How to increase followers on instagram trick

12 Hacks to Get More REAL Followers on Instagram [Fast]

Do you want to know how to get Instagram followers fast?

Getting ahead on Instagram can be tough, especially if you have tons of competition and you can’t seem to hit your target engagement metrics in the platform.

If only there were proven tips to increase your Instagram followers authentically…

Luckily there are! In this article, we’ll show you how to increase Instagram followers with a few of our secret tips and tricks.

Before we dive right in, let’s talk about whether you should buy fake Instagram followers or not.

Should You Buy Instagram Followers?

Tell me if you’ve seen the following search terms on Google before:

“How to get 1k followers on Instagram in 5 minutes?”
“Cheat on how to get Instagram followers?”
“How to get fake Instagram followers?”

With over 1 billion users, Instagram remains one of the most popular social media networks in the world.

Competition in Instagram is tough, and it’s one of the reasons why some brands want to take shortcuts in growing their followers.

In the same way that buying fake Facebook followers isn’t worth it, getting fake Instagram followers for your account can also result in:

Low User Engagement – Most fake followers are robots or spam accounts, so they will never like or comment on your Instagram posts.
Decreased Brand Trust – Is your follower count high, but your engagement metrics are low? Then it’s painfully obvious to your audience that some fake followers are involved, so they’re less likely to trust you.
No Potential Customers – Since the followers you bought are spam accounts or bots, there’s zero chance that they’ll do business with your brand. Yikes.

If buying Instagram followers isn’t a good idea, can you increase your account followers authentically without following hundreds of profiles daily?

How to Increase Followers On Instagram Without Following Everyone

You can grow your Instagram followers without having to follow everyone. After all, Instagram lets you follow up to 7,500 accounts only.

It’s even easier when you use Instagram Feed Pro to display custom Instagram feeds on your WordPress site. As the #1 highest rated Instagram feed plugin for WordPress, it lets you easily add stunning Instagram feeds to your website. No coding needed!

Instagram Feed Pro is also super-simple to set up, which is perfect for beginners with little design experience.

Ready to start getting more real Instagram followers — without buying fake followers or following every account you see? You can click any of the Instagram marketing tips below to skip ahead.

Or, you can continue reading this ultimate guide to increasing your Instagram followers.

Top Tips to Increase Instagram Followers Fast (Organic Ways)

Improve Your Instagram Profile
Curate Your Instagram Feed
Take Advantage of Instagram Reels
Display Instagram Feeds on Your Site
Use Niche-Related Hashtags on Your Posts
Optimize Your Post Captions
Engage With Your Existing Followers
Highlight Product Review Posts
Show Your Instagram in Relevant Platforms
Cross-Promote on Other Social Media Platforms
Run Viral Instagram Contests
Monitor Your Instagram Analytics

1.

Improve Your Instagram Profile

One of the easiest ways to get more Instagram followers is to make sure your Instagram account is set up properly.

Your Instagram bio is the most important real estate of your account. It’s from there that users get to know more about your brand, your website and your overall online presence.

Make your bio as interesting as you can to get more Instagram followers with some of these tricks:

Display a recognizable profile picture, like your photo or brand logo
Add relevant hashtags to make it easier for people to find your profile
Include your website URL so people can learn more
Choose words carefully to describe your brand using as little space as possible
Add emojis to convey emotion, character, and personality

To help you optimize your Instagram profile, see this useful post on how to use Instagram for business.

2. Curate Your Instagram Feed

Another hack to increase your followers organically is to develop a unique style and theme for your account.

Because there are so many people all vying for attention on Instagram, you need to stand out to get noticed. A clear visual content style sets you apart from the competition and makes it easier for people to recognize your brand.

For example, Rosie Clayton does an excellent job with her Instagram theme of bright, color pops. And with over 100,000 followers, her style choice certainly paid off.

Optimizing your Instagram gallery doesn’t stop at deciding on a theme or color palette you’ll be using for your Instagram profile. Since Instagram is a media-heavy social media platform, it’s crucial you pay particular attention to media quality as well.

Great quality content can draw in tons of traffic, engagement, and followers. But blurry photos or videos that look thrown-together can drive people away from your profile.

You don’t need expensive equipment to take great photos for Instagram. Your smartphone camera will do the trick if you’re careful with lighting, props, and filters, like this shot below.

You need to think like an online marketer whenever you curate your feed. Here’s a helpful guide on Instagram marketing tips guaranteed to boost your business to help you get started.

3. Take Advantage of Instagram Reels

Did you know that posting Instagram reels on your account can help you get more followers fast?

Considering that 9 out of 10 users watch Instagram videos daily, it’s clear that this type of content can actively reach more audience in the platform.

The more people you can reach, the more people you can convert to Instagram followers for your brand.

Check out this post for the ultimate guide on how you can get more views on your reels. It includes tried-and-tested tips that experts like Starbucks, Neil Patel and Cinnabon use to increase their viewers.

Even better, you can extend further the reach of your account when you show Instagram reels on your website — which brings us to our next tip below.

4.

Display Instagram Feeds on Your Site

One of the easiest ways to increase your Instagram followers is to make the most of your website’s traffic.

If every site visitor can see your Instagram content embedded in your WordPress site, you have a higher chance of converting them into followers versus not showing your Instagram feeds at all.

For example, if your website gets 3,000 unique visitors daily…

And at least 1% of them follow your account just because your Instagram feed is displayed on your site…

That’s 30 Instagram followers added daily to your account!

