Engage with users through follows, likes, and comments. Instagram is very much a community, and one great way to get involved in that community is to find people who post pictures that interest you, follow their accounts and interact with their content. It's the most natural way to draw attention to your own Instagram account. This accomplishes two things: for one, when they get the notification that you've followed them, there's a good chance they'll check out your profile. This goes back to the importance of having great content on your account before you start reaching out to others. Secondly, it means you'll be seeing their recent posts in your feed, so you can Like and interact with them if you choose to. As you build a following, celebrate your followers by responding to and pinning their comments, and even reposting their posts for user-generated content. 13. Cross-promote with influencers and brands with similar audiences. Once you build rapport with the folks behind accounts with similar audiences to your own, consider collaborating with them. Partnering with influencers and brands helps with discoverability, reach, and social proof.
For instance, influencer Sweetlikeoyin who has around 60K followers, posted a sponsored image of herself on the beach wearing a dress from Lulu's. The clothing brand then published the same image. With this partnership, both accounts can expand their reach and gain new followers. It's a win-win. However, be sure to create content that seems natural and makes sense for your brands and collective audience. 14. Run Instagram contests to encourage engagement. Another great way to expand your reach while increasing engagement with your photos is to run a contest or giveaway. As part of your contest, you can ask users to follow your account, like, and/or comment on the post to be eligible to win. I mean, come on. Who doesn't love winning free stuff? You can also add a user-generated content (UGC) element to the contest, too, where people post a photo of their own and use a specific hashtag. Here's an example from PlayaBowlsNortheastern, where followers were asked to follow Playa Bowls as well as their brand partner, Scoop and Sushi, and tag a friend in the comments. In exchange, followers had the chance to win a free bowl:
Explore Instagram Stories' interactive features. Instagram has always given brands the platform to share beautiful, curated photos to represent their companies. However, with the introduction of ephemeral Instagram Stories, brands can also share on-the-fly, behind-the-scenes looks for 24 hours that may not be as polished as a published photo, but give your brand more personality on the platform. Just look at how Snapchat exploded a few years ago. Once platforms like Instagram and Facebook introduced similar features, it made those apps more valuable and interesting in the eyes of users. Although Snapchat pioneered this feature, Instagram Stories now has over 500 million daily users. Along with sharing video clips and static images through Instagram Stories, users can also use polls, event reminders, and the "Ask a Question," tool to gain more engagement and learn more about their audiences. Once a user is verified or has over 10,000 followers, they can even include a link to a webpage within a story.
How Brands Can Use Instagram Stories Instagram Stories disappear after 24 hours unless they are marked as a "Story Highlight." Highlighted stories will show up at the top of your profile between the photo feed and your bio. dope scrubs using instagram stories to help gain more instagram followers in story highlights Image Source Here are a few other brands we recommend following to see what they're sharing: Dana Shultz (Minimalistbaker) publishes easy vegan and gluten-free recipes on her blog. Her Stories feature neat how-to videos of her making breakfast and testing out new recipes in her kitchen. The behind-the-scenes aspect of her Stories provides a lot of human context for her blog's brand, and everybody loves a good how-to video.
One of their latest Instagram Stories featured someone watching "The Sopranos" in bed, with the caption: "Who needs plans when you have five more seasons?" This video supports Casper's campaign to stay in bed with a very real look at what millions of people do when they're hanging out at home. Here are our tips for using Instagram Stories for your brand: Whether it's funny, sad, or unique, be authentic. Your photo gallery is where content can be perfect and polished. Instagram Stories are for the raw, unscripted, and unretouched. Use Stories to share the other side of your brand that followers might not be able to see elsewhere. Do you have a dog-friendly office? Is your team trying out the latest challenge? Start filming to showcase the more human side of your brand. Go behind the scenes. These are by far our favorite types of content for ephemeral video sharing. Show followers what goes into the planning of an event or the launching of a product, and make it fun. Your followers want to feel included and in the know. You could also use Stories to cultivate a brand loyalty program that only rewards people who check out your content. 16. Use the Instagram Live feature. Instagram also lets users record and share Live videos, another content format that's proven to be hugely popular on other social networks. What's unique about Live videos on Instagram? They disappear when users stop filming.
