How to promote yourself on instagram
How to Promote Your Instagram: 13 Ideas that Work
It’s time to rethink how to promote your Instagram account.
Why now? Because the platform’s rapid evolution and growth mean that what worked in the past isn’t going to score you the same sort of engagement today.
Based on recent Instagram stats, the visual space is becoming more and more crowded with brands fighting tooth and nail for more customers.
As a result, it quite literally pays for brands to have as many tactics as possible to promote Instagram to their target audience.
In this guide, we’ve broken down 13 totally actionable ways to do exactly that. From optimizing your posts and profile to rethinking your approach to content promotion, any combination of these tips are fair game when it comes to Instagram promotion.
13 Ways to promote your Instagram Page
1. Ramp up your content production
There’s no shortage of Instagram content you can publish to fill up your feed.
Customer photos. Memes. Bite-sized videos.
And that doesn’t even scratch the surface of what’s available to you.
To figure out what performs the best among your audience, you’re going to need to experiment. That means ramping up your content production and posting more frequently.
Publishing to Instagram at least once a day is within the platform’s best practices. Heck, major brands like TopShop and H&M post up to three times per day (if not more often).
As you roll out more content, it’s crucial to squeeze more engagement out of your following by understanding the best times to post on Instagram.
And speaking of which, that’s also why Instagram Stories are so valuable. Off-the-cuff content via Stories essentially allows you to “skip the line” and appear front-and-center in people’s feeds. Not only that, but you can freely post Story after Story without worrying about spamming your fans.
The takeaway here is that Instagram moves much quicker than it did a year or two ago in terms of content.
Brands should ramp up if they want to keep up. To create content that your audience will love, make sure you have a comprehensive strategy in place and are using data to create more successful content. Download our Instagram marketing strategy guide to learn more.
2. Cross-promote your Instagram posts across other networks
The effort it takes to snag the perfect snapshot and craft a clever caption isn’t something that should go to waste.
Cross-posting your content to other social platforms is a no-brainer to get even more of an ROI out of your Instagram presence.
For example, you can promote your Instagram content across the likes of Facebook and Twitter to maximize your content’s reach.
Although cross-promotion is a smart move, bear in mind that each social platform has its own best practices. For example, Instagram tends to go heavier on the hashtags while you might want to craft a slightly different description for images posted to Facebook.
Sound time-consuming? It doesn’t have to be.
Sprout Social’s Asset Library enables you to store images, videos and text in a centralized location for use across multiple social networks. Quickly find, edit and publish directly from the Asset Library to deliver engaging posts that are tailored to whatever network you’re using.
And don’t forget to make your job even easier by using scheduling and publishing tools.
Ana Laura Montaño González
Community Manager
Sprout’s Optimal Send Times simplifies things further by scheduling content to post at the times most likely to generate engagement from your audience.
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3. Focus on people-centric content
Although Instagram is a place to score sales, it is still first and foremost a place to share experiences.
The popularity of selfies on Instagram speaks for itself, as does customer photos and pictures of people using products in real-world settings.
Much of the appeal of Instagram is that brands are capable of advertising in a more human way without bombarding followers with messages that scream “BUY NOW!”
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A post shared by Penguin Books (@penguinbooks)
And on a related note, this is exactly why user-generated content such as customer photos are such a goldmine for brands. Not only do folks on the ‘gram love it when brands shout them out, but customer photos represent marketing firepower that proves that people dig your products.
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A post shared by Penguin Books (@penguinbooks)
But in order to spot and curate user-generated content for your feed, you’re going to need to understand how hashtags can help you promote your Instagram.
And that leads us to our next point.
4. Experiment with branded and industry hashtags
Brands both big and small should create a hashtag to encourage sharing and promotion on behalf of their followers. Doing so doesn’t have to be rocket science, either.
For example, Ernie Ball displays their #iplayslinky and #colorsofrocknroll hashtags loud and clear in their bio.
In turn, they use the tag to promote their own posts in addition to thousands of loyal fans promoting the brand organically.
See how that works?
Beyond your own hashtags, you should try to promote your Instagram using more general, community hashtags specific to your industry such as #6strings (music) or #unicornhair (beauty). Tacking on extra tags essentially makes your posts searchable by tag-followers and instantly increases your reach.
As noted in our guide detailing how to use hashtags across every social network, engagement peaks at approximately nine hashtags. Although you can certainly use less (or more), the takeaway here is that you should at the very least add something.
