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How to grow an instagram account quickly


Get More Real Instagram Followers with These 10 Tips

Instagram has become a cornerstone of many brands’ social presence, driving profitable traffic to landing pages, growing conversions, and building an engaged audience.

If your Instagram presence isn’t quite as robust as you’re hoping, it might be time to learn how to sharpen up your strategies for getting real, organic followers on Instagram. The larger your audience grows, the more opportunities you have to engage with users and create unique experiences for them.

The organic distinction is important: sometimes brands take the easy way out when trying to get more Instagram followers. Pay for likes and follower sites are everywhere, but these shortcuts are never worth it, as the Instagram algorithm regularly gets updated to weed out paid, low quality accounts and interactions.

Not to mention, the number on your Instagram following ultimately means nothing if it doesn’t represent an engaged fan following that makes purchases, visits your landing pages, and advocates for your brands with friends and followers. Start building your presence up the right way with these tips on getting more Instagram followers.

10 Ways to increase Instagram followers

1. Optimize your Instagram account

Before you set out figuring out how to gain followers on Instagram, one of the most important steps is to have your account fully optimized. Think of your brand’s Instagram bio as the “homepage” to your account.

Without a bio, image captions, a proper username or profile image, how will people know the account belongs to your brand? It might seem obvious, but on Instagram your bio and image help form the foundations of your brand identity. The link in your bio is your one spot to drive Instagram traffic to your site, so optimizing your account is essential.

If you’re uncertain where to link, try marketing or product pages that relate to specific keywords, hashtags or campaigns on your Instagram account. Linking to your homepage is OK–but why not give users a cohesive experience when moving from your bio to a site? This has led to the popularity of IG link landing pages that host relevant links to the last few pieces of content mentioned on a brand’s feed, and “link in bio” posts that help direct audiences to those links.

Additionally, keep your username as search-friendly as possible, which usually means sticking close to your actual brand name. If your business name is longer, shorten it to something your audience would recognize. Don’t add numbers or special characters to your username, and if possible keep it in-line with other social media handles you already have.

The best way to optimize your account is to create and follow an Instagram marketing strategy. Download our free guide to get started.

2. Keep a consistent content calendar

The worst thing you can do when trying to get followers on Instagram is to post content at random, haphazard times. If you’re lucky enough to get users following you in the beginning, you don’t want to make them forget they followed you in the first place.

To combat this, keep to a regular posting schedule. Typically, brands shouldn’t post more than a few times a day to avoid spam, but whatever your cadence, keep it consistent. Approximately 200 million Instagram users log on daily, so to cast your net even wider, try publishing a few times throughout the entire day.

In fact, our very own research on the best times to post to Instagram pinpoints the top times to post for multiple industries, or you can follow our research of the best times across all topic areas below:

Sticking to a schedule will help you build a consistent experience for your followers and keep them in the know of your brand. But if you’re wondering how you’re going to remember to publish at these different times in the day, we’ve got you covered with Sprout’s scheduling and optimal times features–read on for more details.

3. Schedule Instagram posts in advance

While the Instagram algorithm has changed to show users more content they like, posting at the right times can still give your posts more visibility by increasing the overall engagement they receive.

There’s a lot your brand can do to raise visibility, and now with Sprout Social, scheduling Instagram content is one of them. With our newest tools, we can help your brand schedule Stories, Carousels and Feed posts through an easy process.

By scheduling content in advance, your entire team can see campaigns and schedules more efficiently. It’s always smart to build out content in advance and with our Instagram scheduling tools, you can reach your audience and maintain a consistent flow of content at the same time.

You can also use Sprout’s patented ViralPost feature and let us do the work for you. ViralPost analyzes your own account’s engagement history and identifies the optimal times for you to post algorithmically.

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. Get partners and brand advocates to post your content

When you’re learning how to get more Instagram followers, it’s important to know the value of your audience. The larger your follower count grows (organically), the more buyers and interested customers you will have.

The best way to get customers to follow you is to get in front of them and be present. It’s critical to be present on your own Instagram as well as others. Try sponsoring user-generated content to get your brand in customers’ feeds. You can also hold Instagram contests to get your brand

out to a larger audience. These types of campaigns build social proof by showing your fans are invested enough to repost your content or create their own UGC.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Urban Outfitters (@urbanoutfitters)

Another way is to get your handle in front of a much larger audience. Try to work with larger Instagram accounts in your industry, like notable influencers in your space, to share your content to their audience.

