
Hey there, fellow Instagram enthusiasts! So, you want to boost your follower count, huh? Who wouldn’t? With over a billion users scrolling through their feeds, getting noticed on Instagram can feel like trying to find a needle in a haystack. But fear not! We’ve got your back. Here are 16 hacks to help you boost your follower count and build a vibrant community. Grab a snack, get cozy, and let’s dive in!
- Create Your Content Planner
To build a successful Instagram presence, develop a dynamic content strategy and editorial calendar. This approach focuses on understanding your goals, audience, and relevant topics, enabling you to create engaging content aligned with seasonal and cultural events. Maintain a flexible yet consistent posting schedule, ideally several times a week, while adapting to trends and audience feedback. Having a library of content ideas will help you stay prepared, ensuring you’re never scrambling for posts.
- Set Your Audience
To effectively grow your Instagram following, it’s essential to understand your target audience and how they use the platform. Identifying who you want to connect with and strategizing accordingly will enhance your content development and improve your chances of attracting more followers.
- Deliver Quality Content
Instagram remains a visual-centric platform where brands must capture attention quickly through high-quality content. To succeed, share visually attractive photographs and videos with clear audio and understandable text that meet Instagram’s guidelines. Avoid pixelation and cropping issues to ensure your content stands out. While professional-quality visuals are ideal, authenticity and creativity are key; poor content can lead to decreased engagement and follower loss.
- Focus on Reels & Videos
Social media users prefer video content, as seen with the success of TikTok and YouTube Shorts. Influencing platforms like Instagram are focussing on reels to compete with TikTok, making it a preferred format for users. Creating engaging, brief, and visually tailored short videos can significantly enhance reach and interaction, attracting new followers.
Here is one of our Instagram reels for example.
- Apply the Latest Features
Stay updated with Instagram’s frequent new features to enhance user interaction and improve performance. Focus on using tools like Reels, as Instagram invests heavily in them, and look for enhancements such as better editing tools, new stickers, story features and improved filters. Tailor these updates to your audience for effective engagement and to attract new followers.
- Explore Insta Stories
Ephemeral content, popularized by Snapchat in 2011, has seen significant growth, especially with the introduction of Instagram Stories. Businesses can use Instagram Stories to engage their audience and showcase their brands effectively. Enhancing these stories with interactive features like polls and quizzes can increase engagement and visibility, leading to a cycle of greater reach through the algorithm.
[Ephemeral content: Any kind of visual content (such as video, image or gif) that lasts online for only 24 hours before disappearing.]
- Increase visibility with Instagram SEO
Instagram SEO has evolved into a unique process aimed at enhancing content discoverability on the platform, shifting focus from traditional newsfeeds to user-driven search behaviour. It involves optimizing content by integrating relevant keywords, hashtags, and search terms in various areas, such as:
- Bio: It is important to incorporate powerful keywords, search terms and hashtags in this section.
- Username and Profile Name: Select a handle that contains relevant keywords users may enter while searching for a similar brand or product.
- Alt text: Text descriptions for visual content that improve accessibility and searchability on Instagram. From an SEO perspective, it aids in the platform understanding your visual content better and could result in it being shown to users in search results.
These strategies improve visibility in Instagram search results, making accounts more accessible to new users and potentially growing follower counts.
- Profile Optimisation
To attract followers on Instagram, enhance your profile with a clear bio that describes your brand, includes a website link, branded hashtags, and calls-to-action (CTAs). Consider using tools like Linktree to share multiple links. Present your purpose clearly without coming across as needy and keep the information updated. Additionally, choose an engaging profile image, such as a high-quality logo, to capture user interest.
Here is an optimised Insta handle for reference.
- Use Collaborative Posts
Instagram has introduced collaborative posts, or “Instagram Collabs,” which allow users to partner with others to create and share content. When one user invites another to collaborate, the post is shared with both followers, enhancing visibility. This feature is a strategic way to attract more followers by partnering with brands or influencers that have similar audiences, potentially encouraging their followers to also follow you.
- Influencer Partnerships
Collaborating with influencers can boost follower counts and enhance visibility by tapping into their trust and audience. There’s a growing trend of brands working with “micro-influencers,” who have smaller but more engaged followings, rather than macro-influencers with large, yet inactive, followings. This shift allows brands to partner with influencers without needing large budgets. Successful partnerships depend on aligning with influencers who share similar values and target audiences.
- Engage Followers with Tagging
Tagging is a powerful strategy to expand your Instagram audience and attract new followers. To enhance your reach, consider the following methods:
- Tagging Brand:
Tagging relevant brands or individuals in your content can boost engagement by leveraging their authority and trust. Tagged individuals may interact with your post, increasing visibility through algorithms, and your content will appear in their tagged feeds, reaching a wider audience. For example, a fitness studio can tag class participants in a group photo, allowing their followers to discover the studio.
- Location Tags:
To increase visibility among non-followers, tag your content with a location. Using your physical address or a popular nearby landmark can help users find you more easily. Well-performing content may appear at the top of search results and location tags improve searchability for activities and events. Geotagging event locations can also engage attendees.
- Organise Contests and Campaigns
Once you have a solid follower base, organize contests and promotions to attract more visitors. Focus on competitions that encourage user-generated content and engagement. For example, you can host an Instagram competition to promote your website or product, encouraging users to like, comment, use specific hashtags, or tag friends. This strategy enhances brand visibility and awareness, helping to expand your Instagram reach and gain more followers.
- Stay up-to-date with Trends
To succeed on Instagram, it’s essential to stay updated on trending content formats, topics and audio tracks. Observe popular meme styles and consider engaging in ongoing discussions to connect with others. Interact with posts on your Explore page to identify what resonates with the audience and recognize favoured content types, like trending Reels. Staying informed will help you create standout content.
- Observe Your Competitors
To gain followers on Instagram, observe and analyse your competitors’ strategies. Look for new hashtags, influencers and successful posts to enhance your content strategy. Regularly examine their tactics and trends to adapt successful methods to your unique approach and audience.
- Use Instagram Ads to get more Visibility
To increase your Instagram followers, consider investing in Instagram ads by allocating a budget for advertisements. You can easily convert existing posts into paid ads, target specific audiences and track ad performance. Various ad formats are available to customise your ads for goals like boosting website visits, enhancing brand visibility, or gaining followers. Ads are managed through Ads Manager, accessible via a Facebook Business Page. Once set up, you can create Instagram ads directly within Ads Manager.
- Get Verified
Getting authenticated on Instagram boosts engagement and adds credibility to your brand. While not everyone qualifies for verification, applying is beneficial as it helps distinguish your business from competitors and demonstrates legitimacy.
Follow the steps for verification:
- Press the three-line hamburger icon located at the upper right corner of your profile.
- Select Settings and Privacy.
- Select the Account option and then choose Request Verification.
- Complete the form, click on Submit and then be patient.
In closing, growing your Instagram following is like planting seeds, nurturing them with care, and waiting for them to bloom. It’s challenging, exciting, and incredibly rewarding. So, gear up, InstaPals! Use these tips to your advantage, and watch your followers flourish. Happy posting!
Remember, you’re not just playing a game here; you’re building a community. The path to a successful Instagram following is paved with authenticity, engagement and heaps of content that resonates with your audience. Stay true to your brand, take every opportunity to connect, and the followers will come rolling in. Happy ‘Gramming!