Follow these 22 proven tips to increase your Instagram followers.
Do you want to hike/increase your Instagram followers but need help figuring out where to begin?
There are several ways to increase your Instagram followers. Some people buy them. Others boost posts. However, these tactics can backfire and only last for a short time.
Instagram is the great popular social media platform for sharing photos and videos. It has more than 2,000,000 active users.
This is why Instagram Marketing and having high followers can increase exposure and visibility for businesses trying to reach their target market.
These are 22 ways to increase/hike your Instagram followers without spending a fortune. These tips have been tested and proven to work:
1. Make a Content Calendar with Great Ideas!
We focus on ideas, delivery and optimization when creating great content.
It should be the same when we upload photos and videos to a brand or business’s Instagram account.
It is essential to brainstorm engaging content ideas that correspond with your business’s seasons, holidays, and upcoming events.
You can be flexible, however, and still post as your ideas arise.
Instead of constantly searching for the right thing to post, having a list of ideas and a schedule will help you stay ahead.
You could also post multiple times per day, depending on your business.
Make an Instagram Content Plan and follow it.
2. Only post-well-composed images & videos
When posting to Instagram, businesses should use only high-quality photos or videos.
High-quality, unpixellated photos. Instagram is, above all, a visual platform.
Businesses cannot post blurry images or images with part of the image missing.
It doesn’t have to conform to National Geographic standards. It only needs to be focused.
Low-quality content will not get you any engagement and may even cost your followers.
3. Try Different Dimensions & Filters
You can be a business owner to enjoy filters and different dimensions.
Filters are a good idea.
If your photos are original and creative, people will be more inclined to share and follow your account.
To enhance your photos, you can also download photo editing software.
Dimensions don’t have to be limited to the square. Use landscape and portrait options.
4. Use Instagram Analytics To Feed Your Persona-Research
An Instagram business account is free and gives you access to analytics which shows when your audience is most active.
These data can be used to optimize your posting time.
Instagram gives you insight into your audience’s location and age. This can help you to create a customer persona.
5. Tag people / memebers in your pictures who interact with your brand
Tag relevant accounts to make sure you are visible in their feeds.
You could also take a group photo after a Body Pump class and tag everyone in the picture. It will then populate their tagged feeds.
Their followers will discover your studio.
This strategy can be applied to any brand or business account.
You can tag others and share the spotlight if you wish. This will bring you more followers and leads on Instagram.
6. Optimize your Instagram bio with brand hashtags and CTAs
Your Insta Bio should include branded hashtags, hyperlinks, and a call to action. This is important when searching for new Instagram users.
This section allows users to discover more about you and your brand and whether they want to follow you.
Don’t be desperate or appear spammy.
It is essential to let your users know who and why you are.
This section should be updated as needed.
7. Ask questions in your posts and include CTAs
Include a call-to-action at the end of every post or a question that will increase engagement
CTAs can include:
- Please find out more by clicking the link in my bio
- Double-tap to view more videos like these!
- Keep following us to ensure you get all the updates.
Post questions. You can also ask questions to keep your audience interested.
8. Add a link to your Instagram account to your web-site & e-mail
Add an icon to your social media links or embed Instagram content on your website to ensure that existing customers and clients find you.
Your email signature can be used to link to the Instagram account of your brand.
You can also use a plugin to feed your Instagram posts to your website.
This is an excellent way to advertise your account to others who visit your site often and build your client base.
9. Cross-post your Instagram Content to Facebook and Twitter
You can get users to your Instagram account by cross-posting Instagram content to Facebook or Twitter.
Users who don’t know that you are on Instagram or follow you on other platforms will only be able to explain if the post mentions it was shared via Instagram.
You can adjust your settings automatically for each cross-post post or manually for selected posts.
10. For increased brand reach, run contests, and campaigns
After you have built a following, you can host contests or campaigns to attract more people to your page.
You can use an inspiring Instagram contest to drive traffic to your site or sell your products.
You can ask users to comment, like, or use a hashtag. Or invite your followers to tag friends.
Asking users to tag friends exposes your brand to more Instagram users.
This is a great way to increase brand awareness and reach, and it’s a key trick to getting more Instagram followers.
11. Take a look at what your competitors are doing
One way to increase your Instagram followers is to study what your competition is doing and take inspiration from them.
You might discover hashtags you don’t know about, influencers that you are yet to reach out to, and other strategies that could help you search for new ones.
You can also note which posts perform the best. This can give you an indication of what could work for your account.
12. Interact with Instagram (Follow and Like Other Posts, Comment & Leave a Comment)
Engage strategically with people who might like your profile.
You interact with potential customers and brand partners by liking, following, and thoughtfully commenting upon their posts.
