How to organically grow your instagram following
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 followersBefore 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 accountBefore 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.
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.
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.
4. Engage with customers, brand advocates and influencersPerfect 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.
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.
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…
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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.
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Provide no monetary value to your business. Think about it. Your bot followers can’t buy your stuff, can they?
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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 canDon’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.
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 outInstagram 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 followersWhen 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!
7 Steps to Organically Increase Your Instagram Followers
Is it even possible to organically increase your Instagram followers anymore? While this platform is one of the best places to communicate your brand visually and connect with your audience, it’s no longer just a social network.
Since the launch of Instagram Ads, Instagram TV, and Instagram Business Accounts, it has transformed into a playing field for influencers, marketers, and businesses to promote themselves.
Today, people use Instagram not only to connect with their friends but also to connect with their favorite brands and shop online. Studies have found that the majority of consumers use Instagram to search for a brand and 80 percent of them follow at least one brand on Instagram.
If you’re active on the platform, there are two ways to increase your Instagram followers: through paid and organic ways. If you’re just starting out your Instagram marketing journey and still not sure whether to spend your money here or not, you’re in the right place. In this article, we’ll go through the step-by-step process of gaining followers organically.
You don’t have to spend a penny if you follow this guide, but you do need patience and consistency because it does take time. However, with Instagram, slow and steady wins the race, allowing you to build an authentic and engaged audience that’s more likely to connect with your brand and convert.
If you’re ready to organically increase your Instagram following, let’s dive in.
1. Create Engaging Content
Instagram users are engaged and love to share and comment on photos and videos that they think are good. A study found that on average, Instagram images get 23 percent more engagement than Facebook images.
In order to catch your audience’s attention on Instagram, the first rule is to create engaging content. The more engaging your content is, the more likely people will share it. Here are some tips on creating engaging content and boosting your engagement rate on Instagram:
- Upload more video content because video posts are proven to get 38 percent more engagement than posts containing images. If you don’t want to hire a professional video agency, you can create your own video using these video marketing tools and platforms.
- Create content that your audience can relate to. The best content will depend upon your audience, so you need a clear understanding of who they are first and foremost.
- Post about viral topics from other channels like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
- Use the right hashtags to generate engagement and subsequent followers. To get it right, try the hashtag formula from Jen Herman, Instagram advocate and social media trainer, which she explains in a recent Social Media Examiner post.
How to Establish a Consistent Instagram Theme for Your Business
2. Schedule Your Posts
After you’ve gathered fresh and engaging content, the next step is to schedule your posts for one week to one month—depending on how far out you like to plan. The key is posting at the right time. Hootsuite did a study on this using data from Unmetric and after analyzing the top 20 Instagram accounts from 11 different industries they found that the best times to post vary from one industry to the next.
For example, the best time for travel and tourism is on Friday between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. while the best time for media and entertainment are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12 to 3 p.
m. Read the full Hootsuite Report to find the best times for your industry.
3. Collect a List of Related Accounts Within Your Niche
Compile a list of all competitors and major accounts on Instagram within your niche. For example, if you’re in the food and beverage industry, you might compile a list of all major food bloggers and restaurants that speak to the same audience as you.
Start by getting to know these accounts to better understand what you should publish. As you compare the brands, ask yourself:
- What topics does their audience engage with?
- Which posts are getting the most likes?
- How often do they post?
Now, use your competitors accounts to build your following too.
If you want to make money on Instagram as an influencer, this is one of the most important aspects of what you’ll do to to grow your audience. With a clear niche, you’re more likely to drive the engagement that companies want to see to choose you as their influencer.
Don’t forget about your blog. Do a content competitor analysis with this free competitor analysis guide and template.
4. Follow Your Competitors’ Followers
After you have your list of the accounts, the next step is to follow their followers one by one. Those people are your target market because they already follow your competitors, which means that they’re interested in your industry and likely what you’re sharing as well.
In the current Instagram algorithm, you can only follow 50 to 100 people every day. If you follow more than 100 people per day, there’s a chance your account can get suspended by Instagram. Again, take it slow and steady.
5. Like and Leave Comments on Competitors’ Followers Posts
Dedicate yourself to connecting with a high volume of followers and engage authentically as you do, leaving comments when posts stand out to you. This shows that you’re paying attention to what they’re posting and also ensures that they notice you.
Ideally, many of these followers will like you what you’re sharing and follow you back—making it a simple way to organically increase your Instagram followers.
