With over 1 billion monthly active users, Instagram is definitely a well-loved social media outlet. Having a larger Instagram following can mean more sales for your business, more views on your blog, and a stronger community for your brand. But how in the world do some people have thousands of Instagram followers? Here are some tips to grow your Instagram profile.
1. Interact with other users
Go through and like 5-10 photos on someone’s account. It would also help to leave a genuine comment and give them a follow. This helps to get your name out there and allows other users to discover you. I’d also suggest doing this primarily to users in your niche. How do you find users in your niche? Check hashtags, or view the followers of your favorite Instagrammers. Overall, be authentic and not spammy.
2. Create a theme
Cool, so if you followed #1, people will naturally start to notice your username and may check out your account…give them something to fall in love with! I’ve found that it really helps to create a theme for your Instagram. Write down a few words that you want people to associate with your account. Which words would you use for your account? Once you’ve settled on a theme, try your hardest to stick to it!
3. Socialize
Respond to the comments you receive and leave comments of your own on others’ work. Rather than something stale like, “cute dress,” try to leave genuine comments and questions that encourage them to post more photos.
4. Use hashtags and encourage others to use it too.
This is a great way to build community and gain new content for your account. First of all, create a unique hashtag (make sure it’s not already being used!) and ask others to use it. It works best if the hashtag has a specific purpose. Once people start using your hashtag (and YOU use it, too!), then you can repost images from your followers (giving them proper credit, of course!). Not only does this build community by showing your followers that you appreciate their photos, but it also gives you content for your own account.
5. Run a contest.
If you have something you’d like to give away, try running a contest. Some ideas? Have users repost a specific image and tag you in the caption. Ask them to follow you. Or invite them to use your hashtag on their own images. You could even try a loop giveaway if you want to collaborate with other Instagrammers.
6. Encourage followers to take action.
As simple as it may sound, people are more likely to do something if you ask them to do it. Sharing a quote? Ask them to “like” your photo if they agree with it! Sharing something funny or relatable? Ask your followers to tag a friend! Ask open-ended questions! If you put the idea out there, it will encourage your followers to act accordingly.
7.Figure out audience interests.
Do a little research. Go back through your photos and see which ones got the most likes and comments — and of course, the least. What clicks with your audience and why? How can you incorporate more photos like that into your feed?
8. Link profile to other social media accounts.
If you have a blog, Twitter, or Facebook, then you might assume your people are already following you on every platform. Hint: they probably aren’t! Share a quick tweet or Facebook post encouraging them to follow you on Instagram…it will reel in more followers than you think. This will help your followers on other networks discover your Instagram account — and proceed to follow you there, too!
9. Approach popular profiles to collaborate
Think outside the box! Ask another Instagrammer in your niche if they can post something for you. Instagram Story takeovers are a blast and can dramatically grow your following fast. Or start an Instagram challenge with daily prompts. Ultimately, think of fun, creative ways to collaborate with other users.
10. Go with a PRO
As getting followers is pretty frustrating at first, you can get help from the professionals to give you an initial push which can give you the momentum to grow in the future.
You can look into an example service provider here