With the help of Instagram Feed Pro plugin, you can easily add your Instagram feed on your website with just a few clicks.

It’s the best Instagram feed plugin to help you make, customize and show engaging Instagram feeds on your site — even if you’re not tech-savvy. It’s trusted by over 1 million users with a high rating of 4.9/5 stars, after all.

With this plugin, you can easily embed your Instagram feeds on your site’s:

About page
Reviews page
Products page
Blog page
and more…

Your site visitors have already shown an interest in your brand by visiting your website. The next step? Gently nudge them to follow you by displaying your Instagram posts anywhere on WordPress.

To do this for your business, see this step-by-step guide on how to embed Instagram feeds on your website.

Pro-tip: You can also make sure that your Instagram feed is accessible on every page of your site by adding it to your footer area. Check out the steps here on how to add Instagram footer widget to WordPress.

5. Use Niche-Related Hashtags on Your Posts

Hashtags are an excellent way to help other Instagram users find your posts and follow you.

And if you add a range of topical and popular hashtags to each post, there’s a high chance you’ll get more engagement and followers for your account.

For example, you can combine topical hashtags like #makeup and #ootd with a few popular choices such as #Instagood, and #photooftheday to encourage more people to click through and follow your brand.

Pro-tip: Want more exposure for your branded hashtags?

You can curate content relevant to your industry and display it in tailored hashtag feeds on your website.

That way, site visitors get to see fresh, relevant content, and you develop the reputation of being an influencer on those topics. And as you may already know, influencers and brand ambassadors can have massive sway over their followers’ purchase decisions.

When you use Instagram Feed Pro, adding a tailored hashtag feed to your website to boost your following is quick and easy. Just select the Publish Hashtag feed and customize your feed to your liking in just a few minutes.

When you publish your feed, there’ll be a fresh stream of your chosen hashtags on your website.

Pretty easy, right? For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to embed an Instagram hashtag feed on WordPress.

6. Optimize Your Post Captions

Here’s another trick you can use to grow your Instagram organically: get creative with your captions.

Even though we’ve talked about the power of images on Instagram so far, it doesn’t mean you should ignore the words you use.

Your Instagram post captions are a great place to engage with your audience and use persuasive language to encourage them to follow you.

Use captions as a way to tell a story about your photo or video. That way, you can tap into readers’ emotions and build an emotional connection with them, which makes it easier for them to like and trust you.

Chances are, if they enjoy what they read, as well as what they see, they’ll come back for more and follow you.

Another way to optimize your captions is by adding calls to action (CTA) either in the captions of your posts or in the images or videos you upload.

CTAs tell people what action you want them to take next, so if you want them to follow your profile, it’s worth giving them a nudge in the right direction. If you don’t ask, you won’t find out, right?

In this example, the CTA is to help the author come up with a title for their new book, which shows how a clear CTA can spur people into action.

7. Engage With Your Existing Followers

It doesn’t matter if you want to get 100 Instagram followers or 1,000 — the idea behind this Instagram marketing tip is the same.

For you to increase your followers fast, you need to interact with your existing followers regularly.

Boosting your account’s engagement influences Instagram’s algorithm to show your account to even more people. As a result, a larger audience can view your Instagram account and potentially follow you.

Here are some of the best ways to interact with your audience:

Respond to their comments on your posts

Go to your followers’ walls and leave a relevant comment on their posts
Regram your followers’ posts about you and credit them via tags

Chances are you’ve got a bunch of posts you’re tagged in from other Instagram users. Even better, you can go the extra mile and display tagged feeds on your WordPress site so you can use the power of social proof to get more Instagram followers.

Using Instagram Feed Pro, you can easily choose the Tagged Posts feed so your site’s Instagram feed will show only the photos you’re tagged in.

For more details, you can read this detailed post on how to add a live Instagram feed to your site.

8. Highlight Product Review Posts

Speaking of social proof, this next hack to increase your followers can also boost your sales.

We’re talking about building trust with your target audience using customer reviews and testimonials.

Simply put, if people trust you more, they’re more likely to engage with your content and follow your profile.

An excellent way to build that trust is to display product reviews on your website. Product reviews offer real-life testimony for your products.

Right now, many people choose to express their feelings about a product or service on Instagram.

So what better way to improve trust and get more followers than by displaying specific Instagram review posts on your WordPress?

With Instagram Feed Pro, you can highlight specific product review posts and photos with our smart Visual Moderation system, which is guaranteed to improve trust.

Using the plugin’s live feed customizer, you can set this up on the Filters and Moderations settings.

From here, simply click individual posts to hide them from your feed. That way, you can display only the product review posts you’d like to include. No coding needed.

For full instructions on how to moderate your Instagram reviews post, see our documentation here.

9. Show Your Instagram in Relevant Platforms

Are you interested in how to get Instagram followers fast — but in an authentic way?

Then you need to take advantage of all the communication channels your business has. After all, the more platforms you use for Instagram promotion, the more people you can reach and potentially convert into followers.

Here are a few ideas you can use when marketing your Instagram:

Collaborate with a partner brand on Instagram

You can tag them on your account, and they’ll tag you on theirs. As a result, your followers can check them out and their followers become your Instagram fans as well.

Make sure your embedded Instagram feed has a “Follow us on Instagram” button

This makes it easier for your website visitors to find your business on Instagram, especially if you use Instagram Feed Pro to quickly display your Instagram on your site.