Branding in the Age of Social Media: How to Get it Right
6. Join an Engagement Group
An Instagram Engagement Group is a community of Instagram users who help each other in gaining more engagement and followers. Most of these groups are found on Telegram; HopperHQ explains how they work:
“Instagram Engagement groups are basically group conversations within Instagram and also on other platforms (e.g. there are several on Telegram app). They are called engagement groups because everybody participating in these groups are willing to like and/or comment on other members’ posts in exchange for their own posts getting liked and/or commented.”
If one member of the group uploads a new post on Instagram, the whole group will help by liking, sharing, and leaving comments on the post. Most groups also have rules that you have to follow to participate to make sure everyone gets the most out of each post.
The bigger the group is, the faster you’ll grow your followers. What’s even better is a group that can like and comment immediately after the new post is uploaded. This makes it easier to get featured on the Instagram Explore Page, giving making it easier to organically increase your Instagram followers.
You can find free engagement groups at:
- BoostUp Social
- WolfGlobal
You can also get engagement, but more importantly, organic followers, by following accounts that host Instagram Follow threads, like LarsenMedia. The idea is simple: you introduce yourself in the comments and then everyone follows one another for a follow back. All the accounts are real and authentic, making this an easy way to increase followers, even up to 60 to 100 new followers in one day.
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Are you struggling with follow/unfollow games on Instagram? Join our thriving community – a @womeninbusinessclub initiative.
⭐️ Follow @larsenmedia ⭐️ Type ‘This is Me’ with a short intro about yourself and where you’re based. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⭐️ Like each other’s posts and follow each other on this thread to make new friends. ⭐️ Tag 3 of your business besties who are looking to grow their following too. ⭐️ Keep coming back for more! Pop back every few hours as more people join in. ✨This is me, Shosannah.✨ I’m the founder of Larsen Media, a social media and marketing agency. We help small and medium-sized businesses create and distribute valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and retain their target audience. Happy Monday! #followbackmonday #makewavesmonday #growthmindset #socialmediamarketing #staybossyladies #socialmediavisibility #socialmediatips #smallbiztips #freelancetofreedom #businessgrowthstrategy #savvybusinessowner #bossbabe #creativepreneur #smallbizowner #goalgetter #womenwithambition #laptoplife #dreamersanddoers #shemeansbusiness #mumpreneur #womenempoweringwomen #femaleboss #smallbusinessowner #socialmediaagency #marketingagency #larsenmedia
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7.
Repeat and Be ConsistentIf you don’t want to spend money and still grow an engaged following, these methods work and are free to use. In my experience, gaining your first 1,000 followers in two months by doing this is very achievable. This means that in less than two years, you could achieve 10,000 followers without spending a penny. All while building a true and engaged audience.
BONUS: Find Better Hashtags
Don’t just choose any hashtags for your posts. Use these guides to find the ones that allow you to target ideal clients and build an organic community.
Organically Increase Your Followers on Instagram
By gaining followers organically, you can save your marketing budget while also curating a high-quality audience that will connect with your brand and ideally convert into a customer or client. Be ready to invest your time and you’ll see it is in fact possible to organically increase your Instagram followers as soon as tomorrow.
How to increase the number of followers on Instagram
We have already blogged about how to increase your reach on Instagram* or increase engagement.
Today we will tell you how to increase the number of followers on Instagram * - by legal methods, on your own or with someone else's help, paid and free ways, without registration and SMS.
If you are already actively maintaining a profile, but there is not enough time to switch to new goals and achieve higher indicators, then try delegating the routine part of the work to the SMMplanner deferred posting service. In it, you can plan the release of posts in advance, and in your free time think about how to increase followers on Instagram * on your own, using the tips from this article. nine0003
Purpose of promotion
Not all promotion methods are equally good for different types of accounts. First of all, you should decide on the goal - why your profile should become popular at all costs: you are an artist and want fame, you sell lawn mowers and want to increase the flow of customers from social networks, you are a massage therapist, makeup artist, tutor or coach, and looking for customers?
The main reasons why Instagram users* gain an audience:
- Promote a personal brand .
Social networks allow specialists to stand out from competitors due to charisma and get customers from their own loyal audience. - Earnings on advertising . Bloggers with a large audience make good money by integrating promotional publications into their content - talking about products, services and brands.
- Selling products . In social networks, they announce and sell various goods - both material and intellectual: electronics, sports goods, clothes for children, books, courses, consultations.
- Business promotion . You can attract customers through Instagram*, so entrepreneurs often think about how to increase the number of followers on Instagram*. Social networks for this today are used not only by cafes and beauty salons, but also by shoe repairmen, cleaning companies, factories for the production of solid wood furniture - companies from a wide variety of niches.
nine0018 - Distribution of creativity . Through social networks, you can talk about books, poems, music, announce concerts and performances. Instagram* is especially useful for artists and illustrators, as the main unit of content on the social network is a picture.
