How to gain more popularity 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!

23 Ways to Get More Followers on Instagram [Updated for 2022]

Things that increase dopamine in the brain:

-Exercise
-Turmeric.
-Leafy greens.
-Getting more followers on Instagram.

Am I right?

But in all seriousness, growing your Instagram following can help you to raise brand awareness, build relationships, and get more customers to your business. So in this guide, I’m going to share with you 22 free ways (and one paid) to get more followers on Instagram—quality followers, that is.

Table of contents

The 23 ways to get more followers in this post are broken into the following sections:

How to get more followers with your Instagram bio
Using creativity & content to attract followers
How to use follower-friendly hashtags
Getting more followers through other users
Best practices for increasing followers
Tools to help you win more Instagram followers

How to get more followers on Instagram: the bio basics

If you want to get more traffic to your Instagram bio and more followers out of it, you need to treat it like a landing page and optimize it. Here’s how to do it.

1. Give people a reason to follow you

Instead of (or in addition to) just putting your credentials, slogan, or value proposition in your Instagram bio, give potential followers a clear picture of what they can expect if they follow you. For example:

Follow for dog training tips; prepare for cuteness overload.
Follow me if you’re into, you know, securing your financial future and binary options.
Your go-to for quick marketing tips and brilliant, original memes.
Cooking tips for the cullinarily challenged.

2. Pick the right handle

First thing’s first, make sure your Instagram handle is as close to your business name and to your other social media handles as possible. This ensures your account will be easy to remember, find, and recognize.

3. Make sure it’s a business profile

An Instagram business profile gives you access to analytics that will show you who your followers are, what content they like best, and whether you’re gaining or losing them. If you haven’t made the switch, go to the hamburger in the top right of your bio, tap Settings, then tap Switch to Professional Account. Select your category, provide your business details, and you’ll be good to go.

4. Nix the boring bio link

This is prime Instagram real estate. Do you really want it to link to your homepage? Yawn. The best Instagram bios change their bio link up at least bi-weekly and send people to new or popular content, promo codes, landing pages, and more.

Better yet, you could use an app like Linktree to share multiple links to value-add destinations like website pages, blog posts, deals, and more.

An effective link tree can show your value and win over followers.

5. Focus on quality followers

There are a billion Instagram users (literally). But do you want disengaged onlookers who breathe no life into your account? Fickle followers that unfollow just as quickly? Didn’t think so. You want followers who:

Comment on, like, and share your posts.
Appreciate your content and give you a sense of purpose.
Convert into leads and customers.
Help you to get more great followers.

If Instagram followers are candy, you’re not trying to break open a pinata and pounce. You’re looking to curate a box of fine chocolates and cultivate a community.

How to get more Instagram followers with your content

Now that your profile is optimized for fruitful and fabulous followership, it’s time to start attracting more people to it. Here’s how to use content and creativity to get more Instagram followers.

6. Make use of all the formats

One thing that distinguishes Instagram from other popular social media platforms is its different formats. These keep the user’s attention and allow you to show different aspects of your brand. So take advantage of:

Feed posts: photos and videos of best quality.
Stories: shortlived content, more raw and spontaneous (Stories hacks here).
Reels: videos with a little extra focus on the entertainment factor (creative Reels ideas here).
Lives: real-time videos, great for tutorials and AMAs (how to run a great IG Live here).

The more facets of your business a person can get familiar with, the more likely they are to develop an affinity for and follow you. Not sure what to do with all those formats? You can get more ideas on what to post on Instagram here.

7. Publish great content—consistently

This is paramount to your entire social media marketing strategy—not just Instagram. The great content part goes without saying, but the consistency part often gets overlooked. One great post might win you a follow, but now you’re in the spotlight. They’re seeing your content regularly and if you can’t continue delivering what brought them in in the first place, you’ll get the unfollow. So, what makes great content on Instagram?

Useful: relevant to your industry and your audience’s needs. Tips, facts, news, ideas.
Thoughtful: speaks to their values, lifestyles, and personalities.
Interactive: makes you fun to follow! Polls, questions, Lives, contests, shareable content.
Entertaining: captures and keeps attention. Attractive design, movement, emotion, humor, video, boldness.

