Ever wanted to expand your audience on Instagram but don’t know how? Growing your Instagram account can seem challenging, but with the right strategies, it’s achievable. In this blog post, I’m going to dive deep into how to gain followers on Instagram with 20 proven strategies that will help you build a strong, engaged community.
Plus, I will provide answers to all your questions about increasing Instagram engagement and growing your follower count. So, without any hesitation, let’s get started!
How to Gain Followers on Instagram?
The good news is that there are several methods to get more followers on Instagram. But what matters most is choosing a way that brings Real, Engaged Followers, those who are interested in your content and engage with it, and those who are loved by the Instagram algorithm.
However, here, I’m going to talk about all possible ways (organic and non-organic) along with each one’s pros and cons. Finally, the decision is yours!
How to Gain Followers on Instagram Fast for Free?
The best way to grow Instagram followers is to focus on organic tactics and forget about any shortcuts. But, what are organic methods? Let’s explore them in detail.
#1. Create a Professional Account
A professional account (business or creator) is public and offers a lot of features and tools that help you grow your account. Setting up a professional account is straightforward, requiring just a few steps:
- Go to your profile and tap ‘Edit profile.’
- Click ‘Switch to professional account.’
- Then, follow the instructions and it’s done!
Note: For whatever reason, you can switch back to your personal Instagram account later if you want.
#2. Deep Dive into Instagram Algorithm
Instagram algorithm is not your enemy. Rather, you can use it to your advantage by understanding how it works and how it ranks content.
The Instagram algorithm considers various factors to decide which content gets more visibility and engagement. Here are some of the factors that might help you align with the algorithm:
1. Posting daily
2. Engaging with followers
3. Using proper hashtags
4. Creating high-quality content
5. Posting stories & reels
6. Optimal post times
7. Encouraging saves/shares
8. Collaborating with others
9. Engaging captions
10. Staying updated
#3. Specify Your Niche
Instagram prioritizes showing users content that is relevant to their interests. When you focus on a specific niche, your content attracts a targeted audience genuinely interested in what you offer.
This results in higher engagement (likes, comments, saves) that the algorithm recognizes and rewards. So:
- Brainstorm your passions, hobbies, and areas of expertise.
- Refine your niche to a specific sub-category within a broader field. For example, instead of just ‘food,’ focus on ‘vegan baking’ or ‘healthy meal prep.’
- Look at successful accounts in your niche. Analyze their content and audience, and identify gaps or opportunities to bring a unique perspective.
#4. Optimize Your Profile
Instagram SEO helps you increase your discoverability and make a good first impression.
If you want to turn those who find you through keywords into followers, you should create a perfect window:
- Briefly tell who you are, what you do, and what you have for users (any free offer?)
- Add a clear, strong call to action plus a link to your website or other social media platforms.
- Use emojis to visualize your bio.
- Choose a high-quality portrait photo for your profile.
- Organize your best content into highlights (with a cover photo).
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#5. Create Reels and Go Live
Based on the Instagram Engagement Report in 2023, videos are the most engaging content on the platform. So, don’t hesitate to include Reels and Lives in your IG content calendar.
To get followers from reels on Instagram, you can:
- Use trending audio that is relevant to your niche.
- Be original and unique and avoid copying.
- Create short Reels of the right size with high quality.
- Use filters, effects, and stickers to make it visually appealing.
Now, are you wondering if going live on Instagram helps you gain followers? The answer is a strong Yes. To make the most of your IG Live, consider the following tips:
- Select the right time to go live and promote it in advance.
- Collaborate with a guest to reach more people on Instagram.
- Respond to comments and questions.
- Target your audience’s pain points and interests (Tutorials, Workshops, Interviews, FAQs, and more).
- Keep your live short.
#6. Post Consistently and Schedule Your Posts
Still don’t know how to gain followers on Instagram? To stay relevant in your target audience’s feed and Instagram algorithm, you need to develop a regular posting schedule (ideally 2-3 times a week).
Remember, to find out how often you should post on Instagram to grow, testing with different frequencies helps most.
Another point is to post when your audience is active. Identify the best time to post on Instagram based on the insights you gather. Then, schedule your content for that time.
Suggested Post: How to Schedule Instagram Posts
#7. Use Popular and Branded Hashtags
Just like keywords, hashtags increase your discoverability if you use them strategically. Research popular hashtags and use relevant ones that your target audience searches for.
But how to use hashtags on Instagram to gain followers? Just use a combination of popular hashtags (to get discovered) and niche hashtags (to target your ideal audience). Don’t overdo it – 5-10 hashtags are a good range. Create a unique hashtag specific to your brand or campaign to encourage user-generated content.
