How to organically grow an instagram account
How to Grow an Instagram Account Organically
Instagram is a key marketing platform for entrepreneurs and marketers. The social media platform boasts over 200 million daily visits, allowing brands to make their products and services visible to a huge audience. Instagram reveals that over 25 million individuals and brands have business accounts on this platform.
With the vast competition, growing your followers’ base and account will be necessary to reap the benefits of this marketing strategy. We’ve got various ways that you can use to grow your account. Some account owners use dubious ways, like buying followers, using bots to generate more likes, or automating engagement using third-party apps. These practices may be catastrophic, leading to adverse effects like shadow ban, suspension, etc.
Growing your account organically is the best way to have more followers and have successful marketing. Despite taking too much time and resources, growing your accounts organically is the best way to enhance your Instagram success. This article discusses the effective ways to grow your Instagram account organically.
1. Optimize your posts
Creating high-quality content and optimizing the post is the most effective way to grow your account. You can optimize your posts by adopting some time-tested posting habits to grab your followers’ attention and get an immediate impact. Below are some of the ways you can use to optimize your posts:
Crack the Instagram algorithm
Instagram uses AI to rank the different posts and decide which posts appear first in the feeds. Your posts will rank higher on the feeds of your family or friends. Thus, it’ll be wise to DM, comment, and like on your intended audience posts. Furthermore, regular posting will also be vital in growing your accounts, as the platform prioritizes newer posts. Study your intended audience’s behaviors and generate the appropriate content relatable to their search intent.
Optimize Visual content
When using videos on your Instagram account, ensure that you develop high-quality content and optimize it for duration and size.
You can use professional-grade editing tools to create top-notch and attractive visual content. Furthermore, you can incorporate overlays and filters to enhance your images. Remember to research the recommended square and landscape image size.
Post your content during optimal times
You can build a proper and comprehensive Instagram followers buyer persona. These insights allow you to discover the time most of your followers are active for your posts to have a vast reach. You must switch to an Instagram business account to access this property.
2. Consider user-generated content
Experts define user-generated content as content that your customers create. For instance, user-generated content can be when followers post a photo promoting or using your service or products. It’ll be appropriate to seek permission from the followers to repost. It’s a genuine and authentic strategy to increase your Instagram followers organically.
Reposting this content shows that real individuals benefit from your services or products.
Thus, it helps build trust and provides social proof or acts as the best alternative to a recommendation or referral. Many brands consider it a cost-effective and time-saving strategy, as you don’t need to create your content from scratch.
Despite the numerous benefits of user-generated content, overdoing it may lead to negative consequences. You might detract from your branding strategies or start using low-quality content. Experts advise that you provide the followers with the type of post they should share to avoid detracting from your branding. You can consider reviews, videos, and simple photos to get the followers in action with the products. Alternatively, you can consider creating a unique hashtag to get more content.
3. Use Instagram shoutouts
The most popular and trending way to grow your Instagram account is co-promotion. The strategy involves swapping shoutouts with reliable and relevant influencers and receiving a mutual benefit. Most shoutouts involve a brand mention, using a proper profile link in the content caption.
You can consider a photo of the specific publicized brand accompanies when having the brand mentioned.
Furthermore, you can include influencer marketing tools or hashtag searches to check for different influencers or individuals outside your niche or industry. After getting these individuals, scan their feeds and stories to identify those with regular shoutouts and more engagement. You can like and comment on their posts and ask if they’re interested in having a shoutout exchange with your brand. Shoutout exchanges increase your brand’s awareness.
4. Engage your followers
Engaging your followers is key to growing your Instagram account organically and having a huge follower base. You must add more flavor to prevent your followers from ignoring your post. Choose the right ideas that attract more followers and allow them to interact with your posts. Below are effective inspiration ideas to engage your followers more:
Instagram stories
Many successful brands use Instagram stories to tell more about their brands.