In Mailchimp’s account below, we see a beautiful mix of posts that cover it all: useful how-tos, thoughtful customer spotlights and a small business support campaign, an interactive post on personal development, and an entertaining video with DJ Khaled.

8. Focus on entertainment

The entertainment factor is increasingly important. Last summer, when Instagram revealed how its algorithm works, it stated it was shifting focus to “full screen, immersive, entertaining, mobile-first video” content. Entertaining content doesn’t have to be action-packed or hilarious. It just needs to be interesting. Creative. Original. Expressive. You can get tips on how to make captivating Instagram videos here.

9. Do your Instagram SEO

SEO isn’t just about getting more Google searchers to your website. Social media platforms are search engines too, and Instagram’s search feature now supports regular keyword searches—not just account or hashtag searches. This has made Instagram SEO even more important now so be sure to:

Target keywords with your captions and bio
Add your location to Instagram
Add alt text to images

10. Cross-promote your account

One of the best ways to promote your Instagram account is to cross-promote. Put links to your social profiles in your website footer, email templates, and signatures. Print out your handle name and put it in a cute frame in your office. Tell your Facebook page visitors where they can find you on Insta. Cross-promote your branded hashtag, too—on your receipts, in print ads, and at relevant events.

Don’t just assume people will find your Instagram account or hashtag. Direct them to it.

11. Develop your own Instagram style

The beauty of design is that there are infinitely many ways to be unique. Choose a style that is distinctly yours so that your posts can be instantly recognizable in the newsfeed. Users follow accounts whose content they can experience, not just see. Oatly is a great example of this:

To develop your own style, make sure you have your overall brand developed. Your positioning, voice, brand colors, audience, and offerings will all play into your Instagram aesthetic.

12. Write good captions

The image may be the focal point of a post, but your Instagram caption can sometimes make or break its impact on your potential followers. What makes a good caption? Originality. What makes something original?

Wit
Humor
Inspiration
Meaningful stories
Self-deprecation
Relatability
Storytelling
Intrigue

For example, National Geographic is fantastic at using storytelling alongside their Instagram photos to generate engagement and sharing. Whatever you choose, try to stick with that style so your followers stick with you.

There are endless opportunities for originality. Stay away from generic wallpaper captions and paint something that pops. Here are some lists to help you out:

76 Non-Generic Valentine’s Day Instagram Captions
54 St. Patrick’s Day Instagram Captions (The Cliche-Free List)
131 Not Overused New Year’s Instagram Captions
78 Actually Unique Holiday & Christmas Instagram Captions
80+ Instagram Captions for Any Business

13. Run Instagram giveaways

These are perhaps the quintessential Instagram follower magnet. First of all, who doesn’t like free stuff or award recognition? Knowing that you run these regularly is sure to get a follow. Second, entry into the contest itself can require following you or tagging a friend. Just make sure the prize is something that is appealing specifically to your ideal customers. Remember, you want to attract a quality following.

And would ya look at that. We’ve got just the post for you >> How to Use Instagram Giveaways to Grow Your Following

14. Get local

Your Instagram marketing strategy should seek to gain followers through content that resonates not just with your ideal customers, but also with your local geographic community. People are immediately drawn to things they’re familiar with and like to see parts of their identity represented online. Here are some ways to do it:

Post pictures and videos featuring local landmarks and mainstays.
Share news and niche recommendations.
Get in on local events. Search your town or city, then tap “places” in search results to see what’s going on.

For even more local social media marketing ideas and tips, head to the LOCALiQ Social Media Marketing Lab. White coat optional.

How to get more followers on Instagram through hashtags

Hashtags on Instagram serve multiple purposes. They provide information, add humor, categorize posts, and create a web of content that can lead users anywhere. Here’s how to lead them to the follow button on your bio.

15. Use a mix of hashtag types

Hashtags on Instagram are like keywords on Google. They can be broad or long-tail, high or low-volume, location-based or universal, and can vary in intent. Allow me to show you:

Broad: #dogsofig
Long-tail: #dogtraining101
Local: #dogsofsouthie
Low intent: #smartdogs
High intent: #dogtrainerboston
Evergreen: #clickertraining
Trending: #valentinedogs
Branded: #chewydogs

The really specific hashtags are like long-tail keywords that have more intent and help you find the right people, but the broad ones can get you in front of more people in general. You need a mix of bo to grow your following on a platform as massive as Instagram.