Don’t forget to take advantage of hashtag analytics tools. Sprout lets you track and analyze hashtag performance to find out what’s resonating with audiences and optimize usage.
And with Sprout’s Advanced Listening, you can move beyond quantitative data to find qualitative insights related to hashtags, allowing you to fully understand campaign performance and measure share of voice. Additionally, you can identify related hashtags to dive deeper into the brand-relevant conversations consumers are having on social.
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5. Tag brands, followers and locations whenever you can
Tagging is a surprisingly effective way to promote your Instagram.
And no, we’re not just talking about hashtags.
For example, you can tag other brands and accounts in hopes of a shout-out yourself. Given that notifications ping anyone who receives them, relevant tags are a subtle way to encourage promotion.
Likewise, it’s both courtesy and within Instagram’s best practices to tag anyone you might be regramming.
Chances are they’ll be thrilled to be featured in your feed and will share the news with their own followers.
Don’t forget to tag locations, too! For example, if you have a physical location for your business or regularly attends events, location-specific posts allow you to explore new potential fans and followers.
6. Publish Instagram content on-site
When it comes to ads, what better billboards than your own customers?
Featuring Instagram content on-site is a brilliant way to increase conversions. Why? Because when people see purchased products in real-world settings, they know that the brand in question has satisfied customers. Consumers can better visualize and understand a product for themselves when they see it “in the wild.”
Thus the rise of lookbooks and brands featuring user-generated content on product pages. For example, Casper uses an Instagram slideshow on-site to show off their satisfied sleepers.
Of course, this all circles back to the need to promote your Instagram hashtag.
In addition to their Instagram bio, #TopShopStyle is plastered across the brand’s site and marketing emails to increase their tag’s exposure. The end result is more user-generated content and people promoting TopShop organically.
7. Carve out your creative trademark
Creativity counts on Instagram.
Having some sort of niche or theme is a great way to both inspire your Instagram content and make yourself stand out from the crowd.
For example, Yeti is known for its feed full of high-res photos of the outdoors featuring adventures enjoying their products.
Meanwhile, oVertone boasts a bold color-coded feed based on whichever shade of their product their currently promoting.
If you’re stumped as to what your creative trademark should be, don’t sweat it. There are tons of Instagram apps (such as VSCO) which can help you add some creative flair to your photos. By using consistent gradients, colors and filters, you can make your feed feel more, well, you.
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A post shared by VSCO (@vsco)
8. Work with influencers to extend your reach
As we mentioned earlier, Instagram benefits from being a platform where brands can essentially publish ads without shoving them in their followers’ faces.
Enter the rise of influencer marketing.
Simply put, influencer marketing entails a paid relationship with another Instagram account with a sizeable, engaged follower count. Influencers’ audiences should ideally mirror your own or allow you to tap into a new sect of users that you’re trying to reach.
Influencers are akin to ads in the sense that the relationship does indeed cost money. However, finding the right influencer can be an incredibly cost-effective way to both sell products and grow your following.
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A post shared by HELEN BERKUN (@helen_berkun)
Brands can spot influencers through hashtags and manual searching, or you can try Instagram analytics tools such as Tapinfluence or search an in-depth database related to your business.
Remember: when identifying influencers, just make sure they have a following that actually engages with their content. Engagement rate calculators such as this one from Phlanx can help give you peace of mind about any influencers in question.
9. Rethink how you present your products and promotions
This is a simple tip but is definitely something worth mentioning. And it relates to that other kind of Instagram promotion – the one with fun giveaways or sale items and can be incredibly valuable for your brand when done well.
So when you promote your Instagram in these instances, it’s crucial to present your content as must-see.
Instagram thrives on anything and everything “new.” Anything you can do to create a sense of hype is a major point in your favor.
For example, check out how Glossier hypes up their much-requested eye cream by surprising their followers a day before it drops.
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A post shared by Glossier (@glossier)
Uniqlo publishes hype-heavy Instagram promotions and content, including calls-to-action for followers to check out their exclusive merch.
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A post shared by UNIQLO Global (@uniqlo)
Pinup Girl also does a great job of highlighting why their products rock and allows their brand voice to shine through in the process.
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A post shared by Pinup Girl Clothing (@pinupgirlclothing)
As a rule of thumb, think “so what” before you hit “publish” for your promotions on Instagram. Doing so will ultimately encourage you to write more compelling captions.
