How to get authentic instagram followers

10 ways to get real followers and engagement on Instagram

Instagram is an incredibly dynamic and fast-growing social media platform. The number of brands joining and growing customer engagement on the platform is boosting up as we speak.

But Instagram business accounts see just 1.46% growth in monthly followers on average, which means growing your Instagram follower count can feel like a slow, tedious game. While you can buy fake followers, they won’t serve any real purpose besides a quick ego boost.

Keep reading to learn ten different strategies you can use to grow your real follower count on Instagram and drive real engagement.

Table of Contents:

What is Instagram engagement and why do you need it?
Strategies to grow your Instagram followers today
Time to Grow Your ‘Gram

What is Instagram engagement and why do you need it?

When your audience interacts with your Instagram content in some way — such as a like, comment, share, video view, or DM — instead of simply scrolling past, it counts as engagement.

While there is no universal way to measure Instagram engagement, an accepted way is to add up the average likes and comments that you receive per post and divide it by your total number of followers. You can also consider views, DMs, etc., based on what’s important for your brand.

Engagement is a clear sign that your Instagram content is resonating well with your audience. And that’s great, but what about people who haven’t yet followed you? How do you reach them effectively and compel them to follow and engage with your brand?

Strategies to grow your Instagram followers today

Here are ten powerful ways to drive real followers and engagement on Instagram.

1. Optimize your bio

Located under your username, your bio is prime real estate on your Instagram profile. Most potential followers who visit your profile check out your bio description first. So you better make these 150 characters count.

Here’s how to craft a bio that drives more followers:

Your Instagram bio is equivalent to your website’s homepage — it should straight away convey that this is your brand’s genuine account where you actively post fresh content.

Back up your bio with a high-resolution logo. Sprinkle a few emojis as an alternative to bullet points if it fits your brand’s style, but don’t overboard with emoji usage.

Your in-bio link is the only way to drive people to see your website or a particular landing page, so use it wisely. Instead of always pointing to your homepage, it’s a good idea to change the link anytime you wish to increase sign-ups for an event, showcase a new product launch, or even attract visitors when you start a blog for content promotion.

You can also include a branded hashtag that tells people which hashtag to include in their posts to catch your attention. And when anyone clicks on the hashtag, they’ll see user-generated content from your fans.

2. Find the best time for you to post on Instagram

Read that subheading again, with an emphasis on for you — you’ll often find people saying that a specific time and day is ideal to get the best possible engagement and reach for your content.

In truth, however, there is no all-embracing answer to the question “what’s the best time to post on Instagram?”. You’ll have to experiment with different posting times and track engagement to figure out the best times for your audience and niche.

Instagram makes this easy. Use Instagram Insights (available on the Instagram mobile app) to learn more about your followers (age group, gender, most active times, etc.) and performance.

On your business profile, tap “Insights”, scroll to “Your Audience”, and then click “See All.” At the bottom, you’ll find your audience’s most active times.

Next, think about when your content will be most relevant. For instance, a quick follow-along workout video may garner more engagement outside of work hours when people are likely trying to squeeze in a workout session.

Besides using this feature, it’s a good idea to do your own research on audience behavior (for example, check out your competitors’ post timings vs. engagement) and survey your customers about their social media preferences.

Once you find the ideal times to post for your particular audience, use social media scheduling tools to plan, schedule, and automate your Instagram posting and get detailed analytics reports on your content performance.

3. Post regularly and dynamically

A recent study across 14 industries suggests that on average, businesses share four Instagram posts per week. Aiming for this number is a good starting point.

But ideally, to gain more followers and engagement, the more you post, the merrier. If you’re able to share one post daily, you’ll likely see far better results. That’s because the more content you put out, the more opportunities you have to be noticed and shared.

That being said, quality is always a priority over quantity. Never cut corners in terms of quality just to get something out daily. And it’s safe to say that Instagram success is all about posting visually enchanting content, so consider using high-quality photo editing software to create stunning images rather than posting plain, unexciting photos.

Put simply, establish a posting schedule that keeps you on track to post at least four to five days a week without compromising quality. As you gain traction, try to take it up to one post daily.

Moreover, be dynamic with your content types. Over the years, the platform has evolved greatly, with new ways to share content such as Stories, IGTV, and Reels. Take Instagram Reels for example — announced in August 2020, Reels is one of the newest content types and Instagram always pushes its new features.

