How to Get More Followers on Instagram

Are you curious on how to get more Instagram followers in 2024? Instagram can be a powerful tool for personal branding or business growth, but gaining followers requires more than just posting pictures. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to gain followers on Instagram with proven 20 tips.

How to get more Followers on Instagram?

According to HootSuite,

As of April 2024, Instagram is the third most popular social media platform worldwide, with 2 billion active monthly users. About 36% of people use Instagram to search for things, and 68% of marketers are confident it brings a positive return on investment. Plus, 86% of organisations are on Instagram.

Those stats prove the importance of having a presence on Instagram if you are a business owner.

So, if you have been wondering “How do I get more followers on Instagram?,” this comprehensive guide will be the perfect solution. Follow the tips I have shared below and watch your IG follower base skyrocket!

Ways to Get More Followers on Instagram

From here onwards, I will share 20 ways to get more followers on Instagram. You can follow these for growing your Instagram presence easily.

1.Optimise Your Instagram Account

If your Instagram profile is incomplete, there is no point in doing any other things for growing your Instagram presence. That is why I have placed this method as the 1st in our guide on How to get more followers on Instagram.

A completed Instagram Profile includes,

• A profile Picture
• A good username
• Instagram Bio

These things define your brand on this social media platform and make it easy for your target audience to find you. So, I will share some tips to optimise your Instagram profile.

Add a Search-Friendly Username:

Your username should be easy to find. Use your brand name or anything related to your existing social handles. If your name is too long, shorten it to a variation your target audience would recognize.

Upload a Professional Profile Picture:

If you are a business, you must add your logo as the profile picture. If you want to build personal branding, you need to add an image of your face as the profile picture. Either way, the profile picture should be clear and high-quality. And if your profile picture features any text, make sure those are visible on smartphone screens as well.

Add an Effective Bio and Bio Link:

Share your values and personality in your bio. Instagram only gives you 150 characters in your bio. Use them to tell people why they should follow you. Include who you are and what you do, but also a hint of personality.

Pointing your bio link to the right place is crucial for turning Instagram followers into meaningful traffic or customers. It’s a way to convert social traffic to your website.

Take a look at the below example of an optimised Instagram profile. We have used our logo as the profile picture, and in our bio section, we have mentioned the services we provide as a digital marketing agency. Plus, we added the links to our website.

2.Develop a Thoughtful Instagram Marketing Strategy

Our number one advice on how to get more followers on Instagram app is to start with a clear plan. Because as you already know, if there is no plan for something, the path is unclear.

Getting more Instagram followers is a great starter goal, but followers alone won’t create a successful Instagram account. Your goal needs to be part of a larger plan that connects to your business strategy and social marketing objectives.

Think about the reasons why you want more Instagram followers. What do you want to achieve? Maybe you want to:

💡Increase brand awareness

💡Increase sales

💡Drive traffic to your business website

Staying focused on these business goals will help keep your Instagram account consistent. It will help you tell a brand story that resonates with new visitors. 

For a personal Instagram account, having a clear plan is just as important. Without one, it’s easy to drift aimlessly and not make the most of your profile.

Think about why you want more followers. Is it to:

💡 Share your passions and hobbies.

💡 Connect with like-minded people?

💡 Showcase your skills or talents.

💡Earn through your profile as an Instagram Influencer?

Having a plan helps you stay consistent and tell a compelling story about who you are. It makes your account more engaging for new visitors and helps you build a community of followers who are genuinely interested in your content.

3. Define Your Target Audience

Having a clear picture of What your target audience looks like is a MUST!

Ask yourself some questions about who you’re trying to reach:

💡Where do they live?

💡What do they do for work?

💡When and how do they use Instagram?

💡What are their pain points and challenges?

The answers to these questions will help you create content to connect with the people on Instagram who are most likely to follow you. So, our point is, that without a clear picture in your mind of who you want to connect with, there is no point in posting content on Instagram.

For example, if you target the younger generation, you need to create content that is popular among young people. If you target working women, you need to identify their preferences.