You can also use these Insta features to create brand awareness and grow your account. These stories boost your performance without crowding your followers’ feeds more effectively. Additionally, you redirect more traffic to your webpage by adding “swipe up” options on the stories.
Instagram Live
It’s an Instagram feature for live videos. This feature allows you to get your content at the first position on your followers’ story section. Using Instagram Live, you engage your followers for a long duration, as it may incorporate Q&A, product demos, and interviews. However, remember to avoid goof-ups by having a basic format and script.
Instagram TV
It’s similar to Instagram stories, but you can use it for longer videos having cover photos. Experts reveal that you can use them for influencer takeovers and promotions. To shoot or create entertaining videos, you can consider various sophisticated movie-making apps like FilmoraGo and iMovie.
Giveaways and contests
Experts reveal that giveaways and contests are sure strategies to achieve more followers and grow your account.
Using this strategy, you can instruct contest entrants to follow your page or tag their friends. Tagging their friends and following your pages increases the brand visibility and allows your followers to win more cool goodies in return.
Sneak peeks
You can also grow your Instagram account organically by involving your audience in the social media journey. The best way to achieve this strategy is by posting behind-the-scenes bloopers and videos. Furthermore, you can create buzz for the upcoming products and events by posting various teasers on them.
5. Consider Instagram reels
Instagram has reels that it shows to the different viewers in the feeds. Thus, when you create high-interest content, you increase the chances of the platform showing the content in your reels. You can increase the visibility of your Instagram reels by using hashtags and keywords appropriately in your captions. Adopting a proper strategy to add a few keywords boosts your reel’s visibility to your followers.
You can also choose to create a static reel cover to get the best reels that would entice your followers to watch. You can borrow from a YouTube video thumbnail to make the reel more attractive. These reels have unique features like trending sounds to grab most individuals’ attention. You can benchmark your competitors’ reels to check the appropriate features that make their reels popular. After getting the necessary details, you can create your original audio or reel fitting your niche and brand.
6. Choose a proper posting time
Experts reveal that choosing the appropriate posting time is vital to attracting and reaching more authentic followers. Choosing the best time when your targeted audiences (who are active on social media) are online will be the best alternative to getting huge followers. Proper timing helps create more engagement with your post within a short time. The more engagement with your posts, the more successful your Instagram marketing ideas become.
Besides the more engagements, having your posts at the appropriate time will be vital in boosting your Instagram posts’ reach. You can also increase the mileage and value of every piece of content with a proper posting schedule. With the numerous conflicting opinions on the right time to post your content, the best option is to check your Instagram analytics and see the time your targeted audience is most active.
Despite the benefits of following the industry-standard posting times, using your account’s Instagram insights will be imperative to provide the best relevant metrics. You can get these metrics by scrolling to the audience tab and checking the time your current followers are active or online. Posting when your targeted audience is online or most active boosts your chances of a wider audience seeing your posts.
7. Hobnob with influencers
Hobnobbing with influencers is key to growing your Instagram account. Influencers are popular brands or individuals that hold huge sway over followers in a particular niche.
These individuals have built a massive trust among their followers, influencing their purchasing decisions. By partnering with influencers within your niche, you can achieve more success, engagement, follower counts, sales, and conversion.
When an influencer recommends your brand to the followers, most of them become interested in your products or services. Besides trying your products, the followers will follow your Instagram account. However, you’ll need a proper compensation plan for an influencer to market your brand. You can sweeten the compensation deal by offering the influencers a commission or free services/products for their efforts and leads.
8. Research your niche
We’ve got numerous niches on Instagram aligning with your brand. The best way to grow your Instagram account naturally is by researching the right niche and aligning your niche, such as fashion, health, etc. The different niches have varying needs and practices that increase the growth of your account.
For instance, particular niches like traveling require more visual strategies.
After getting your preferred niche, you can create high-quality content aligning with your niche to achieve more engagement. It’ll be vital to research and check strategies your competitors use to enhance a successful Instagram journey. You can use the insights to develop the appropriate strategies to keep your followers engaged and achieve more success on your Instagram account.
