How to naturally grow instagram followers

17 Ways to Get More Followers on Instagram (2022)

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

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

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

17 ways to get more Instagram followers

Incorporate Reels into your content mix
Cross promote content
Curate your profile grid
Work with brand ambassadors
Get follows from your loyalty program
Market through your personal Instagram account
Get on feature accounts
Use the right hashtags
Post at the right times
Steal your competitors' followers
Pay for sponsored posts and product reviews
Use geotags to boost local discovery
Organize your Stories in highlights
Ask for more followers
Run a giveaway
Share user-generated content
Use Instagram live

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

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1. Incorporate Reels into your content mix

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

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

Keep content unique and trend drive. Identify trends on Instagram and TikTok and put your own spin on it. This increases the chance your Reels will go viral and get in front of new people.

Make content relatable and simple. Not every Reel needs to be a production. Lower quality videos can perform the same, if not better, than highly produced Reels.

Educate your audience. Find the balance between education and entertainment in your Reels.

Reels should be a huge priority for you right now. It’s prime real estate for your brand to be discovered by new followers.
Kristen Dash, Beauty Partnerships Manager, Instagram

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

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

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

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

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

2. Cross promote content

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

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

Justin Bieber’s holiday dance challenge is a great example of successful cross-posting. During the 2020 holiday season, the Canadian singer posted the same dance challenge on both TikTok and Instagram. On TikTok, his video short received 9.8 million likes. The same content on Instagram received 4.8 million likes. He was able to get in front of more people just by posting the same video on two different platforms.

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

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

3. Curate your profile grid

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

4. Work with brand ambassadors

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

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

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

5. Get follows from your loyalty program

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

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

6. Market through your personal Instagram account

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

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

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

7. Get on feature accounts

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

There are feature accounts for every niche: travel, fashion, photography, and more. For example, @discoverearth curates adventurous travel content from around the world for over 6.1 million followers.

8. Use the right hashtags

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

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

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

#love
#instagood
#photooftheday
#fashion
#beautiful
#happy
#cute
#like4like
#tbt
#followme
#picoftheday
#follow
#me
#art
#selfie
#summer
#instadaily
#repost
#friends
#nature

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

Using hashtags is one thing; using the right tags is completely different.

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

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

To find relevant hashtags, you’ll want to use a free online tool like IconoSquare or Webstagram to start.

Below, I used Webstagram to find relevant, related, and popular hashtags for my men’s accessory business by searching for key hashtags closely related to my brand.

As an example, searching the hashtag #MensFashion, I was able to pull the following list of additional keyword hashtags along with the number of times they have been used (i. e., their popularity).

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

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

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

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

Pro tip #1: Here’s a trick I use for my ecommerce businesses. For every product and product category in my stores, I’ve researched the most popular related Instagram hashtags. I came up with 15 to 20 popular hashtags for each category of products I sell, as well as a base of five to 10 popular tags that describe my brand and product offering. Finally, I also created a list of popular local specific hashtags that relate to my brand.

For example:

Brand keyword hashtags

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

Product category keyword hashtags

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

Location-specific keyword hashtags

#Toronto #TorontoFashion #TorontoFashionBloggers

All of these groups of keyword hashtags are stored in a page on Evernote. This makes it easy and efficient when I’m on the go to post a new Instagram image optimized for the most relevant keywords.

You can easily open my Evernote and copy my standard brand-, product-, and location-specific hashtags to post with each photo. Some Instagram scheduling tools also let you save caption templates for storing your hashtag groups.

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

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

Using hashtags in Instagram stories

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

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

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

9. Post at the right times

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

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

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

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

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

10. Steal your competitors’ followers

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

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

The three types of engagement on Instagram are:

Follow a user
Like a photo
Comment on a photo

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

11. Pay for sponsored posts and product reviews

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

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

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

You may already be following these accounts, but if not, you’ll need to find them. One of the best ways is to use Webstagram (mentioned earlier) and search for some of the closest hashtag keywords you uncovered in the beginning of this post. When you do a search for your keywords, not only will it show you the related keywords, it will also show you the top Instagram accounts that feature those keywords.

