such publications and the probability that your post will be noticed is extremely small.

        This does not mean that you do not need to use them at all, but it is worth supplementing with other tags that your target audience and competitors follow. It is also recommended to use more sophisticated and personal hashtags. Roughly speaking, instead of #sunset, you can use #luxurioussunset. We talked about how to use hashtags in various social networks, there is also about InstagramThe product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation..

        5. Communicate with subscribers

        Promotion success in InstagramThe product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the territory of the Russian Federation. largely depends on the interaction with the audience. They want to know that there is a real person behind the account, so motivate them to discuss posts and like them, and then react to their comments and responses. The more actively you communicate with current followers, the more new ones you will get. In addition, it will help to hear the audience better, and social listening is very useful.

        6. Use cross-promotion

        Reach out to bloggers who run similar blogs and organize cross-promotion. Start with small profiles, and as your audience grows, contact more and more popular bloggers. The so-called "mutual PR" can be a good tactic to promote InstagramThe product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation..

        Mutual PR will be effective if you arrange some kind of interactive for subscribers. For example, challenges or a joint draw. A simple recommendation post is unlikely to work.

        Julia Petrova
        ilovetasty food blogger on Instagram

        7. Follow competitors' followers

        Another way to increase your audience is to follow users who follow bloggers similar to you. When they see that you have subscribed, they will know that there is another profile from the topic of interest. But please note that there is a limit on the maximum number of subscriptions, from about 20 to 160 per hour. Learn this by experience, but carefully so that InstagramProduct belongs to an organization recognized as extremist on the territory of the Russian Federation. didn't suspect you were a spammer.

        I started with manual mass following without special services. The difference between manual and service is visible in the conversion. Manual is more effective - apparently, the algorithms Instagram The product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation. understand how the subscription works, but you need to follow the restrictions (no more than 200 subscriptions per day). me a couple of times InstagramProduct belongs to an organization recognized as extremist on the territory of the Russian Federation. limited the ability to publish posts for a week, suspecting that I used the service to buy subscribers. But for me, this method is still one of the most effective.

        Julia Petrova
        ilovetasty food blogger on Instagram

        8. Track relevant hashtags

        Did you know that in InstagramThe product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the territory of the Russian Federation. Can I subscribe not only to profiles, but also to hashtags? This is a good strategy, especially when you reach your first thousand subscribers. Track hashtags that are relevant in your niche and use them in your posts. Feel free to comment on the latest posts with such hashtags so that your InstagramProduct belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation. became more noticeable. It is laborious, but it can give good results.

        9. Follow similar blogs

        Hashtags make it easy to find relevant accounts in your niche that are similar in content and target audience to yours. An even greater effect can be achieved by turning on notifications and being the first to comment on their publications.

        10. Post regularly

        We talked about how algorithms work on major social networks, including Instagram*

        It's hard to say exactly how much regularity affects subscriber growth. In any case, it makes sense to follow this advice: the better you keep the regularity, the more professional and reliable you look in the eyes of your subscribers - they will know when to expect new posts from you. What’s more, Instagram* algorithms love it if you post regularly so your posts get the best reach and engagement. It is better to publish 1-3 posts per day. Try to start with one post a day, then gradually increase and see what happens, find your middle ground. You can also refer to the experience of Ekaterina Kalashnikova, who monetized her InstagramProduct belongs to an organization recognized as extremist on the territory of the Russian Federation. largely due to regular publications.

        11. Plan your posts ahead of time

        You can save time on posting to focus on more important things: communicating with followers, tracking relevant profiles and hashtags. We are not hinting at anything, but Amplifer will be a good helper in this.

        Thanks to a visual calendar and a convenient editor, it is easy to create several publications at once and spread them on different days. Moreover, Amplifer will tell you which posts your audience likes the most.

        Connect Instagram* in Amplifer to regularly release scheduled publications and improve reach and engagement. The first 7 days are free, without a bank card

        12. Post at the right time

        Now on InstagramThe product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation. algorithmic feed, but what time you post is still important. Agree, there is no point in publishing posts late at night in the hope that a large number of people will see it.

        In addition, COVID-19 has greatly affected the best posting times. According to our data, now the peak in InstagramProduct belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation. shifted by 16-18 hours on weekdays and at 12 and 18 hours on weekends.