9. Create a great Instagram bio
Creating and optimizing your Instagram bio is vital to growing your account organically. A proper and selling bio should tell your audience and followers about your personality and what you do. The best way to create a great bio is by adding essential keywords or phrases to make your Instagram account more searchable and allowing a more targeted audience to find your page easily.
Experts recommend that you select an easy-to-find and simple username for your brand. You may incorporate your brand’s name in the profile’s name section.
Besides creating awareness, adding the name makes your keywords searchable. Furthermore, it’d help if you summarized your brand in the Instagram bio. The summary should include what your brand entails and your targeted audience. However, it’ll be good to make it short and precise, approximately 150 characters, with clear illustrations of your brand or company’s goals for the followers.
Some brands or companies incorporate various CTA, like asking your followers to tap a specific link in your bio. You can consider tools like the Linktree to provide a custom landing page to include multiple links in the bio. Lastly, a good profile photo will be vital in making an effective and safe bet for your Instagram bio.
10. Upgrade your hashtag strategy
Using the best hashtag strategies is the best way to attract more followers to your account. However, with the ever-evolving and changing social media practices, it’ll be vital to research and upgrade your hashtag strategy to suit Instagram’s needs.
You can try using hashtags with proper keywords aligning to your niche or industry.
Adding hashtags relating to your locality is another vital strategy to attract more audiences and users to your account. Lastly, experts recommend considering branded hashtags to win more followers and get huge conversions or leads.
Summing Up
Instagram is the best way to enhance brand awareness and generate more leads or conversions. However, to reap the benefits of a proper Instagram marketing strategy, it’ll be vital to invest time and resources to grow your account and followers. Consider organic ways to grow your follower base and your account will be essential for a genuine following leading to a successful marketing strategy.
From optimizing content and posts, using hashtags, and creating a proper bio, to hobnobbing with influencers, the above is a comprehensive guide on how to grow your Instagram account organically. A huge organic following will be vital to increasing your following, engagement, brand, and conversion rate.
Organic Instagram Growth Strategies to Build Your Brand
In the near decade that Instagram has been around, it continues to adjust its algorithm and introduce new features, meaning businesses need to keep up to maintain a steady account growth.
So how do you adapt? By trying out and incorporating new growth strategies. Services that tout growth through purchased likes and followers are against Instagram’s service policies. These fake engagements and growth rates will only harm your account in the long run and might even get your account banned.
That’s why brands need a strategy for authentic, organic Instagram growth.
What defines Instagram growth? It starts with the number of followers you have and gain. But to get these new followers, you’ll also need to improve engagement with your account, brand exposure and create compelling content. Otherwise, why else would anyone follow you?
If your growth is stagnant or you want to put a little more oomph into your strategies, we recommend testing out these tips.
Discover who your followers are with Sprout analytics
As you work to boost your follower count, Sprout Social’s reports can give you insights about your existing audience on Instagram.
Learn more about your fan breakdown by age, gender and location to ensure your content is resonating as intended.
Uncover your own IG demographics today with a free trial from Sprout.
1. Consistency is key
Let’s make sure you have the basics down first. To grow an Instagram account, you can’t put all your eggs in the proverbial basket and rely on one post to go viral. Most posts won’t go viral, which you means you need to find a better way to get your posts in front of your intended audience.
Take a look at your posting schedule, posting frequency and content quality. What are you doing well and what are your areas of improvement?
In our yearly research about the best times to post on Instagram, we found that around mid-morning (central time) was a peak time across all industries.
If you’ve never researched your most successful times to post, these time ranges would be a good place to start.
To get more detailed, check out our best times to post article for a breakdown by multiple industries, or hone in even further on your niche with a data-driven approach. Sprout Social’s ViralPost publishing feature takes the legwork out of your research and suggests algorithmically selected peak times when you’ll have the highest engagement based on previous analytics. This can be a huge time saver when looking to post frequently and consistently to organically grow your Instagram.