This authentic, bi-directional experience lets brands share unscripted, raw moments with their audience to incorporate human elements into a social media platform that's highly edited and polished in its traditional use. Since the Live feature launched, Instagram has added even more features that may enable further engagement or interactions from viewers, such as: Request feature to go live with the live account Pinned comment Q&A box Up to four accounts on Live at a time Filters Live video is a growing trend across a variety of social media platforms, so if something interesting is happening, start rolling. Whether it's an event, a team birthday party, or behind-the-scenes footage, your devoted followers want to see what you're up to. And if you want to make it even more interesting, you could collaborate with an influencer or another brand to host a Live. With people that your audience is interested in, you can promote this Live event, and then host it on your profile. Promoting this type of event will help you tap into someone else's audience while interacting and engaging with your followers by answering their questions and talking to them during the Live.
Share your profile link on your website and social media channels. Have a website? Newsletter? YouTube channel? Make sure you include a link to your Instagram on every single platform. The first place you'll want to make sure to add an Instagram badge is your website, specifically your footer and "About Us" page. Here's what the badge could look like: example of instagram user linking to other business accounts to help gain 1000 instagram followers If your brand has brick-and-mortar locations, put out a good ol' print call-to-action letting people know you have an Instagram account and encouraging them to follow you. You can also place them on your business cards. You might even offer a discount code for doing so. Also, be sure to promote your Instagram account on your other digital platforms. Chances are, the folks who already follow you on Facebook and Twitter will also follow you on Instagram without much prodding. Let those followers know you're on Instagram and encourage them to follow you there.
Post user-generated content. Similar to cross-promotion, brands can publish user-generated content to show appreciation for existing customers and generate social proof at the same time. If I see a regular person endorsing a product on Instagram, I'm more likely to believe they really like the product. The same is true for most consumers. That's why sites like Yelp are so popular. Ultimately, user-generated content can be an excellent strategy when trying to increase brand awareness and trust in your products or services. For instance, Bevel reposted a video from blogger Rickey Scott using and recommending their products to their 600+ followers. Posting Scott using Bevel is a smart move. Firstly, the product is designed with black men in mind. Having Scott, who is part of the brand's target demographic, recommend the product serves as the social proof the brand wants. Furthermore, part of Scott's audience will likely fall within Bevel's target audience. Simply put, the two brands have similar audiences and brands that align well, which is why it's a good opportunity for Bevel to promote Scott's content. 19. Diversify your audience to resonate with different types of users. As your followers grow, it can be tricky to identify what content types will resonate with them. With this in mind, divide your audience into sub-groups and target your content to various demographics.
For instance, if you have 200K followers, those followers probably come from different regions of the world, have different interests and hobbies, and likely have different careers. Rather than post all-encompassing content that will satisfy all your followers at once, conduct some analytics research to separate them into smaller sub-groups. Take Starbucks as a good example of this. Starbucks has close to 18 million followers. There's no way the global coffee brand can post content to satisfy 18 million people at once — and it doesn't try to. Instead, Starbucks regularly posts more exclusive content geared towards particular groups, such as this post they published celebrating #TeacherAppreciationWeek: how to gain more instagram followers tip to diversify your audience like Starbucks appealing to teachers, students, and other groups of people This post won't appeal to the majority of Starbucks followers who aren't teachers, but that's OK. You don't always need to post content to please everyone. Instead, demonstrate your company's ability to connect and engage with sub-groups and post what aligns with your own brand's values. Education is something that matters to Starbucks, so by posting about teachers, they're doing more to demonstrate their values than they are appealing to everyone. Which is kind of the point, isn't it?
Apply for a verification badge. When an account on Instagram is verified, it has a blue dot, called a badge, next to the username. When another user comes across this profile or finds the verified username in search, the blue dot confirms to them that the account is the business, individual, or brand that it's claiming to be. how to gain followers on instagram tip apply for blue check verification badge for authenticity Image Source While Instagram has a list of eligibility requirements for the badge, the platform does allow users to apply for one. You can learn more about that process on Instagram's Help Center. 21. Create your own filters and badges. When it's time to promote a new product or feature, creating your own filters, stickers, or badges can help you reach a new audience. You can learn how to create your own filter or sticker to jazz up your Instagram Stories. The best way to do this is to use these on highly shareable posts that followers will want to add to their own Stories. This way, you'll reach their audiences and your users will promote your page for you. 22. Tag relevant users. Another way to gain more followers on Instagram is to tag relevant users in your posts. Your posts will then show up in that person's tagged posts, and anyone who looks through there will find your page (and hopefully, follow).