Since its launch, Reels has taken over a good chunk of the Explore page and appears larger than standard photo posts. With over 200 million people visiting the Explore page each day, that extra visual real estate can substantially boost the number of people you reach.

Source: Instagram

Similarly, Stories is now one of the most popular Instagram features that lets you publish quick daily visuals that disappear after 24 hours. Stories are easy to post without needing much prep, show up on the top of your followers’ homepage, and prove that you’re an active brand.

Source: Whole Foods on Instagram

Experimenting with a mix of content formats not only enables you to reach different audience segments with different preferences (and thus gain more followers) but also helps you solve the common puzzle “what to post on Instagram” and ultimately, stay consistent in posting.

4. Become familiar with the Instagram algorithm

While you can find full-fledged guides on beating the Instagram algorithm, at its core, the Instagram algorithm essentially favors content that satisfies the following six signals:

Interest: How much a user prefers the post based on past engagement
Timeliness: How recent the post is
Relationship: The accounts a user frequently engages with
Usage Frequency: How often a person checks Instagram
Following: The number of accounts a user follows on the type of content they post
Session Time: How long does the user spend on Instagram

The algorithm strives to showcase content that’s more engaging for each individual user. So the more engagement (likes, comments, and shares) you’re able to garner, the more likely your latest content will be discovered by potential followers. Be sure to initiate conversations (see Knix’s example below) with your posts and respond to comments.

5. Showcase your brand voice

Besides staying in the know about the latest deals and discounts, one of the biggest reasons people follow brands on social media is to know more about their personality.

Instagram is not the place to constantly post sales pitches, and potential followers would likely never hit the follow button if that’s all you have to offer. Instead, think about your brand voice and showcase that in your Instagram content.

If you haven’t already, think of your brand as an individual and ask yourself — what’s your brand’s personality? Is it playful and cheeky? Or is it inspiring and straightforward? Keep that voice consistent across all your content marketing, be it on Instagram or your website’s blog.

And regardless of what kind of brand voice you adopt, your content should reflect your brand’s passion for its mission.
For instance, Kate Spade and Privacy Please are direct competitors with opposite brand voices. The former has a more inspiring personality, whereas the latter has a rather edgy one.

Though they’re niche rivals, both of these brand’s voices work well to attract and retain their individual audience. So, be original with your voice and incorporate it in all your content.

6. Write amazing captions

Gorgeous visuals work to capture your audience’s attention — amazing captions work to keep it. Use these 2,200 characters available to give more context to the photo or video you post.

Here are a few tips to write great Instagram captions:

Keep important information first
Incorporate keywords to improve the odds of appearing on the in-app search results
Use emojis and light humor to showcase your brand’s personality
Encourage people to share their thoughts
Structure longer captions with bullets or emojis to improve readability
Mention other accounts (whenever possible) to increase reach
End with a descriptive call-to-action (see Airbnb’s example below), such as “Check out the link in bio to browse the summer catalog. ”

Also, make sure to diversify your captions so they don’t feel robotic and automated. Try different formats such as question-answers, recommendation requests, personal stories, tag-a-friend, share-your-content, etc.

Source: GoPro on InstagramSource: Airbnb on Instagram

And while it’s a good idea to keep the caption crisp and to the point, try different lengths based on the content you’re sharing. For example, long captions may work well for descriptive stories, while a short and snappy one may work better to showcase a product. The sweet spot of engaging caption length is in the 500-1,000 and 1,000-2,000 characters range.

Oh, and don’t forget to…

7. Use smart hashtags

Hashtags are similar to keywords in the sense that they help users find content on a particular topic. They are typically used in the captions or comments of a post and when included sensibly, they can help your content reach a larger audience, thus improving your brand’s visibility and odds of gaining new followers.

With the right hashtags, your content is more discoverable via search or filtering when users tap on the hashtag from another post. Users can also follow hashtags on their favorite topics and the top content with that hashtag will show up in their Instagram feed.

For instance, if you wish for your post to reach people who are into running but are also mothers, you could use the hashtag #runningmom. And as mentioned earlier, creating and promoting a branded hashtag (such as Lululemon’s #thesweatlife) in your bio and posts is a smart way to encourage your community to produce free, user-generated content.