Posting on a consistent basis sets up an expectation for your followers to look forward to the next post. Larger brands will post multiple times a day while small businesses may only post a few times a week. Whichever you commit to, just make sure it’s a consistent schedule to set expectations with your audience.
And finally, consistency in content quality is very important. There’s a lot more noise on Instagram feeds these days and you need to stand out.
Subpar or stock photos won’t help grow Instagram followers as much as those who are creating their own interesting content.
2. Invest in content production & content diversity
Engagement is no longer limited to in-feed posts. Instagram now includes metrics for new content types such as Story replies, views of IGTV episodes and Story mentions. With an ever-increasing variety of content types like Instagram Reels, there are more opportunities to increase your engagement rates and, consequently, your organic Instagram growth.
If you’ve only done in-feed posts or tried out Stories sporadically, we recommend committing to a few Stories a week to establish consistency and plan content for it. With a variety of ways to use Stories as a method to grow Instagram followers, it’s an opportunity to see what resonates with your audience.
A good example of content diversity is Magnolia Bakery’s new AR filter that will add cupcakes to the camera or replaces eyes with cupcakes for a selfie.
The cupcakes are a classic representation of the brand and people tag Magnolia Bakery when they use it. In return, Magnolia can repost these user-tagged Stories into their own Stories.
It can’t be stressed enough that content quality and posting consistently it is important for account growth. Spend time learning how to take better photos and videos or hire a content agency or freelance photographers/videographers to help with this huge but important task.
3. Run promotions & contests
Audiences love giveaways, discounts and freebies, and that’s not likely to change no matter what new developments arise on social media. But what marketers post is not always what consumers want. This mismatch means that there are missed opportunities for marketers in creating social content.
In the Sprout Social Index, Edition XIV: Realign & Redefine, it was discovered that 72% of consumers want discounts or sales to be posted on brands’ social media. Conversely, only 18% of marketers think that discounts are what are needed on social media.
This disconnect in expectations means that there’s room to grow for giving customers what they want.
To grow your following and increase your brand presence on Instagram, run contests and promotions. Make one of the requirements for the giveaway a follow for your band and any other brands you’re partnering with, as well as tagging friends for more exposure. If you’re consistent in your giveaways, such as monthly or quarterly, your followers will be more likely to stick around and look forward to the next one.
4. Promote cross-platform
Don’t silo yourself on Instagram alone.
How often do you talk about your Instagram account on your other social media platforms?
Many people have multiple social accounts, and different platforms all have unique strengths, so you can reach different audiences by highlighting your Instagram presence in different places.
Direct followers on other social channels to your Instagram profile for exclusive offers or content.
You can also use another visual-heavy platform like Pinterest to extend the reach of Instagram content that might otherwise have a short lifespan on the platform’s highly active feed.
Beyond social media, there are other spaces for your brand to grow Instagram followers organically. Adding prominent social media buttons in your email newsletter, website’s footer and large digital ads are all good examples of cross-platform promotion.
Offline, you can add your Instagram account to in-store signage and promotions. Short promotions like “Instagram followers receive 5% off!” and a custom QR code could also prompt current customers to follow you on the spot.
5. Share the wealth with influencers
While the influencer market has certainly grown over the last few years, there are still ways for social budgets of all sizes to incorporate an influencer strategy.
Micro-influencers are those that have smaller followers but often a more engaged audience. These influencers have highly specialized niches and are often willing to work with brands who line up with their values.
Working with influencers, especially micro- and nano-influencers, establishes trust in your company. As they talk and post about your brand to their followers, your Instagram account will organically grow with them.
6. Increase engagement time
One of the most proven method of growing your Instagram organically is to actively engage on your account.
That means taking the time to leave comments on followers’ posts, answering questions and reposting user-generated content.
Creating conversations and small chat groups to connect followers with each other is a part of building up your Instagram community. If you’re able to provide your followers with a deeper connection beyond contests and company announcements, then you’re more likely to gain a loyal following that extends beyond social media.