Add your Instagram account to your email signature: This way, everyone who gets your email can be a potential follower.
Display Instagram popups on your site

You can use OptinMonster, the world’s best lead generation and conversion optimization tool, to create an Instagram popup and add it to your site.

Even better, OptinMonster has a built-in “Social” template you can tweak to help grow your social media followers — without starting from scratch.

Check out this comparison post on the best Instagram plugins for WordPress for more social media marketing tools like this.

10. Cross-Promote on Other Social Media Platforms

If you’re like most business owners, chances are you have at least one other account on the top social media marketing platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.

After all, your online presence needs to be active on more than one platform so you can optimize your social media marketing efforts. This means cross-posting content from one social media platform to another.

The great news is that Instagram makes it super easy to cross-promote your content on other social media accounts.

Here’s a time-saving tip you can use:

After you’ve edited your photo on Instagram, it’s now ready for publishing. Before publishing a post on Instagram, though, make sure to:

Mention your Instagram account in the post caption
And toggle the options so you can automatically post on Facebook, Twitter and others as well

As a result, your followers on other social media platforms can see that you have an existing Instagram account, so they can check out your profile and follow you.

Pro-tip: Want even more exposure for your social media posts?

If you have accounts on all major social media platforms, you can display all your social media feeds in a single wall using Social Wall Pro. It’s the best social media feed aggregator for WordPress.

With the help of Social Wall Pro, you can integrate your social media into your website in just a few minutes, even if you’re not tech-savvy.

This lets you add engaging social media feeds that combine posts from your Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter accounts like this:

Ready to get more social media followers? Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to display social media feeds to your WordPress site.

11. Run Viral Instagram Contests

Our next secret tip for increasing your Instagram followers is to run a viral contest from your website.

Giveaways and contests attract tons of traffic to your site, as well as helping to skyrocket your social media follower growth in Instagram.

RafflePress, the best contest plugin for WordPress, lets you create Instagram contests without the hassle.

RafflePress has ready-made Instagram contest templates that automatically populate your contests with powerful entry methods. These help you grow your Instagram followers with a few clicks, even if you’re not an expert designer.

And when it comes to publishing your giveaway, you can embed it in WordPress using the handy contest widget block. Or for a distraction-free experience, you can craft a giveaway landing page to encourage tons more entries.

And the result?

Loads more Instagram followers, engagement, brand awareness, and traffic to your website.

See this handy post on how to run successful Instagram giveaways to get started.

12. Monitor Your Instagram Analytics

Our final tip on how you can get more Instagram followers is about basing your marketing strategy on data from your Instagram analytics dashboard.

Using Instagram Insights, you can learn which marketing strategies specific to your brand may generate the best results.

For example, if you want to find out when’s the best time to post on Instagram, here’s what you can do.

First, visit your Instagram profile on your phone and tap Insights. Next, click on total followers.

From the Insights dashboard, you can now see relevant data about your follower activity. To know when your followers are most active, scroll down to the bottom of the Insights page.

For you to get maximum engagement on your Instagram posts, you need to post videos or images during the peak activity times. This way, you’ll get more people who will interact with your posts.

And you know what this means! More post interactions means you’ll have a higher chance of being promoted by Instagram to other users who are more likely to follow you.

Start Getting More Real Instagram Followers

And that’s it, folks! We hope this article helped you how to get Instagram followers fast so you can promote your business better on Instagram.

Want to dominate Instagram marketing? Get started with Instagram Feed Pro and increase your followers today.

Do you want to add Instagram walls to your site? This post on showcasing Instagram feed walls on WordPress can help.

If you enjoyed this article, feel free to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more inspirational content.

Get More Real Instagram Followers in 10 Steps

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

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

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

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

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

10 ways to increase Instagram followers

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

And yes, the distinction matters!

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

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

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

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

1. Optimize your Instagram account

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2. Keep a consistent content calendar

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

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

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

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

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

3. Schedule Instagram posts in advance

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

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

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

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

Perfect your Instagram content plan with Sprout Social

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

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

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

4. Engage with customers, brand advocates and influencers

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

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

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

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

5. Avoid fake Instagram followers

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

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

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

Confuse your potential organic followers. An inactive, low-engagement account with a big following is suspicious. This can be a turn-off for fans that’d otherwise follow you and engage.
Provide no monetary value to your business. Think about it. Your bot followers can’t buy your stuff, can they?
Generate no buzz: If you have 10,000 fake followers, how many are going to engage with your posts? Does it really even matter if your posts are brimming with spam comments?

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

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

6. Showcase your Instagram everywhere you can

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

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

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

7. Post content that followers actually want to see

Easier said than done, we know.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8. Make meaningful conversation with your audience

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

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

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

Being supportive and responding promptly shows people that you care.

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

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

9. Find hashtags where your followers hang out

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

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

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

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

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

10. Take steps to delight your Instagram followers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Why you shouldn’t buy followers on Instagram

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

Your real followers know what fake followers look like

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

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

Fake followers bring nothing to the table

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

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

If nothing else, buying Instagram followers violates TOS

No surprises here.

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

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

Platforms for buying Instagram followers

You shouldn’t risk your account or organic followers for the sake of boosting your numbers. But if you’re dead-set on trying an Instagram followers app, we can’t stop you.