Mention’s latest report suggests that the average Instagram post has 6.93 hashtags, but the optimal number of hashtags to get the highest engagement rate is just one. So just because you can include up to 30 hashtags in an Instagram caption, doesn’t mean you should.

Looking for a quick way to find relevant Instagram hashtags? Check out our free Instagram Hashtag Generator.

See below how LEGO uses hashtags that are relevant to both the post and the brand (#LEGO). They also use a neat blend of popular and specialized hashtags. #Holidays, for example, has over 60 million posts associated with it. #RebuildTheWorld has just under ten thousand posts, and many of them are LEGO-related. Also, #ChristmasDecor is a more niche, targeted hashtag.

So, create relevant, targeted hashtags with smaller, yet still sizeable followings rather than only using all the popular generic hashtags on a broad topic. Also, it’s a good idea to group your go-to hashtags by category so you can readily add a few relevant ones to each post.

8. Collaborate with influencers and brand advocates

An effective way to reach new audiences and gain new followers is to join forces with influencers in your niche who already have a notable following. But standard influencers with a near-celebrity status and hundreds of thousands of followers often have exorbitant price tags per promotional post and often, low engagement rate.

So your better bet is to collaborate with micro-influencers — who have a smaller but stronger social following of between 1,000 to 100,000 followers and are regarded as trustworthy experts in their niche. Some examples include travel vloggers, food bloggers, fitness enthusiasts, etc.

They are considered more authentic and have more intimate relations with their followers. They connect on a much deeper level with their audience and thus, have far better engagement rates. Plus, you can easily figure out if their follower base and engagement are real or fake.

So with a micro-influencer, you can have a low-budget (such as by offering your best product or subscription for free) yet a highly impactful partnership that may also turn that luminary into your brand advocate for years to come. The collaboration exposes your brand to a bigger audience in the right light and boosts engagement for your content.

Source: Macy’s collaboration with Brooklynn Prince on Instagram

Besides, such partnerships give you a chance to showcase your brand’s values and personality through association, as the people you associate with say a lot about your own brand.

Find out how Mention can help you find the best influencers to work with!

9. Promote your Instagram everywhere

Don’t limit your efforts to promoting your business on Instagram only. If you have a respectable following on other social platforms, a decent-sized email list, or steady website traffic, try to funnel those people to your Instagram profile.

Make it easy for people to find your Instagram, by adding your account’s link to:

Email footers
Website footer and/or sidebar
Bios on other social platforms like Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube
Social media posts from team members

Many businesses feature their Instagram accounts through live feeds as well, as Casper does below. This also helps boost their social proof and may encourage the visitor to give the brand a follow.

10. Don’t be afraid to get local

Last but not least, location tagging on Instagram is a useful feature you can use to gain more followers for your local business. Instagram is a platform for discovering new products, travel destinations, retail brands, cafes, etc. — and many users geotag their posts.

If you tag your post with a location, it has the potential to surface when a user searches the location or keyword under the Places tab. Not only does this bring you more local exposure but posts with a tagged location result in 79% higher engagement than posts without a tagged location.

Source: Macy’s collaboration with Brooklynn Prince on Instagram

And so, include your whereabouts whenever you can across all content types — carousel posts, videos, Stories, Reels, etc. Also, create a location tag for your business. Once people start to check into it, you can see all posts tagged with it and learn how your local community is talking about your business.

Time to Grow Your ‘Gram

Any strategy is only as good as its execution. It’s time to put all these points into practice. While you’re at it, check out our latest Instagram Engagement Report that features data and insights collected from over 100 million Instagram posts.

It’s time to start growing your Instagram today!

How to gain real followers on Instagram (without paying or cheating)

If you want to grow your brand, generate more leads, and attract more sales with Instagram, you need engaged followers. But scoring thousands of Instagram followers isn’t as easy as the Kardashians and Hadids make it look.

What’s more, buying followers or using bots to boost your likes and comments no longer flies. While your stats may spike short-term, you’re not going to get the ROI you need to make Instagram worthwhile.

You need followers – real, genuine followers – that care about your brand. Their values align with your values, and your solutions solve their problems.