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

A large following—usually 20,000 to 200,000
An email address in the profile

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

You’ll want to email and ask their sponsored post pricing. In general, I have found the average rate to be around $20 to $50 per post, depending on the size of the following.

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

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

12. Use geotags to boost local discovery

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

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

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

13. Organize your Stories into Highlights

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

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

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

Use Story Highlights to grow Instagram followers by:

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

14. Ask for more followers

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

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

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

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

15. Run a giveaway

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

One way to encourage this behavior is by posting relatable content that begs for 1:1 sharing (e.g., a gym meme that asks you to tag a friend who skips leg day). But a more reliable way is by running a giveaway that encourages your audience to tag a friend and follow your account.

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

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

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16. Share user-generated content

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

17. Use Instagram Live

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

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

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

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

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

Building an Instagram growth strategy to drive followers

In this post we talked about the most effective ways to use Instagram to grow your instagram following, but it's not always a numbers game. As with any social network, the most successful content strategy is to be authentic and social.

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

Illustration by Eugenia Mello

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How to get more followers on Instagram FAQ

How do you get more followers on Instagram for free?

Find and post in popular hashtags related to your photo, product, or brand.
Create your own branded hashtag.
Use hashtags in Stories.
Create Instagram Reels.

How can I increase my followers on Instagram?

Use the right Instagram hashtags.
Steal your competitors' followers.
Use geotags on Instagram posts.
Organize Stories into Highlights.
Post user-generated content.
Collaborate with other brands.
Post at the best times.
Use Instagram analytics tools.
Publish Instagram Reels.
Livestream on Instagram Stories.

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!

How to increase your Instagram followers

The once simple social network for photographers called Instagram has now become a powerful digital content distribution platform . Due to the high attendance, some profiles even bring profit to their owners through advertising. If you want to promote your brand on this platform, you may be wondering how to increase your Instagram followers . Read on to find out how.

We've divided this guide into two parts to make it easier for you to understand what needs to be done to increase 's Instagram followers on . On the one hand, we explain the tricks that many use to quickly increase the number of subscribers, and assess whether they are really effective. Next, we'll look at tips that really work for audience growth.

How to quickly increase the number of followers on Instagram

As in most cases, hurry - people make people laugh . And when it comes to getting Instagram followers, that rule also holds true. If you really want to increase the audience that benefits you, trying to get it at any cost is not recommended.

There are several "methods" to quickly get followers on Instagram . But none of them will help you create the most valuable asset in this social network: an active community and a predisposition to consume your content. Here are some examples of practices you should avoid:

Download ka applications for cheating on subscribers . Apps that promise to increase subscribers keep popping up in the Play Store and other repositories. They may ask you for money or they may not work. And it often happens that they end up getting subscribers at one point disappear.
Purchase ka subscribers . Something similar to the above. Does it work to get followers quickly? Often yes. However, it's not worth it as the profiles that join your community don't interact with you and don't see your posts.
Follow me and I follow you . The old trick is to post with hashtags like #followmeandyoufollow. This is not always effective, nor is organic behavior.
Advertising . This method works, but it must be supported by something else. When you promote a profile, it usually gets more views. However, if he is not attractive, it is unlikely that someone will stay for long. Advertising on Instagram must be accompanied by techniques, which we will discuss in the next section.

6 Tips and Tricks to Get More Instagram Followers

Now that you know the methods some people use to get more followers and why they don't work, let's learn the tricks that really work . They will allow you to create a powerful profile with a solid community of subscribers.

Create content that encourages interaction 0004
The number of interactions with a post is often referred to as engagement . What content attracts the most people?

Personal content . Showcasing the human side of yourself has a positive response on social media. Naturalness is also evaluated positively.