Here are some options:

Path Social (Web)

Path Social’s platform is intended for influencers looking to grow their following. Touting “no bots, no fake users” and an AI-powered platform, the tool markets itself as being legit.

Followers & Unfollowers (Android)

This Android app identifies mutual followers and non-followers. This makes it easier to go on following and unfollowing sprees. Of course, doing so can be a red flag to Instagram.

Reports + Followers Tracker IG (Apple)

This Apple app has a similar function as the one above. In short, you can track mutuals and non-followers in one place.

How are you growing your Instagram following?

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

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

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

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

19 Ways to Get More Followers on Instagram*

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

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Yes, yes, the phrase “Know your audience” that has set the teeth on edge, but has not become less relevant.

This will increase the chances of getting a relevant audience, and if you have a business account, it will help turn subscribers into customers.

All methods are effective only if you work with the target audience. Accordingly, it is better to subscribe to the audience of your competitors, to do mutual PR with blogs of your subject. nine0009
Julia Petrova
ilovetasty food blogger on Instagram

2. Tailor the content to your target audience

Once you have defined your audience, you need to start creating content that is related to their interests and needs. Your posts in InstagramThe product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the territory of the Russian Federation. should inspire subscribers, motivate them, evoke emotions. Look at successful profiles in your niche and learn from their posts. nine0009

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

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

3. Create high-quality and interesting publications

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

4. Use hashtags wisely

When done well, hashtags attract new followers. But it's not enough to use the most popular tags. For example, if you post a photo of a forest and want to use the #forest, #nature and #trees hashtags, you will see that there are millions of such publications and the probability that your post will be noticed is extremely small. nine0009

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

5. Communicate with subscribers

Promotion success in InstagramThe product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the territory of the Russian Federation. largely depends on the interaction with the audience. They want to know that there is a real person behind the account, so motivate them to discuss posts and like them, and then react to their comments and responses. The more actively you communicate with current followers, the more new ones you will get. In addition, it will help to hear the audience better, and social listening is very useful. nine0009

6. Use cross-promotion

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

Mutual PR will be effective if you arrange some kind of interactive for subscribers. For example, challenges or a joint draw. A simple recommendation post is unlikely to work. nine0009
Julia Petrova
ilovetasty food blogger on Instagram

7. Follow competitors' followers

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

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

Julia Petrova
ilovetasty food blogger on Instagram

8. Track relevant hashtags

Did you know that in InstagramThe product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the territory of the Russian Federation. Can I subscribe not only to profiles, but also to hashtags? This is a good strategy, especially when you reach your first thousand subscribers. Track hashtags that are relevant in your niche and use them in your posts. Feel free to comment on the latest posts with such hashtags so that your InstagramProduct belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation. nine0003 became more noticeable. It is laborious, but it can give good results.

9. Follow similar blogs

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

10. Post regularly

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

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

11. Plan your posts ahead of time

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

Thanks to a visual calendar and a convenient editor, it is easy to create several publications at once and spread them on different days. Moreover, Amplifer will tell you which posts your audience likes the most. nine0009

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

12. Post at the right time

Now on InstagramThe product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation. algorithmic feed, but what time you post is still important. Agree, there is no point in publishing posts late at night in the hope that a large number of people will see it. nine0009

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

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

13. Use activity chats

Activity chats are great for attracting new followers to InstagramThe product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation. They gather several users who like and comment on each other's posts. A good way to cheat the Instagram algorithmThe product belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the territory of the Russian Federation. nine0003 and increase the organic reach of posts.

The fact is that when you post a post, the algorithms InstagramProduct belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation. show it to a small number of your followers. If the post gets a lot of responses, then InstagramProduct belongs to an organization recognized as extremist in the Russian Federation. will show the post to an even larger group of subscribers, and if there is no initial activity, then most of your subscribers will not see the publication at all. nine0009

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

14. Use hashtags in Stories

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

Interactive mechanics will help make Stories more interesting: quests, quizzes, polls, they increase engagement and motivation to subscribe to your profile. In addition, Stories is an excellent channel for communicating with subscribers. There you can clarify what content they would like to see, arrange Q&A sessions. nine0009

15. Post videos and stream live

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

How to get subscribers using ethers? Make joint live broadcasts with other bloggers. They can also ask their followers to subscribe to you during the live broadcast, which can be a good channel to attract a new audience. nine0009

16. Post for thematic accounts

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

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

17. Decide and Use a Consistent Visual Style

Whether you have a new profile or have been in the business for a long time, you need a consistent visual style for your posts to attract followers. You can choose a specific filter or set of effects for all photos so that they echo each other. nine0009

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

18. Create posts to tag friends

If you want your posts to be seen by friends of your followers, the "Tag a Friend" feature will help you. Create a relevant entertaining post and encourage followers to tag their friends. The funnier and more entertaining the post, the easier it is. nine0009

19. Try advertising

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

To promote my account, I buy ads from bloggers, participate in mutual PR and use targeted advertising. I like the first method the most - you can get a subscriber for 6-10 ₽. nine0009
Anastasia Chernykh
content director at Amplifer

⌘⌘⌘

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

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First published on SocialToolkits.com

How to get more followers on Instagram [the effective way]

Want to know how to get more followers on Instagram? Tip #1: Use keywords to show up in search results and make it easier for new people to find you.

Starting from scratch on Instagram can be challenging for a company. What needs to be done first? Get more followers quickly.

But how?