Contents

1 Why do users follow an Instagram account?
- 1.1 Know your niche
- 1.2 Know your audience
- 1.3 Know your value proposition
- 1.4 Bringing it all together and defining your why
2 17 of the best ways to gain Instagram followers
- 2. 1 1. Create a brand voice and aesthetic
- 2.2 2. Post regularly
- 2.3 3. Post at the right times
- 2.4 4. Optimise your profile for search
- 2.5 5. Use hashtags
- 2.6 6. Write a compelling bio
- 2.7 7. Publish exceptional content
- 2.8 8. Craft captions that trigger engagement
- 2.9 9. Tag your brand’s location
- 2.10 10. Target the Explore feed
- 2.11 11. Follow others
- 2.12 12. Encourage users to tag your brand
- 2.13 13. Partner with other brands
- 2.14 14. Leverage Instagram Stories
- 2.15 15. Use IGTV
- 2.16 16. Share your Instagram handle on other channels
- 2.17 17. Embed your Instagram posts
3 Now, it’s your turn

Ready to make it happen? First, you need to understand the why.

Why do users follow an Instagram account?

It’s a loaded question, and there is no one right answer. Your why will depend on several factors: the niche you serve, the audience you’re targeting, and how you plan to provide value. Let’s take a closer look at each.

Know your niche

A local solicitor isn’t targeting the same people or curating the same content as a tech startup, beauty influencer, or fashion label.

The niche you serve will inform every facet of your Instagram strategy – from the people you follow and hashtags you use to the content you create and times of day you post.

Check out other successful businesses operating in the same niche as your own. These don’t have to be direct competitors – if you run a local painting business on the Central Coast, there’s value to be gained by examining the profiles of popular interior designers and home renovators around the world.

Know your audience

You cannot produce follow-worthy content and grow an engaged Instagram fanbase without first understanding who your target audience is. Consider these factors:

• Demographics – where do they live, who do they work for, and how old are they?

• Pain points – what problem do they need to be solved?

• Values – what motivates them to trust and purchase from a brand?

• Interests – what kinds of accounts are they already following?

• Behaviour – when, how, and why do they use Instagram?

Building a three-dimensional persona of your target audience will help you create and curate content that appeals to the right Instagram users. Plus, you’ll need a robust persona to action several tips in this guide.

Know your value proposition

Instagram users don’t want to be sold to. They want value.

Your value proposition will likely fall into one of three categories:

1. Inspiration

Instagram is a visual platform, and that makes it an ideal vehicle for inspirational content – think hair styling before and afters, motivational quotes, aesthetically appealing interiors, and once-in-a-lifetime travel destinations.

Perfect for: Brands with an aspirational product or service serving niches like tourism, beauty, fashion, and wellness.

2. Education

There’s more depth to Instagram than initially meets the eye. With the right approach, you can tap into your expertise and deliver educational content that makes your brand’s profile worthy of followers. How-tos, product tutorials, and fun facts are all reasons for your target audience to stick around.

Perfect for: Brands that deliver professional services or specialty products, such as cookware manufacturers, house cleaners, and accountants.

3. Entertainment

While inspirational and educational posts and videos should also entertain, content for enjoyment’s sake has its place on Instagram, too. Consider publishing memes, interviews, product teasers, and behind-the-scenes tours.

Perfect for: All brands on Instagram, but especially those that don’t have a visual or tangible product or service.

Bringing it all together and defining your

why

Your niche, audience, and value proposition are moving parts of the same machine. Clearly defining these three factors will help you understand why your page deserves a fraction of Instagram users’ limited attention.

But, there’s one more question to consider:

Once you’ve grown a solid foundation of followers, what do you want them to do?

You (hopefully) aren’t kick-starting an Instagram profile just for the sake of it. Maybe you want to sell more gluten-free cookies, secure more recommendations for your Airbnb, or help your garden maintenance team stay front-of-mind the next time your customers and prospects need their lawn mowed.

The trick is to align your Instagram strategy with real, revenue-driving business outcomes. This North Star will guide you as you experiment with the best and fastest way to grow on Instagram.

17 of the best ways to gain Instagram followers

Here’s how to gain followers on Instagram.

1. Create a brand voice and aesthetic

You already know the importance of consistent branding. But Instagram isn’t the place for shiny corporate logos. It’s a platform for connection and authenticity, an opportunity to humanise your brand and form a genuine relationship with your audience.

