How to get more followers on Instagram? It is a question that has created much debate on the platform and for a good reason. Statista states that 1.44 billion monthly active Instagram users will be active by 2025.
With 90% of them following at least one business account, it is safe to say that boosting followers on the platform is a must if you are looking to enhance brand awareness and drive greater sales.
But here is the deal: unless you are a part of a popular conglomerate brand or have a huge marketing budget to increase paid visibility, getting more people to follow you on Instagram can be challenging.
How do you even get started? Fret not! In this blog post, we uncover nine actionable tips to apply to increase followers on Instagram.
Optimize your Business profile
Is that not too basic, you might ask? Yes, it is an unwritten rule, so it is necessary to emphasize the importance of customizing your Instagram bio.
It is, after all, the first touchpoint for new profile visitors, allowing it to share who you are and what you offer. There are five Instagram profile hacks:
- An engaging description of what you do and/or what you offer in under 150 characters
- A link to your website and other offering pages
- A recognizable and easily searchable username
- A clear Call-to-Action (CTA)
- Brand logo pic
Let us take the example of Letterfolk, a home decor and paper goods company. In just one sentence, it tells the audience that it sells meaningful products inspired by simpler times and is part of Pattern Brands, its parent company.
Besides making the bio short and informative, Letterfolk includes branded keywords to make the account on the platform more discoverable.
Instead of directing the audience to a single link, it uses Later’s Linkin.bio tool to create a landing page with two links to the website and a clickable Instagram feed. This way, it does not have to frequently update the URL in the Instagram bio.
Develop and schedule your Instagram content
You cannot think about growing your follower count if you do not post something on it consistently. And always trying to think of something to post at the last minute is a losing battle.
You have to plan your content, preferably weeks in advance. But how do you get started? What do you post about? Here is how:
a. Explore various post ideas
There are several content themes you can pick regardless of your business and publish in the form of photos and videos, such as:
- Customer testimonials
- FAQs about your offering
- Behind-the-scenes content
- Time-bound discounts and deals
- Product or service uses and benefits
- User-generated content (UGC) reposts
You can also go Live on Instagram Stories, host an interactive Q&A, or tease a product launch or update. Whatever you do, ensure the content is relevant to your industry and audience’s needs.
b. Organize with a calendar
There are so many free social media content calendar templates from HubSpot, CoSchedule, and SmartSheet that you can use to articulate your strategy. When you have a bird’s eye view of what is to be posted, you can optimize your Instagram strategy effectively.
You can align your posts with specific campaigns, holidays, or trending topics, maximizing their impact and relevance to your audience.
c. Write thoughtful captions
Take time to write inspiring captions that compel more people to follow you. There is a limit of 2,200 characters, including hashtags, which allows you to freely curate longer captions. Plus, having the captions ready will save you from fumbling to write something every day.
d. Schedule your Instagram posts
These days, you can do it straight from your mobile app. And if you are using a tool like Buffer or HootSuite, you do not have to log into your Instagram.
Although these tools suggest optimal posting times based on your past performance, you can create your schedule based on your audience’s behavior and preferences. This is helpful when starting and does not have older post-performance to fall back on.
Incorporate Reels into your content strategy
A Sprout Social study indicates that 66% of customers want to see more short-form video content from businesses. That means Reels should be on your radar if you want to increase your follower count.
Reels allow you to create and share videos up to 60 seconds long, featuring a wide range of templates, editing tools, and the ability to include text, stickers, and music or audio from Instagram’s extensive library.
The wider Instagram community can discover Reels through Explore, enhancing their viral potential. The average likes on Reels is 42% higher than that of posts, and Reels see four times the number of shares over posts!
Skincare company Drunk Elephant often does “show and tell” videos wherein content creators show how to use a product, answer commonly asked questions about it, and share their experience.
This type of content engages the audience and makes them follow you on Instagram and check out your products.
Do not just sell your products or services. Keep the content unique and trend-driven. Find a balance between educating your audience and entertaining them. Make how-to videos, share tips and industry info, present humorous takes on viral trends, and create product demos.
Use the right hashtags to boost discoverability
You can use up to 30 hashtags on an Instagram post, helping you get discovered by an even larger audience than the one that already follows you on the platform. But you cannot just thrust random hashtags into the caption and expect them to work.
You have to select them carefully. Here is how:
- Look at your current followers’ profiles to see what hashtags they use and other accounts they follow.
- Type keywords related to your niche in the Instagram search bar and note the suggested hashtags.
- When you find a hashtag that aligns with your content, check out the “Related” tags suggested by Instagram.
- Targeting a specific geographic area? Use local hashtags to tap into local communities and gain followers interested in local content.
You can also use tools like All Hashtag, RiteTag, and Hashtagify to find hashtags for your Instagram platform.
Create a batch of hashtags you can use for each caption. Access Instagram Insights to find out how people found your posts, including the hashtags that brought them there. Make changes to your strategy based on that.
Interact with the audience in post comments and Stories
This is an under-utilized strategy for follower growth on Instagram. Put yourself out there by proactively engaging with those who have engaged with you on the platform.