Gone are the days of easy decisions like buying followers or using bots. These tricks may increase your followers in the short term, but they won't do you any good in the long run. nine0009

This is because the only valuable followers on Instagram are real people who like your company, so they interact with it. An inflated follower count may make your ego happy, but it won't help your Instagram strategy.

Click on any tip below to read more, or keep reading for the full list of ways to get more followers on Instagram.

35 ways to get Instagram followers

Consider an Instagram promotion strategy
Define your target audience
Consistently create brand story and aesthetic visuals
Use keywords to appear in search results
Use relevant hashtags to reach new users
Optimize your Instagram profile and description
Create a great Instagram grid design
Write interesting long captions
Pin your best comments
Promote your Instagram account on other networks
Embed Instagram posts in your blog
Post content that can be shared
Share your Instagram account in other channels
Use Instagram business card ー QR code
Strive to be mentioned
Strive to get on the "Search and Interesting" tab
Mark your location
Tag users when appropriate
Encourage others to tag you
Follow similar accounts
Engage with existing communities
Work with influencers in your niche
Collaborate with other brands
Learn stories
Use interactive features
Get the most out of your pinned stories
Try to live stream together
Try showing the show on IGTV
Create an AR (Augmented Reality) filter
Post something constantly
Post at the right time
Plan your publications and stories
Run contests
Consider advertising on Instagram
Get insights from Instagram Insights statistics

How to get more Instagram followers for free

1.

Think about your Instagram promotion strategy

To use any social network effectively, you need a clear plan.

Getting more followers on Instagram is a great goal to start with. But followers alone will not create a successful account for you. Follower acquisition should be part of a larger plan that ties into your business strategy and social media marketing goals.

Think about the reasons why you need more followers on Instagram. What do you really hope to achieve? Maybe you want:

increase brand awareness,
increase product sales,
drive traffic to the site.

Focusing on these business goals will help keep your account logical and consistent. Helps you tell a compelling brand story that new visitors will love and help you win (and retain) subscriber loyalty.

2. Define your target audience

Ask yourself a few questions about who you are posting to:

How old are they?
Where do they live?
What do they do for work?
When and how do they use Instagram?
What are their pain points and problems?

Answering these questions will help you create the right Instagram content to grab the attention of people who are most likely to follow you. It will also allow you to focus on the needs of your target audience so that you can consistently post the type of content that makes the audience stay following you for a long time. nine0009

3. Consistently create brand story and aesthetic visuals

Maybe you want to satisfy your audience's curiosity by showing how your product is made. Or share an employee's point of view to give a human face to your brand. If you want to position the brand in an ambitious manner, you can show the lifestyle or achievements of the clients.

No matter what you want to achieve, it's important to keep your feed's personality and appearance consistent. nine0009

Your posts should be easily recognizable at a glance. Treat the Instagram post grid as a whole. You can always use Instagram Stories to share content that doesn't quite match the look and feel of your main feed.

Even if your products don't look similar, you can use the same photo style to make the grid look harmonious, like @themillerswifecustomcookies does:

Source: @themillerswifecustomcookies on Instagram

4.

Use keywords to appear in search results

Before people can follow you on Instagram, they need to find you. On Instagram, texts are practically unsearchable. Only two fields affect search results: name and username.

Username ー is your Instagram handle. It's a good idea to match it with the name you use on other social networks as this also makes it easier for people to find you. Use the company name or a slightly modified version that people can type in when searching for your company. nine0009

The name can be anything, up to 30 characters. Keyword spamming is always a bad idea, but including the most relevant keyword in the name field can be helpful so you can be found faster through search.

For example, Claudia Laroye includes the keyword "travel writer" in her Instagram name, which increases the chances of her being found by those who search for travel content in general, and the travel writer in particular.

Source: @thetravellingmom on Instagram

5.

Use relevant hashtags to reach new users

We just said that Instagram post texts are not searchable. But hashtags still show up in Instagram searches. This means using hashtags wisely can be a good way to get followers for free.

Adding appropriate tags will help people find your content through a search or by clicking on a hashtag from another post tagged by them. Instagram users can also follow hashtags, so your hashtaged content can appear in the feeds of people who don't already follow you. nine0009

You can add up to 30 hashtags to an Instagram post, but they are often more effective based on quality rather than quantity. Experiment to find out how many hashtags work best for your particular account.

Avoid hashtag tricks like #likeforlike (like for like), #tagsforlikes (tags for likes) or #followme (follow me). They can give you a temporary boost in followers. But, most likely, these will be bots or people who are only interested in being subscribed to in response. And such tactics will not help you build a serious interested audience on Instagram. nine0009

Better focus on using targeted hashtags related to your photo, product, or business, as interior designer Dee Campling does in this #wfh (work from home) hashtag shot.

6. Optimize your Instagram profile and description

On Instagram, two-thirds of business profile visitors do not follow them. These new visitors are potential free subscribers, but only if your description and profile convince them to hit the subscribe button. They won't follow if your profile is incomprehensible, incomplete, or unattractive. nine0009

In addition to the name and username fields mentioned above, the profile includes a clickable link to the site and a text description of the profile.

Use a maximum of 150 characters for the description to convey your brand identity and show new visitors why they should subscribe. What content can they expect here?

This @abstractaerialart profile description summarizes the purpose and promises of the account in a quick and easy to understand way:

0009

7.

Design a great Instagram grid

It may seem too obvious to say, but the grid is actually an important point when you are considering how to get followers on Instagram. Every post in your grid should be high quality and visually appealing.