Think about how you’d like to position your brand on Instagram, keeping your audience and niche in mind. What kind of voice are you wanting to project? What story are you hoping to tell?

This voice will underpin every piece of content you publish, creating a linking thread that weaves your posts, Stories, Reels, and IGTV videos together.

Beyond voice, you’ll also want to maintain aesthetic consistency across your content. That means using a similar colour scheme, editing your images in the same ways (or using pre-sets), and, if you use text in your posts, keeping fonts the same.

How does all this help you grow your Instagram following? The effect is two-fold:

1. Branding consistency looks professional. It builds trust and credibility, and it demonstrates the legitimacy of your business.

2. Your voice and aesthetic theme differentiate your brand in your followers’ feeds. Users are bombarded with content, but thematic consistency helps your brand become instantly recognisable.

2. Post regularly

If you want to know how to gain followers on Instagram, here’s the secret: post regularly. And we don’t mean post three times a day for one month and then never again; we mean commit to a posting schedule you can maintain long-term.

Persistence pays off. According to an analysis of over 100,000 Instagram posts, daily posting grows Instagram followers four times faster than posting once per week.

Here’s why:

• Your followers hit the follow button for a reason – they want to see content from your brand.

• When you publish high-quality, optimised content, your followers interact with it.

• High engagement sends signals to Instagram’s algorithm.

• The algorithm opens your posts up to even more users – some of which are not following your brand.

• More exposure results in new followers.

Simple, right?

3. Post at the right times

Instagram may not show posts in chronological order in your users’ feeds, but when you hit publish (or schedule) still matters. Timing is a key factor in Instagram’s algorithm.

No two audiences are alike, and when you should post depends on your followers’ activities.

There are several ways to go about this:

• See what the research says. Head over to our Best Instagram Marketing Tips article and jump to Tip #22 for ideal times to post by industry.

• Check your analytics (you’ll need a business or creator account to do this – find out how to switch to a business profile on Instagram). Open Insights, tap “See All” next to “Your Audience,” and scroll right to the bottom. You’ll see the “Most Active Times” graph (screenshot above). Keep in mind, this information is only relevant if you already have followers that fall into your target audience.

• Use your common sense and experiment. Again, think about your target persona. What does their weekday look like? What does their weekend look like? How can you use their demographics to inform your posting schedule? Be sure to track your results.

4. Optimise your profile for search

Most copy in your Instagram profile isn’t searchable, but some parts are; your name and username are searchable. It’s crucial these two pieces of information directly relate to your brand, and in some cases, even your business’s location.

Your name can be anything you want, and you’ve got 30 characters to play with. You don’t want to stuff your name with keywords, but including your number one target phrase may prove helpful by increasing search discoverability.

If you run a bakery in Byron Bay, for example, you might want to include keywords “bakery” and “Byron” in your name.

Your username is the same as your Instagram handle. Ideally, keep it consistent with the usernames you use on other social platforms like Facebook and Twitter. If possible, make your username your brand name, ensuring anyone looking for your brand specifically can find it fast.

5. Use hashtags

Your Instagram profile and post captions may not be searchable, but hashtags absolutely are, making them an essential element of any follower growth strategy.

Here’s what you need to know about using hashtags:

Use relevant hashtags

One of the easiest ways to gain Instagram followers for free is to bolster your posts’ organic reach with relevant hashtags.

Every single piece of content you publish should include hashtags that reflect the post’s subject matter, potentially include your business’s location, and mirror what your audience is likely searching for.

The concept of search intent has long been a mainstay in SEO best practices. Put simply, search intent refers to the motivation behind a search query. For example, if someone types “best mascara” into Google, they want a review and comparison of different mascaras to determine which is worth buying. They don’t want a night out make-up routine with the phrase “best mascara” shoved in wherever possible.

If you want to use hashtags to win followers, use this theory to inform your hashtag choices. For example, don’t post a photo of your café’s Sunday brunch special and use #yoga just because it’s popular. People searching #yoga on Instagram aren’t going to follow your café.

Use the right number of hashtags

You can use up to 30 hashtags per post, but we wouldn’t recommend it. The sweet spot is around 11, but you can use more or less depending on your goals, target audience, and content.