Just make sure you’re providing something of value. The last thing you want to do is seem too salesy. Find marketing collaborations and co-marketing plans with other businesses to build your Instagram audience.

5. Avoid fake Instagram followers

There’s a huge difference between an Instagram account having fake and legitimate followers. It might seem tempting to simply purchase Instagram followers, but the backlash outweighs the perks of organic follower growth.

Fake Instagram followers tend to:

  • Deceive new followers: If users come to an inactive Instagram feed with tens of thousands of followers, it will lower the account’s credibility. Don’t trick people into following you. Build trust and long-lasting relationships for better engagement.
  • Have no ROI: It might seem easier to buy followers, but your acquired bot or unmanned new followers won’t be purchasing anything. People follow brands on Instagram for a reason–they like what you’re posting or your company in general. These are actual spenders and bring monetary value to your business.
  • Create little-to-no buzz: If you have 10,000 fake followers, how many are going to comment, like and share your content? More than likely, these bot or fake accounts will be cleaned up by Instagram, deleted and make your posts seem like engagement graveyards.

Real people have the ability to share, like, comment and engage with your Instagram posts. Additionally, these users enjoy when there’s someone on the other side responding.

For example, Lush Cosmetics takes the time to answer various product questions, which results in users coming back, following or possibly sharing with others. These interactions will always have more value than a set of inactive followers.

6. Showcase your Instagram everywhere

How are people going to find an account unless you promote your Instagram? Make sure your Instagram account is listed with your website and other social networks.

Creating visibility and awareness is one of the best ways to get discovered. If you truly want to get more Instagram followers, let people know where to find you. You could add social media buttons to your website and blog to help promote social shares across all your networks as well as show people where to find you on Instagram.

Follow #MoMAPrimeTime on Instagram today as we celebrate the last day of Summer Camp for 200 New Yorkers, ages 65+! https://t.co/RNyV7Ibr9y pic.twitter.com/64SvbUaWLL

— MoMA The Museum of Modern Art (@MuseumModernArt) June 23, 2017

Another great idea is to cross promote across your social media accounts. The Museum of Modern Art regularly spreads awareness about its Instagram through Twitter. You can easily leverage your other social networks to direct users to your Instagram.

However, make sure that you’re not just asking for a follow. Instead you should try to promote unique content on your Instagram so users have a reason to follow you there. Fortunately, with Instagram adding a ton of new content and video features like Stories, IGTV and Reels, you have a great opportunity to build followers through creative content.

7. Post content followers want

While this is easier said than done, it’s smart to learn what content your followers want to see. You’ll quickly find on Instagram that some content performs better than others. This is why testing is so important.

Whether it’s filters, captions, content types or post times, the smallest detail can make all the difference. Keep your ear to the ground with new Instagram trends so you know you’re posting popular content.

To take your analysis a step further, your brand should invest in Instagram analytics tools. This will make it easier to track, benchmark and analyze Instagram content across accounts.

Be confident in your content strategy by analyzing different filters, captions and more to see what works best with your audience. If you’re unsure where to start, try analyzing your competitors.

You shouldn’t directly copy your competitors, but it’s smart to take notes on what they’re doing or posting that drives engagement. A little competitive research can go a long way. You can use our Instagram Competitors report to get a look at what’s working for other brands in your industry.

8. Get the conversation started

One of the best ways to make users aware of your Instagram is through conversation. According to the 2020 Sprout Social Index, consumers want to engage with visual-first content like photos (68%) and video (50%), followed by 30% who want to engage with text posts. Instagram is the perfect fit for this audience profile, pairing eye-catching visuals with captions that can be just as engaging when you perfect your Instagram caption copywriting skills.

People are continuing to use social media as their contact reference for brands, whether its for off-the-cuff questions and chat, serious customer care queries, or praise for their favorite brands and products. And for your business, you need to be supportive and communicative on Instagram.

Try to respond to as many questions or comments as possible, because it could mean the difference between getting a new customer, follower or improving your relationship with your audience. Our Index research also showed 89% of consumers will buy from a brand after following on social, so it’s important to secure the attention and loyalty needed to convert a visitor to your profile into a follower.

9. Find hashtags that convert

One of the most tried-and-true ways to get followers on Instagram is through hashtags. For years hashtags have served as an essential tool for discovery and allowed us to extend our social reach. As a marketer, you want to build your community by gaining followers and hashtags provide just that.

For starters, find hashtags that are not too populated. Social Media Examiner points this theory out by explaining how the hashtag #love has more than 184 million photos connected to it. Trying to highlight your Instagram content in a sea of millions of pictures and videos is not an easy thing to do.