When a new user visits your profile, the content should make them want to see more of it. This desire for more inspires the new visitor to click Subscribe. nine0009

Give commercial photographer @nelsonmouellic a round of applause for this visual feat.

8. Write interesting long captions

While Instagram is a visual platform, good captions play a significant role in generating more reach and engagement. And as you've seen, reach and engagement are key factors in getting free subscribers.

Here are some of the most important strategies to keep in mind:

Put the most important words at the beginning. If the title is longer than 125 characters, users will have to click "More" to see the rest. Use first words wisely to inspire the reader to take additional action.
Ask a question. This will allow the audience to easily leave comments. Reacting to a post will help make your account visible to more people.
Try using emoji. Emoji will help grab the reader's attention and are suitable for most types of accounts on this visually oriented social network. nine0282
Try different caption lengths. Instagram allows long captions of up to 2200 characters, so you can try posting a long story if warranted. Ultra-short captions can also be very effective when the visuals speak for themselves. But our data shows that longer captions are more likely to improve engagement.

Will Tan of @goingawesomeplaces posts great photos with detailed captions that tell the story behind the scenes. Since the profile description on Insta speaks of Will as “the creator of outrageously detailed descriptions of routes and guides,” this approach to the caption is in line with the brand. nine0009

9. Pin your best comments

One of Instagram's little-known features is the ability to pin up to three comments per post.

There are several ways to use this new feature as part of your plan to get more followers on Instagram.

One option is to use sticky comments to extend the caption beyond 2200 characters while continuing the story in the comments. This allows you to delve into the details of the story and may be suitable for some accounts. nine0009

Another option is to pin your favorite comments from other users, especially if they get a lot of reactions.

Whichever way you use this feature, it will help you manage the discussion in your posts, creating more opportunities for engagement and communication.

10. Promote your Instagram account on other networks

The most important way to get Instagram followers for free is to help people find you.

Your Instagram profile should be easy to find. If you already have followers on another social network, tell them about your Instagram account. nine0009

Share a link to your profile and give existing social media followers a reason to go to it. (For example, an exclusive Instagram coupon code, event or contest).

When the BlogHer account hosted Jamila Jameel as a guest for a live stream, they also made sure to promote her on their Facebook page.

If you're just starting out blogging on Instagram, be sure to post a few posts before promoting your account elsewhere. Try to post at least 12 posts. nine0009

You can also share some of your best Instagram posts on other social networks. Consider promoting these posts with paid advertising so more of your Facebook, Twitter, and other social media followers find you and follow you on Instagram.

11. Embed Instagram posts in your blog

You've already seen the embedded Instagram posts in your blog. Each such post is clickable and allows users to go to the corresponding post or go to the Instagram profile. nine0009

With this feature, embedding Instagram posts in your blog is an easy way to showcase your content on social media and drive traffic to your Instagram profile. And, as we have already discussed, every new visitor to your Instagram profile is a potential new follower.

For example, let's say this blog post was about demographics on LinkedIn. We could add an infographic to share some of the most important demographic details.

Or we could embed the Instagram post instead, for example:

Whenever you post visual content to your blog, such as photos, charts, or infographics, there is an option to embed an Instagram post with that content instead.

12. Post Shareable Content

While you're thinking about content to help illustrate your own blog posts, think about content that others might share.

People love sharing quality infographics, so this might be a good option. If someone embeds your Instagram posts on their blog, you will be seen by a whole new audience of potential followers. nine0009

Also consider creating content that people will want to repost on their Instagram stories. Anyone can share your main posts in the story feed. Again, these links are clickable, so anyone who wants to know the details can go to your original post. This is another easy way to expand your reach to a new audience of potential subscribers.

For example, here's what the same Hootsuite post about LinkedIn demographics looks like when it's posted to my Instagram Stories. nine0009

13. Share your Instagram account in other channels

Share your Instagram account not only on social networks.

Be sure to link to your Instagram account on your website, in your email signature, and in your newsletter. The link doesn't have to be long: you can use the small Instagram icon.

Sarah Dawley
Hootsuite Ecosystem Copywriter
@sarahdawley
Find Hootsuite online [badges]
Check out blog.hootsuite.com for the latest social media account development tips, industry news, and Hoot product updates.

If you're promoting a new Instagram account, a short mailing list with some great posts is a great way to quickly get some free Instagram followers.

And don't forget about your offline content. Coasters, posters, listings of items in a package, business cards, and packaging ー are all potential places to list your Instagram account name. An easy way to get more free followers.

14. Use Instagram Business Card ー QR Code

Instagram Business Card ー is a scannable code that allows Instagram users to instantly follow you. We said above that even offline communication materials make it possible to promote your Instagram account. An Instagram business card is a simple and effective way to promote your account in offline content such as package listings, signage, and product packaging. nine0009

Scan this business card to follow the author of the article

Your business card is also a great way to get new subscribers in real time at events and conferences where participants share experiences. People you interact with in person can scan your code to sign up without having to enter an account name. Try printing it out and putting it on your badge for easy access.

Find your Instagram business card by clicking on the three-line icon in the upper right corner of your profile and selecting "QR Code". nine0009

15. Strive to be mentioned

Sharing accounts ー are simply Instagram accounts that select and post other users' content with a hashtag or mention of the original account. Some of these accounts have huge followings and if they share one of your posts (and tag your account name) you can get a new Instagram follower stream.