10. Run a contest or giveawayHere’s some food for thought: brands that run contests grow their followings 70% faster than those that don’t.
You might notice that many brands’ contest and giveaway-related posts receive insane amounts of engagement and that’s no accident. Done correctly, social media contests can result in followers and fans although they can also attract freebie-chasers. We recommend running a one-time contest promotion on Instagram to test the waters and determine whether or not contests are something you want to try for the long-term.
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A post shared by Birchbox US (@birchbox)
11. Optimize your profile for promotion
As you work through how to promote Instagram to new fans and followers, “looking the part” is essential.
This also applies to brands looking to attract more attention organically.
Let’s take a look at what makes an optimized Instagram profile. The good news is that there aren’t too many moving pieces of your profile itself to worry about.
Orlando’s East End Market is a prime example of a simple yet optimized profile. For starters, their username “eastendmkt” is short and sweet, all the while easy to find for locals searching for it.
Their bio also ticks the boxes of an optimized profile, including a clear profile picture, compelling bio, branding hashtag and trackable URL.
Everything about this Instagram bio lets us know what to expect from their feed and likewise that we’re in the right place.
They also feature their email and phone number which is something to consider if you’re running a business account. East End also regularly tags other businesses and events to expand their profile’s reach. Oh, and not to mention their awesome visual content that their local followers love.
12. Take advantage of Instagram Stories and its latest features
Stories are by far Instagram’s most popular feature.
Used by over 500 million users daily, brands should take advantage of Stories as often as possible when promoting on Instagram. For many businesses, this means publishing user-generated photos and behind-the-scenes content. The beauty of Stories is that you don’t have to worry as much about your visuals being polished or “perfect.”
That said, creativity still counts when it comes to Stories. Among Instagram’s latest features, Stories are always at the center of them. For example, new interactive stickers such as the new Quiz sticker represent fresh ways that brands can engage with followers for a more unique and interactive type of Instagram promo.
Keeping up with Instagram means staying active and on top of its latest features. If you’re regularly publishing to Stories and watching what other brands are doing, you’ll always be in-the-know.
13. Consider running a paid campaign
Last but not least, don’t neglect the potential of paid promotion on Instagram.
After all, social media at large is becoming increasingly pay-to-play. As part of Facebook’s insanely in-depth ad platform, you can use Instagram’s eye-popping ad options to win over new customers.
There are plenty of Instagram success stories out there including this example from Dunkin which cleverly uses both Stories and video to grab the attention of users.
First familiarize yourself with today’s Instagram ad specs, then make sure you have the tools necessary to see how your paid efforts stack up against your organic Instagram presence.
Allison Gates
Creative Manager
Sprout’s paid tools for Instagram empower you to gain insight into the ROI of your overall strategy or compare the performance of individual campaigns to optimize appropriately. Easily highlight your top campaigns by video views, conversions, impressions, engagement and more.
And with that, we wrap up our guide!
More ways to expand your Instagram reach
Instagram offers brands plenty of routes for content discovery and connection with audiences. Make sure you’re covering the essential best practices with these guides:
- Get more authentic Instagram followers with these 10 tips
- 9 Instagram post ideas to spice up your account
- How to regram on Instagram
- How to get more Instagram Likes
- How to craft an impactful Instagram bio for business
So, how do you promote your Instagram?
When it comes to Instagram promotion, you have plenty of tactics to experiment with.
And hey, that’s a good thing.
Making sure that your feed stands out means understanding the platform’s best practices and evolving alongside Instagram itself. Sticking to the tips above, or developing new Instagram post ideas can help you maximize your engagement as you promote your Instagram to new followers and customers. Start a free trial of Sprout Social to test out our Instagram tools hands-on.
How To Market Yourself On Instagram: 10 Secrets Of Promotion
Did you know that some people earn $18,000 for a single post on Instagram? Even if you are not planning to become a beauty blogger, marketing yourself on Instagram can help you drive sales and promote your personal brand.
Instagram is one of the most popular social networks with millions of monthly active users. It gives you unlimited opportunities to find the right audience, no matter what you are doing or which industry you’re in. If you can create a successful content plan – you can market it. Whether you are a designer, photographer or a business owner, you need to know how to promote yourself and your business on Instagram, and we’ll teach you the basics of how to do it right.