So, make sure that you have a good understanding of your target audience because your Instagram marketing strategies depend on that (Type of content, times to post….etc)

4.Design a Visually Appealing Instagram Grid

An Instagram grid layout is all about how your Instagram feed is organised and presented. When someone visits your profile for the first time, your Instagram photo grid is their first impression of your style or brand. It’s a chance to show off your unique vibe at a glance. Here are some creative ideas to help you design an eye-catching Instagram grid layout:

Single Colour Palette:

Choose a colour palette and stick to it for all your photos. This can be your brand colours or a set of colours that represent you personally. It creates a unified look across your feed and makes your profile instantly recognizable.

Checkerboard Grid:

This layout alternates between two types of posts, like photos and quotes or colours and patterns. It creates a visually appealing pattern that stands out and adds structure to your feed.

Colour-Coordinated Grid:

Focus on using your brand colours or a set of complementary colours in your posts. This layout ensures that every post features two or more colours from your chosen palette, helping to create a cohesive and professional look.

Puzzle Grid:

This layout involves posting images that, when viewed together, form a larger picture or design. It’s a fun way to engage your audience and encourage them to explore your feed more closely.

Row by Row: Organise your posts in rows that each tell a different part of a story or theme. This layout allows you to create a narrative or highlight different aspects of your content.

Vertical or Horizontal Stripes: Alternate between different types of content, like photos and quotes, in vertical or horizontal stripes across your grid. This can help create a balanced and visually interesting feed.

Experiment with these ideas to find a grid layout that best represents your personal style or brand. A well-organised and visually appealing Instagram grid can attract more followers and make your profile more engaging.

Yes, this takes a lot of time! But the final result you get is so much worth the effort and time.

5. Write Compelling Captions

Instagram is a visual social media platform, but great Instagram captions help you get more reach and engagement. Here are some key strategies to keep in mind:

Capturing attention:

Place the most important words up front. This includes your keywords! The captions are trimmed in a user’s feed. So, it is essential to add the 1st few words to grab attention.

Including Call-to-Actions:

Include a CTA or ask a question. Encourage your followers to comment, share, and engage with your posts. Phrases like “Tag a friend who needs to see this” or “What’s your favourite tip among these?” can prompt engagement.

Write Like a Human:

Write like a human. If you use AI tools to write Captions, make sure to add human touch. Share interesting facts, personal stories, or useful information that adds value to your followers’ lives.

For example, if you’re a travel blogger, you might share a captivating story about your latest adventure and ask your followers about their dream travel destinations.

6. Avoid Fake Instagram Followers

There’s a big difference between fake and legitimate followers on Instagram. People buy Instagram followers hoping to get quick growth.

But the drawbacks outweigh the benefits 100%. Why? Because of fake Instagram followers, these things could happen,

Confuse Your Potential Organic Followers:

An inactive, low-engagement account with a big following is suspicious. This can be a turn-off for fans who’d otherwise follow you and engage.

Provide No Monetary Value to Your Business:

Think about it. Your fake followers can’t buy your stuff, can they? Real people can share, like, comment, and engage with your Instagram posts. Additionally, real followers genuinely appreciate the time you spend interacting with them.

Showing this kind of authenticity is much more powerful and long-lasting, rather than resorting to buying Instagram likes or other ineffective tactics.

Generate No Buzz:

If you have 10,000 fake followers, how many are going to engage with your posts? Does it even matter if your posts are brimming with spam comments? Real followers can help build a community, provide feedback, and create a buzz around your brand.

7. Create Shareable Infographics and Memes

Visually appealing infographics or relatable memes are likely to be shared by others, increasing your reach. If you want to have more followers on Instagram, getting your existing followers to share your content is a good way to find new people.

Consider watermarking your content or adding a subtle logo in the corner so if it does get repurposed, people know it’s yours.

For example, if you’re a fitness influencer, you could create an infographic about the benefits of a particular exercise routine. Make sure it’s visually appealing and easy to understand so your followers will be more likely to share it.