You have to find hashtags that people in your target audience are more likely to check. If a relevant connection is made, these users will be more likely to follow your account. Unique, branded hashtags are one way to group posts around hyper-relevant content to your brand and campaigns.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by M&M'S (@mmschocolate)

For example, M&Ms does a great job at focusing hashtags to an event where they are participating. By using hashtags like #mmspotlight, the brand targets its audience more directly where the spotlight concert event happens and creates awareness.

Understanding how your hashtags perform on Instagram is also just as critical to using them. And with Sprout Social’s hashtag analytics tools, you have direct access to hashtag performance and usage data to see what’s working best.

Don’t go blindly into the hashtag universe, know what you’re tagging so you can build your following.

10. Make your Instagram followers happy

Last but not least, when you make your Instagram followers happy, you see the payoff in audience growth. We’ve given you plenty of tips for brainstorming and scheduling content, so put them into practice in a way that feels real to your brand voice. In other words, avoid seeming needy, sales-driven or robotic.

For many accounts, this means sprinkling in posts that are legitimately designed to bring a smile to followers’ faces and build customer relationships. Don’t forget to provide content to your followers as if they were friends on your personal feed: this might include posting memes, inspirational content, or just re-sharing interesting photos or artwork (all properly credited, of course) that can give your followers a little mental pick-up during the day.

More tips for your Instagram presence

Developing an Instagram following is a multifaceted process. Knowing the ins and outs of best practices on the network will help your strategies be more effective. Learn more with these guides to some of the most important IG essentials:

  • How to promote your Instagram: 13 ways that actually work
  • 9 Instagram post ideas to spice up your account
  • How to regram on Instagram
  • How to get more Instagram Likes
  • How to craft an impactful Instagram bio for business

How are you growing your Instagram following?

Instagram continues to grow in popularity with audiences, so taking advantage of these tips to get followers will help you increase your reach. If you’re ready to put Sprout’s powerful tools behind your Instagram management, start a free trial today.

16 Ways To Grow Your Instagram Following Fast

In times when social networks have already become bread and butter for many, the popularity of such platforms as Instagram just keeps on growing. Based on statistics provided by Statista, with June 2018 Instagram has reached and since exceeded the 1 billion active monthly user mark.

Instagram users in millions. (From Statista.com)

But while the fruits are getting sweeter, reaching for the branch is getting harder. Determining the overall purpose of your Instagram account, coming up with the content strategy and designing it for the maximum engagement were the tricks that did wonders in the early days of Instagram. Now it’s just an expected norm and you have to go the extra mile to grow your channel.

This is THE list of tips and tricks that will ensure quick and smooth gain of real followers, provide the highest return on investment and will be worth your time.

1. Use hashtags to their full potential

Using hashtags is one of the most effective ways to get followers without following others. Hashtags let new people discover your content. You can have up to 30 hashtags for each post to increase its exposure. However, tagging random hashtags will not do the charm.

Easiest way to come up with the hashtags that are relevant and will bring more followers in is to explore the most general hashtags that fit your Instagram account. If you look up #sports, #fitness, check out other hashtags that are tagged in the post. See what’s trending as the chances of being discovered are way higher when using less generic hashtags.

Chris Hau is a successful seller on Sellfy and, as an artist, his Instagram account is well designed. However, even the greatest artwork needs a way to be discovered. That’s why Chris tags his posts with a list of hashtags that are relevant – to create a way for Instagram users to discover his work.

 

It sometimes might be challenging to come up with 30 relevant hashtags, so if a little spark of creativity is needed, you can always play around with hashtag generators like All Hashtag, Instavast and others. Although the tools are great, you should always hand pick the hashtags you feel fit your post the best so your content doesn’t come off as spam.

Hashtags are more than a one way ticket to the ‘’explore’’ section. Be creative!

2. Join micro-communities

Since Instagram introduced an option to follow hashtags, keeping up with micro-communities has become a breeze. You’ve already found the hashtags you’re gonna be working with and, to stay in the loop, follow them. See the hashtag as a social group that you want to fit in and be noticed. Like other posts, comment and start conversations and attract attention.

Once you have a solid and dedicated following, you can take this a step further and create your own micro-community like @sorelleamore has done with her own hashtag – #AdvancedSelfie. The tag has accumulated more than 40 thousand posts.

3. Interact with top influencers

The word ‘’networking’’ is in the very essence of social networks – that’s what you ought to do! You have already found your niche hashtags, your niche communities.