Why should you prioritize engagement and good content? A recent Sprout study found that when customers feel connected to the brand, they’re 68% more likely to recommend it to a friend and 76% more likely to buy it over a competitor.
To put this into action, there are several approaches you can test out, including liking or responding to all types of customer comments and showcasing your brand’s personality and voice through your content strategy.
Increasing your engagements and repeatedly interacting with customers is a long-term strategy that will help grow your account over time. But the relationships built from this are more memorable and stronger than one-off interactions.
Wrap it all up with Instagram growth analytics
There are many methods of growing your Instagram following organically and steadily.
Using these Instagram growth strategies–like creating a wide array of content, and building customer relationships–can produce reliable results that can help you withstand algorithm changes much better than accounts relying on spammy tactics.
As you utilize these strategies, check in on your Instagram analytics to see how your account is growing. If there are large peaks on certain days, see what type of content was posted and how people are engaging with it.
This will let you reflect on what tactics worked the best and refine your strategy even further for the future.
If you’re ready to dig deeper into your analytics and figure out what Instagram growth strategies work for you, sign up for a free trial of Sprout Social.
40 tips on how to promote your Instagram
1. Do not forget to put hashtags that will help increase the number of subscribers: #instafollow, #l4l (Like for like), #tagforlikes and #followback.
2. Like as much as possible. For every 100 likes you give to random photos, you will get an average of 6 new followers.
3. Run contest . The easiest way to do this is to post a themed picture and ask people to like it so they can participate.
4. Start promoting profile on your pages in other social networks. Write what your blog is about and why people should read it and invite them to join.
5. Be generous with likes and comments - this is the easiest way to attract new subscribers.
6. Use common hashtags to make your photos visible in the global search. Among the most popular are #love, #instagood, #fashion and #photooftheday.
@westwingde
7. Time matters. Research has shown that the best time to fast is between 2 pm and 5 pm.
8. Follow people who use popular hashtags (#followme, #likeforlike) because many of them will follow you back.
9. Remember, quality is important , not quantity. Monitor your profile and leave only beautiful and high-quality photos. Believe me, no one is interested in flipping through hundreds of photos of salads.
10. Love the Mayfair filter. Track Maven listed this filter on The Fortune 500 Instagram as the best choice for marketers.
11. Check that you have completed the biography section . Complete it with suitable words and hashtags, and also provide a link to your website.
But remember: no spam! Otherwise, subscribers will lose interest in the profile.
12. Ask questions to subscribers. This is a great way to connect with your target audience.
13. Post on Sundays . It is on this day that people post photos a little, so your post will be seen by the maximum number of people.
@nastiapoberezhna
14. Be consistent with . Think about who and why you are doing this. The more clearly you answer these questions, the faster you will attract the right audience.
15. Call people to action. For example, ask them to write their opinion about your photo in the comments.
16. Don't be afraid to post often. It may seem that the more often the photos flash, the more indifferent the subscribers behave. But according to the Union Metrics program, there is no relationship between posting frequency and audience activity. At least negative.
17. Follow suggested users. Go to settings and select "Find and invite friends" and then "Recommended users".
18. Set geolocation . This will be especially useful if you run an Instagram company. So you will have the opportunity to attract new subscribers-neighbors.
19. Schedule publications with the Later program. Consistency never hurt anyone.
20. Agree with popular blogger to advertise your profile or product. So information about you will quickly scatter over the network.
21. Research has shown that blue images get 24% more likes than orange or red images. Post something blue and see for yourself!
22. Let fast on Wednesdays become your obligatory ritual. This is because posts get more attention and likes in the middle of the week.
23. Write the word "comment" more often in posts. This encourages your followers to share their opinions and be more willing to join the discussion.