High-quality photos and videos . It doesn't matter what industry you work in. If your photos are high quality and well thought out, your profile views will increase. It is essential that the content has good resolution and, in the case of video, good stabilization.

Follow a specific theme . Determine what your profile is about and stick to it. You may have a gallery of old images, cars, or want to create your own personal brand. In the latter case, it may include professional and personal content, but always in a natural way.

Follow the competition . It's not about copying others, but about following their patterns to replicate them in your own content. What are others doing well? Which of their content do you like the most?

Use the right hashtags
Using too many hashtags is usually not helpful.

Hashtags are everywhere on Instagram: in videos, photos, stories and videos. How to use them correctly?

Do not abuse . It is not necessary to fill a post with 30 tags. It is enough to add 8 to the well-thought-out 11.

Do not use dead tags . Positioning content for a hashtag that gets a lot of posts is very difficult. It is better to try to get into trending tags with even less traffic.

Don't always use the same hashtags . Try diversifying your choices to link your content to more categories.

Take advantage of all formats
Instagram has several formats for creating content:

Profile channel where videos and photos are uploaded.

Stories.

Instagram TV.

Reels.

Live.

Selecting only one of them means less chance that someone will find out about your account and end up following you. Instagram promotes those profiles that use all the features of channels . For this reason, you will be interested in reading our Instagram Reels guide to find out what it is and how it is done.

Wait for the best time to post
Although chronological order has long since disappeared from the Instagram feed, the time you post your content is still . It's best if you post during the hours your audience is checking WhatsApp. How to find out?

For professional or business accounts, the platform offers a number of useful statistics to determine the best time to post . Here we will guide you on how to start a business or professional Instagram account.

H Don't post too much
Don't think that posting four or five photos a day will increase your chances of success. Focus more on delivering quality content rather than quantity. On the other hand, don't forget to have editorial calendar . This way you will have better planning for what you are going to download and at what point.

Seek collaboration
Last tip - seek collaborate with other Instagram users . Start by connecting with profiles with similar topics and follower counts similar to yours. As you grow, reach out to more popular accounts and initiate more ambitious collaborations.

For example, if you have an Instagram profile that recommends places to visit, would be nice to send a message to a restaurant to mention about it . In return, he may mention your profile in his stories or in any publication. Both parties get the same thing: free promotion.

How to get followers on Instagram: ways to get followers on Instagram

Why have an Instagram account if no one follows it? Logically. Therefore, the desire to gain more subscribers is understandable. If you have an online store account registered, some of the followers will definitely buy the product. The company's business page will help you sell your services. The blogger profile is interesting for advertisers, so you can make good money on it. And all this thanks to a good base of subscribers! Partly. You also need to set up an account with high quality, regularly publish interesting posts, develop and promote your profile on Instagram in every possible way.

Today's article is about how to get followers on Instagram. Not empty bots, but real people who will like, comment and be active in other ways.

Why get a lot of followers on Instagram?

Social networks are often used to earn money. Moreover, companies, and ordinary people, and stars. Bloggers and media personalities make money from advertising. Stores use the social network to attract even more customers to their site. And some sell directly through Instagram. Companies find customers among subscribers. In addition, the presence in social networks makes it possible to gain a foothold in the market, make the brand memorable, gain the trust of the target audience.

For the sake of all this, account owners are trying to increase the number of followers on Instagram. And what methods they use to do this, we will now find out.

How to attract an audience on Instagram?

Let's start looking at effective methods. Some of them will help you gain followers on Instagram for free, while others will have to fork out.

Attracting subscribers from personal contacts

First of all, take care of those who are in the contact list of your phone. You should not be afraid. There is no need to call anyone and ask to sign up. Subscribers are “pulled up” through the internal functionality of the social network. It's done like this:

after creating an account, go to settings;

find the section "For subscriptions";

find the "Contacts" item;

check the "Subscribe to all" box.

This will send a subscription request to your contacts, and they will subscribe in response.

Other social networks

Promote your Instagram account effectively when using other social media pages. Post an active link to your new profile on Facebook and other sites.