16. But don’t take them too seriously

So the big lists of hashtags you see at the bottom of posts do serve a purpose, but should every one of your posts have that? Not if you want your followers to get sick of seeing them and think you’re desperate. Be selective with your hashtags, vary how many you use in each post, and also have fun with them. Some hashtags are purely aesthetic or added for humor or brand voice. Some have nothing to do with your brand but are just fun.

For example:

#twothingsthatdontmix
#oneoftheseisnotliketheother
#mylifeinanutshell
#youhadonejob
#neveragain

17. Have an intriguing or actionable branded hashtag

Speaking of having fun, come up with a follower-friendly branded hashtag. In other words, instead of just using your business name or a behind-the-scenes hashtag, come up with something your followers can use in their posts.

Take UPS’s Instagram account, with their brilliant #upsdogs hashtag. Anyone can contribute! More posts with your hashtag = more exposure = more followers.

How to get Instagram followers with other users

There are three types of Instagram users that can help you to get more followers: influencers, your customers and followers, and your competitors. Let’s explore.

18. Go all in on influencer marketing

We all know that getting mentioned by an influencer can win you a score of followers, but this doesn’t happen overnight. Influencer marketing is a careful strategy. You’ll want to:

Research. Curate a list of influencers who would be the most realistic to reach out to and the most relevant to your following.
Star small. Target smaller accounts and use those relationships to work your way up.
Be genuine. Choose one and thoroughly get to know them for a week or two. Turn on notifications for their posts, explore their content elsewhere on the web, and engage with their account. Take your time and build interest in them—not their followers. Then, when you reach out, your ask can be more appealing and your chances of an ongoing relationship are higher.

19. Encourage user-generated content

As good as a business may be, its own promotional content will never be as powerful as that of its customers. Enter user-generated content—posts from other users that tag your handle and/or location or mention your business name in the captions or hashtags.

Whether a user sees UGC on your account or someone else’s your credibility gets a lift and your chances of gaining their following are that much higher. Here’s how to encourage more of it:

Come up with a fun-to-use branded hashtag as mentioned above.
Make your location Instagram-friendly with a fun photo opp.
Engage with and repost user-generated content (seven different ways to repost on Instagram here).
Run contests where entrants post a picture of them using your product or service.

20. Analyze your competitors

Got a rival that you just can’t seem to catch up to? Do a little social media competitive analysis and find out what they post, how often, when, and in which formats. Follow them closely for a week so you can catch any nuanced strategies they employ. You just might get ideas on what, how, and the best time to post on Instagram to get more followers.

Tools to help you get more Instagram followers

So by now, you know that to get more followers on Instagram, you need to know your audience, engage with them, and create compelling content. The thing is, you’re probably managing more than one social media account for your business, and the more followers you get, the harder it can be to scale your strategy. Here are some free tools that can help you.

21. Social media management tools

It might feel like automation is the opposite of genuine engagement, but social media management tools are designed to help you streamline your personalized strategy. With them you can stay on top of conversations, post consistently through scheduling, monitor your competitors, and sometimes get deeper insights than what the native platform offers.

22. Design and photo editing tools

Instagram offers its own set of filters, stickers, stamps, and special effects so your visuals can look their best, but external design and editing tools can help you achieve the unique look you want. Plus, you can templatize things to ensure consistency and make more great content efficiently. My number one recommendation here is Canva, but there are other free tools out there like Afterlight and Facetune.

23. Instagram advertising

This is the only paid strategy of this post. Organic reach on Instagram has always been considered high. But don’t get too excited, we’re talking 9%. Meaning that your posts will only reach 9% of your full following.

Advertising, on the other hand, gives you the power to get in front of thousands of relevant users. And in addition to your ad’s CTA button, viewers can also view your bio right from your ad. Now, you shouldn’t advertise just to get more followers, but if the platform is right for you, it’s an added bonus.