And if you’ve been persistent, you have probably noticed the key players in the group. Like, comment, ask questions, interact and see if you can establish a mutually friendly relationship with them.

The great thing about Instagram (and other social media platforms) is that the competition does not involve stealing a piece of a pie from another. It’s like… cloning your pies and exchanging with them. Make friends and promote each other’s content, do collaborations and organize mutual giveaways.

Take a note from a well-executed mutual promo between @charlyjordan and @evanpaterakis!

4. Get the best out of Location tag

While, from the first look, it might seem that the Location tag on Instagram is for businesses and flashy teenagers that want to brag about where they had their dinner, every Instagrammer can find their benefit there.

You can look at it as an ‘’extra hashtag slot’’ and use strategically picked locations or tag the place of the photo. Imagine a random person looking up the nearest Papa John’s and seeing your goofy smile and that controversial pineapple pizza on the table. That’s calling for a comment, or what?

@foodcoma_eats is an absolute winner when it comes to dominating burger joint place tag top photo section. Take a look:

 

5. Follow people who like competing pages

Sometimes it’s impossible to be noticed without tapping on the shoulder. If your Instagram account is all about blueberry cupcakes, there is a chance that you could find some potential fans in the follower list of the chocolate cupcake account. Imagine all the people that would love to see your content on their feed, but will be missing out on it just because they haven’t stumbled on your account yet. Tap them on the shoulder – follow them!

This is what Richard Lazazzera,  Instagram Marketing expert did:

6. Follow a large amount of users

If you’ve been an Instagram user for a while you must have gotten random followers or follow-requests, right? The first ones got you excited, the next 15 were annoying, but then you started paying attention to what that account posts.

That’s because the follow/unfollow system has become a widely used and accepted form of advertising. And it’s still a fairly successful one.

While the process is straightforward, Instagram has not publicly disclosed the maximum hourly or daily amounts of follows allowed. It’s been speculated that different factors come in the play, such as account age, number of followers, overall engagement and potentially others.

However, it seems that 40 follows per hour is a safe amount for a new account, which can be gradually increased over time as the account ages and gains more followers.

@boostthebold is using the strategy and, based on the follow/follower ratio, seems like it’s working pretty well.

You don’t have to push yourself or risk your account by following the maximum amount of accounts allowed. Everybody will agree that 5000 follows and 64 followers don’t look that great, right? Keep it classy, increase the numbers gradually. Some stop following once they reach 10k followers on Instagram, others keep on going. The idea is to get your account snowballing first and let it develop itself later on.

Follower app to help you out with this is always an option, but a paid one and a risky one as Instagram terms of service does not appreciate automatizing actions.

7. Nail the captions

Storytelling, expressing feelings, providing a setting, giving the backstory will add to the post. A beautiful picture without a caption is still just a picture. A great caption is what turns a picture into a story and a memory. Captions will not increase your exposure, but they will, in fact, be one of the determining factors if the user is going to follow you or not. Turn the visitors into followers by impressive post descriptions.

Sellfy seller @sorelleamore knows that a fascinating photo might not do the job alone. That’s why she designs great captions to earn that like. Photos and captions go hand in hand.

8. Call to action

Since Instagram has changed the way posts show up on users’ timeline, follower engagement has become crucial. No user engagement will mean your posts will be put at the very end of the line.

On the other hand, if user engagement is high, your posts will be one of the first ones your followers will see. It’s Instagram’s way of giving users the content they are looking for.

Reduce the power distance. The closer you are, the higher engagement on your posts. It doesn’t always have to be a call to buy or download something – ask a question, ask to like if they can relate, make them choose between options and let your followers know that you care for them and they have a say.

Look at how creative.cliche does it.

9. Have a schedule

Consistency is a cornerstone of success. So whatever your posting frequency is – stick to it. Posting too rarely will result in low engagement and slow account growth, while overposting might seem spammy and lead to losing followers.

The top Instagrammers post once or twice a day and that is what researchers seem to have proven to be optimal. So why fix it if it’s not broken? If you need a helping hand, look up post scheduling platforms like CoSchedule and Later.

10. Post in peak times

It’s not something you can figure out right of the bat. You can of course research the peak times that promise the most likes and highest engagement, but it’s better to analyze your own statistics. Why?

Because, trust me, blueberry muffin pics peak at different times than Victoria Secret models photos!

11. Repost other users’ content with tags

You can note down the times that seem to work best or you can use free tools like Squarelovin and Union Metrics to do the math for you.