Start with your hashtags. Click on the frequently used hashtags to find others posting similar content.
Interacting with others who are following you is another good idea. Follow them and enjoy their content.
Engage more, and you will be more visible in other people’s feeds.
It also shows that you are a natural, authentic account that believes in reciprocity.
13. Avoid using too much text in your photos
You should save your captions’ words. Instagram is a popular destination for visual content.
It is not acceptable to post a lot of text within an image.
Although a positive, short statement or quote is excellent, it does not necessarily fit the product description or message.
Canva is a great free tool for adding text to your photos.
14. Never Include Logos & Watermarks On Your Pictures
Your Instagram posts should not include your logo. This will cause users to have a bad experience and disrupt your content.
People don’t expect to find watermarks or logos in their Instagram posts. Although it is not recommended to include branding on your content, it can be done.
If you are a B2B company, for example, posting behind-the-scenes photos of your employees, ask them to wear shirts featuring your logo.
If you are a fashion retailer, include a bag strategically placed in a photo along with the name of your store.
Be subtle, or you risk being ignored.
15. Make sure to use the right hashtags to grab/capture new audiences
Use hashtags on Instagram to get your content in-front of new audiences, regardless of whether they are following you.
Include local hashtags if you are a local business.
Spend some time researching hashtags to find the most relevant for your content.
It is easy to determine which hashtags are most popular.
When you type it in, Instagram displays how many posts are made around the world #.
Hashtagify. can also be used to find hashtags that are gaining traction.
You can enter your primary hashtag to see its reach, the reach of related hashtags, their reach, and all associated hashtags.
How many Hashtags should I add /include to an Instagram post?
To avoid appearing spammy, it’s common to limit yourself to 5-7 hashtags. You can use up to 30 hashtags.
Where should I add the hashtags to an Instagram post?
These can be added directly to the post or as a separate comment after posting. It’s an aesthetic option.
Some users prefer to add single lines separated by line breaks following their caption and then add hashtags.
You can do whatever you want, but keeping the style consistent across all posts is best to maintain a professional, streamlined look.
16. Use Geotags To Reach Local Audiences
Geotag your content to be found by users not already following you. However, this can include something other than your store location.
Use your local landmark or city to get many search results.
People can find your content by searching nearby.
Your content may be featured at the top search results if performing exceptionally well.
17. Only add links to your bio
An Instagram link you include will not be clickable and will only frustrate and disappoint your followers as they try (and fail) to open it.
Instead of including unclickable links, direct people to click on the link in your bio.
They can click on that to go to your website to see all of the offerings.
When you edit your bio, include your link in the “links” section. Also, mention it in your post.
To save space, you can use Bit.ly, a link shortener.
The link can be further optimized by customizing it. This will make it not just a random string but a meaningful word.
18. Tag Products in Pictures & Videos to Drive Conversions
If you are selling products, take advantage of Instagram’s tag feature.
Businesses can add product links to photos and videos.
You must have a Facebook business page with a product catalog to use this feature.
It is a fantastic user experience and a big win for businesses trying to increase conversions.
19. Make a brandable hashtag for your events
For your next event, create a hashtag.
It will help your brand get noticed and curate a unique stream with the event’s content. This will allow other attendees to connect and engage your brand.
You can promote the event using your hashtag, and then you can post content to follow up.
20. Repost when you get tagged to show-case positive reviews
You can get more traffic from a user who tags your brand or business by reposting it to your feed.
Positive reviews and mentions are great ways to use Instagram for your business.
Reach out to the user to thank them for their posts and ask permission to repost them (Instagram’s Terms of Use note that you must obtain written permission to repost content from users).
Most likely, they will be open to it.
You can either manually repost or use Repost for Instagram.
Either way, credit the original poster in your caption and tag them on the photo.
21. Use Instagram-Ads To Get In Front Of Your Audience
Consider putting a portion of your ad budget towards promoting your Instagram account.
Facebook’s Power Editor allows you to create carousel ads that promote your content and are highly effective.
Facebook advertising can be used to promote a contest or campaign.
You can target customers using Power Editor to make sure your posts are seen by Instagram users interested in your business.
Some strategies work better than others. Find the one that who works for you and your business.
22. Get Your Account Verified
Getting verified on Instagram or any other social-media platform is always a good idea.
The little blue tick lends credibility to your brand and gives it trust.
Although only a few will be eligible for Instagram verification, it is something worth striving for.
Verification is a way to differentiate yourself from the rest and send a signal that you are a real business.
Your account must be:
- Authentic (you must be able to prove that you are the brand/business you claim to represent).
- Unique (only one account can be created per brand).
- Public.
- Complete the form with a bio, profile picture, and at most one post
- Important (Instagram must consider your brand “well-known and highly searched for”.