        However, you cannot rely solely on the average temperature in the hospital. And here Amplifer will come to the rescue: thanks to a special algorithm, it analyzes your publications and advises the best time based on the activity of your audience. For a 7-day free trial period, you will just be able to evaluate.[instagram*]Try Amplifer to find out the best time to post on Instagram*, adapt your promotion strategy and content plan[/instagram*]

        13. Use activity chats

        Activity chats are great for attracting new followers to InstagramThe product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation. They gather several users who like and comment on each other's posts. A good way to cheat the Instagram algorithmThe product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the territory of the Russian Federation. and increase the organic reach of posts.

        The fact is that when you post a post, the algorithms InstagramProduct belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation. show it to a small number of your followers. If the post gets a lot of responses, then InstagramProduct belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation. will show the post to an even larger group of subscribers, and if there is no initial activity, then most of your subscribers will not see the publication at all.

        Try to find the activity chat in a search engine or in the Facebook community directory The product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation, VKontakte or Telegram. But keep in mind that the best chats are rarely in the public domain, so you will have to work hard to find really worthwhile groups. And yes, it takes a long time. But trust me, your efforts will pay off handsomely.

        14. Use hashtags in Stories

        We have already talked about the importance of hashtags, but they should not be neglected in Stories either. Try adding a few relevant tags to your posts and you'll see your Stories get more impressions than before. Some of those who watched will be able to become your subscribers.

        Interactive mechanics will help make Stories more interesting: quests, quizzes, polls, they increase engagement and motivation to subscribe to your profile. In addition, Stories is an excellent channel for communicating with subscribers. There you can clarify what content they would like to see, arrange Q&A sessions.

        15. Post videos and stream live

        Making videos on social media is almost a must in 2020, as there is more and more content like this and users are spending more and more time watching it. Live broadcasts are an even more engaging content format because every time you start broadcasting, all subscribers receive a notification. We talked about this in this year's trend selection.

        How to get subscribers using ethers? Make joint live broadcasts with other bloggers. They can also ask their followers to subscribe to you during the live broadcast, which can be a good channel to attract a new audience.

        16. Post for thematic accounts

        In InstagramThe product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation. there are many thematic profiles where not their own content is published, but interesting posts of other users. The only thing to do is to use their unique hashtags in the hope of getting noticed.

        How to find them? Use a search engine. Type, for example, “The best travel profiles in InstagramThe product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist on the territory of the Russian Federation.”, or about the topic of your blog. Surely you will find many such accounts.

        17. Decide and Use a Consistent Visual Style

        Whether you have a new profile or have been in the business for a long time, you need a consistent visual style for your posts to attract followers. You can choose a specific filter or set of effects for all photos so that they echo each other.

        The importance of creating a visual style for Instagram The product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation. Varya Vedeneeva told using the example of the Periodicals profile.

        18. Create posts to tag friends

        If you want your posts to be seen by friends of your followers, the "Tag a Friend" feature will help you. Create a relevant entertaining post and encourage followers to tag their friends. The funnier and more entertaining the post, the easier it is.

        19. Try advertising

        Do you want more people to see your posts? Think about advertising. In fact, you don't need a big budget to test it. Advertising can be an effective strategy, and InstagramProduct belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation. can get you new subscribers in a short time.

        To promote my account, I buy ads from bloggers, participate in mutual PR and use targeted advertising. I like the first method the most - you can get a subscriber for 6-10 ₽.

        Anastasia Chernykh
        content director at Amplifer

        ⌘⌘⌘

        We hope our tips will help you build a meaningful audience on InstagramThe product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation. in other social networks where you are present. And remember that people love to follow realistic and authentic profiles. Good luck hunting for an audience at InstagramThe product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist on the territory of the Russian Federation.!

        Save on auto-posting from Amplifer

        Instagram[/su_tooltip] and other social networks" action="Try Amplifer" caption="7 days for free, no card needed"]Convenient and intuitive calendar, advanced editor, tips for the best time and built-in Canva editor to create impressive designs

        First published on SocialToolkits.com

        Large texts on Instagram – how to work with them

        When publishing our posts on Instagram*, we try to write a short and accurate description for them, not waste time on large texts. It seems to us that Instagram* is designed for visual content, which is more important than the visual content of publications, and people pay less attention to captions. But is it? And what to do to get people involved in your text?

        There are situations where you can't do without a large text. If the “canvas” cannot be avoided at all, here is a small guide.

