Having a large Instagram following is a key component to increasing your brand’s reach. It can help with exposure, sales, and engagement.
Create content that is unique and fits your brand aesthetic. Use a variety of filters to keep your audience engaged and excited about your posts.
Tag other accounts in your posts, but only if they are relevant. Done properly, this will build trust and boost your engagement.
1. Post Relevant Content
Creating content that resonates with your audience is the best way to increase Instagram followers. To do this, start by creating a series of introductory posts that introduce your business, products, and services. Then, make sure to post these posts regularly.
Once you’ve established a steady rhythm of posting, you can start to promote your Instagram account using ads. To create an ad, select any organic post and choose “Boost” from the menu. Then, choose a goal (such as more profile visits) and set a budget.
To maximize the effectiveness of your ads, be sure to use relevant hashtags in your captions. Also, remember to write captions that sound natural and relatable. Use emoji when it makes sense, but don’t overdo it. Instagram’s algorithm favors authentic, quality content over generic or spammy posts. Avoid buying fake followers, as this is against Instagram’s community guidelines and can get your account banned. Instead, focus on attracting a core audience that is genuinely interested in your brand. This will lead to real engagement and conversions in the long run.
2. Add a CTA
A great call-to-action is crucial for any post, reel, or story. This is especially true for Instagram, where your bio is the first thing a new user sees when exploring the platform or browsing on the Explore page. In addition to a tagline that resonates with your audience, you can also add links in your bio to value-add destinations like landing pages, promo codes, and blog posts.
Adding a CTA to your Instagram posts is easy, but remember to keep it short! Adding too many links can overwhelm the viewer and skew your engagement metrics. Additionally, adding too many calls to action in your captions can be a turn-off for your audience.
While IG offers several options for growing your account, buying followers or participating in engagement pods is against the platform’s terms of use and will only serve to devalue your account in the long run. Instead, focus on generating a genuine following that will help your business grow. Then you can rely on your real followers to share your content and promote your brand for free.
3. Ask Questions
Asking questions on Instagram Stories is a great way to build engagement with your followers. It is also a good way to learn more about your audience. For example, you can ask them what their favorite food is or what their hobbies are. This information can help you improve your products or services.
You can use the Questions sticker in your Instagram Story to ask your followers and customers questions. Just make sure that you don’t overuse it because your followers may get tired of answering your questions. Also, avoid asking questions that are too personal. For example, you shouldn’t ask them about their relationship status or whether they are married.
Once you have a question, you can add it to your Instagram Story by selecting the sticker tray at the top left of your screen and tapping “Questions.” You can also select a photo to accompany the question. When someone responds, they’ll receive a notification and will be able to see their responses in your story by swiping up. You can also share their responses as stickers in your story to give them some recognition.
4. Post on Sundays
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for the best time to post on Instagram. Instead, you should try out different times for a few weeks and see what works best for your audience. For example, if you find that your audience engages most with posts on Mondays at 2 p.m., then switch it up and post at 3 p.m. on week 2.
The day of the week is also a crucial factor. ExpertVoice notes that Wednesdays tend to see the highest overall engagement, while Thursdays are a bit smaller. This could be because people are checking social media during their lunch breaks or after work.
In addition to experimenting with different times, make sure that you’re posting engaging content on a regular basis. This means everything from photos and videos to gifs, infographics, quotes, and more. It’s also a good idea to post regularly on weekends. That way, your followers will have something new to engage with every time they check their feed. Try out a few different types of content, including Feed posts, Stories, Reels, and Lives (find inspiration for creative Instagram Lives here). Remember, your focus should be on growing your audience organically rather than using quick hacks to boost it.
5. Follow Other Accounts
Instagram has a 7500-follower limit, and once you reach it, it’s harder to grow your following. However, you can use features like Explore and Search to find accounts that interest you. Follow these accounts, and they’ll likely follow you back.
Cross-promoting your Instagram account with other platforms is a great way to gain followers. For example, you can run a giveaway on TikTok that requires entrants to check out your Instagram profile. You can also run Instagram Lives and Stories to engage viewers in real-time.
Keep in mind, though, that if you try to game the system by following and unfollowing lots of accounts, Instagram will see this as spam and could punish your account. It’s better to focus on authentic, long-term growth by engaging with your existing audience and building an engaged community. This will help your content stand out to other users and boost your chances of being recommended to them in the future. Also, don’t buy followers — it’s against Instagram’s terms of service and can result in a ban.