Only place links in those sections that are intended for this. On Facebook, this can be done in the profile description. Also, an Instagram account with a page in FB can be linked at all. It is especially worth performing this procedure for those who want to use all the features of the Facebook advertising account.

#hashtags

This is another useful solution, as getting Instagram followers for free will be a breeze. Users like to search for information by hashtags. If you have something to share on the topic, be sure to put them down. You can add up to 30 hashtags to one post. You can use popular and your own. Here are a couple of hashtag ideas:

places or events where photographs were taken;

interests by which the target audience can find a profile;

description of the contents of the snapshot;

popular tags of competitors and their followers.

Some SMMs believe that up to 5 hashtags are enough for 1 publication. See for yourself here. If the profile is new, you can use the full method to get your first subscribers.

Geolocation

Mark places where your target audience is located. This will also allow you to attract the attention of potentially interested people and make them your subscribers. Geolocation is especially useful for those who blog about travel.

Instagram comments

Flicker under posts in accounts where your target audience is spinning. It can even be a page of a media personality. You need to choose accounts with a considerable number of subscribers. The more of them, the higher the probability of snatching a piece of followers and getting them into your profile.

But don't write anything. It should be an engaging comment that will pique the interest of the person and encourage them to click through to your account. Here's how it is here.

Comments on social networks, forums and websites

Do not bypass other social networks and sites where you can light up. Share ideas and opinions with the target audience under YouTube videos, comment on posts on Facebook, Twitter - wherever there are people with similar interests. Since these users need to somehow be attracted to the Instagram account, unobtrusively post a link to your profile or nickname. Preferably in moderation, without spam, otherwise you won't be taken seriously.

Activity Chats

A couple of years ago, Instagram's ranking system changed. Now publications in the feed are not shown in chronological order, but based on popularity and views. The more likes and comments, the higher the chances of being in the top and getting a lot of subscribers.

Of course, in the case of a new account, one can only dream of a top. In this case, you should use activity chats - a kind of collaboration of bloggers for mutual PR. Members send links to their profiles and posts here for a set of likes and views, and then respond to the rest of the same.

The result is an increase in coverage and getting good positions in the news feed. What is not a good secret of how to attract followers on Instagram?

Gamification on Instagram: games in posts

Another easy way to get followers on Instagram is to play a fun game. So, like times are very popular, when users are marked in the comments under the publication, after which they like the previous commentator. This can go on for a very long time.

Other interesting ideas for gamification: tests, puzzles, riddles and more. If fantasy works well, you can come up with anything.

Newsletters

If you have an established customer base, don't forget to send them a link to your profile. You can set up a mailing list by mail, instant messengers.

Remember that you need to get followers on Instagram, not piss people off with your obsession. Don't just send a clean link with nothing. Add a helpful checklist, a guide, a signup bonus, whatever.

Paid advertising on Instagram

A very good and effective way is to set up advertising campaigns. On Instagram, everything is done right on the spot or through the Facebook Ads Manager. The good thing is that there is a detailed audience targeting. You can set the preferred gender, age, geolocation, interests of people to whom the ad will be shown. This will attract a potentially interested audience and achieve high efficiency of the advertising campaign.

The launch of targeted advertising is not free. You will need a campaign budget. If you plan to contact third-party specialists, the cost of targeted advertising will also include their services.

Advertising with bloggers

It doesn't have to be stars. Moreover, their advertising rates are very serious. If there are no big funds, you can find less popular bloggers and agree on mentioning the account. It is only important to make the most natural post in the spirit of native advertising. People trust such publications more willingly, so they are more likely to go to your account and subscribe.

Mass following and mass liking

Be active on the pages of potential subscribers: like publications, write comments, subscribe. Many of them will respond in kind.

It is difficult to manually engage in mass following and mass liking, as it will not be possible to quickly gain a lot of followers on Instagram. You can use special services.

How to get followers on Instagram without cheating?