        Character limit

        Unfortunately, the volume of texts on Instagram* cannot go to infinity. The number of characters in a post is limited. You can only write 2200 characters, including spaces. It will not work to go beyond this scope.

        If your content is larger and does not fit in this volume, you will have to cut it and throw out important paragraphs. Or use our options.

        When you need a large text

        In 2020, the ADinBlog.ru service conducted a study on whether the size of the text affects the engagement of subscribers. It turned out that posts with a lot of text confidently gain more likes and interested subscribers than those in which there is no or little text. But it all depends on the direction of the business.

        Much interest in large texts on topics:

        • show business;
        • animals;
        • auto/moto;
        • hobbies/hobbies;
        • presenters.

        The picture is slightly blurred only by the fact that presenters and stars collect a lot of traffic even if they don't write text at all. Photography and fans decide there :–)

        If you look at product headings, large text helps to sell in the following directions:

        • purchases;
        • clothing and footwear;
        • perfumery and cosmetics;
        • flowers;
        • watches and jewelry.

        But even in accounts with visual content, a lot of text is perceived positively by users. Volumetric text posts on the following topics collect a lot of traffic:

        • photos;
        • house and interior;
        • fitness;
        • design and illustrations;
        • video bloggers.

        It can be concluded that the audience enjoys reading large texts in many areas. Of course, provided that it is really interesting or useful content.

        How a good text on Instagram can help*

        The audience perceives the texts - that's great. But how can large text help? What to write it about? There are at least 3 options for long texts that can be used on Instagram*.

        Text as a way to communicate with clients

        Bloggers and famous people use large texts to talk about themselves, their thoughts, plans and experiences. Such volumes are perceived by readers willingly, they want to know as much as possible about the idol.

        Photographers and companies that provide services can tell interesting facts about their work, encourage subscribers to respond and be active under the post.

        For example, you can talk about the reason for the photo shoot, location, tools. And at the end, ask a couple of questions so that the reader has a desire to answer in the comments. Or play a favor between users who will write the correct answer to the question.

        More about how to communicate with customers and sell, we told in the article "12 rules and 10 life hacks for sales and communication on behalf of the commercial community VKontakte". It is about VK, but most of the life hacks are quite applicable on Instagram*.

        Post comments can start a real discussion and provoke subscribers to active communication

        Text as an indicator of expertise

        Large volumes are justified when insights, some tricks and unusual nuances of work appear in the profile. If the text shows your expertise and understanding of the user's question, it attracts attention and adds loyalty to customers.

        Subscribers see that you understand what you offer and advise, it is easier for them to trust a professional. But when working with such texts, do not forget to answer users in the comments, there may be questions about a product or service.

        For more information on how to create expert content and what kind of business it is suitable, we talked in the article "Expert content in social networks: what it is, where to get it and why business needs it." It can be interesting to write about the work of your company, even if you produce tiles. Read how to do it :–)

        Expert opinion is especially important if you are selling something unusual, such as Chinese tea

        Text as a call to action

        Large sales texts also happen. It can be storytelling with a call to buy a course or product at the end, or just a story about a new product with an offer to leave a comment on whether you like it.

        The main thing in such texts is to choose the right approach and style of writing, to voice the benefits and not to forget that the text should remain light. The reader should not get the feeling that all this "footcloth" is only for him to subscribe or buy. No, the text should evoke emotions and a desire to act.

        Calls to action work as before

        Sometimes a post gets too long. We have collected several ways to insert large text on Instagram*.

        How to post text that is too large

        If your text for a post is 3000-5000 characters long, there are several ways to post it entirely on Instagram*.

        Make a series of several posts

        If the text is obviously more than 2200 characters and you can't cut it, you can split it into several posts. In each post, we indicate which part it is, you can briefly recall the content if it is a continuation.

        Such chains of posts can get a lot of views - people will scroll from one post to another to see where it started or ended. But remember that the content must be interesting so that a person wants to dig into it.

        If you are going to write posts in the form of series - take a look at our idea for the post "Series". There we tell you how to make the reader come back to the community again and again, get carried away with your publications and remember to buy.

        Post information in a comment on the post

        If there is a paragraph or a couple left, and they do not fit in 2200 characters, you can send the rest of the text in a comment. Write the main text in the description of the post, and transfer what does not fit into the comment. Be sure to make a note "read the continuation in the comments."