- Independent media promotion . For online publications, the size of the audience is a key indicator. An online magazine needs subscribers and is meaningless without them. And sometimes only at their expense can survive.
- Bringing attention to the project.
Through social networks, you can gather a caring audience and work together to solve some problem or urgent problem, and do so on a regular basis. nine0018
attracting people. Based on this, develop a strategy and content plan, which includes posts with the information that you are going to convey. You will also need to first prepare the account that you are going to promote. nine0003
Preparing to recruit followers on Instagram*
Your account should have a specific theme, and you should clearly understand what content you are going to make and who might be interested in it.
To assess the potential and characteristics of the audience, you can analyze similar accounts:
- see how many subscribers are interested in the topic and who these people are;
- what posts cause them more reactions;
- how often new posts appear in profiles; nine0018
- how a blogger or company interacts with their audience.
This will help you understand what kind of audience you can attract, how to interest them, what kind of response you can expect and what methods of engagement to use. At the same time, you do not need to duplicate the topics and content of competitors, but regularly review their profiles in order to better navigate the general information space and build on your own differences and advantages.
Since the most important contact with subscribers takes place through the profile, make sure that the information in the header is concise and understandable, and the design is beautiful and relevant to the topic. nine0003 Account header investment specialist – a full-fledged business card
What you need to consider when creating a profile and what you need to mention separately:
- a keyword in the account name will help your target audience find you faster, as it will be indexed by search;
- a completed description, even short and concise, will give new subscribers a clear idea of you, this encourages them to stay and get to know you better; nine0018
- if you have a website or accounts in other social networks, connect clickable links, this is especially true if you are recruiting an audience to lead it to a website or product catalog.
Think about ideas for posts in advance and make a content plan. Schedule a content release for at least a month and publish a few posts in the feed. It's very hard to get people interested in an account where nothing happens. If it’s hard to come up with topics for publications right away, use the post idea generator. nine0003
Want to learn more about professional account promotion? Choose the SMM.school course you are interested in and learn how to attract an audience and promote your profile on social networks at a convenient time for you.
If you want to quickly understand the functionality and capabilities of current sites, come to the free workshop "Fundamentals of SMM". The video course will give you the necessary basic promotion skills - you can apply them to develop your account.
Ways to increase your Instagram followers*
We have collected proven and legal promotion methods for you and divided them into two categories for convenience.
How to increase the number of followers on Instagram* for free
To grow your audience and increase your motivation to keep an account, try the following promotion methods that you can use for free:
Use hashtags in your posts . Try to use target tags that are as relevant as possible to attract the attention of interested people. Why this is needed and how it will help, you can read in the article “How it works: Hashtags on Instagram* 2021”. Let's just say that hashtags will make your publications visible to people who do not subscribe to you, and they can also be used to maintain headings, develop a brand, catch a wave of hype, and show content to users from your region. nine0003
Mark geolocation . This is a must if you have a regional business, cafe or home studio. The tag will increase the coverage due to users who are geographically close to you. They are also very likely to become clients of your beauty salon or hairdresser, especially since, taking into account recent events, it has become important to visit salons, massage rooms and other treatment facilities, if possible, within a radius of 1 km from home.
Attract the first subscribers from your contacts . In the settings, you can add other social networks and follow the people you have as friends. They'll get a notification and be able to decide whether or not to subscribe back, so it's quite subtle compared to, for example, sending subscribe requests in private messages.
Post a link to your account on other social networks . You can promote your brand or your services on multiple social networks at the same time, or at least link to your business page on other accounts. You can also regularly repost or even publish posts automatically on several social networks at once using SMMplanner. nine0003
Leave a comment . You can attract the attention of potential subscribers by commenting on posts in related blogs, profiles of other bloggers, and thematic communities.
This way you can show expertise, for example by answering someone's question, or being witty. You can express your point of view, disagree or even argue, the main thing is not to get personal and do not offend anyone. Also be active by following and liking other profiles. nine0003
Shared broadcasts . Conduct broadcasts with specialists from related fields. This is how you can exchange audiences, increase the number of followers on Instagram* without cheating and once again show them that you can be useful.
Bloggers also broadcast: Olga Kravtsova recorded a broadcast with a psychologist on a topic that worries her, in case subscribers have similar anxietiesFriends of friends . If you have a good product or an interesting account, you can ask your friends to recommend you to their contacts in order to increase the number of followers on Instagram*. It's easy for them, and you enjoy it. nine0003
Get involved and be active .
