Although the number of followers on Instagram isn’t everything, it serves as a social proof for potential buyers; humans are often more likely to trust a company with many followers than one with very few. A company with many followers shows that they share content that is valuable, and perhaps most important; Many followers mean a greater chance of reaching your target audience – given that your followers is the “right” people, of course.
In this blog post, we share four tips on how to increase your followers on Instagram – and they are valuable whether you’re a marketer who wants to grow your business account, or an influencer who wants to get more followers into your personal account.
How to increase your followers on Instagram
When it comes to growing an Instagram account, there are various tweaks and optimisations you can make with your content to help you reach a targeted audience that is likely to want to follow you. The best Instagram accounts all share something similar – they all create content that entices engagement from their fans. Here are four key tips to increase your followers on Instagram:
1. Find your niche – and stick to it
With millions of Instagram accounts out there, it is important that the visitor directly understands what kind of account you have, who the content is for and why he or she should follow you. Is it to gain new knowledge linked to digital marketing? Is it to show how much fun you have in the office and what a great employer you are? Or is it perhaps to inspire on fashion and decoration? What your Instagram niche is should reflect your business, or if you are an influencer; who you are, what your interests are and what you stand for.
2. Post continuously and at the right time of the day
As with most kinds of marketing, continuity is A and O. By posting frequently and continuously with qualitative content, you increase the chances that more people will see and engage with your posts. High engagement tells Instagram’s algorithm that your account is of high quality, which in turn is being rewarded. Here, it is important to work on a level that you can manage to maintain over time, given the time and resources available. To reach potential followers, you also need to choose the right time to post – that is, when your target audience is most active. You can easily find out the right time yourself with the help of Instagram Insights (given that you have a business account). You can also take advantage of the table that Later has produced over the best times to post, based on an analysis of 12 million posts.
3. Use location and #hashtags
A simple trick to increase the chance of being discovered by your target audience is to use Instagram’s feature to tag sites linked to your posts. On one hand, you can create a feeling that something is happening here and now and you also have the chance to show up in Instagram’s discovery view and in search results. The same goes for hashtags; By using the right tags, you also increase your chances of being found and getting more engaged followers.
4. Create a feed that is both relevant and attractive
Finally, although the looks is not everything, an aesthetically appealing Instagram feed is critical when it comes to growing its follower base. Unlike other social platforms, such as Facebook or Twitter, Instagram is based on images and aesthetics and most of us hang out there largely to be inspired and motivated. As a marketer, it is important that you review your graphic guidelines so that the account is in line with your other visual identity. Play with colours and design and dare to be creative! As an influencer, you should think about how you want to appear and how visitors should feel when they come to your account. And of course, the feed should not only be attractive, but also relevant to your target audience – only then will you be able to grow your Instagram account for real.
How can I get more followers on Instagram fast?
To gain more Instagram followers fast, you need to be on your toes. With new trends and features approaching quickly right now, it’s up to you to try them out and see if it appeals to your audience.
Firstly, always make sure you create relevant and engaging content with your followers in mind. What content do they like on your account? Does your followers follow you because of your expertise in a specific niche, e.g. beauty or fashion, keep your content aligned to topics within this industry. Do they engage more in your Stories versus your Posts? Do more Stories and take advantage of the stickers available! It’s always important to test, optimise and improve your content formats.
Second, Reels is a great example of a content format that can make your content and account go viral. This viral spread is a great way to gain new followers quickly as it reaches a lot of new people through e.g. the Instagram Explore tab. The relevancy of content Instagram users see on their Explore tab is most often very high as the algorithm bases the content shown there on what you’ve previously liked and engaged with. Try to stay up-to-date on trending topics and songs on Reels as this will increase your chances of getting viral spread.
Reels is also a good example of the importance of being quick to latch onto new trends and features on Instagram, as well as take advantage of all the tools that the platform has to offer.
Third, create content that is relatable to your followers and easy for them to share further. Good metrics to see if your content is relatable and shareable is to watch the insights on each post, does it have a lot of saves and sends? Then you’ve done something right! Stories are a great way to connect and drive participation with your audience. This is easily done by using the different stickers available, for example, Quiz, Questions, Poll and Countdown. If your followers engage with your content, Instagram knows it’s relevant it will be shown to more of your followers.
If you have a Creator or Brand account, use the Shop features available and create shoppable posts. This way you can elevate your content with a call to action, making it even more interesting and interactive for your audience.
How do I grow Instagram followers organically?
Growing your followers organically is the only way to gain new followers. You should never buy followers, end of story. If you’re a creator with a goal to start doing collaborations with brands, keep in mind that your account will be quality assured. Today, influencer marketing agencies and brands quality assure influencers with the help of advanced systems and human expertise that easily can spot if an account has purchased fake followers or engagement.
By doing all the things we mentioned above, you should see follower growth. But we know – it’s difficult to gain followers quickly. If you’re passionate about a topic, and it’s the reason why people press that follow button, keep showing and sharing your passion within that niche. It will shine through and definitely make your account attractive for new people to follow.
Final thoughts
So there you have it – a few awesome tips to increase your Instagram followers. By using these tips, you’ll find it easier to optimise your account and create engagement-worthy content that will likely pump your follower count up. As an influencer marketing agency, we’re all about utilising the best practices on Instagram that will help you influence your target market.
Continue the conversation around digital marketing and social media in our podcast!