Avoid spammy hashtags

Gaining followers on Instagram may be your goal, but there’s no need to tell the world about it. Avoid #followback, #like4like, and #followme like your reputation depends on it – because it kind of does.

Anyone searching those sorts of hashtags is looking to build their own following. They aren’t going to engage with your posts, and they certainly aren’t going to purchase your bespoke graphic design service – no matter how many fire emojis they comment.

6. Write a compelling bio

According to Instagram, two in three business profile visits come from non-followers. That means two-thirds of users that land on your profile are ripe for conversion.

The most effective tool in your arsenal? Your profile.

In 150 characters or less, your profile should tell visitors what you sell, where you’re located (if you are a local business), and what makes you different to your competitors. Make it short, punchy, and easy to digest.

Be sure to include a link to your website and appropriate contact buttons (email, phone, directions, and text).

7. Publish exceptional content

Obvious? Yes. Essential when learning how to grow your Instagram following fast? Absolutely.

If you don’t publish really good content on Instagram, you don’t give users any reason to follow you. It’s that simple.

Every single post you push out into the Insta-verse must be visually striking, engaging, and topped with a sense of authenticity. Plus, it should lean into your value proposition.

Excellent content compels profile visitors to hit the follow button, but that’s not all. Remember what we said in Tip #2? High-quality content with high levels of engagement is strengthened by Instagram’s algorithm with greater organic reach. More reach equals more followers.

Whichever way you slice it, your content has got to be good. You can follow every other tip in the guide to a T, but you won’t see results if your posts get lost in the crowd.

8. Craft captions that trigger engagement

Yep. It’s true that Instagram is a visual-centric platform. But if you want to know how to grow followers on Instagram, you’ve got to learn to craft captions that trigger all-important engagement.

Here are a couple of best practices to follow:

• It’s writing 101, but always put the most critical part of your message up-front. If your caption is over 125 characters long, users must tap “more” to see the rest. Those first 125 characters have to be good enough to inspire action.

• Use emojis sparingly to stand out and catch scrollers’ attention.

• Prompt engagement by asking your followers a question. We’ve said it before: engagement is key to unlocking broader reach and scoring new followers.

• Experiment with the length of your captions. Captions can be quite long – up to 2,200 characters. Give long-form storytelling a go and see if that resonates. Or trial super-short one-liners, even one-worders.

9. Tag your brand’s location

Location is another searchable element of Instagram. By tagging your brand’s location, you can reach audiences living in, interested in, or visiting your area.

To tag your location in a post, tap “Add location” on the same screen where you write your caption. Either enable location services or manually search your location. That’s it!

10. Target the Explore feed

As Instagram puts it, Explore (accessed by tapping the magnifying glass at the bottom of the app) is where “you can find photos and videos that you might like from accounts you don’t yet follow.” Incredibly, half of all Instagram accounts browse Explore every month.

You want your posts, Stories, Reels, and IGTV videos to land in your target audience’s Explore feed – that much is clear. How to get there is a little muddier, and there are no guarantees.

Here are three tips to improve your likelihood of scoring a coveted position in the Explore feed:

1. Post when your followers are active because Instagram rewards timeliness. Recency wins you more engagement, which is the first prerequisite for earning a spot on the Explore feed.

2. Browse the Explore feed yourself and pinpoint the similarities between high-performing videos and images.

3. Look at Instagram Insights to determine what kind of content best resonates with your audience. Maybe it’s carousels or long-form IGTV videos. Maybe your inspirational quote posts are bottom of the rung and ready to retire. Continuously optimise your content strategy to build engagement levels.

11. Follow others

Following relevant accounts is one of the fastest ways to grow on Instagram. When you hit follow, the user is notified, prompting them to check out your profile and follow back if they like what they see.

You can find relevant users to follow in several ways:

• Use your competitors as a guide. See who they follow by tapping on their following count on their profile. Don’t just spam follow everyone – vet each user for relevancy before committing.

• Target users that follow your competitors. You can view your competitors’ followers by tapping on their follower count on their profile. These users are already following an account similar to yours, so they may be more likely to follow back.

• Browse Instagram’s suggestions by navigating to your profile, tapping the burger menu in the top-right corner, and selecting “Discover.”