However, it's important that you only tag people who are in the photo, or relevant to the photo. For example, many times, influencers tag the clothing or makeup brands they wore in a photo. Post content that's meant to be re-shared. Each post on your Instagram should have a purpose. It could be to generate likes, comments, engagement, shares, etc. However, you can't expect followers to re-share content just for the heck of it. There needs to be a reason. Because of this, reverse engineer your Instagram posts. Think, "What type of content would my audience re-share?" Then, create that content. It could be a quote, a meme, an infographic, statistics, etc. To gain new followers, you should post content that's meant to be re-shared, so that when others do re-share it on their own Instagram Stories and tag you, their audience will find you and follow you. Get on the Instagram Explore page. Getting on the Instagram Explore page is easier said than done. We get that. However, creating posts that are aimed at getting on the Explore page means you'll be creating easily shareable and trendy content. Think about viral trends and create a video that your audience might engage with. Additionally, use hashtags and tag other users and brands in those posts.
Instagram's Explore Page algorithm also seems to grab content that has more engagement, especially if said engagement happens in the first few hours of posting. In Instagram's case, quality is better than quantity, and getting interaction from influential users (i.e. having a higher follower count) is one of the best ways to do it. Share educational content with Instagram slides. Similar to creating content that's meant to be re-shared, you can also create educational content in the form of Instagram slides. Instagram slides have become a popular way to educate audiences on an idea or topic. Think about what you can educate your audience on and then create a simple Instagram slide post with an engaging title that entices users to click on the post. With this type of content, you can share the post on your Stories, and then hopefully other users will be compelled by the content to share on their Stories as well. 26. Host an Instagram account takeover. When you're collaborating with influencers and other brands, think about hosting an Instagram account takeover. You can have an influencer take over your Stories for the day, and promote this on their own Stories. Then, you'll get their followers to follow along with the Stories and hopefully follow your account. Additionally, you can ask an influencer or brand if you can take over their Stories, and interact with their audience as a way to promote your own account.
Quality Over Quantity Still Matters Ultimately, it's important to focus less on the number of followers you have, and more on the quality of content you create. Your audience will grow naturally if you put effort and time into creating engaging, informative, or inspirational content without worrying about "quick fixes" for boosts in followers. You want to play the long game on Instagram, and that starts with focusing on what you can control: the quality of the content you produce, the messages you promote, and the brand you build. Editor's note: This post was originally published in February 2016 and has been updated for comprehensiveness. Instagram is a growing channel that lets individuals and businesses alike expand their brand. For businesses especially, it's a way to humanize your brand, recruit future employees, showcase your product and company culture, delight customers, and generate new business. But here's the deal: Unless you're famous, it's really hard to amass a huge following on Instagram without some hard work. For the average person or business, growing your following takes time and attention on a daily basis. Luckily, there are a few things you can do right away to collect at least 1,000 quality followers for your personal or professional Instagram account. It's all about knowing where to invest your time and effort — by customizing your profile, curating excellent content, writing clever copy, using hashtags, and working with influencers and fans to incentivize engagement.
Buy ViewLet's dive into how to gain those first 1,000 followers — from creating a follow-worthy Instagram profile to using contests to staying true to your brand. New Data: Instagram Engagement Report [2022 Version] How to Buy Instagram Followers and Likes (and Why It’s a Bad Idea) How to Get More Followers on Instagram The Best Instagram Apps to Get Followers How to Buy Instagram Followers and Likes (and Why It’s a Bad Idea) Let’s just get this out of the way: yes, you can buy Instagram followers and likes. Does this mean you should buy Instagram followers and likes? Definitely not. While many social influencers and major brands work hard to build an organic following, there are some who choose to buy followers with the hopes of increasing their social reach and engagement. Buying followers is cheap — some companies charge less than $5 for hundreds of followers. And with the growing pressure to have thousands of Instagram followers and fans, it’s understandable why some resort to buying them.
But, while buying followers and likes may be tempting, it can severely damage your brand image and decrease overall engagement. Don’t believe me? Hootsuite created a fake Instagram account and bought 1,000 followers for just $9.95 to test how purchased followers influence audience engagement. Once their account reached 1,000 followers, they posted an image — it didn’t receive a single like or comment. buying instagram followers Buying Instagram followers may increase your number of followers, but it won’t improve your engagement — it actually damages it. And if you get caught, Instagram may remove your account for violating their community guidelines. Also, fake followers won’t buy your product or support your brand. Instead, focus on gaining authentic followers who will increase your engagement and sales. Engage your followers and grow your following with these powerful strategies, tips, and lesser-known Instagram features.
How to Get More Followers on Instagram Create and optimize your profile Designate a content creator Edit and filter your photos Start posting Curate your Instagram content Write engaging captions Use relevant hashtags Interact with your followers Cross-promote your Instagram content Run Instagram contests Share Instagram Stories and live video Make your Instagram profile easy to follow OK, I know what you’re thinking: “It’s not that easy to gain real followers!” While it’s not exactly easy, it’s definitely possible — it just takes some hard work and dedication. Around 80 million photos are shared on Instagram every day. That’s a lot of content. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to get noticed. Let’s walk through some tactics to get real followers — fast.