8. Conduct Q&A Sessions

Giving your audience value is a great way to increase your loyal viewership. If you’re in a niche industry or are an expert in your field, you should host a Q&A session.

Use Instagram Stories to conduct Q&A sessions. Ask your followers to submit questions, and then answer them in real time.

This not only provides valuable information but also shows that you care about engaging with your audience.

For example, if you’re a skincare expert, you can invite your followers to ask questions about their skincare routines and then provide personalised advice during the Q&A session.

9. Know What’s Trending on Social Media and Use It to Your Advantage

What do your followers want these days? How are trust and loyalty developed online? What does your audience want to see more of?

How to Track Social Media Trends?

Google Trends: Google Trends is a great free tool for tracking trending topics. It uses search data from Google to offer insights into what people are looking for. It offers a complete view of trends across the internet, not limited to a single social network.

Enter a keyword or topic to see its popularity over time, regional interest, and related queries.

Social Mention: Social Mention tracks trends across various social media platforms. It provides information on where a keyword or phrase is most popular and analyses the sentiment (positive, negative, or neutral) associated with it.

Search for a specific term to see which social networks it is trending on and the sentiment metrics.

Trend Hunter: Trend Hunter is a database of trends that can be searched by specific topics. It categorises trends into various domains such as Fashion, Tech, Culture, and Design, making it easier to find relevant trends in specific fields.

Browse or search for trends within a chosen category to see detailed information and analysis.

Apart from these tools, you can stay alert on social media and news to catch the trending topics. Let’s see how to use these trends to your advantage.

Leveraging Trends to Your Advantage:

• Regularly check these tools to stay updated on the latest trends in your industry or area of interest.
• Use trending topics to create relevant and timely content that resonates with your audience.
• Engage with trending topics to increase visibility and interaction on social media.

10. Partner with Influencers in Your Niche

Influencer Marketing is not a new thing. For the past couple of years, Instagram influencers have grown and even small businesses started to collaborate with Influencers to promote products and services.

Partnering with influencers with an established following helps to grow your audience. Content creators can get your brand in front of your target audience and build ongoing awareness for your products.

How to Find the Right Influencers:

Start by finding the right influencers. Look for creators that align with your brand’s values and aesthetic, and boast an engaged (not just large) following.

Types of Partnerships with Influencers:

Paid Sponsorships: Paid sponsorships means a business pays the instagram influencer to promote your product or service. Make sure to agree on the specifics, like the number of posts, type of content, and any particular messaging or hashtags you want to include.

Product Exchanges: Some influencers are happy to receive free products in exchange for a review or a feature on their Instagram.

Affiliate & Brand Ambassador Programs: Set up a program for smaller influencers who genuinely love your brand and are willing to promote it over time. Reward them with points, discounts, commissions, and other perks in exchange for a long-term relationship.

Collaborative Content: Create content together. Whether it’s a joint Instagram Live, a giveaway, or co-created posts and stories, collabs can offer fresh perspectives and help you reach a broader audience.

11. Add Top Stories as Highlights

Have you ever shared a story that you want to keep forever? With story highlights, it can. Highlights are groups of expired stories. You can organise them by theme or topic, such as Q&As, tips, or events — making it easier for people to find relevant stories.

They’re located at the top of your profile, which makes users more likely to check them first before scrolling down to your posts. Think of Highlights as a curated portfolio that showcases the best of your brand.

For example, if you’re a food blogger, you could create highlights for different categories like recipes, restaurant reviews, and cooking tips.

12. Use Relevant Hashtags

Hashtags are one of the first ways social content was organised (shout out to Twitter!) and they’re still in use today. Using hashtags thoughtfully can be a good way to get followers on Instagram for free. You can even create your own branded hashtags.

How to Find Trending Hashtags on Instagram?

Finding trending hashtags on Instagram can help boost your visibility and engagement. Here are some methods to discover the most relevant and popular hashtags:

Check Instagram’s Explore Page:

The Explore Page is personalised, showing posts and reels based on your interactions, followers, and followed accounts. Manually browse posts and reels, and check their descriptions for trending hashtags.