Before you follow thousands of unsuspecting users, remember to maintain a balance between the number of accounts you follow and the number of accounts that follow you. This ratio is essential for maintaining trust and legitimacy.

Finally, don’t follow an account, wait for them to follow you back, and then unfollow them instantly. That’s a pretty bad look, and it likely won’t help you in the long run.

12. Encourage users to tag your brand

Another way to get more eyes on your brand is to encourage other users to tag your account in their posts. Their audience can then see your brand name, and if they want to learn more, they can tap through to your profile.

Add a line prompting users to tag you on Instagram in your bio.

Here’s a great example from @Australia.

13. Partner with other brands

The right approach to a collaborative partnership on Instagram could help all brands involved win more followers, so don’t be afraid to make the first move.

To get started, consider brands you work with already. Maybe you own a florist, and when your clients ask for wedding cake recommendations, you always pass on the contact details of a particular baker in your local area. Or perhaps your hair salon is next door to a café that supplies your staff with their much-needed morning coffees. How can you capitalise on this relationship on Instagram?

One of the most common strategies is to run a joint competition, with a prize pack containing products and services from several companies. Each company then promotes the competition to their audience.

14. Leverage Instagram Stories

Every day, half a billion Instagram accounts publish and watch Stories. That’s not all – according to Instagram, one-third of Stories lead to a direct message. If you want to reach a broader audience, your brand must embrace this popular feature.

Just like posts, use hashtags and location features to increase your Stories’ organic exposure. Post when your target audience is most active, too. Remember, Stories can appear in the Explore feed.

15. Use IGTV

IGTV videos can be up to 60 minutes long, allowing you to create more in-depth, immersive video content. You can give a product tutorial, share behind-the-scenes exclusives, or interview a team member – the possibilities are limitless.

You can also start an IGTV series. If a user stumbles upon one instalment of your series and enjoys it, they are likely to hit follow.

Finally, it’s worth mentioning IGTV’s (quite literally) huge presence on the Explore feed. IGTV videos appear four times larger than photos.

16. Share your Instagram handle on other channels

If you want people to follow your Instagram page, you’ve got to make it easy for them. And one of the best ways to do that is to promote your Instagram handle on other channels.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• If you’ve already built up an engaged following on another social platform like Facebook or Twitter, ask your fans to follow you on Instagram, too. Don’t forget to share a link to your profile or your handle.

• You are probably already doing this, but make sure you have links to your social profiles on your website, typically in the footer. Double-check they work – one pesky typo could be costing you followers.

• Promote Instagram-specific events via your blog, email newsletter, and other social channels. If you’re running a competition on Instagram or starting a Live in 30 minutes, shout it from the rooftops.

If your Instagram profile is brand-new, aim to publish around 12 posts before sharing your account via other platforms.

17. Embed your Instagram posts

Are you an avid blogger? Fantastic. You can embed relevant Instagram posts directly into your blog articles, enhancing your content and gently promoting your account to your readers.

Embedded Instagram posts are clickable, making it quick and easy for a reader to click-through and (hopefully) follow.

To embed an Instagram post:

1. Visit your profile on your web browser (your URL is instagram.com/USERNAME).

2. Click on the post you’d like to embed, and then click the three dots in the top-right corner.

3. Select “Embed” and click “Copy Embed Code”.

4. Paste the code into the backend of your website.

You can embed any publicly viewable Instagram post – not just your own.

Now, it’s your turn

There is no one best way to gain Instagram followers. It’s about implementing several proven strategies, monitoring your results, tweaking, optimising, and following your target personas’ evolving expectations.

Building an engaged network of fans is not rocket science, but it does take time. Be patient and focus on quality, and you’ll soon find yourself surrounded by followers all too happy to tap like, comment, and buy.

How to get followers on Instagram: TOP-8 ways without cheating

900 million active users go to Instagram every day, put likes, subscribe and buy. So that you understand the scale: 146 million people live in Russia. Big and small businesses come to Instagram, everyone wants to gain followers for their account and start earning.

I have already told you how to start a blog on Instagram, now let's see what are the ways to attract subscribers to this very blog.

From this article you will learn:

Is it possible to gain subscribers for free?