How to get more followers on Instagram for free [recap]

The secret to getting more quality followers on Instagram that will help your business grow? Patience. It takes time, trial and error, and effort to find your niche and cultivate a community—but it is well worth it. To recap, here are the 23 best ways to get more Instagram followers:

Pick the right handle
Make sure it’s a business profile
Give people a reason to follow you
Nix the boring bio link
Focus on quality followers
Make use of all the formats
Publish great content—consistently
Focus on entertainment
Cross-promote your account
Do your Instagram SEO
Develop your own Instagram style
Write good captions
Run Instagram giveaways
Get local
Use a mix of hashtag types
But don’t take them too seriously
Have an intriguing or actionable branded hashtag
Go all-in on influencer marketing
Encourage user-generated content
Analyze your competitors
Social media management tools
Design and photo editing tools
Instagram advertising

How to get followers in 2022 on Instagram: from 0 to 10,000

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As practice shows, the first 10,000 subscribers are the hardest to get. The reason is simple: people are reluctant to subscribe to little-known pages. But nothing is impossible. We have compiled 14 tips for you to help you grow your profile from scratch within a year.

#1 Join mutual PR groups / Liketme

How can a little-known page quickly gain followers? Join mutual PR groups, this tactic is best for promoting new accounts.

It works like this. A group of participants is recruited, after which everyone sends a link to their post. All members of the group like and comment on each other's posts, thereby increasing the reach. When there are a lot of likes and comments under your post, it arouses the interest of other people: they want to see what is there.

Sounds nice. But. There are many groups for mutual PR and on various topics, for example, about travel, fashion, etc. To attract your target audience, join such groups on the topic of your page. And to keep the attention of new subscribers, you should also subscribe to them.

This is a short-term strategy for developing a page from scratch that will not increase sales, but will increase brand trust and awareness.

#2 Repost someone else's content

To promote his store, Nicole Martins Ferreira, an SMM specialist, started using the Repost for Instagram app to repost other people's content.

One of these reposts got 52,862 views, 1,264 comments and 9,147 likes. It was a big hit, Nicole didn't even have 10,000 subscribers at the time. But remember, according to Instagram policy, you need to request permission to repost from the author of publications. Otherwise, there is a risk of getting banned.

Why reposts of other people's content, and not publications of your own? Newbies don't have such good content, and reposting - what could be easier?

What content to repost? Use hashtags to find the most popular posts, share the ones that got you the most engagement. This is the simplest and most effective strategy for beginners.

#3 Ask followers to share photos

It's much easier to promote your Instagram page if you have a product or service that your customers share on their profile. If you post content with your customers, it will increase your social security and credibility.

If you haven't had any clients yet, you can contact an influencer (blogger) that suits your niche and order a review of your product. It is better to choose bloggers who have about 5,000 subscribers. Such accounts have a much lower cost of advertising and a more engaged audience.

You can also offer cooperation. For each completed sale through a referral link, you pay a commission to the blogger.

If you already have clients, you can ask them to tag you in their story or feed in exchange for a gift or a discount. Once you have enough clients, you don't have to ask anymore, they will tag you for free.

#4 Create a consistent style and stick to it

Yes, sounds like " blah blah blah " . Let's figure it out.

Often people subscribe not because of the published content, but because of the anticipation and the ability to predict what your next post will be.

Let's say you run a corgi page and post cute pictures and videos of him every day. Users who come across your content may notice that you always have cute corgi photos. They will subscribe and start following your page, waiting for new cute corgi posts.

Sticking to a single style or theme is more than a branding game. We are talking about the psychophysiological component of emotions: the expectations that your existing and potential subscribers create. They want and expect to see more content of the same type or style every day.

By sticking to a consistent style, you build confidence and trust in your brand, which in turn helps increase your following.

#5 Use hashtags

Many social media experts recommend using 5 to 11 hashtags. Don't be afraid to ignore such advice!

Start experimenting with hashtags and eventually you'll figure out which ones are right for your brand.

Why not use 30 hashtags? You can add all these hashtags to the first comment under the post, which few people will see.

Is your goal to increase coverage? Then this is the easiest way. With hashtags, your posts will rank higher for keywords, which increases your reach.

If you want to reach your target audience, then you should avoid generic hashtags like #love or #life, use niche hashtags.