Almost every niche and every passion on Instagram has similar accounts. You'll start finding them when you search for relevant hashtags, as recommended in tip #5. Some of them can be quite narrowly focused. nine0009

For example, @damngoodstitch reposts photos of embroidery. The account has over 185,000 followers.

16. Aim for the Search & Explore tab

The Search & Explore tab ー is what you see when you click on the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the Instagram app. According to the company itself, this is where “you can find photos and videos that you might like from accounts that you have not yet followed.”

The Search & Explore tab hosts posts, stories, and IGTV. First, users see a content grid selected by the Instagram algorithm. They then have the option to dive deeper into specific topics using the topic feeds at the top of the screen. nine0009

Half of Instagram users go to Search & Explore every month. This is a great opportunity for brands looking to expand their audience.

So how do you get your content to show up on the Search & Explore tab? It's not easy. Luckily, we have a whole article for you to deal with this issue.

You can also pay to be featured in the Search & Explore feed by selecting it as your ad placement.

tab "Search and interesting"
grid from photo and video

Advertising in the Finding and interesting tape 904 903 90 Search & Explore
Scrollable video feed

Source: Instagram

17.

Mark Your Location

Any time your post or story has a clear location, it's worth adding a location tag. For people, this is another easy way to accidentally discover your content on Instagram.

If your business has a physical location, be sure to tag it and encourage customers to do the same. Users can click on this place tag and see all the photos and stories posted from your store, restaurant, or office. This will help show your business (and Instagram account) to more people. nine0009

For example, this is what you'll see when you search for the Van Wonderen Stroopwafels location in Amsterdam:

Source: Instagram

showing your account to a target group of new potential Instagram followers.

18. Tag users when appropriate

You can tag Instagram users in your photos with an @-mention in your caption or with Instagram's tagging feature in a post. Either way, they will be notified when you do so. nine0009

The tag encourages them to interact with the post and share it with their followers. Your post will also appear in the tagged tab on their Instagram profile.

You can also tag users in your stories. They can then re-share the content in their own story with just a couple of taps. If they do, everyone who views their story will see your username and be able to go to your account.

Note that we said that you should only tag users when it's appropriate. Tagging someone just to get their attention is not a good idea. Tag only those who appear in your photo or are related to the text of your post. nine0009

Some potential eligible users to flag:

Suppliers
Other eligible companies
Colleagues or employees
The person who taught you the skill or told you about the things you shared in the post
Anyone pictured in photo

19. Encourage others to tag you

Another way to expose your Instagram account to new audiences is to ask other Instagram users to tag you. When they tag you in a post, their audience sees your account name and can click on it if they want to see the details. nine0009

Profile Description ー A great place to ask people to tag you on Instagram.

For example, Visit the USA asks Instagrammers to tag a company so they can be mentioned on that account.

Visit USA
Welcome to the official travel and tourism development organization. Tag @VisitTheUSA to be mentioned here.

Source: @visittheusa on Instagram

20. Follow similar accounts

You should only tag people in an Instagram post when the content is directly related to them. But you can follow anyone. And when you follow a user on Instagram, there's a good chance they'll view your feed.

If your Instagram account is full of interesting content that matches users' interests, they are more likely to follow you back. nine0009

Social media monitoring is a great way to find conversations related to your company. There you can easily find popular bloggers (aka opinion leaders) to follow. It's also a great idea ー to follow the followers of these most popular users.

The recommendation section for you is also a great source for finding relevant accounts to follow. It appears in your feed between posts or on the right side of the screen on a computer. nine0009

You can also access the Instagram selection for you by going to your profile, then clicking on the three bars in the top right corner and clicking on People of Interest. Here you will also find a list of popular Instagram profiles selected for you by the algorithm.

However, keep in mind that you should not follow too many other accounts too quickly. Your follower rate is important for account credibility. Follower ratio is the number of people who follow you compared to the number of people you follow. nine0009

And don't play a game where you follow people to get their attention and then unfollow after they follow you back. This will be bad for your Instagram reputation as it is a really bad move.

21. Engage with existing communities

Like all social networks, Instagram is a community built within a network. You need to interact with these communities.

Participate in discussions, like, comment and share content from other trusted users in your community. Avoid general comments (like "Great post!") that look like they come from bots. nine0009

This helps get attention (and potentially ー new followers) in two ways:

People get notified when you like and comment on them and can go to your profile to reciprocate.
Other people will see your comments and may visit your profile if they find them informative or intriguing.

22. Work with influencers in your niche

Here's an important metric for anyone thinking about how to get more followers on Instagram: 60% of consumers say they'd follow a business on Instagram if they saw something promoting it an opinion leader they trust. nine0009

23. Collaborate with other brands

Don't be afraid to reach out to other companies to see if there's a way to work together on Instagram. Mutually beneficial cooperation can help all members get more followers.

Think of brands or companies that you already partner with in other ways, such as a local business development association or a mall. How could you work together on Instagram?

One common option is to run a multi-company competition, like the Rocky Mountain Soap Company did with Annika Mang of @borntobeadventurous. nine0009

24. Master Stories

We have already mentioned stories in several tips, but this feature deserves a separate mention. Simply put, if you want more followers on Instagram, you need to use Stories. Half a billion Instagram accounts use stories every day, and 45% of the most viewed stories are from companies. People who use stories are very interested in your account. According to Instagram, every third story ends with a direct message. nine0009

Use hashtags and geotags in your stories to show them to people who don't follow you yet. It's still a little-known way to get Instagram followers for free.