But what will you get out of it? If you promote your company, you will get leads and sales. If you want to earn some money, you can become a blogger. If you promote your personal brand, it’s a great place to become an influencer – to show that you are an expert and to establish relationships with people. Like we’ve said, if you have visuals and a plan – you can market it.
How to promote your Instagram account
These 10 Instagram hacks will help you create a professional account, gain followers, and generate more sales.
1. Create a new account
Even if you have a great personal account with hundreds of subscribers, we advise you to create a new one for your business. The thing is that your potential clients won’t be interested in your selfies or photos from your trips unless you are a travel blogger. Moreover, you can plan everything thoroughly, from content to brand style. Following this rule also gives you an opportunity to use Instagram business features in the future. This includes analytics, post promotion, and links sharing.
2. Complete your profile
Your profile info (short account description, bio, and link) is one more way to promote your Instagram. People will study your profile from the top once they land on your page. If you want your Instagram profile to look professional, all of the elements have to be balanced. Starting from the details people often overlook – the name of your account, your bio, and the images you post.
Try to find a unique and original username that reflects what you do. Avoid typical names like ann_77, or maryosborn_1988. These names are not easy to remember and don’t provide any additional information or message about you or your brand.
You can use your real name if you want to market yourself on Instagram, the industry you’re working in, or a catchy phrase related to the topic. The name can be formal, fun, or inspirational. These names: girleatworld, wheresandrew, theblondeabroad are great because they are short, they sound good, and provide information about the topics of their accounts.
What you can include in the bio:
- your skills
- funny, witty, or inspirational phrases
- keywords and branded hashtags
- a link to your website
- your skills
You can change your bio as often as you’d like if you change the direction of your personal brand or business. Change links to make people read your latest articles or add links to your promotional campaigns. Include emojis to add some personality to your bio.
3. Plan your content
Why do you want to market yourself on Instagram? Do you want to build a personal brand, to get new followers and potential clients? If so, you need to pay close attention to the content you publish, when you publish, how often, and your personal aesthetics. People will subscribe to your page, like and comment on your posts but only if they like your content. That’s why you need to create a good content plan that is consistent and coherent.
If you want to promote your brand page, you need to think of your customers. What do they do? What social media do they use? What posts do they like, comment, and share? Experiment with content, include pictures, quotes, videos, and animations. Post something funny, educational or personal. Don’t go crazy with too many content formats. It’s always best to focus on a theme or stylistic.
If you promote your own brand, create an image of an experienced professional with the content you publish. Show your followers that you are an expert and that you have authority in a specific field. Share your point of view on trending topics, attend conferences, and post the photos. Look for an opportunity to speak at lectures, seminars or presentations, and don’t forget to mention it on social media. You can also check out these Instagram photography trends for inspiration in 2020.
If you want to post often, you need to keep in mind that you need to be consistent. However, posting for the sake of posting doesn’t work, so think carefully about the content. If you look at the Depositphotos Instagram for example, we carefully curate Royalty-free images from our library, to promote artists but also make the feed aesthetically pleasing.
4. Add personality
Wondering how to promote your Instagram without relying on the sad ‘pay for followers’ option? To attract new followers and then keep them constantly engaged, you need to show people that there is a real person behind your account. Some companies post only pictures of their products, quotes, and articles. Pages like this usually look too formal and don’t attract too much attention because they’re hard to relate to.
Talk the way you do with your family and friends, ask people their opinion, start discussions, and try to be yourself. Make jokes and write about things that bother you. At the end of the day, you have to let your personality shine even on Instagram because it’s what makes you unique and what will make you stand out in the overcrowded online space.
Consider that storytelling is also really popular now. Don’t post a picture of your laptop with a hashtag #workinghard. Create a story that will relate to some of your followers. Make people say or think: “That’s what happened to me! I can totally relate!”. Posts like this will bring you followers, comments, and shares, more so than the most beautifully-designed pictures.
5. Use hashtags and geotags
After you’ve completed your profile and filled it with great content – start promotions. Several decades ago we faced a problem and looked for information that can solve it. Now, we get information and solutions even before we realize that we have a certain problem. That’s why we pay a lot of attention to promotions. Our main aim is to help people easily find us. So here is the main secret of how to best market yourself on Instagram – you need to provide the right people with the right information.