#6 Use location tags

Increase your reach with « Location Tags » , it indicates the city or place where the video or image was taken.

If your business is in a specific city, you can use these geotags to make it easier for people to find and follow your Instagram account.

Locations have their own feed, stories and hashtags - use this sticker and your content will be automatically added there.

#7 Start blogging

Do you have a blog? Start running it on Hashtap or Yandex.Zen.

You can add links to your YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook accounts to your blog post. The more people who read your blog, the more likely they are to go to your social media pages and follow.

This is more of a long term strategy and you may not have a blog. But the faster you start it and add links to your social networks, the more likely you are to gain subscribers.

#8 Follow competitors' followers

To promote your account, you need to find people who follow your competitors' pages.

Do you know your competitors? Find them! Then study their profile, content and who comments on their posts, highlight your target audience. Start chatting with them.

It's best to choose smaller competitors to start with, as larger ones may have good loyalty programs that you may not be able to afford at the moment.

#9 Work with bloggers

Why bloggers? Every blogger has his loyal followers. By running ads with a blogger, you are guaranteed to get new subscribers and, most likely, sales.

But when choosing a blogger, carefully study his profile, exclude cheating subscribers. Sign an agreement so that the blogger cannot use bots. Due to the rapid influx of fake followers, you can get your account banned. You do not want this?

#10 Giveaways

Giveaways are another effective way to promote your account.

If the draw is published on the site, you can make a subscription to your social networks a mandatory condition for participation. This is how you unlock your account.

If you don't have many subscribers, you can post about the draw in free groups and blogs. You can also negotiate with bloggers - you send them a product, they review it for free and talk about the draw. Many agree to such conditions. Result? Hundreds of new subscribers in all social networks.

If you don't have your own audience yet, this is a great way to attract new subscribers. And to attract the target audience, you need to choose a blog from your niche.

Is your goal to promote your account? Then this strategy is for you if increasing sales is not.

#11 Collaboration with other brands

While you are at the start of your page promotion, collaboration with other brands is a quick way to build a target subscriber base. You just repost and tag each other's profile.

You don't have to do anything but repost. New subscribers will write to you first.

#12 Instagram Tips/Guide

Instagram Tips is a new way to share educational content in the form of tips and hacks. In the IG guide, you can add: a title, description, video or image, as well as use already published posts in the feed.

There are 3 guide formats available:

Places - collections of interesting places, objects, etc. in your city or some other city.
Products - collections of products that you sell on your Instagram.
Posts - your existing posts on the same topic, collected in one place, to which you can add titles and comments.

If you have interesting and useful tips, they will be shared with them. This will increase your engagement and reach, and with them the number of subscribers.

#13 Use Instagram analytics

« Embedded » Instagram analytics gives incomplete information about your followers.

Connect third-party analytics services to get more data. Many of these services are free.

Best free analytics services for Instagram:

Sprout Social
DataFan
Popsters
Live Dune

All these services collect highly informative statistics on subscribers and your content. To figure out your target audience, analyze metrics such as engagement rate, number of new followers, unsubscribers, and inactive accounts. Use this data to better understand your audience.

A very loose translation and adaptation of an article from the Oberlo blog.

Christina

Kerbs

Yandex.Direct and Google Ads certified specialist. Knows everything about medical marketing and coffee varieties.

19 Ways to Get More Followers on Instagram*

Regardless of whether you are on Instagram or not, 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. Talking about 19ways to get more followers on InstagramThe product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist on the territory of the Russian Federation. , and "opening" such a trick is not difficult. In addition, it threatens to block InstagramThe 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 which 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. is 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 territory of the Russian Federation..

There are many applications 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 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. Cross-Promo

Reach out to bloggers who have similar blogs and 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 efficient - 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 publications 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 getting new followers on Instagram. A good way to cheat the algorithm InstagramThe 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 community directory Facebook 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. Publish videos and broadcast live

Making videos on social media is almost a must in 2020, because there is more and more such content, and users spend 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. Make publications for thematic accounts

In InstagramThe product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the territory of 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 your profile is new or you've 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 the 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 advice 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 on InstagramThe product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist on the territory of the Russian Federation.