Use the Hashtag Autocomplete Feature:

Instagram’s search allows you to search for accounts, audio, places, and tags. Start typing a hashtag, and it will suggest similar and popular hashtags.

It is a quick way to find related and trending hashtags. But the suggested hashtags are often highly popular with millions of posts, making it difficult for your content to stand out.

Follow Relevant Hashtags:

You can follow hashtags just like you follow users. Top posts with these hashtags will appear on your home page.

Follow hashtags related to your niche or interests and monitor the top posts for additional hashtag ideas.

It is a great way to discover popular and related hashtags and get content inspiration.

Use Social Media Management Tools:

Platforms like Hootsuite and Sprout Social offer hashtag analytics and trends.

By using these methods and tools, you can stay updated with trending hashtags and effectively incorporate them into your Instagram strategy for better engagement and reach.

You can include up to 30 hashtags in an Instagram post, but don’t go overboard. Instead, do some experimenting to learn how many hashtags work best for your particular account.

If you’re a fitness coach, you might use hashtags like #FitnessGoals, #WorkoutMotivation, and #HealthyLifestyle. Experiment with different combinations to see which ones bring in the most engagement.

13. Follow Relevant Accounts

When you follow a user on Instagram and engage with their content in a meaningful way, there’s a good chance they will check out your feed and consider following you back. Social listening is great for finding conversations and influential users (a.k.a. influencers) to follow.

Look for accounts in your niche and engage with their content. Leave comments, like their posts, and share their content if it aligns with your brand. This not only builds relationships but also increases your visibility on the platform.

For example, if you’re a fitness influencer, you might follow other fitness accounts and engage with their content by sharing tips, providing feedback, or joining conversations in the comments section.

14. Leverage User-Generated Content

If someone takes a photo with your product, in your location, or using one of your services, repost it! This is called user-generated content, and it’s a gold mine.

Be sure to tag the content creator and thank them for featuring your stuff. This not only shows appreciation but also inspires others to share their experiences with your brand.

For example, if you’re a coffee shop owner and a customer posts a beautiful photo of their latte, repost it on your feed and give them credit. This showcases your product and builds a sense of community.

15. Leverage Short-Form Video Content

Sprout’s data shows that 66% of consumers want to see more short form videos from brands. This means Reels should be on your radar.

Reels are fun and they’re algorithm gold. Think tutorials, product highlights, or even quick behind-the-scenes peeks. Since you only have a few seconds to grab attention, get creative.

Use the built-in tools like stickers, cuts, filters, music, voice-overs, and transitions to craft trendy, eye-catching Reels.

For example, if you’re a makeup artist, you could create a Reel showing a quick makeup tutorial using your favourite products.

16. Go Live on Instagram

Host Instagram Live sessions to interact with your audience directly. This helps foster real-time engagement and build a sense of community.

You could host virtual events like product launches, show quick tutorials, or simply have candid chats and Q&A sessions. If you’re an e-commerce store, users can even shop your products in real-time.

For example, if you’re a fashion brand, you could go live to showcase a new clothing line, answer questions, and offer styling tips.

You can share these Live streams as stories that last for 24 hours, allowing followers who missed out to catch up later.

17. Keep a Consistent Content Calendar

Maintaining a regular posting schedule helps keep your followers engaged and ensures that you stay on their radar. Planning your content in advance also allows you to align your posts with your marketing goals and upcoming events.

Creating a Content Calendar:

Use tools like Google Calendar, Trello, or social media scheduling tools to plan your posts. Include important dates, holidays, and any events or promotions you want to highlight.

For example, if you’re a fitness coach, you could plan posts around key dates like New Year’s (for fitness resolutions), summer (for beach body workouts), and back-to-school season (for parents looking to get back in shape).

18. Schedule Instagram Posts in Advance

There’s no denying that brands are at the mercy of the Instagram algorithm for reach. Still, posting at the right times can give your posts more visibility. Anything you can do to maximise engagement is a plus.