There are plenty of popular accounts that live off of other people’s content. It’s not bad as long as the creator gets the credit and is tagged. It’s a win-win situation. Creator gets exposure, while the reposting account gets content and increases its following.

Instagrammers were quick to adapt the ‘’reposting promo’’ even for personal photo memoirs. A simple and (mostly) free advertising option is a post for post where two Instagrammers come together and agree to repost 1 of each other’s posts by tagging the person and giving a shoutout.

This is a very popular and, when you think about it, a natural strategy utilized by photographers. Artist posts a photo of the photoshoot with a tag of the model, hence creating content for own account while promoting the other person just like photographer @samuelelkins does in his IG account.

The model (in this case professional model @mnkata) then posts a part of the photoshoot on own account tagging the photographer which ends up being a mutually beneficial activity.

This same strategy can be applied by any two accounts that have an overlapping target audience.

12. Get your Instagram account promoted on other networks

If you’re looking to gain followers on Instagram fast, this one is designed for you.

A Buzzfeed employee wrote a perfect example article promoting her social media accounts while being informative and professional about it.

She left the impression that she went the extra mile to do you a favor, to answer the most frequent questions relating her expertise instead of coming off as a salesperson. Readers will not boo you out and, if the article is really good, your post might get promoted.

Don’t limit yourself to buzzfeed. Dig around, look for blogs in your industry, find think-alikes on reddit, look up Twitter accounts with the same interests. It might not be easy to find the right target and even more difficult to hit the bull’s eye, but once it happens, it can blow up your account overnight.

P.S. If all this sounds like too much of a hassle, you can always skip the lobster night and get a paid article or an add on the very same blogs.

13. Host Giveaways

Giveaway is a low cost promotion and a follower engagement boost, if it’s done right. @wake.up.nutrition and @eatprotes are collaborating on this one. A like, a follow and tag a friend for a free protein goodie? Anytime!

Giveaways will not only increase engagement on your posts, but can snowball your account follower wise. It all depends on how they are planned and organized. There are different ways of how to play out this card. You can go for increased engagement and require the user to be like the post in order to participate in the giveaway, or you can collaborate with other creators asking your followers to like the post and follow the co-host of the giveaway and the co-host does the same for you. Or you can just ask to tag a friend in the comment section, hence the post engagement is high and new people will be exposed to your content.

14. Try videos, live videos, and Stories

World has already adapted to today’s information overload. People let the information past and ignore it, if it’s not easy to filter or quick to grasp. A study shows that 80% of consumers would prefer to watch a live video from a brand rather than read a blog, while 82% prefer live video from a brand over social media posts.

Stories, videos and live videos is a great opportunity to introduce your followers to the backstage, show your routine, tell a story, host a Q&A session – it will all add a spark of life to your account.

  • Story highlights are great to pitch your account to the newcomers. Tell them what you do and why they should follow you.
  • Stories will keep your account name in the air and keep your followers active.
  • Videos can get you highlighted in the explore section just like regular posts.
  • Live videos do magic when it comes to community building.

Popular fashion vlogger @itsmarziapie likes doodling around with Instagram stories by posting bits and pieces of her daily routine as a story. Compared to regular posts, the stories are quick snaps with thoughts, stories or questions, while her regular posts are professionally looking pictures, like you would imagine a fashion vlogger would take.

15. Run Instagram ads

A common English saying goes: ‘’You have to spend money to make money.’’ And it stands true today. Instagram ads is a way to simply but effectively grow your account without doing any additional work besides providing quality content. On-network advertising takes little effort as you don’t have to prepare a special format material. The era of ‘’how to reach the target audience’’ is over, you just simply pick and choose the characteristics of people you want to see your ad! The best thing about Instagram ads is how naturally they are included in users’ feed without being annoying at all.

The cost of running a highly targeted ad with especially particular user specifics is around $5 per CPM (cost per thousand impressions) which is half as much as the same ads would cost on Facebook, according to WordStream.

The great thing about running Instagram ads is the fact that you don’t have to spend all your savings, you can easily do $10 campaigns and see how much it benefits your account and then decide, whether to increase your investment in the ads or not.

16. Use analytics and keep track

There are many apps and softwares that can come in handy besides the ones mentioned above. For example, link shorteners like Bitly, Buffer and Capsulink are excellent tools to track what content brings the most traffic to your links in the bio, where your visitors are coming from and adjust your future campaigns accordingly. Moreover, they allow you to create branded links  which can better attract your customers’ attention, build brand awareness and increase your visibility online.