It is quite possible to advance by yourself, but you will spend a lot of time and effort. Mass following, mass liking, hashtags were popular ways of promotion in the early days of Instagram. Three years ago, it was enough to have beautiful photos and a connected service that follows people, and they subscribe in response.

In 2019, free promotion methods are not as effective as Instagrammers would like. Every day, three to five shops, showrooms, and sms people subscribe to the accounts of ordinary people. Users are used to it, but I would say that these schemes are rejected by ordinary people.

Don't base your promotion on free methods.

Not signed? Instagram consultation will help you understand why your account is not growing. Fill out the form and see you soon.

We attract live readers on Instagram

Let's agree on the bank - we are gaining subscribers WITHOUT CHARGING. I am totally against this method. You can create the appearance of activity by winding up likes and followers, but there will be no sales in such an account. Comments, by the way, too.

Here THIS can be subscribed to you if you use cheat. Do you think Instagram will like such subscriptions? 🙂

Remember - real people buy, but bots don't.

Account development from scratch starts with a content strategy. Answer 5 questions:

Who is the target audience of the project - gender, age, interests, product needs?
Who are your direct and indirect competitors?
What are their differences, disadvantages, advantages over your product?
What do you sell? List all services
Why buy from you? What is the difference from competitors?

I hope you will not be lazy and answer strategic questions. The next step in self recruitment is content production.

Take attractive photos, write posts that are interesting to the target audience, boost activity in the comments. Content is why you should subscribe to a blog.

Put yourself in the shoes of new readers. If, while reading the posts, your jaw is yawning... If looking at the visual tape, you want to run away... Then you are clearly doing something wrong.

To get followers on Instagram, work on your content first.

9 ways to get the first 1000 followers

1. Mutual PR, joint promotions with other Instagrammers .

Find accounts where the target audience hangs out and agree on mutual PR. In addition, you can broadcast live, exchange guest posts, share Stories.

If you have 300 followers, it makes no sense to negotiate a VP with a 15K account. Mutual PR should be of interest to both parties.

2. Instagram marathons .

Bloggers run free marathons - this is a great opportunity to learn new things and meet someone for cooperation. Participate in marathons, communicate with others, agree on moves.

3. Activity with major bloggers .

Bloggers who write about Instagram publish fees for the VP, mutual commenting, liketimes and other interactives. Join activities. And also leave interesting and smart comments under the posts of major bloggers to be remembered by readers.

4. Advertising with bloggers .

An excellent way with its own pitfalls. Trust me, you can get promoted if you make a really cool service, product, or admirable content.

5. Targeted advertising .

Yes, yes, I can definitely hear the indignation: “Zarina, but I heard/read/one grandmother said that if there are less than a thousand subscribers, people will not subscribe” .

Trust me, people won't subscribe if the content is shit. And if you get into the pain of the target audience with content, then it doesn’t matter how many readers you have. Target is a good solution for introverts and for those who do not have time for other activities. Yes, you may spend more money, but you will quickly reach the cherished 1000 readers.

6. Reels .

Shoot Reels! First, don't be afraid. Everyone starts somewhere, the main thing is to start acting. Reels are great for recipes, tips, before/after, humor, dancing. Choose a trend, adapt it to your niche, remove it, add hashtags and collect free traffic to your account. Secondly, read my article about rails on Instagram, there you will find a lot of good advice and examples of rails design.

7. Other sources .

If you have a website, mailing list, group in another social network. networks — transfer readers to Instagram.

8. Other social networks .

If none of these are available, post a post on your personal pages with a link to your Instagram account. Ask friends for support, let them subscribe to your account and be active.

9. Help from friends .

Ask, maybe someone has a subscriber base and you can send out an information letter about your profile. Think about what other traffic sources you can use to increase subscribers?

Let's summarize

To gain followers on Instagram you need:

Develop an account promotion strategy.
Be proactive. It is impossible to quickly develop a profile and at the same time sit straight on the priest.
Use paid and free promotion methods.

In the meantime, tell us how you got new followers on Instagram? How many people are reading you?

Save it so you don't lose:

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

Subscribe to our telegram channel

Don't miss new useful articles and keep the old ones handy.

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 other people's content

Nicole Martins Ferreira, SMM specialist, started using the Repost for Instagram app to promote his store 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 separate 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 better 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, then 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 gain a targeted 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.