If you are an expert, you can act as a speaker; if you are a blogger, you can broadcast to subscribers on topics that are important to you. If you are selling something, show the product from different angles and tell some interesting information about it, for example, show the production process.
Post subscriber content . If possible, motivate them to create it. Such a strategy, for example, is entirely based on the GoPro account, which at the time of writing has 18 million subscribers. nine0003 A unique situation where the product itself motivates people to create content
Create a variety of engaging and useful content . Come up with your own tricks that will make users want to share the publication, or tell something useful in collections so that subscribers can save them.
Run a marathon, challenge or other activity . Set goals and invite followers to join or support you. Perhaps someone just lacked the motivation to start running in the morning or read one book a week.
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Organize polls and polls . Engage subscribers in interactive activities and discussions, ask them for advice in order to make a decision, ask for an opinion, even if you need to choose what color to buy a chair for the country. People like to answer simple questions, and this is another reason to use Stories. Also, with the help of subscribers, you can find new topics for posts or even adjust your content strategy.
Post more stories . Their reach is higher than posts, and so far they remain one of the most effective types of content. It is also worth learning new tricks - for example, learning how to shoot Reels. As long as the format is relatively fresh, there is a chance to attract a large part of the new audience with it. You can get inspired by the article "8 interesting examples of using Reels on Instagram *". nine0003 Sometimes bloggers just share their favorite jokes and funny videos, this also increases the reach and allows you to gather an audience with a close sense of humor
Connect business account .
It has a lot more opportunities for launching advertising and promotion. For example, it will be possible to add messenger buttons to the description and study statistics in more detail.
Track the statistics of . Analyze the performance of posts in the statistics and note which ones have gained more coverage and attracted more attention. Adjust the content so that it falls into the interests and field of view of subscribers. Experiment with topics, pitch, and posting times. nine0003
To collect statistics and analyze the effectiveness of promotion, we recommend using the DataFan service. You only need to connect your account once, select the type of report, and the data will be updated automatically.
Read another article on our blog on this topic - "12 Ways to Promote on Instagram for Free*".
Paid methods to increase the number of followers on Instagram* without cheating
This group includes promotion methods that require small or large investments.
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Organize sweepstakes and contests . You can start when your account has several hundred followers. The standard mechanics of the event is a drawing of a prize between users who subscribed, liked or reposted a post or story, tagged friends or wrote something in the comments. A gift can be your own product, a discount, a certificate, a partner's product, a place on the course, etc. The main thing is that the prize deserves attention.
Participate in giveaways. Become a sponsor on Instagram giveaways*. It's a bit like a lottery for both you and your subscribers. How it works was described in detail in the article “How to participate in giveaways on Instagram*”. nine0003
Use targeted advertising . You can set up advertising posts to target audience and get new subscribers every month. The effectiveness of the tool and the cost of a subscriber at the same time depend on the ability to use the target.
Order advertising from bloggers .
To do this, it is important to be able to choose with whom to cooperate. Whether a blogger is right for you depends on their audience, reach, cost of advertising integration, your goals and budget. You can read more about this method in the article “Cooperation with bloggers: pros, cons, pitfalls”. nine0003 Friends kkkrem promote in the blogger's stories for ice cream :)
Advertise in thematic communities . A public post is usually much cheaper than a blogger's wall post. You can choose a community among thematic ones, or you can find one where they post funny videos with cats - everyone loves cats, one of these people will love you too.
Invest in promotion . You can find an SMM specialist or an agency that will take care of promoting your account - developing a content strategy, creating content, launching ads, posting, analyzing statistics, negotiating other people's ads in your account, etc. These services are used by both companies and the Internet stores, and bloggers, since it’s hard to deal with an account with a large audience on your own.
So that Instagram* does not completely absorb the lifestyle of bloggers all the time, they hire assistants. nine0003
These are the main methods used to gain followers on Instagram*. If something is missing in the article or you have your own unique features - write in the comments, we will definitely supplement the information!
We also recommend reading the article “How to promote an account on Instagram * from zero to 3000 subscribers in a month”.
In conclusion
Do you need followers to sell on social media or just want to share your observations with your supporters, justify investing in an Instagram blog* and get paid for advertising from brands whose philosophy matches yours - The main thing is that your content is interesting and relevant. nine0003
And the secret of how to maintain a profile regularly in order to increase the number of real followers on Instagram*, and not spend all your free time on it, we have already revealed above - use the SMMplanner deferred posting service.
