Did you know that the highest-paid Instagram influencers can make hundreds of thousands of dollars for every sponsored post? Instagram is a great platform for self-made micro-celebrities. You’re probably wondering how to get more followers on Instagram yourself.
Step zero to being successful on Instagram is gaining followers. You may be tempted to take the easy way out and use one of those services that guarantees thousands of followers for a low, low price. But though you may end up with a high follower count, those services inundate you with fake followers who won’t interact.
The good news is, gaining more followers organically is not impossible. Here are a few tried-and-true methods to increase your follower count and interactions.
How To Get More Followers On Instagram
Whether you’re running a business or just looking to become more popular, you need followers. More followers mean more eyes on your posts, and more people who will tell their friends about you.
Once you hit a certain threshold of followers, you are also more likely to come up in people’s Explore feeds and suggestions. Instagram likes to promote already-popular accounts: you just have to get there!
Plan Your Posts
You’ll get great amounts of interaction if you post once daily. However, this may seem daunting: how do you create that much content? Is daily posting sustainable?
This is where a content calendar comes in. You can be as flexible or as rigid as you want when sticking to it, but planning out your next week or month of posts takes away a lot of the stress of posting. You can give yourself some room to post spontaneously as well.
Give It Away, Give It Away, Give It Away Now
Giveaways are an amazing way to boost follower growth. Whether you have a product you sell or just offer a few gift cards, your followers will want free stuff.
Once you’ve planned what you want to give away, create a post that your followers can post to their stories. Offer extra entries if they tag friends in the comments. This creates excitement and natural follower growth as more people try to enter!
Great Quality Every Time
Do not ever skimp on your photo quality. Even if you feel starved for content, it’s better to go a day without posting than to post a low-quality or ill-composed image. Your followers will not forgive easily.
Instagram is a visual medium. Your followers will jump ship if your photos are generic, blurry, or badly composed. Conversely, though, if you offer a beautiful feed, people will flock to your account.
Get Creative With Dimensions
Your Instagram posts don’t have to be a perfect 1:1 square every time! Though the app is optimized for square photos, playing within those confines creates vital visual interest.
The dimensions for Instagram do change, though, whether you are posting to your feed or on your story. Make sure everything fits within the frame and looks good within it!
There’s Always A Theme
In order to create a cohesive feed on your page, consider trying out a new theme. There are no hard and fast rules to Instagram themes, but a lot of people find success when they have a theme or aesthetic to work towards. It can inspire you to create new content.
Your theme can be as simple as just using the same filters and a border on every photo. Or it can be the same setup for each photo. It’s up to you!
Know Your Hashtags
You can use up to 30 hashtags in each post. Make sure that you’re using hashtags relevant to your page and aesthetic. If you’re a fitness ‘grammer, you don’t want to tag your posts with #junkfood, for example.
Hashtags will allow you to find your audience and see what they’re looking for. Explore the posts under popular hashtags and see what makes them so popular. Also, feel free to use niche hashtags in order to find your specific audience.
Link Up
Add your Instagram link everywhere! Put it in your Facebook bio, your Gmail sign-off, your business cards. Advertise your page to anyone who can see it.
It may feel like shameless self-promotion, but that’s okay. No one will promote your page as hard as you do. May as well go all the way!
Now’s The Time To Be A Follower
Follow accounts similar to yours. If you can find other new or smaller accounts, they can make great allies in the IG game. It will also ensure you pop up in the “suggested followers” tab.
Cultivating a little Instagram community for yourself will be beneficial. You and the other accounts can shout each other out, interact regularly, and participate in each other’s giveaways. Follower overlap is a good thing in this case.
Interact With Your Audience
Your followers will keep coming back to your page if they truly feel you care about and listen to them. Try and accompany each post with a question or a call to action (CTA). Encourage your followers to comment and debate with you – and interact with them when they do!
The parasocial aspect of Instagram is especially important nowadays when we are stuck home and more isolated than ever. If your followers look forward to participating in the comment section of your posts, they’re more likely to stick around and recommend your page to their friends. High levels of interaction also boost your chances of ending up in the Explore page.
You’re On Your Way To Being A Real Influencer!
Now you no longer have to wonder how to get more followers on Instagram! Cultivating an enthusiastic audience is not difficult to do, and can be incredibly validating. The money you could make is a nice bonus.
If you want more advice and ideas on how to cultivate your presence on Instagram and other social media, flip through our website. We offer plenty of articles and blog posts on how to succeed on social media. And don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!