#8. Create Engaging Captions
An engaging caption sparks conversation, poses questions, and encourages comments. As mentioned earlier, the core of the Instagram algorithm revolves around showing users content they’ll engage with.
When your captions spark interaction (likes, comments, replies), it sends a strong signal to the algorithm that your content is interesting and valuable. This leads to a higher ranking in feeds and increased visibility.
- Ask open-ended questions that go beyond a simple Yes or No answer. For example, you can ask them to share their thoughts, opinions, or experiences.
- Sometimes, a touch of humor or a witty caption can grab attention and encourage a lighthearted conversation.
- Don’t just post the caption and walk away. Actively respond to comments, answer questions, and engage in the conversation you’ve started.
#9. Respond to Comments
Actively respond to comments and messages promptly. This builds relationships and shows you value your followers. But remember;
- Try to respond to comments within 24 hours, especially for early comments.
- Respond to all comments, not just the positive ones.
- Use emojis to add personality and warmth to your responses.
#10. Cross-Promote on Other Platforms
To boost your reach and drive more traffic, promote your Instagram on other social media platforms like X [Twitter], YouTube, Facebook, your website, and your email signature. Also, connect your Instagram account to your Facebook page to share the content on both platforms.
#11. Create Engaging Stories Every Day
Instagram loves fresh and engaging stories. To boost Instagram story engagement, follow these tips:
- Use polls, questions, quizzes, and emoji sliders in Stories to encourage viewers to participate and increase engagement.
- Use CTAs (call to actions) in Stories to encourage viewers to visit your profile, follow you, or check out your latest post.
- Use ‘Close Friends’ feature to create more exclusive content for your exclusive fans.
- Share sneak peeks, bloopers, or your creative process in stories to make your brand more relatable.
- Also, use filters and effects to make your stories visually attractive.
#12. Collaborate with Others
Instagram Collaboration helps you tap into the audience of your collaborator, exposing your content to new people interested in a similar niche. Partner with complementary accounts for shoutouts, co-created content, and joint giveaways.
#13. Use Instagram Insights
Along the path of getting new followers, Instagram analytics are your friend.
Utilize Instagram Insights to understand your audience demographics, peak engagement times, and top-performing content.
Instagram reach and engagement by followers and non-followers and account type, profile visits, and total followers are metrics that you should track and optimize.
#14. Follow Instagram Rules
If you want to be recommended by the platform (Your account and content), you should stick to the Instagram guidelines. This means avoiding shortcuts like buying followers, using bots, and creating appropriate content.
#15. Use Organic Growth Tools
Growing Instagram followers requires patience, effort, and a certain level of expertise. Besides, it doesn’t happen overnight. With this in mind, getting help from experts seems smart! Here’s where an Instagram growth service comes in. However, among hundreds of tools and agencies, it’s crucial to choose a legit Instagram growth service.
AiGrow is one with manual services all handled by a team of experts to grow your account organically. AiGrow’s features save you time and effort.
Here’s how to gain followers on Instagram using AiGrow: Imagine you leave hashtag research, engagement, creating content, and sending DMs to specialists. This allows you to lean back and focus on your business. But that’s not all, on AiGrow:
- You can have a live strategy session with your account manager to discuss your needs, goals, expectations, and preferences.
- You’ll be regularly updated with detailed and data-driven reports.
- Contact support will be available 24/7.
- You’ll have a 14-day money-back guarantee.
Explore packages and pick one that fits your goal!
#16. Use Geotagging on Your Posts
Geotagging means adding a specific location to your Instagram posts and stories. When you take a photo or video, you can tag the place where it was taken, like a city, restaurant, park, or any other spot. Actually, geotagging helps you connect with people in your area or those interested in that specific place. This can lead to a more engaged local following.
Plus, posts with geotags often get more likes and comments because they are reaching a broader audience. So, when you create a post, tap ‘Add Location’ and choose the place where the photo or video was taken.
#17. Save Your Stories as Highlights
To save and showcase your favorite Instagram Stories on your profile, you can use story highlights. Highlights let you keep your best stories available for anyone who visits your profile.
This gives potential followers a quick way to see what your content is all about. Using Instagram Highlights can also help you create a more engaging and attractive profile, making it easier to gain followers. In short, they’re a great way to make a lasting impression on anyone who visits your page.
#18. Run Instagram Giveaways and Contests
All people love gifts and that’s why Instagram giveaways and contests come to your help to gain followers. Running Instagram giveaways and contests is an awesome way to boost engagement on your profile.