Instagram is a great social media platform, however, it’s search function is far from perfect. You can search for posts and users only by name, location, or hashtags. That’s why the first thing you should do is add location and hashtags to all of your posts.
According to Simply Measured, Instagram posts with a tagged location get 79% more engagement.
It means that these posts are almost two times more likely to be clicked on, liked, commented, and shared. Posts with at least one hashtag have 12.6% better engagement.
What geotags should you add? Add your physical location, or think of the places your audience visits. For example, if you are a wedding photographer, tag popular wedding venues in your city, country clubs or wedding agencies. The same with hashtags – industry and location hashtags and consistent posting will bring you the first customers. Check out our guide to Instagram hashtags to get more information.
What geotags should you add? Add your physical location, or think of the places your audience visits. For example, if you are a wedding photographer, tag popular wedding venues in your city, country clubs or wedding agencies. The same with hashtags – industry and location hashtags and consistent posting will bring you your first customers. Check out our guide to Instagram hashtags to get more information.
How to market your business on Instagram if you sell something non-material: Introduce yourself as an expert and share a documentation of your working process, or even better – share photos and videos on how your product improves the lives of your clients.
6. Collaborate with other users
Collaboration with popular people or companies is always a good idea. Especially if you have the same audience. There is nothing wrong with promoting other people and brands, as they, in turn, will promote you.
Partner with influencers or tag big brands in your posts. Many companies publish user-generated content and mention people who created it. It works well for photographers because millions of people see your photos, and some of them always subscribe. It’s a very effective and free way to promote yourself or your business.
How to market yourself on Instagram with collaborations when your audience is small: A small audience doesn’t mean you are not interesting for brands and opinion leaders. In 2020, micro-influencers are believed to become the marketing force of the future. Try to engage potential partners by leveraging the quality (not quantity) of your audience.
7. Run your contest
When you market yourself on Instagram, your main aim is to make people talk about you.
Posts with contests usually result in great reach and they can also help you get new followers and customers. Try to be creative – think of an interesting task and a valuable prize. Use a branded hashtag and ask people to tag their friends. Keep in mind that in 2020, you’ve got plenty of options on how to promote posts on Instagram using contests developed by bloggers: photo caption contests, tag-a-friend, trivia, like and comment to win. These are just a couple of examples.
8. Post discounts and coupons
Do you know why people follow brands on social media? According to Marketing Shepra, 56% of people follow brands to see sales and promotions. It’s very important if you want to drive more sales from all the activity on Instagram. If you are not sure about how to measure the effectiveness of these promotional campaigns, add promo codes to your posts. After that, you will get valuable information and see what engages your audience more.
How to market on Instagram if you do not sell anything yet: Go back to the very first question on why you need to create a brand around yourself on Instagram.
If you just position yourself as a professional to remain in demand in the employment market, offer your audience free (or almost free) personal consulting. Then, share results with others during in a series of posts.
9. Promote Instagram on other networks
People who follow you on different social media are interested in your products. Give them an incentive to follow you on all social media networks. Repost your posts to Facebook or Twitter and mention that you are also present on Instagram where you publish special deals or events. Add social media icons to your website – it will help you get your first followers.
How to market yourself on social media (alternatives to Instagram) after your Instagram account gets popular: With a well-established Instagram account, things will become easier with promotions on Facebook or Twitter. To test your audience without huge investments, start with sharing content that is similar to your Instagram one. Don’t forget to adapt captions to the target style of each social network.
10. Advertise on Instagram
There are many services to get Instagram followers. Some choose to use special platforms or use hashtags #likesforlikes or #followforfollow. However, we don’t recommend you do this because you will spend a lot of time and money and won’t get any significant results. The followers you buy are not interested in your content and most of them unsubscribe within several weeks. You need to find an audience which is interested in your services.
Use native ads to promote your Instagram account. Facebook Ad Manager, a platform where you create Instagram ads, has advanced targeting options. You can narrow your audience, spend less money, and even target visitors who left your website without making a purchase.
Wrap up
Instagram marketing may seem a tough task, however, if you approach it in an organized and strategic way – everything is possible. It will take some time and effort, but the results are 100% worth it. It’s also exciting to watch your efforts pay off, grow your following, and bring in some love and appreciation for what you do.
For more tips, check out our cover on the secret to success on Instagram as well as tips on how to gain more followers on Instagram.