Now let's look at far from simple, but effective ways to increase the number of followers on Instagram. They are used by all advanced SMM specialists.

Create a content plan

Plan ahead of time the posts you will publish. You need to decide on the dates of posting publications, content, photos. Be sure to select the appropriate content type. Usually, when maintaining store accounts, image-selling posts appear more. If this is a company profile, you can dilute the content plan with informational, entertaining publications.

In general, in order to increase the number of subscribers, you need to lure well, so high-quality engaging content does not hurt. Try to find topics that your competitors don't have. Novelty is always more interesting.

Write high-quality and engaging content

Create and publish posts based on your content plan. Their size, tone of voice is up to you. Focus on the preferences of the target audience and see what publications they receive. You can look at competitors.

Post beautiful, breathtaking photos

High-quality photos are the foundation of Instagram. Although there is a lot of video content now, photos were and still are an important part of profile promotion. Add beautiful and bright images. They should be eye-catching and memorable.

More photos of people

Instagram users love to follow famous people and their lives. That is why you can consider linking your account to celebrities - that is, publishing their photos. The reality is that people are much more willing to like photos with famous personalities and simply beautiful faces.

Use Stories

Stories are now so full of features and capabilities that they are becoming a powerful tool for attracting subscribers. Post interesting photos and pictures, add videos and short texts. Those that you motivate a person to go to your account and subscribe.

In Stories, it is desirable to publish 1-2 posts per day. Practice shows that a lot of publications will not help to quickly promote an account.

Like and comment subscribers

"Treat people the way you want them to treat you." This principle works great on Instagram as well. Go to the pages of your subscribers, like them, leave comments. This will draw other people's attention to your profile.

Feedback: ask questions

An excellent technique for increasing audience engagement. Post questions and leave calls. When you are interested in the opinion of your audience, it generates even more engagement. Hence the natural effect: more comments, more reach and more subscribers.

Respond to comments and messages

Keep in touch with your audience. Even stars take the time to respond to a couple of comments. The better you interact with readers, the more they trust you.

Direct also needs to be checked regularly. Parse messages and respond to them, especially if the account is for commercial purposes.

Analyze competitors

Constantly monitor accounts similar to yours and study their promotion strategy. The information obtained will help you find strengths and use them to attract subscribers. Competitors may also have your target audience, which you can try to lure.

Analyze statistics

Be sure to keep track of your metrics to know how successful your subscriber acquisition methods are. Try to focus on the most effective, apply them more often. Statistics also help to determine the types of content that are attractive to subscribers, the best time to post. All this together raises the coverage of the profile.

How to get followers on Instagram?

Let's say right away: it's better not to do this. Real people buy, but bots don't. Moreover, your account may be blocked due to cheating, and all previous efforts will be lost. So if you are thinking about how to get followers on Instagram, then don’t even consider the idea of cheating.

Tools for promoting and attracting followers on Instagram

Let's not go into details and analyze each service in detail. Here are a few of those that will be useful in promoting your account:

Combin Scheduler is an application for creating scheduled posts. Absolutely free and easy to use.

Canva and Facetune are two popular publishing apps. Allows you to edit photos, create a consistent ribbon style, perfect portrait shots, and more.

Display Purposes is a free hashtag search engine that helps you find keywords for your posts.

Chotam is a platform for tracking comments and other user activities.

Combin Growth is an application that helps you target your target audience, increase the number of subscribers, comments and likes.

Now there are a lot of services for working with Instagram profiles. Use any that will help you solve the tasks.

In conclusion

Finding a magic bullet on how to increase followers on Instagram will not work. You still need to pay attention to your account, prepare texts, photos and videos, come up with interesting ideas. But hard work will definitely bring results. But, even if you don’t want to do it yourself or just don’t have the time, you can always enlist the help of specialists. Experienced SMM specialists know thoroughly how to create a content plan, draw up a profile, write texts, and work with stories. This is a costly, but definitely effective method to get a lot of followers on Instagram.
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