The service helps to plan the publication schedule, prepare them using built-in tools such as Story Builder and Canva without leaving the application, set UTM tags to track statistics, set up automatic publication on several social networks at once. nine0003
Successful promotion!
14 methods to get 1000 subscribers in IG (free + paid)
The first thousand subscribers is a significant number for any blogger, and not only on Instagram. This is an indicator that the content has passed quality control and the process has moved off the ground. For commercial accounts, rising exposure helps increase sales, which is why many brands maintain their Instagram pages. nine0003
Before you start gaining subscribers, make sure your profile is complete and you have a content plan. It is important that you post regularly and explore your niche creatively - there will be no chance to make a first impression a second time.
With this in mind, let's analyze from simple to complex what tools will help to collect the first thousand followers on Instagram and increase their number further.
Related:
Account design: 25 beautiful profilesHow to manage Instagram (50 chips) from a marketerHow to come up with a nickname on Instagram: 35 ideas for a business account and a personal blogHow to get followers on Instagram for free
These ideas will help increase the number of followers on Instagram without cheating and they rely on the internal functionality of the social network. Some tools work on the principle of "tagging": you set a description, hashtags, geotags, etc., and the social network independently generates recommendations for users.
Other methods work for content diversity. Instagram allows you to create posts in various formats so that every blogger can reach their audience. This is what you will use to increase your reach and increase the likelihood that you will be noticed on Instagram.
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1. Hashtags and keywords
They will help you get good coverage, get recommended and attract new followers to your Instagram account. But this will only work if the hashtags are relevant to the topic of your post. And do not abuse high-frequency tags: firstly, your post will be lost in the general stream, and secondly, there is a risk of being shadowbanned.
Use low-frequency tags - under which less than 10 thousand publications are placed, and medium-frequency - from 10 to 500 thousand. They belong to niche search and are more likely to attract the target audience.
For convenience, type a few dozen target hashtags and combine them under posts, but it's better to repeat them less often. The optimal number of tags under the post is up to ten.
And one more tip, which is not related to promotion, but will be useful for setting up an account on Instagram. When you write all the hashtags, create a system of your own unique tags that no one uses.
They will be needed for easy navigation through different sections of your posts. nine0003 Hashtags for publication
An important point that you should pay attention to when promoting on Instagram is the profile header. It is the profile header that is your "face", the first impression of the account. The role of the header is to give a concise answer about what is happening in the profile, to inspire confidence.
Strong text and use of keywords in the header communicate positioning and brand benefits, influence the growth of subscriptions and sales. Do not get carried away with writing in a hat, be brief, but understandable. In addition, Instagram only skips 150 characters. nine0003 On the left is an example of how not to fill out a profile header, on the right is an ideal profile header
2. Geotags
Geotag your publications. On the map, this will look like a place of interest that can be visited for several reasons.
For example, you sell your services there. Geotags can also be placed by your clients (not necessarily bloggers) who maintain their Instagram pages for friends and acquaintances. The person will see the mark on the map, read the post, look at your profile and, if he likes it, subscribe. nine0003
Even if you don't have a business, geotagging still makes sense. They help users who are interested in the life and blogosphere of their city. But the main factors determining whether a person subscribes or not remain the thematic niche of the profile and the quality of the content. Subject to all these conditions, it is a great way to get targeted followers on Instagram for free.
GeotagsLife hack. Do you want to save time when working in social networks? To do this, you need SMMplanner, which will automatically publish a post or story with tagged users, geometers and hashtags. You can also set up automatic deletion of posts and comments. Click and test for free -> SMMplanner
3.
Participation in challenges Today you won't surprise anyone with Instagram marathons and challenges, but, nevertheless, in order to attract new subscribers, this method will come in handy. A challenge is a challenge that the account owner throws to his friends, the audience after performing certain actions. The main thing in challenges is not only to do something and show your coolness, but to encourage the audience to repeat after you, accept a challenge or throw a similar one to your friends, close circle, etc. nine0003
If the content responds to a large number of people, then they will repost it to their stories, comment, tag you. At first, you can resort to a little trick and arrange a discussion and reposting on a certain topic between you and your friends in order to attract the attention of the audience.
Challenge "10 year challenge"4. Mutual PR
On Instagram, VP (mutual PR) is another of the coolest ways to gain an audience.
It can be used by both novice bloggers and business accounts. nine0003
You need to carefully choose partners for mutual PR. They should have a target audience as close as possible to yours, approximately the same number of subscribers - and, of course, the conditions for cooperation should be suitable.
For example, a photographer and a make-up artist can promote each other's pages, since they have approximately the same target audience. In addition, this is an ideal tandem for further cooperation.