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40 tips on how to promote your Instagram
1. Do not forget to put hashtags that will help increase the number of subscribers: #instafollow, #l4l (Like for like), #tagforlikes and #followback.
2. Like as much as possible. For every 100 likes you give to random photos, you will get an average of 6 new followers.
3. Run contest . The easiest way to do this is to post a themed picture and ask people to like it so they can participate.
4. Start promoting profile on your pages in other social networks.
Write what your blog is about and why people should read it and invite them to join.
5. Be generous with likes and comments - this is the easiest way to attract new subscribers.
6. Use common hashtags to make your photos visible in the global search. Among the most popular are #love, #instagood, #fashion and #photooftheday.
@westwingde
7. Time matters. Research has shown that the best time to fast is between 2 pm and 5 pm.
8. Follow people who use popular hashtags (#followme, #likeforlike) because many of them will follow you back.
9. Remember, quality is important , not quantity. Monitor your profile and leave only beautiful and high-quality photos. Believe me, no one is interested in flipping through hundreds of photos of salads.
10. Love the Mayfair filter. Track Maven listed this filter on The Fortune 500 Instagram as the best choice for marketers.
11. Check that you have completed the biography section . Complete it with suitable words and hashtags, and also provide a link to your website. But remember: no spam! Otherwise, subscribers will lose interest in the profile.
12. Ask questions to subscribers. This is a great way to connect with your target audience.
13. Post on Sundays . It is on this day that people post photos a little, so your post will be seen by the maximum number of people.
@nastiapoberezhna
14. Be consistent with . Think about who and why you are doing this. The more clearly you answer these questions, the faster you will attract the right audience.
15. Call people to action. For example, ask them to write their opinion about your photo in the comments.
16. Don't be afraid to post often. It may seem that the more often the photos flash, the more indifferent the subscribers behave.
But according to the Union Metrics program, there is no relationship between posting frequency and audience activity. At least negative.
17. Follow suggested users. Go to settings and select "Find and invite friends" and then "Recommended users".
18. Set geolocation . This will be especially useful if you run an Instagram company. So you will have the opportunity to attract new subscribers-neighbors.
19. Schedule publications with the Later program. Consistency never hurt anyone.
20. Agree with popular blogger to advertise your profile or product. So information about you will quickly scatter over the network.
21. Research has shown that blue images get 24% more likes than orange or red images. Post something blue and see for yourself!
22. Let fast on Wednesdays become your obligatory ritual. This is because posts get more attention and likes in the middle of the week.
23. Write the word "comment" more often in posts. This encourages your followers to share their opinions and be more willing to join the discussion.
24. Post photos showing 's face. According to research, such publications are 35% more popular than others.
25. Tag in photos of people. Your post will also be seen by friends of friends.
26. Remember the rule: the more light the better.
27. If you have a business account, create a branded hashtag . So users can specify it when purchasing a product. And it will increase your visibility on Instagram several times over.
28. Share live photos. Show that behind the beautiful picture there are living people .
29. Business trick: share photos of your followers mentioning your brand or product. This pleasant step shows that you value each client. In return, they will definitely share your photos in their feed.
30. Brand yourself : Use your nickname for more than just your profile. A notebook, a case or a branded sticker on a car will surely attract the attention of potential subscribers.
@romantimo3
31. Invite friends from Facebook to follow you. To do this, in the profile settings, select "Find friends on Facebook."
32. People love stories. Share your experiences and thoughts, so you will gain their trust and establish contact. Just remember that the post should be emotional and bright, not snot in sugar.
33. Tag people , even in stories, don't be lazy.
34. Do not be shy in your posts to ask for likes . As practice has shown, such publications receive 89% more likes.
35. In advance plan not only time, but also content. Prepare your materials and only then start filling out your feed. For example, write posts for a few days in advance, and then publish them gradually.
The Instagram filling schedule will help you stay focused on the main topic of the blog.
36. Post a motivational or inspirational quote .
37. Synchronize phone book with your account. Go to settings and select "Contacts" in the "For Subscriptions" section.
38. Be active on profiles with similar topics. Especially if you run a business profile. Chat in the comments , ask questions and let influencers know about you.
39. Collaborate with other users. Find accounts with the same number of followers and invite their owners to arrange a joint promotion. This will help you and your partners to win an audience and attract the attention of new people.
40. Create a unique hashtag, by which you can organize a challenge for your subscribers.
According to cosmo.com.ua
Tags: Instagram, blog, how to become famous, tips, social networks Lyudmila is in touch, a marketer at Altcraft.