It’s crucial to note down of what works best for you and what doesn’t work at all, what takes more time and what can be done quickly, what you enjoy doing and what you would rather not do. It’s all about making choices and prioritizing to be consistent and successful. You’ll only find your recipe of success by doing.

Your turn

These 16 tricks will keep your Instagram to-do list full. Like any other aspect in life, Instagram too requires either chunky time investment or some dollar bills. Perfect, if you can do both. If not, there are plenty of other tricks you can try to make sure your Instagram account grows. If a frog can achieve 4 digits of followers, so can everyone else.

40 tips on how to promote your Instagram

1. Do not forget to put hashtags that will help increase the number of subscribers: #instafollow, #l4l (Like for like), #tagforlikes and #followback.

2. Like as much as possible. For every 100 likes you give to random photos, you will get an average of 6 new followers.

3. Run contest . The easiest way to do this is to post a themed picture and ask people to like it so they can participate.

4. Start promoting profile on your pages in other social networks. Write what your blog is about and why people should read it and invite them to join.

5. Be generous with likes and comments - this is the easiest way to attract new subscribers.

6. Use common hashtags to make your photos visible in the global search. Among the most popular are #love, #instagood, #fashion and #photooftheday.

@westwingde

7. Time matters. Research has shown that the best time to fast is between 2 pm and 5 pm.

8. Follow people who use popular hashtags (#followme, #likeforlike) because many of them will follow you back.

9. Remember, quality is important , not quantity. Monitor your profile and leave only beautiful and high-quality photos. Believe me, no one is interested in flipping through hundreds of photos of salads.

10. Love the Mayfair filter. Track Maven listed this filter on The Fortune 500 Instagram as the best choice for marketers.

11. Check that you have completed the biography section . Complete it with suitable words and hashtags, and also provide a link to your website. But remember: no spam! Otherwise, subscribers will lose interest in the profile.

12. Ask questions to subscribers. This is a great way to connect with your target audience.

13. Post on Sundays . It is on this day that people post photos a little, so your post will be seen by the maximum number of people.

@nastiapoberezhna

14. Be consistent with . Think about who and why you are doing this. The more clearly you answer these questions, the faster you will attract the right audience.

15. Call people to action. For example, ask them to write their opinion about your photo in the comments.

16. Don't be afraid to post often. It may seem that the more often the photos flash, the more indifferent the subscribers behave. But according to the Union Metrics program, there is no relationship between posting frequency and audience activity. At least negative.

17. Follow suggested users. Go to settings and select "Find and invite friends" and then "Recommended users".

18. Set geolocation . This will be especially useful if you run an Instagram company. So you will have the opportunity to attract new subscribers-neighbors.

19. Schedule publications with the Later program. Consistency never hurt anyone.

20. Agree with popular blogger to advertise your profile or product. So information about you will quickly scatter over the network.

21. Research has shown that blue images get 24% more likes than orange or red images. Post something blue and see for yourself!

22. Let fast on Wednesdays become your obligatory ritual. This is because posts get more attention and likes in the middle of the week.

23. Write the word "comment" more often in posts. This encourages your followers to share their opinions and be more willing to join the discussion.

24. Post photos showing 's face. According to research, such publications are 35% more popular than others.

25. Tag in photos of people. Your post will also be seen by friends of friends.

26. Remember the rule: the more light the better.

27. If you have a business account, create a branded hashtag . So users can specify it when purchasing a product. And it will increase your visibility on Instagram several times over.

28. Share live photos. Show that behind the beautiful picture there are living people .

29. Business trick: share photos of your followers mentioning your brand or product. This pleasant step shows that you value each client. In return, they will definitely share your photos in their feed.

30. Brand yourself : Use your nickname for more than just your profile. A notebook, a case or a branded sticker on a car will surely attract the attention of potential subscribers.

@romantimo3

31. Invite friends from Facebook to follow you. To do this, in the profile settings, select "Find friends on Facebook."

32. People love stories. Share your experiences and thoughts, so you will gain their trust and establish contact. Just remember that the post should be emotional and bright, not snot in sugar.

33. Tag people , even in stories, don't be lazy.

34. Do not be shy in your posts to ask for likes . As practice has shown, such publications receive 89% more likes.

35. In advance plan not only time, but also content. Prepare your materials and only then start filling out your feed. For example, write posts for a few days in advance, and then publish them gradually. The Instagram filling schedule will help you stay focused on the main topic of the blog.