Create and optimize your profile. First things first: Customize your Instagram profile to make it look good, tell your potential followers who you are, and give them a reason to follow you. Username Start by making sure your username is recognizable and easily searchable — like your business name. If your business name is already taken, try keeping your business name as the first part of your username so that people searching for your business are more likely to come across you. For example, the Australian activewear line Lorna Jane uses the username @lornajaneactive. instagram username optimize profile (Note: Make sure to add your full business name to the “Name” field by clicking “Edit Profile.” This will appear under your profile picture and under your username in search.) Public profile Make sure your profile is public. To make your profile public, open Instagram, click on the gear icon on your profile to open “Options,” and make sure “Private Account” is turned off. Private Account on Instagram Profile photo Choose a profile picture that's on-brand with your other social networks, like your company logo. Check out HubSpot's profile picture for reference.
Instagram profile picture logo hubspot Profile bio Fill your bio with delightful, actionable, and informative information about your brand. Information like this lets people know what you're about and gives them a reason to follow you. Include who you are, what you do and be sure to add a hint of personality. Here are a few examples for inspiration: @WeWork: “Make a life, not just a living.” @Oreo: “See the world through our OREO Wonderfilled lens.” @CalifiaFarms: “Crafting, concocting and cold-brewing up a delicious, plant-based future.” @Staples: “We make it easy to #MakeMoreHappen” Profile link Add a link to your bio to make it easy for people to go straight from Instagram to your website if they want to. The space allotted for URLs is precious real estate because it's the only place on Instagram where you can place a clickable link, so use it wisely. We recommend using a shortened, customized Bitly link to make it more clickable or a Linktree link to maximize the space. profile link linktree bitly instagram Notifications Enable notifications so you can see when people share or comment on your photos. This'll let you engage with them more quickly — just like a lot of companies do on Twitter. To enable notifications, go to “Settings” > “Notifications” > "Posts, Stories, and Comments". Select “From Everyone” for every category.
Instagram notifications on from everyone settings A word to the wise: We don't recommend you link your Instagram account to Twitter and Facebook so your Instagram posts are automatically published on those other accounts. The post types are different. 2. Designate a content creator. Just like there should be one (or two) people managing your other social media accounts, there should only be one or two people managing your Instagram account. If possible, choose someone who has experience using a personal Instagram account, and therefore “gets” the platform — and be sure they know all the handy features Instagram has to offer. If you work for a large organization, you might find a lot of people want to have a say in your content. That's when an organized request or guidelines document comes in hand. This document should inform people how to request a post on your Instagram account, when, the value of the post, and why. 3. Edit and filter your photos. On Instagram, post quality matters. A lot. Your Twitter followers might forgive a few bad tweets, but a bad photo on Instagram is a big no-no. By no means do you have to take a photography course to be a good Instagram poster — nor do you have to practice for weeks before you start. But you should get familiar with basic photography tips and photo editing apps. Since Instagram is a mobile app, chances are, you will take most of the photos you post on Instagram on your mobile device — and that's expected. Here are some tips for taking great photos:
Focus on one subject at a time. Embrace negative space. Find interesting perspectives. Look for symmetry. Capture small details. Make your followers laugh. After you take a great photo, it’s time to add a finishing touch — an Instagram filter. Instagram filters are easy to use and can help give your account a unique aesthetic. Here are a few of our favorite filters: Clarendon: Canva revealed that Clarendon is the most-used Instagram filter in the U.S. and it highlights lighter areas of an image and darkens darker areas. Valencia: This popular filter adds a yellow tint to your image — making it warmer and brighter. Valencia is a great pick for nature photography. Juno: Juno brightens the reds, yellows, and oranges in your image. Try using this filter with street and urban photography. Slumber: This filter desaturates the colors in your image and adds a haze. It makes photos feel dreamy or retro. Ludwig: Ludwig intensifies your picture’s colors and lighting, so if your image is bright, this filter will make it even brighter. It’s great to use on pictures of architecture. 4. Start posting. Once you've created and optimized your profile, have someone manning it, and know a thing or two about phone photography and photo editing, it's time to start posting. It's a good idea to have a solid number of great posts up — maybe 15 or so — before you start really engaging people and working down this list. That way, when people visit your profile, they'll see a full screen of photos instead of just a handful, so they know you'll be posting great content regularly.