Instagram already has 1.3 billion users, photo and video content service is one of the top social networks in the world and continues to grow. Instagram brings money to brands and bloggers - it is the most effective platform for influencer marketing in 2020-2021. Bloggers earn up to $10,000 from one advertising post. Brands increase the audience, increase loyalty and sales - 90% of Instagram users are subscribed to commercial accounts.
54,793 views
Instagram is a rapidly changing social network with unpredictable algorithms. There is huge competition here, but the question of how to promote Instagram for brands and bloggers remains relevant. We tell you what will work and what will not work in 2022: how to promote a blog on Instagram using free and paid promotion methods.
Before promotion
It is useless to start development without strategy and account preparation. Therefore, first:
- Set up an Instagram profile so that the user immediately understands what your account is about and what you offer.
What's important:
- A name that matches the subject of the account.
- Description in the profile header: USP, benefits, name (if the account is an individual).
- Location if you run an offline business or work in a specific area.
- A link to a website or your other content.
- Page navigation in live stories: prices, location, FAQs and other information.
- Clean your account from inactive subscribers if the profile has been maintained for a long time. Subscribers who do not respond to your content in any way are bad for promotion.
Example. Instagram sees: only 10 out of 1000 subscribers watch your content. The social network understands that the content is uninteresting and stops showing it. Subscribers by themselves are not an indicator of the success of an account, it is important to involve the audience.
- Switch to a business account to get statistics and analyze audience reactions to content.
- Prepare a development strategy. Any promotion is a plan and regularity. One-time actions will not bring results. Define goals - why do you need promotion on Instagram, what do you want to get: subscribers, sales, advertisers, or something else. Prepare a content plan with regular posts, stories and Reels.
Free promotion methods
Reels
Reels is a short video format (15-30 seconds) that Instagram launched worldwide in the summer of 2021. The social network also promised to promote the video format. Therefore, now Reels is the most effective way to promote your account for free. Social media gives Reels an outside reach. If stories and posts work for an existing audience (although posts also sometimes get into recommendations), then Reels has more opportunities. Getting a million views for an account with a couple of thousand subscribers is real.
Another advantage of Reels for promotion is the lifetime. Stories disappear after 24 hours, the post is shown for a couple of days, and Reels “spins” even after a while. Also, one video in Reels can “pull” others along with it: the social network sees that a particular video is interesting to the audience and shows the previously created ones.
Example Reels
Commenting
Don't confuse this method with spam comments for everyone. Popular, but meaningless, remains automatic commenting. With this method, there are situations when the inscription “what a beautiful photo” appears under the mourning post with a candle, or there are off-topic comments. You shouldn't do that.
Unsuccessful automatic commenting
How to get followers on Instagram through comments:
- Comment thoughtfully and to the point. Communicate in a friendly and honest way - try to make friends, and not advertise yourself.
- Chat in the comments under the posts of personal accounts of ordinary users, bloggers and brands.
A user with a small number of followers is more likely to notice you and visit your page. Major bloggers and brands are unlikely to subscribe, but other subscribers will see an interesting comment.
Hashtags
Promotion with the help of hashtags is a legal method of promotion that is unlikely to give huge coverage, but it will still attract some part of the audience. Instagram has a separate search for hashtags and a subscription to them.
Which hashtags to set for promotion:
- Thematic, which relate to your field, and localized, if you are tied to some territory.
- The topic of the hashtag should match the topic of the post and photo, then Instagram better understands what your post is about and shows it to the right audience.
- Do not choose high-frequency hashtags from 500 thousand. The more often a hashtag is used, the less likely your post will be seen.
- Check the relevance of hashtags. If they were last used two years ago, they don't work.
An example of topical hashtags
How many hashtags to use? There is no single answer. Instagram allows you to add up to 30. But such a “canvas” does not always work. Irrelevant hashtags will reduce reach and minimize the effect of relevant ones. Therefore, experiment and do not copy the same hashtags from post to post - this is inefficient. Another social network may think that you are a robot and block your account.
Cross-promo
This method will not fit the query "How to promote instagram from scratch". An account for cross-promotion or mutual PR should already have an audience.
What we do next:
- We are looking for an account with a similar or related theme and with approximately the same number of subscribers.
- Sharing content, such as guest posting, live streaming, or collaborative marathons.