Mutual PR on Instagram - stories5. Joint content (co-authorship)
Not so long ago, Instagram introduced a new user collaboration feature - joint publications and Reels. In addition, today brands, influencers and celebrities are more willing to cooperate than to compete. Now users can invite other people as authors of publications. Co-authorship in the IG will help increase the reach and engagement due to the fact that the post will be seen by a combined audience of all authors.
For collaboration, you can choose a partner not only from your niche. For example, a company selling building materials can cooperate with a furniture factory, and a beauty brand with beauty can cooperate with a blogger. nine0003 Co-authorship in IG
To find a suitable author or brand for a joint post, it is enough to check the match on the following parameters:
- Your products/services do not compete with each other;
- You have a similar target audience;
- Goods/services complement each other;
- Human factor: it is better to work with nice people, so your companion should inspire confidence and inspire sympathy.
6. Blogger commenting
Comment on posts by bloggers with a similar target audience. Write not only an assessment, good or bad, but also ask questions, suggest an idea for the next post. Try to stand out, but delicately, without too much criticism, so as not to end up in a bathhouse.
In a word, show keen interest and competence in topics, and new potential subscribers will notice you.
7. Traffic flow
Attracting followers to Instagram from other social networks is a great way to increase the number of followers for free at the first stage of promotion. Use all the social networks that you lead. Put a link to your Instagram in all your profiles. Write in the status that you are mastering a new format, publishing a photo of your life in IG. nine0003
Then periodically remind your followers that you now have Instagram and invite them to visit your profile. Share news in posts: for example, you announced on VK that you would not release posts on weekends, you went to the sea, and photos from your vacation will be regularly uploaded to IG. This way you can organically increase the number of followers on Instagram without taking almost any action.
For example, if you have your own business, insert a link to your Instagram on your website, on e-mail newsletters and even Yandex.
Maps and Gogle Maps. Thus, you will collect additional traffic from different sites. nine0003 Link to Instagram
8. Interactive stories
What is it about? Obviously, by posting regular stories to your profile, you won’t gain new subscribers in any way. This is where interactive stories come to the rescue - "add yours" or "add yours" stickers. Their essence is as follows: this sticker allows everyone to take part in discussions on the site. Users can respond to other people's stories with their photos and videos that match the topic of discussion. I think this is a cool opportunity to promote your profile
Participation in discussions in "Add yours"- Instagram games: 32 examples (posts + stories)
- Instagram Story Ideas: 150+ with Example Stories
9. Reels
Facebook on Instagram has its own analogue of Tik Tok - Reels. In this section, you can post videos lasting from 15 to 60 seconds. Track trends, participate in challenges.
Here you will also find an audience, draw attention to the blog.
Instagram seeks to promote a new content format. The algorithms of the social network are more favorable to videos made in Reels and display them more often in recommendations. Use this hack to get followers on Instagram before your competitors do. nine0003 Reels on Instagram
Important. If you have a TikTok account, you can upload your videos to Reels, but it's better to make them here - Instagram has a negative attitude towards TikTok icons on videos.
10. Tagging posts
Posting a link to your page with other users will draw attention to your Instagram profile and help you gain followers. Ask acquaintances, friends or clients to tag you in a photo or story. So you will collect targeted followers who are interested in the life of not a particular blogger, but also his circle of friends. nine0003 Link in stories to profile
11. IGTV
Instagram allows you to upload long videos up to 1 hour.
During this time, you will show your product or the entire new collection in detail, answer frequently asked questions, tell you about the business from the inside, etc. And here you can save recordings of live broadcasts.
This method, like the previous one, works to increase the coverage and recognition of the account. If you regularly post unique, useful and unusual "catchy" content, it will become easier to gain new followers on Instagram. nine0003 Long Instagram videos
Related:
IGTV (Instagram TV): complete guide + video chips12. QR code
Create your own QR code and add it to business cards, ads, any other printed matter. In general, if you use offline advertising, feel free to place a code on it to quickly go to your Instagram account. This will help you gain traffic and expand your audience.
Qr-code on Instagram13. Manual mass following
The essence of mass following is that you subscribe to users and like their publications.
These should not be just random profiles, but your target audience. Seeing such notifications as in the screenshot, users will go to the page, look at posts and stories, and probably subscribe. nine0003 Massliking and massfollowing
Lifehack. The easiest way to promote an Instagram account is with the help of automatic mass following. He will independently do all the actions (likes, views of stories, subscription to users) that will promote the account and increase sales. Click and test -> Zengram (Promo code "INSCALEPROMO" -20% for everything)
Paid ways to attract subscribers
It is not easy to promote a page on Instagram with completely free methods, especially in the early stages - you will have to try to get the first 1000 subscribers. Paid promotion methods will help speed up the process. nine0003
This includes external tools that expand the basic possibilities of page administration: show additional statistics, automate actions, wind up followers.