Yes, you cannot respond to every comment and Direct Message (DM) you receive, but do your best to answer all queries.
Buffer’s engagement features, for instance, enable you to do it from the desktop instead of manually scrolling through each comment or DM on your Instagram mobile app.
In addition, get active on Instagram Stories. For instance, nutrition brand Bulletproof does a weekly Q&A on Stories, answering their audience’s most frequently asked questions about their products.
Research shows that 88% of customers say authenticity from brands is important when deciding which ones they like or support. Engaging with your audience on Instagram is a great way to show them they are open to two-way communication and building a relationship with them.
Partner with content creators and influencers
Research shows that 61% of customers trust influencers compared to 38% who trust brand-produced content. If budget allows, team up with influencers or content creators who share a similar audience to yours. You can bank on their power on the platform in two ways:
a. Cross-collaborate on content
Brainstorm ideas that leverage the strengths of both your brand and the influencer and appeal to both audiences, encouraging them to follow both accounts.
Look how rapper Ice Spice partnered with Dunkin’ Donuts to develop a Pumpkin Spice drink, Munchkins, a play on the words of her hit song, “Munch.”
The posts could range from tutorials and behind-the-scenes looks to Q&A sessions or live streams. Cross-promote by tagging each other in posts, using relevant hashtags, and engaging with comments to boost the content’s visibility.
b. Pay for sponsored content
Let influencers post something about your business for a particular amount of money on their Instagram. This direct approach can quickly boost visibility among your target audience. Choose influencers whose followers align with your ideal customer profile for maximum impact.
For both strategies, maintain a genuine and consistent brand voice and ensure any partnerships feel authentic to your brand. Also, always follow Instagram’s guidelines and disclose sponsored content to maintain transparency with your audience.
Promote your Instagram account aggressively
If having more followers is your goal, you cannot be shy about promoting your profile. Here are a few strategies you can follow to get the word out:
- Add social media icons to your website and marketing emails.
- Feature an Instagram feed on your homepage or product or service pages. Many eCommerce brands, like the clothing label The Label Life, have a dedicated UGC feed on-site.
- Reshare Instagram-specific announcements or content on other social media channels. For example, you could discuss an upcoming IG Live via Facebook or X.com.
- Organize a “thunderclap” and get multiple accounts to repost your Instagram post simultaneously. This works well if you are promoting a time-bound sale and want to get more eyes on your offerings.
Leverage geo-tagging for local engagement
Geo-tagging is a powerful tool on social media that allows users to attach a geographical identification marker to their content, such as the name of a city, store, or landmark. With this feature, you can attract followers from their immediate vicinity or specific locations of interest.
When geo-tagged content becomes discoverable to users browsing posts from that specific location.
For instance, someone exploring content tagged with a particular city or neighborhood may come across your post, increasing the likelihood of gaining a new local follower who finds your content relevant to their interests or needs.
This method is especially effective for promoting events, showcasing local attractions, or simply connecting with a community with a geographical bond.
Moreover, incorporating UGC alongside geo-tagging can further amplify your efforts to attract local followers. UGC refers to any form of content—images, videos, reviews, or testimonials—created by users rather than brands themselves.
You create a more authentic and relatable presence on social media by encouraging your audience to share their own content related to your brand or location and to geo-tag these posts.
Host giveaways for active participation
Plan a giveaway or a contest asking people to follow you on the platform. The idea is to run this for a few days and then randomly pick a winner. Encourage further participation by having them like your post and/or tag their friends in the comments section.
These actions not only potentially introduce your account to new followers via trusted referrals but also favorably impact Instagram’s algorithm, possibly increasing your post’s visibility.
If you want to give more depth to your offer, implement a “follow to unlock” strategy. Share content that can only be fully enjoyed or accessed by following your account.
This could be part of a story that’s continued in your feed, a discount code revealed only to followers, or exclusive tutorials.
Take inspiration from Portland Leather’s contest approach, which motivates entrants to share the contest on their Stories, significantly amplifying the brand and contest’s visibility.
Do not forget to promote the giveaway across all your social media platforms to get as many eyeballs on your Instagram as possible. You can also use a specific hashtag for the contest to track participation and spread the word further.
Consider buying Instagram followers
Opting to buy Instagram followers can be a strategic move to quickly amplify your online presence. This approach can significantly boost your profile’s visibility and lend it an air of credibility, making it more appealing to potential organic followers.
A higher follower count acts as social proof, signaling to others that your content is worth their attention, especially beneficial for new or growing accounts striving for recognition.
Buying Instagram followers is a way to get the ball rolling, so to speak, giving your account a competitive edge in the crowded Instagram landscape.
Are you ready to up your ‘Gram game?
Increasing your Instagram follower account is not rocket science. You just have to be willing to put in the effort and take every step discussed in this blog post seriously.
This includes customizing your profile, creating a consistent posting schedule, experimenting with different content formats, and leveraging influencer marketing and the amazing number of features that Instagram provides.
You must also remember that your number of followers will not increase overnight; you must be patient to build an engaged community. The rewards will be worth it.
Good luck!