An example of a successful cross-promotion is a sportswear brand account launching a marathon of fast workouts with a fitness trainer.
Promotion on other platforms
If you are actively running another channel (Youtube, Yandex.Zen and others), invite the audience to subscribe to your Instagram.
Important! Users should understand why they need another account of yours. It is unlikely that subscribers are interested in watching the same content. Work with different formats and themes.
An example of such a promotion method from a blogger with a promoted Youtube channel with expert information. The girl offers to subscribe to her Instagram, where she shares her personal.
Instagram promotion on the blogger's Youtube channel
User Content
Works for brands and individuals who want to promote their account.
An option for a brand is to invite users to post a photo with their product and a special hashtag.
Then the brand reposts these publications to its page.
For personal accounts, tag brands. Then there is a chance that the Instagram page will be reposted to the brand account. It turns out win-win - the user gets more coverage, and the brand gets more content.
Location
Adding locations to the account description and posts to Instagram promotion is an additional way. This is especially true for local businesses and events. Just put a location and wait for thousands of subscribers will not work.
Paid promotion methods
Targeted advertising
Instagram official advertising is an opportunity to reach an audience with specific interests. If the algorithms themselves decide who to show your Reels or post to, then in advertising you set the audience yourself. Instagram offers to advertise in the feed, stories and Reels.
Examples of targeted advertising on Instagram: in the feed and in stories
Advertising is set up on Instagram itself or through the Facebook advertising account (if the account is linked to the page).
For advertising on Instagram, goals are available: visiting an account, a website and increasing engagement - more messages. The audience can be selected automatically or configured, but the criteria are limited.
Setting up an advertising campaign on Instagram
There are more opportunities to designate an audience in the Facebook advertising account.
Possible goals of an advertising campaign in the Facebook advertising account
The downside of advertising on the social network is an impressive list of restrictions that are constantly changing. For violation of the rules, advertising is stopped, and sometimes the account is blocked without explanation.
Advertising with influencers
Influence marketing remains trending in 2022 as the blogging market grows. Therefore, Instagram promotion through opinion leaders is still relevant. Advertising among bloggers, famous personalities and experts is more trustworthy and is perceived as a recommendation of a familiar person.
Advertising options for influencers: native (does not look like advertising) or direct.
Advertising with bloggers
How not to promote on Instagram
If to the question: “How to promote an account on Instagram”, someone offers cheating and giveaways, then run. Gray methods of promotion will not only not be useful, but will also destroy your account. Read about them and forget.
Giveaway
Giveaways are contests from influencers in which you need to subscribe to the page and all sponsors of the giveaway in order to participate in the prize draw. Subscription is a prerequisite for the draw. This is how sponsors gain a new audience, but after the draw:
- users unsubscribe because their interest is a prize, not a sponsor's page;
- Instagram algorithms see a large number of unsubscribes and reduce profile coverage;
- it is difficult to save such an account.
Even during a giveaway, the gathered audience is ballast. Prize users are not involved in the content. For Instagram algorithms, this is a sign of irrelevant content.
Cheat bots and comments
Instead of live subscribers, you get fake accounts - bots that create the appearance, but in fact "drown" the account. For algorithms, the more subscribers, the more engagement should be. If the subscribers are bots, there is no activity from them. Instagram sees an uninteresting account and does not show it not only in recommendations, but also to subscribers. The social network also fights against bots and suspicious activity, bans accounts that are engaged in cheating.
Activity chats
They create the illusion of involvement, show social networks and other subscribers interest in the account. These are groups where users gather who like, comment on posts and watch each other's stories. The main disadvantage of the method is an irrelevant audience.
If this method is still possible in an account from scratch, then after growth it will most likely harm - you will not see real involvement and interest in the content, so you will not understand how to improve it.
Mass following and mass liking
The essence of the methods is a subscription to many accounts that can be the target audience or/and likes to posts of different people. The goal is to draw attention to your account: the user will replace your activity and subscribe in response. But the methods are no longer relevant: users do not respond, but Instagram punishes for such promotion. The social network has a limit of subscriptions, unsubscribes, likes, comments, marks, and even the number of publications. For suspicious activity, the user receives a ban. If you resort to the help of automated third-party services, the risks of losing your account forever increase.
Summary
Start promoting your Instagram account by creating a strategy and profile packaging: a clear description and location designation.