        This can provoke people not only to open the post, but also to comment on it - after all, there is already the first comment, and it is easier to morally decide on this. On the other hand, some users will not open and read in principle. But usually this is not the target audience, so you can not worry and just track the statistics through DataFan so as not to miss the decrease in activity and the number of subscribers.

        In general, it is better to check any change in statistics through the DataFan service, especially if you decide to try a new format or change the style of communication with subscribers. This will help you not to miss the moment when the audience did not like something, and adjust the content plan in time.

        Divide the text into a post and a comment or not - it's up to you. But in any case, posts can be scheduled through the SMMplanner auto-posting service. It is easy to make posts in it for several days or weeks at once, and you can write in the first comment the rest of the text that does not fit into the publication. Fast and convenient.

        Free up time to analyze your account or create a content plan, do not do routine. Moreover, following the link to SMMplanner, you can get free access to all the functionality for 2 weeks. Try it - and you will find out how comfortable it is to live when the posts are already planned and ready for publication :-)

        It's easy and convenient to schedule new posts with SMMplanner SMMplanner takes care of us and tells us in advance how many characters and hashtags are left

        Place text on the photo in the carousel

        Another solution to the problem of too much content is to use the carousel. If your post is specifically targeted at text, such as tips, instructions, or a guide to action, write it in notes or another text editor. Take a screenshot, process it to get visually pleasing and neat pictures. At the end - publish it as a photo in a story or post.

        If you don't know how and where to process an image, use Canva or prepare posts with SMMplanner. It already has various built-in editors, including Canva and Crello.

        Learn more about how to create a beautiful visual that will appeal to your followers and get more attention in our article How to create a beautiful visual for Instagram* in 2022. Look at the article, because readers first evaluate even the most useful account by how it is designed.

        The main thing is that the text on the photo is readable

        How to beautifully format the text

        In order for your text to attract readers, it must be properly formatted. It should not look like a solid canvas. Otherwise, almost no one will read it - people on Instagram * first look, and only then read. Always write in clear and simple language. Put yourself in the place of the reader, what would it be like for you to read your text?

        We've put together a few tips to help encourage your subscribers to read and take action. Enjoy :–)

        Move the main thing forward

        If you do not open the record, only the first 3 lines are visible. Make it interesting for the user to expand the post in full and read the rest. An interesting title and an exciting beginning of the post will help with this.

        If you haven't decided what to write about yet, read the article "15 Instagram Content Creation Tools*". There we analyze how to take care of the visual and the quality of the texts in the posts.

        Divide into paragraphs

        Paragraphs are like benches for old women in the park, they allow you to take a breath. The reader's eye also needs to rest. Break text into paragraphs to make it more presentable.

        A well-designed post can grab attention even if the user didn't intend to read it. It seems that one small paragraph can be read, and then the next, and then the post ended

        Think of an attractive title

        The right title will delay the reader and force him to finish reading the text, if, of course, it will be just as attractive and interesting. To make it easier to prepare publications, prepare a content matrix in advance. Check out our article The Complete Guide to Working with the Content Matrix. In it, we analyze why one cannot go far on bare enthusiasm and what needs to be done.

        Format the text through services

        Text for publication can be prepared manually. But sometimes, after manual layout, it still displays incorrectly. To make the signature look the same on any device, it is better to use suitable online services. Here are some of them:

        • Lingojam - font generator, you can use modified text to describe the profile or individual lines in the post to highlight them;
        • PicturePlus - a service for dividing into paragraphs, helps to reflect them correctly, you can add hashtags and emojis, they will also be reflected correctly.

        Write for clients

        Run a business page on Instagram* - write attractive texts, focusing on the target audience. Posts should interest and lure your potential customers. In addition, they must be understandable. For example, if you're selling complex equipment or a service to newbies, don't talk about it in technical terms. It is better to simplify, but write in such a way that the reader understands everything.

        Use lists

        If you can arrange and put text into a list, do it. Whether you're giving advice in your post or selling multiple products, it's time to arrange the text in a list format. It is often easier to look at and perceive.

        Use hashtags

        Use hashtags, this will give your text personality, help highlight key words and even phrases. But don't overuse it, otherwise the post will become unreadable or look like a dump.

        With the help of services and ingenuity, you can arrange a post so that everything is clear and divided into parts, it is convenient and immediately clear where to look for what you need

        More about popular hashtags - in our article "How to write hashtags on Instagram *: guide" .


        Learn more