24. Post photos showing 's face. According to research, such publications are 35% more popular than others.
25. Tag in photos of people. Your post will also be seen by friends of friends.
26. Remember the rule: the more light the better.
27. If you have a business account, create a branded hashtag . So users can specify it when purchasing a product. And it will increase your visibility on Instagram several times over.
28. Share live photos. Show that behind the beautiful picture there are living people .
29. Business trick: share photos of your followers mentioning your brand or product. This pleasant step shows that you value each client. In return, they will definitely share your photos in their feed.
30. Brand yourself : Use your nickname for more than just your profile. A notebook, a case or a branded sticker on a car will surely attract the attention of potential subscribers.
@romantimo3
31. Invite friends from Facebook to follow you. To do this, in the profile settings, select "Find friends on Facebook."
32. People love stories. Share your experiences and thoughts, so you will gain their trust and establish contact. Just remember that the post should be emotional and bright, not snot in sugar.
33. Tag people , even in stories, don't be lazy.
34. Do not be shy in your posts to ask for likes . As practice has shown, such publications receive 89% more likes.
35. In advance plan not only time, but also content. Prepare your materials and only then start filling out your feed. For example, write posts for a few days in advance, and then publish them gradually. The Instagram filling schedule will help you stay focused on the main topic of the blog.
36. Post a motivational or inspirational quote .
37. Synchronize phone book with your account. Go to settings and select "Contacts" in the "For Subscriptions" section.
38. Be active on profiles with similar topics. Especially if you run a business profile. Chat in the comments , ask questions and let influencers know about you.
39. Collaborate with other users. Find accounts with the same number of followers and invite their owners to arrange a joint promotion. This will help you and your partners to win an audience and attract the attention of new people.
40. Create a unique hashtag, by which you can organize a challenge for your subscribers.
According to cosmo.com.ua
Tags: Instagram, blog, how to become famous, tips, social networks
checklist - Social networks on vc.ru
with bots, mass liking and mass following. Automation can contribute to temporary restriction of access to the account, or 100% blocking.
What to do? Is it possible now to increase the number of subscribers only by advertising?
9587 views
Don't panic. In this article, we will tell you how to build an account organically, without bots and other "black" methods.
To get off the needle of mass liking and mass following, you need to start thinking about your audience and publish really interesting and useful content. Automated work with the social network has remained in history. Real communication and interaction came to the fore. The work will be long and difficult, but it is definitely worth it.
1. Learn about your product or service
Take a close look at your offer and answer the questions: where are my potential customers, how can I solve their problems with my product or service? Think about your target audience and don't try to sell a refrigerator to an Eskimo.
2. Create a content plan
After you have determined who your target audience is, it's time to think over your content strategy.
Make it so that your subscribers are interested in you.
3. And what about the competitors?
Look for pages similar to yours and leave comments there, answer questions. This will allow you to feel the pains of the audience and quickly give it what your competitors did not have time for, for example, a series of posts. Do it yourself, without the help of third-party programs, only in this case the social network will please you with good results.
4. Choose and use relevant hashtags
The issue of hashtags should be approached with special responsibility. Use the most relevant ones. You can add up to 30 pieces. Divide them into thematic, and near-thematic high-frequency and low-frequency. Use social media tips. You can write them both in the post itself and in the comments to the publication. Doesn't matter. The only advantage of publishing hashtags in a post is the ability to remove high-frequency hashtags in a couple of hours.
5. Promote your account on other platforms
If your brand is on other social networks, be sure to link them to Instagram. This will provide additional and effective interaction.
6. Don't pass by geolocation tags
Using geolocation will help you grow your Instagram followers organically. Check in at the most popular places in your city. And especially in those where your target audience "dwells".
7. Post fresh and relevant content regularly
Don't give your audience a chance to forget about you. Try to regularly share interesting content that will delight existing subscribers and attract new ones. However, you shouldn't get carried away either. Ideally, one post per day. For example, brands with large audiences post an average of 4.9 posts per week.
8. Find authors and communities that can talk about you
Post quality content, add thematic tags and link to accounts like, for example, here.