There will also be classic marketing techniques that involve having and planning a budget: targeting, buying ads from other bloggers, holding contests.
1. Targeted advertising
Advertising targeting — is not an easy task: to search and segment the audience, design ads, calculate the budget. Each stage involves detailed study. If you are a beginner, then you run the risk of losing money. But the effect of achieving the goal is simply colossal, so targetologists are well paid. nine0003
Even if you are just approaching the milestone of 1000 followers and are not confident in your experience, it makes sense to study the principle of action and conduct the first "sighting" targeting with a small budget, and then see how much your number of followers on Instagram has increased.
Targeted ads on Instagram Life hack. Do you want to learn how to create vivid photo and video content that your audience will love? Then we recommend taking the course “promotion on Instagram”.
After training, you will be able to independently launch targeted advertising, create unique and attractive content to attract new subscribers. Click and sign up for the course -> Promotion on Instagram
2. Advertising with bloggers
People trust other people more. Bloggers are trusted, as they recommend the product as if through their experience, give a balanced assessment with all the pros and cons (if they value their reputation). Therefore, advertising with them is a great way to get subscribers.
There are several criteria for finding the right blogger. First, it must have your target audience. Secondly, evaluate the reputation and credibility. Look in the comments under the posts and see what and how they write to him. And, thirdly, its subscribers must be alive, i.e. not twisted. nine0003 Publication from blogger
Plus, advertising for an Instagram profile does not have to be purchased only in IG. For example, if you have your own women's clothing showroom, you can buy ads from a Tik Tok influencer.
Moreover, this platform is gaining popularity with space progression.
Advertising in public
Another no less effective way to promote your profile is advertising in public (and not necessarily in the IG). A strong "exhaust" is given by advertising in VKontakte groups. The peculiarity of VK is that this social network brings together mainly Russian-speaking users, so it is perfect for promoting companies of almost any format. nine0003
So, an additional plus of VK can be called a significant number of thematic communities, applications and integration into third-party services, for example, on Instagram.
Related:
Instagram advertising exchange: TOP-5 services + 8 life hacksHow to get people to subscribe?
At the beginning of their journey to promotion in the IG, many users make a gross mistake - they gain subscribers for the sake of a beautiful number, while the quality of their content is the last thing they think about.
Trite, but it's true - only if you regularly publish high-quality content, subscribers will be drawn to you. nine0003
Let's consider the option when you already have some kind of base of followers that are actively showing up on your account.
1. Subscription gift
It is a very common practice to motivate users to subscribe to you. So, some bloggers and entrepreneurs go to small tricks to get an influx of followers. For example, for a subscription, some bloggers thank their followers with their promotion guides or checklists ala "TOP useful photo editing apps from ...". nine0003
So, as a gift for a subscription, entrepreneurs give a discount on the first purchase in the store, or on the first visit to a beauty salon, as in the example below. And as practice shows, this method of attracting an audience has proven its effectiveness.
Gift for subscription In order to make your life easier, below is a list of services with which you can set up an account check for a subscription to your page.
| Service | Cost per check |
| Instateleport | 1 ₽ |
| Instasub | 2 ₽ |
| Smmbot | - |
2. Direct mail
Use direct mail to draw attention to important information. It should not be a request to like or subscribe - users will consider such messages as spam. Direct is good when there is some news. For example, announce the same contest or tell that something really unusual has appeared on your page. nine0003
But don't get carried away: there is a limit on messages in Direct. An account that has been in existence for less than three months can send 30 messages per day. From three to six months, the limit is already wider: 40 messages. After six months from the moment of registration - up to 50 messages per day. If these conditions are not met, you can easily get a block.
In the table below, I have collected for you some useful services for mass mailing in direct. They are arranged in the order in which we recommend them, the first three are the top ones, and then out of order. nine0003
| Name | Cost (per month) | Promo code + trial period |
| Zengram | From 1 490 ₽ (“INSCALEPROMO” 20% discount on everything) | 3 days |
| Bridgit | From 490 ₽ | 1 day |
| Boss Direct | From 990 ₽ | “inscale” +5 days free |
| Zeus | From 110 ₽ | “INSCALE” +3 days free |
| Instaplus | From 399 ₽ | 5 days |
| SocialKit | From 1100 ₽ | 7 days |
Related:
Newsletter in Direct: 30 services + 4 steps how to do it By the way.
