How to Get More Followers on Instagram?
If you’ve recently opened an Instagram account or have had one for a while but feel like it’s not getting anywhere, you might be struggling to gain followers.
Thankfully, gaining followers on Instagram is not quite as challenging as it seems. There are plenty of ways to grow your Instagram following that don’t involve spending money or putting yourself weirdly on display. Here are some tips on how to gain more followers on Instagram — without being creepy about it.
Be a good Instagram citizen
One of the best ways to get more followers on Instagram is by being a good citizen. Everyone on Instagram is there to “live their best life,” but it’s how you go about doing it that will determine whether or not people want to follow you. Be mindful of the following points, and you’ll be well on gaining more followers.
- Be mindful of hashtags – Using too many hashtags (#more than 3) can make your posts look spammy. It can make the audience annoyed. To get more followers on Instagram, make sure your hashtags are relevant to your post.
- Be mindful of your caption – Your caption is your chance to entice people. Be mindful of what you’re saying. Keep captions relatively short (nothing longer than a couple of lines), and stay away from emojis and emo-esque language.
- Be mindful of your feed – Your feed should be a collection of images that tell a story. Try to mix up the types of images you’re posting. Try to alternate between photos and videos, and vary the types of images you’re posting (i.e. images of you, images of your brand, images of your products, images of your fans, etc.). Your Instagram feed should look like a cohesive, well-thought-out story.
- Be mindful of your images – Your images need to look good. While you don’t want to go overboard — you don’t want to be that person who’s obsessed with filters — you don’t want to post images that are low quality either. There are plenty of free apps out there that can help you manage your images.
Build a solid foundation
Before you start trying to gain more followers on Instagram, make sure you’re well-equipped to take advantage of the many opportunities at your disposal. These things will help you build a solid foundation from which you can grow your audience.
- Have a clear Instagram strategy – You need to know why you’re even on Instagram in the first place. Are you trying to sell products? Are you trying to build an audience for a blog? Are you trying to promote yourself or your work? Knowing what your end goal is will help you make more informed decisions when it comes to growing your Instagram following.
- Have a clear brand – Your brand is the visual representation of your business — or you. It’s how you want to be perceived by others. It’s what people will see when they come to your Instagram account, so make sure it’s clear and concise.
- Have a solid foundation of posts – You can’t just go into Instagram blind and expect to gain followers. You need to have a foundation of posts that you can continue to add to and grow. Make sure you have a few posts lined up so you can start gaining followers right away.
- Have a solid foundation of followers – You need to have a solid foundation of followers before you start trying to gain more. The easiest way to do this is by following as many people as you can, and making sure that the people you choose to follow are relevant to your brand.
Network and collaborate (and don’t be a creeper)
If you’re trying to gain more followers on Instagram, one of the best things you can do is network with people in your field (or adjacent fields). This can be done through IG DM, forums, or even in-person meetups. Be sure to always be respectful, and don’t be a creeper. You don’t want to come off as someone who’s trying to take advantage of other people. You want to be someone who is looking to collaborate with others and learn from others along the way.
Once you’ve built up a network of like-minded people, you can try to initiate some collaborations. You can find out if anyone in your network wants to collaborate with you, or you can reach out to a few people and see if they have any suggestions or ideas. Collaborations are a great way to gain more followers on Instagram, but also to make new connections and expand your network.
Host an IG-only event
This isn’t only a great way to gain more followers on Instagram, but it’s also a great way to meet other like-minded people and grow your network. Hosting an IG-only event (or a meetup, depending on what you want to call it) is a fun way to bring together people with similar interests. Hosting an IG-only event doesn’t have to be expensive either. You can do it in your house, at a bar, or even in a public space if you want to let more people know about it.
You could host an IG-only event where you and other Instagrammers take photos and upload them to a shared IG account. Or you could host an IG-only event where everyone brings their IG feed, and then you and the other attendees get to vote on the best feed. There are so many different things you can do to host an IG-only event that’s sure to gain you more followers on Instagram and is a ton of fun to boot.
Use paid advertising
This isn’t the most ethical way to gain followers on Instagram, but it does work. Paid advertising (where you pay money for your ad to show up in other people’s feeds) is one way you can gain more followers. You can try to target people who already follow accounts similar to yours, or you can target people who don’t follow any accounts in your industry.
Paid advertising on Instagram is a great way to gain more followers on Instagram, but you have to be smart about it. You don’t want to annoy people by flooding their feeds with ads, so be sure to put some thought into your ads. Make them interesting, but don’t be pushy. Your ads don’t need to be long, but they do need to convey what you’re trying to say.
In conclusion
Gaining more followers on Instagram is easier than you might think, but it does take some work. Be a good Instagram citizen, build a solid foundation for your account, network and collaborate with others, host an IG-only event, and use paid advertising to gain more followers on Instagram. These are surefire ways to gain more followers on Instagram, grow your network, and increase your brand visibility.