To enter giveaways, participants usually need to follow your account, like the giveaway post, comment on it, and tag friends in the comments.
When participants tag their friends, your profile gets exposed to a broader audience, increasing your chances of gaining more followers.
#19. Utilize User-Generated Content
User-generated content (UGC) is any type of content like photos, videos, or stories created by your followers or customers. When users create content about your brand, their followers see it too. This extends your reach to a broader audience.
Additionally, UGC provides you with high-quality content without the need for a big production. The only thing you need to do is to ask questions or create challenges that encourage followers to share their responses. For example, ‘Show us how you style our new hats and tag us!’
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#20. Apply for a Verification Badge
A verification badge shows that your account is legitimate, which builds trust with your audience. Verified accounts often appear higher in search results, making it easier for people to find you.
When new visitors see the blue checkmark, they’re more likely to follow you because it signals that your account is trustworthy.
It not only boosts your credibility but also increases your chances of attracting more followers. So, if you meet the criteria, it’s definitely worth giving it a shot!
How to Get Quick Followers on Instagram? (Not Recommended)
First off, I Do Not recommend the following methods. If you’re looking for the WRONG 10K followers hack on Instagram, here you go! Otherwise, you’d better avoid them:
Buying Followers: There are thousands of apps out there claiming to grow your Instagram followers in hours. But, let’s be honest! This only increases your follower count with fake or inactive accounts, hurts your engagement, and may even get your account flagged by Instagram. Besides, the followers disappear after days.
Follow-unfollow: Well, follow-unfollow on Instagram is a double-edged sword. It’s kind of simple but still time-consuming and a bit risky. If you go beyond Instagram follow-unfollow limits, you’ll end up with an IG action block.
Instagram Engagement Pods: Another non-organic way is to join groups where accounts agree to like and comment on each other’s posts to create artificial engagement. This may also look spammy to Instagram.
In a nutshell, non-organic methods just lead to low engagement, Instagram bans, and damaged reputation.
Suggested Post: How to Grow an Instagram Account from Scratch
The Process of Gaining New Followers on Instagram
As I mentioned above, getting a new single follower on Instagram requires effort and time. In fact, it’s a cycle. Want to know how this cycle starts and continues? Here’s how:
- It all starts with you creating engaging content – a photo, video, Reel, or Story – that aligns with your niche and target audience.
- You strategically use relevant hashtags to help people searching for those topics discover your content.
- Based on engagement and other factors, your content might get featured on the Instagram Explore page, exposing it to a wider audience.
- Your follower’s feed shows your content if they follow relevant hashtags or accounts you collaborate with.
- A person browsing the Explore page or their feed stumbles upon your content and finds it interesting.
- The viewer clicks on your content to see it in more detail.
- They land on your profile page and get a sense of your overall brand and content style.
- Based on the profile bio, content in the feed, and Story highlights, the viewer decides if your content aligns with their interests.
- If impressed, the viewer clicks the “Follow” button, officially becoming your new follower!
Bottom Line
Now, you’ve learned how to gain followers on Instagram. By organic methods like creating engaging content (Stories, Reels, Lives, Carousels, etc), using hashtags, including keywords in your bio and caption, and collaborating with others, you’ll have sustainable growth.
On the other side, while non-organic tactics could be fast, they don’t bring engagement which is Instagram’s favorite. Even if you’re going to outsource Instagram marketing, it’s important to choose ones that use organic methods.
FAQs
Now that you know how to gain more followers on Instagram, here are a few frequently asked questions about our topic.
Q1: How Can I Get Followers on Instagram?
There are organic and non-organic ways to grow your Instagram followers. Non-organic methods (not recommended) include buying followers, follow-unfollow, and Instagram pods.
Organic tactics are posting regularly, creating a content calendar, experimenting with different content, responding to comments, and collaborating with niche-related accounts.
Q2: How to Increase Followers on Instagram without Any App?
To increase your followers without any app, opt for high-quality photos and videos, captivating captions, relevant hashtags, an optimized profile, and cross-promotion.
Q3: How to Get 1000 Followers on Instagram in 5 Minutes?
There’s no real way to get followers in such a short time. Gaining a new follower requires time, consistency, effort, and patience.
Q4: How Many Times Should I Post on Instagram to Gain Followers?
To gain followers on Instagram, aim to post at least once a day. Consistent posting keeps your content fresh and maintains your visibility in your followers’ feeds. However, the exact frequency can vary based on your audience and content type.