Have you heard about the new method of promotion on Instagram? SocTool has a unique algorithm that allows you to intercept the target audience from competitors online. The service will instantly establish a contact (subscription, like, message in Direct) while the user is online. Click and test - SocTool
3. Contest
If you already have your "backbone" of active subscribers, then announce the contest on your page. Play a gift, and as one of the conditions for participation, indicate a subscription. The main thing is that there are other conditions that will help to fairly select the winners. Otherwise, the contest will turn into a simple giveaway, after which you will lose all subscribed participants.
The timing of the competition should be such that everyone who wants to complete the task, but not too long, so that people do not get tired of waiting for the prize. Optimal - 5-7 days.
Holding a contest on Instagram
Related:
Uploading comments to IG: TOP 5 services + how to do Instagram challenge: 13 ideas of 2021Cheat followers on Instagram
The fastest method to recruit followers - cheat programs.
We do not support this method of promotion, as it is not reliable. It has a number of shortcomings, but at the initial stage it will give impetus to the development of the account in order to attract advertisers as quickly as possible. nine0003
- Websites for bulk purchases of subscribers
Subscribers are cheated by bulk purchases or with the help of job exchanges. The meaning of the subscription package is that you order a lot and immediately in a couple of clicks. The table below contains the most popular resources operating in this mode:
| Service | Cost (per subscriber) |
| TmSmm | From 0.14 ₽ |
| Likemania | nine0435 From 0.35 ₽ |
| Mrpopular | From 0.08 RUB |
| Prostospec | From 0.28 RUB |
| Prskill | From 0.07 RUB |
- Job exchanges
The second option - smm job exchanges.
Here you independently compose the task, prescribe the conditions, set your own price for subscribing to you. The order will appear on the site, and only those users who have passed the selection criteria (suitable for gender, age, geolocation, etc.) will execute it. nine0003
As an advertisement
In addition to detailed task settings, such exchanges have one more advantage. They can also be used as a performer. By completing tasks, you earn internal currency (points) that you can spend on promoting your profile.
| Service | Cost (per subscriber) |
| Likeinsta | Fully customizable |
| Vkserfing | nine0435 Minimum from 0.5 ₽|
| Unu | Minimum from 1 ₽ |
| Socpublic | Minimum from 0.2 ₽ |
The main disadvantage of cheating live followers on Instagram is that it will not bring activity, will not show interest in the content, and, moreover, will not give any conversion and upward movement.
Of course, this method will help to increase the number of followers on Instagram, but it will not be of great use. nine0003
Also, it's not worth getting a large number of subscribers at once because of the profile blocking. When there is not yet the first thousand subscribers, let's be specific: wind up from 50 to 100 custom, but no more. And as you reach the designated goal, be sure to delete inactive accounts and bots. A list of profile cleaning assistants is attached:
| Service | Cost |
| InstaHero | 199 ₽ / 1 cleaning | nine0439
| SpamGuard | Choose a personal tariff |
- Mass actions
Programs select potential subscribers and carry out mass actions on their pages on your behalf: put likes, view stories, subscribe. It is possible to show which accounts to pay attention to: the search will be conducted by the audience of competitors, interests by hashtags and geotags under which you publish.
- Mass following and mass looking
Massollowing and masslooking automation. Set up the simultaneous execution of all actions or select any one desired option. The whole process is carried out through the cloud. Confirmed the task and calmly go about your business further. We give a list of programs that will subscribe you to a potential audience:
| Service | Cost (per month) | Free period |
| Zengram | nine0435 1 490 ₽ ("INSCALEPROMO" 20% discount on everything)3 days | |
| Bridgit | 490 ₽ | 1 day |
| Instaplus.pro | 299 ₽ | 5 days |
- Massliking
Software for mass liking posts of other social network users. The principle of operation is similar: a person will see that you like him, go to the page and subscribe if he likes posts and stories.
A working option to increase the number of subscribers. nine0003
| Service | Cost (per month) | Free period |
| Instaplus.pro | 299 ₽ | 5 days |
| Bridgit | 490 ₽ | 1 day |
briefly about the main thing
There is no universal formula for how to get a thousand followers and promote your Instagram account from scratch. Now you know what promotion methods are relevant for her. nine0003
I remind you that you need not only to gain subscribers, but also to be able to keep them. To do this, make a rule for yourself - post content every day. At least a few stories, if suddenly there is no time to write "long posts". The main thing is not to let your subscribers forget you.
What you do best (for example, photos of cityscapes) - will be the main theme for Instagram.