36. Post a motivational or inspirational quote .

37. Synchronize phone book with your account. Go to settings and select "Contacts" in the "For Subscriptions" section.

38. Be active on profiles with similar topics. Especially if you run a business profile. Chat in the comments , ask questions and let influencers know about you.

39. Collaborate with other users. Find accounts with the same number of followers and invite their owners to arrange a joint promotion. This will help you and your partners to win an audience and attract the attention of new people.

40. Create a unique hashtag, by which you can organize a challenge for your subscribers.

According to cosmo.com.ua

Tags: Instagram, blog, how to become famous, tips, social networks Lyudmila is in touch, a marketer at Altcraft. Instagram already has 1.3 billion users, photo and video content service is one of the top social networks in the world and continues to grow. Instagram brings money to brands and bloggers - it is the most effective platform for influencer marketing in 2020-2021. Bloggers earn up to $10,000 from one advertising post. Brands increase the audience, increase loyalty and sales - 90% of Instagram users are subscribed to commercial accounts.

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Instagram is a rapidly changing social network with unpredictable algorithms. There is huge competition here, but the question of how to promote Instagram for brands and bloggers remains relevant. We tell you what will work and what will not work in 2022: how to promote a blog on Instagram using free and paid promotion methods.

Before promotion

It is useless to start development without strategy and account preparation. Therefore, first:

  • Set up an Instagram profile so that the user immediately understands what your account is about and what you offer.

What's important:

  • A name that matches the subject of the account.
  • Description in the profile header: USP, benefits, name (if the account is an individual).
  • Location if you run an offline business or work in a specific area.
  • A link to a website or your other content.
  • Page navigation in live stories: prices, location, FAQs and other information.
  • Clean your account from inactive subscribers if the profile has been maintained for a long time. Subscribers who do not respond to your content in any way are bad for promotion.

Example. Instagram sees: only 10 out of 1000 subscribers watch your content. The social network understands that the content is uninteresting and stops showing it. Subscribers by themselves are not an indicator of the success of an account, it is important to involve the audience.

  • Switch to a business account to get statistics and analyze audience reactions to content.
  • Prepare a development strategy. Any promotion is a plan and regularity. One-time actions will not bring results. Define goals - why do you need promotion on Instagram, what do you want to get: subscribers, sales, advertisers, or something else. Prepare a content plan with regular posts, stories and Reels.

Free promotion methods

Reels

Reels is a short video format (15-30 seconds) that Instagram launched worldwide in the summer of 2021. The social network also promised to promote the video format. Therefore, now Reels is the most effective way to promote your account for free. Social media gives Reels an outside reach. If stories and posts work for an existing audience (although posts also sometimes get into recommendations), then Reels has more opportunities. Getting a million views for an account with a couple of thousand subscribers is real.

Another advantage of Reels for promotion is the lifetime. Stories disappear after 24 hours, the post is shown for a couple of days, and Reels “spins” even after a while. Also, one video in Reels can “pull” others along with it: the social network sees that a particular video is interesting to the audience and shows the previously created ones.

Example Reels

Commenting

Don't confuse this method with spam comments for everyone. Popular, but meaningless, remains automatic commenting. With this method, there are situations when the inscription “what a beautiful photo” appears under the mourning post with a candle, or there are off-topic comments. You shouldn't do that.

Unsuccessful automatic commenting

How to get followers on Instagram through comments:

  • Comment thoughtfully and to the point. Communicate in a friendly and honest way - try to make friends, and not advertise yourself.
  • Chat in the comments under the posts of personal accounts of ordinary users, bloggers and brands. A user with a small number of followers is more likely to notice you and visit your page. Major bloggers and brands are unlikely to subscribe, but other subscribers will see an interesting comment.

Hashtags

Promotion with the help of hashtags is a legal method of promotion that is unlikely to give huge coverage, but it will still attract some part of the audience. Instagram has a separate search for hashtags and a subscription to them.

Which hashtags to set for promotion:

  • Thematic, which relate to your field, and localized, if you are tied to some territory.
  • The topic of the hashtag should match the topic of the post and photo, then Instagram better understands what your post is about and shows it to the right audience.
  • Do not choose high-frequency hashtags from 500 thousand. The more often a hashtag is used, the less likely your post will be seen.
  • Check the relevance of hashtags. If they were last used two years ago, they don't work.