25. Use interactive features

Stories offer many interactive features to engage users, such as stickers for polls, questions, and chats.

Poll stickers increased three-second video views in 90% of beta campaigns testing this feature. nine0009

Source: Instagram

If users accidentally find your story from a hashtag or location page, this sudden possible interaction is a great way to encourage them to learn more about your company by following you.

26. Get the most out of your Pinned Stories

Pinned story sets give you the opportunity to show your company to people who visit your profile. Put a lot of useful information and content in these collections to show new visitors why they should click "Subscribe". nine0009

Also use collection covers. Porter Airlines does a great job of creating cover icons with their cute mascot.

Source: @porterairlines on Instagram

27. Try to live stream together

Instagram is the perfect place to watch live video, and the trend continues to grow on social media. With interactive features such as questions and comments, you can interact with your viewers in real time, increasing engagement that will help expand your reach. nine0009

Live broadcasts appear in stories. When the live stream ends, you can choose not to save it, make it available to watch in stories for 24 hours, or add it to IGTV. Users are notified when the account they follow starts a live stream, so the stream really gets attention.

To get your live stream to a whole new audience, use the Live with a Friend option to co-stream with someone in your industry. Ask another person to host a live broadcast and then invite you as a guest. Both of you will appear on a split screen, introducing each other to all your followers. nine0009

In the era of COVID-19, Instagrammers have creatively used this feature to host mini-talk shows. For example, Design Emergency hosts a weekly live with anyone to interview key figures in the design world, and Wine Spectator produces a series with the participation of winemakers.

28. Try showing the series on IGTV

Although both series mentioned in the previous tip go to Instagram Live, they also post to IGTV after the live conversation ends. nine0009

IGTV videos can be up to an hour long, allowing you to explore the topic in detail. You can also create an IGTV series that encourages viewers to follow your account, rather than just watch the video and move on.

In the Search & Explore tab, IGTV posts are four times larger than photos, making it more likely that new potential followers will click on your content.

Hootsuite created an IGTV series called Fridge-Worthy "Worthy of a Fridge: A Very Serious and Prestigious Social Media Awards Show" in which companies are rewarded for unique social media activities. nine0009

29. Create an AR filter

Instagram story AR filters are photo effects that Instagram users can apply to modify photos taken through the front and rear cameras of a mobile phone. Seen publications with puppy ears? This is done using an AR filter. Posts like “what kind of [vegetable / pizza / smiley face, etc.] are you”? also use AR filters.

Any Instagram user can now create an AR filter. The filters you create will be in the section of your Instagram profile marked with a face icon. If your filter is non-advertised or branded, it will also appear in the story effect gallery where anyone can find it. nine0009

How does creating an AR filter help you get more followers on Instagram? When someone uses your AR filter, your account name appears in the top left corner. It is clickable and can bring more new visitors to your profile.

Source: @gucci on Instagram

30. Post something constantly

Followers want to see your content. That's why they subscribed to you.

As we mentioned, when users interact with your posts, increased engagement gives you an advantage in the eyes of the algorithm. So when you give your existing followers something interesting, it attracts new followers to Instagram. nine0009

How often should I post? A study by Tailwind found that posting daily generated subscriber growth “four times faster than posting less than once a week.”

31. Post at the right time

Yes, Instagram uses an algorithm, not a chronological feed. However, publish time is still important as it is one of the signals that the algorithm takes into account.

Hootsuite's social media research team found that the best time to post on Instagram is 8 pm to midnight PST or 4 pm to 5 pm PST on weekdays. But your audience may have different habits than we do. Your best bet is to use a tool like Hootsuite Analytics, which will show you the best posting times for your audience based on past post engagement, impressions, or traffic. nine0009

Followers online > hour

Source: Hootsuite Analytics

Start testing different times and measure results. For example, if you're a retail company, you might want to test posting at lunchtime.

32. Schedule your posts and stories

Is your best time to post when you don't feel comfortable going on Instagram? Use a social media management tool like Hootsuite to schedule and post directly to Instagram. nine0009

Planning posts ahead of time allows you to map out the look of the Instagram grid that will tell a single story. It also allows you to dedicate time to creating great captions rather than trying to come up with something witty on the fly.

Now you can also use Hootsuite to schedule Instagram stories.

33. Run Contests

Instagram contests can help you get more followers if the entry includes asking you to follow you and comment on one of your photos by tagging a friend. nine0009

Marked friends will also see the post and can follow the account.

Encouraging user-created content through your contest can also help you reach more people. People learn about the contest from posts created by their friends. This is an effective way to gain the trust of new followers and get more people to your page.

34. Consider advertising on Instagram

Well, this is not one of the free ways to get followers on Instagram. But Instagram ads can be a powerful way to quickly gain new followers by showing your content to people who might not otherwise see it. nine0009

And unlike buying followers, using Instagram ads is a completely legal and effective way to get more followers quickly with little investment.

Target your audience by location, demographics, and even key behaviors and interests. You can also create a Lookalike Audience based on people who are already interacting with your business.

In addition to the feed, you can advertise in stories and in the Search & Explore feed. nine0009

35. Get insights from Instagram Insights stats

Instagram's analytics tools give you insights into each post's impressions, as well as reach, engagement, top posts, and more.