Scheduling Tools:

Use scheduling tools like Hootsuite, Buffer, or Later to plan and schedule your posts in advance. This ensures that you can maintain a consistent posting schedule even when you’re busy.

Posting at Optimal Times:

Posting at the right times can significantly increase engagement. According to Hootsuite’s social team, the best time to post on Instagram is 11 AM on Wednesdays. However, your audience might have different habits, so use analytics tools to determine the best times for your specific audience.

19. Master Instagram SEO

If people can’t see your brilliant content, how will they know they must follow you? You need to play the Instagram algorithm’s game and do a little strategizing to get seen. Part of this is doing your keyword research and optimising your Instagram bio and content to reflect those keywords.

Keyword Research:

Identify keywords that are relevant to your brand and audience. Use these keywords in your bio, captions, and hashtags to improve your discoverability.

Optimising Bio and Content:

Make sure your bio clearly describes who you are and what you do. Use relevant keywords to help people find you when they search for those terms.

For example, if you’re a travel blogger, include keywords like “travel tips,” “adventure,” and “explore” in your bio and posts to attract followers interested in travel content.

20. Embrace Instagram Stories and Highlights

If you want to have more followers on Instagram, you should use Instagram Stories. There are roughly 500 million daily active Instagram Story users. That’s about one-third of Instagram’s total audience just waiting to see what you post!

Using Stories Features:

Instagram Stories have tons of fun built-in features, like Polls and Questions you can use to get your followers to engage. Plus, you can use the hashtag and location features in your Stories to expose them to new followers.

21. Post Consistently and at the Right Time

Source: Hootsuite

When users interact with your posts, those engagements tell Instagram’s algorithm that your content is valuable. Those interactions will then boost your reach. Giving your existing followers something great to interact with can help bring in new Instagram followers.

Hootsuite’s social team found that universally, the best time to post on Instagram is 11 AM on Wednesdays. 

However, your audience might have different habits. Use tools like Hootsuite Analytics to find the best time to post for your audience based on past engagement, impressions, or traffic.

22. Learn from Your Analytics

Instagram analytics tools will give you data on impressions for each post, along with reach, engagement, top posts, and more. You can also find demographic information about your followers, including gender, age, and location.

Analysing Engagement Data:

Keep an eye on what time of day your followers use Instagram so you can post when people are most likely to see and engage with your content. Pay attention to which posts get the most reach, and try to duplicate the strategy you used to find more followers.

Regularly Reviewing Data:

Regularly reviewing data can help you identify areas where you can adjust your strategy to help you get more followers on Instagram. Analytics can help you use Instagram to better your business goals in tons of other ways, too.

That marks the end of our comprehensive guide on how to get more followers on Instagram. We hope these ways to get more followers on Instagram will work well for you and boost your Instagram profiles.

By following these tips, you can grow your Instagram followers organically and build a loyal, engaged audience. Remember, consistency and authenticity are key. Engage with your audience, provide valuable content, and stay true to your brand’s voice. Happy Instagramming!

Unlock Your Social Media Potential with DigiFix!

Are you ready to elevate your social media presence and engage your audience like never before? At DigiFix, we specialise in comprehensive social media management services designed to make your brand stand out.

Our Services Include:

Researching: We identify the latest trends and insights to keep your content relevant and impactful.

Content Creation: We create captivating social media posts that resonate with your audience.

Caption Writing: We Write compelling captions that capture attention and drive engagement.

Finding Relevant Hashtags: We Use trending and effective hashtags to boost your reach.

Social Media Content Scheduling: We Ensure consistent posting with our strategic content calendar.

Engaging with Followers: We Build a loyal community by interacting with your followers.

Providing Reports: Get detailed analytics to measure your success and refine your strategy.

Ready to Transform Your Social Media?

Contact us today and take the first step towards a vibrant social media presence. Enjoy a free consultation to discuss your needs and discover how DigiFix can help you achieve your goals. Don’t wait—let’s start this journey together!

Contact DigiFix Now!

03 8669 1773

[email protected]