An example of topical hashtags

How many hashtags to use? There is no single answer. Instagram allows you to add up to 30. But such a “canvas” does not always work. Irrelevant hashtags will reduce reach and minimize the effect of relevant ones. Therefore, experiment and do not copy the same hashtags from post to post - this is inefficient. Another social network may think that you are a robot and block your account.

Cross-promo

This method will not fit the query "How to promote instagram from scratch". An account for cross-promotion or mutual PR should already have an audience.

What we do next:

  • We are looking for an account with a similar or related theme and about the same number of subscribers.
  • Sharing content, such as guest posting, live streaming, or collaborative marathons.

An example of a successful cross-promotion is a sportswear brand account launching a marathon of fast workouts with a fitness trainer.

Promotion on other platforms

If you are actively running another channel (Youtube, Yandex.Zen and others), invite the audience to subscribe to your Instagram.

Important! Users should understand why they need another account of yours. It is unlikely that subscribers are interested in watching the same content. Work with different formats and themes.

An example of such a promotion method from a blogger with a promoted Youtube channel with expert information. The girl offers to subscribe to her Instagram, where she shares her personal.

Instagram promotion on the blogger's Youtube channel

User Content

Works for brands and individuals who want to promote their account.

An option for a brand is to invite users to post a photo with their product and a special hashtag. Then the brand reposts these publications to its page.

For personal accounts, tag brands. Then there is a chance that the Instagram page will be reposted to the brand account. It turns out win-win - the user gets more coverage, and the brand gets more content.

Location

Adding locations to the account description and posts to Instagram promotion is an additional way. This is especially true for local businesses and events. Just put a location and wait for thousands of subscribers will not work.

Paid promotion methods

Targeted advertising

Instagram official advertising is an opportunity to reach an audience with specific interests. If the algorithms themselves decide who to show your Reels or post to, then in advertising you set the audience yourself. Instagram offers to advertise in the feed, stories and Reels.

Examples of targeted advertising on Instagram: in the feed and in stories

Advertising is set up on Instagram itself or through the Facebook advertising account (if the account is linked to the page). For advertising on Instagram, goals are available: visiting an account, a website and increasing engagement - more messages. The audience can be selected automatically or configured, but the criteria are limited.

Setting up an advertising campaign on Instagram

There are more opportunities to designate an audience in the Facebook advertising account.

Possible goals of an advertising campaign in the Facebook advertising account

The downside of advertising on the social network is an impressive list of restrictions that are constantly changing. For violation of the rules, advertising is stopped, and sometimes the account is blocked without explanation.

Advertising with influencers

Influence marketing remains trending in 2022 as the blogging market grows. Therefore, Instagram promotion through opinion leaders is still relevant. Advertising among bloggers, famous personalities and experts is more trustworthy and is perceived as a recommendation of a familiar person. Advertising options for influencers: native (does not look like advertising) or direct.

Advertising with bloggers

How not to promote on Instagram

If to the question: “How to promote an account on Instagram”, someone offers cheating and giveaways, then run. Gray methods of promotion will not only not be useful, but will also destroy your account. Read about them and forget.

Giveaway

Giveaways are contests from influencers in which you need to subscribe to the page and all sponsors of the giveaway in order to participate in the prize draw. Subscription is a prerequisite for the draw. This is how sponsors gain a new audience, but after the draw:

  • users unsubscribe because their interest is a prize, not a sponsor's page;
  • Instagram algorithms see a large number of unsubscribes and reduce profile coverage;
  • it is difficult to save such an account.

Even during a giveaway, the gathered audience is ballast. Prize users are not involved in the content. For Instagram algorithms, this is a sign of irrelevant content.

Cheat bots and comments

Instead of live subscribers, you get fake accounts - bots that create the appearance, but in fact "drown" the account. For algorithms, the more subscribers, the more engagement should be. If the subscribers are bots, there is no activity from them. Instagram sees an uninteresting account and does not show it not only in recommendations, but also to subscribers. The social network also fights against bots and suspicious activity, bans accounts that are engaged in cheating.

Activity chats

They create the illusion of involvement, show social networks and other subscribers interest in the account. These are groups where users gather who like, comment on posts and watch each other's stories. The main disadvantage of the method is an irrelevant audience. If this method is still possible in an account from scratch, then after growth it will most likely harm - you will not see real involvement and interest in the content, so you will not understand how to improve it.

Mass following and mass liking

The essence of the methods is a subscription to many accounts that can be the target audience or/and likes to posts of different people. The goal is to draw attention to your account: the user will replace your activity and subscribe in response. But the methods are no longer relevant: users do not respond, but Instagram punishes for such promotion.

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