You put in a lot of time planning and creating Instagram content. Everything is fine for a brief moment after you hit “Share.” You’re certain you’ve written something fantastic.
Then there was a deafening silence. Alternatively, a few likes and comments from your small number of followers. But, if you don’t post great content, how do you expect to gain more Instagram followers?
There isn’t a step-by-step guide to growing your Instagram account. However, there are some best practices that will assist you in reaching a larger audience and gaining new followers.
Here are 7 ways to increase your Instagram followers.
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1. Make your bio more appealing.
Make the most of the 150 characters available to you. Your Instagram bio tells potential followers who you are, what you’re all about, and what you want them to do after they visit your profile.
The following should be included in your Instagram bio:
- a concise description of your work
- Personalize it with a few touches of your personality
- A rallying cry (shop, read more, contact us, etc.)
- a connection
Use your in-bio link wisely because it is your only clickable link on Instagram. Some companies include a static link to their website, while others update it on a regular basis to reflect new content. If you want to make things easier for yourself, use link-in-bio tools like Shop Grid, which allow you to turn a single link into a catalogue.
2. Figure out when is the best time to post on Instagram.
We didn’t say “find the best time to post on Instagram.” The truth is that there is no one-size-fits-all answer for when to post on Instagram to get the most engagement. However, there are methods for determining the best times for your followers.
To begin, use Instagram Insights to determine when your target audience is available. From your Instagram business profile, tap the “Insights” button, scroll to “Your Audience,” and then tap “See All.” Scroll to the bottom of the page to see when your audience is most active.
You should also think about when your content is most useful. Because people are more likely to be cooking outside of work hours, a step-by-step recipe video, for example, might perform better. A post about a coffee shop, on the other hand, might do well around 2 p.m., when people are in a slump. Track engagement by experimenting with different posting times.
3. Consistently post
Businesses share four Instagram posts per week on average, according to a 2021 study of 14 industries. However, we recommend that you post at least once a day. The best results are seen by brands who post on Instagram on a regular basis. According to a Tailwind study, Instagram profiles that post daily gain more followers than profiles that post less frequently.
Consistency is key to getting your posts seen on Instagram’s algorithmic timeline. If you share your posts frequently and they receive a lot of engagement, Instagram’s algorithm will likely place them near the top of your followers’ feeds.
4. Understand how Instagram’s algorithm works.
The switch from a chronological feed to a ranked timeline caused a lot of anxiety among Instagram users at first. Since the change, the average post has been seen by 50% more people than before. So don’t bother trying to figure out how to beat the Instagram algorithm. Instead, concentrate on figuring out how to make the system work for you.
Interest, timeliness, relationship, frequency, following, and usage are the six factors that determine what appears in each person’s timeline.
Here’s a quick recap of what each of those terms means:
Interest: Based on previous activity, Instagram estimates how much a person will like the post.
The post’s timeliness refers to how recently it was published.
Accounts with which a person interacts on a regular basis are referred to as a relationship.
The frequency with which a person uses Instagram.
Posts from the accounts a person follows are referred to as “following.”
Instagram usage is defined as the amount of time a person spends on the platform.
Instagram’s algorithm is designed to show users the most relevant content. While six distinct factors may appear to be a lot to consider, the best thing you can do is consistently produce high-quality content.
5. Experiment with different types of content.
Instagram is much more than just a photo-sharing app. Over time, the app has added a variety of new ways to share content on the platform. Mixing it up with different types of content is one of the best ways to gain more Instagram followers because it allows you to reach and connect with a wider audience.
Remember that the algorithm considers people’s interests and tries to show them the types of content that they interact with the most. As a result, if someone likes and comments on Instagram Reels more frequently than other types of posts, they’re more likely to see more Reels in their Instagram feed. However, if someone interacts with carousel posts more frequently, they’ll see more of that content.
Each type of content has its own set of benefits. Instagram Reels, for example, have an advantage because they’re the newest content type, and Instagram is constantly releasing new features. Since its launch in 2020, Instagram Reels has moved the Reels button to the centre of the menu bar and made Reels appear larger on the Explore page than photo posts. Given that 200 million people visit the Explore page every day, that extra visual real estate can significantly increase the number of people you reach.
Videos on Instagram TV (IGTV) are also 4 times bigger than photos on the Explore page. And, because IGTV videos can last up to 60 minutes, this format is ideal for long-form content.
On the Instagram Explore page, Instagram Reels and IGTV take up more space.
Instagram Stories are only available for 24 hours, but they do have their advantages. As part of their social media strategy, 57% of brands believe that stories have been “somewhat effective” or “very effective.” You can also use Instagram Swipe Uplinks in Stories to drive traffic to specific pages if you have a verified account or at least 10,000 followers.
Carousel posts, which include up to ten images or videos in a single post, have the highest engagement rates of any post type. Consider carousels to be a teaser or mini-story for a longer-form piece of content, such as a blog. You can use text images, photos, video, or a combination of the three.
A carousel post is used by DLC Anxiety to explain how to reframe anxious thoughts.
Are you perplexed by the various arguments for various post types? People enjoy what they enjoy. While studies can tell you what the average engagement rate is for each content type or argue that one is better than the other, the best strategy is to mix it up. Mixing up your Instagram content allows you to reach out to people with a variety of interests, which helps you grow your Instagram following.
6. Find your brand’s unique voice and create content that reflects it.
People don’t like sales pitches, so they don’t follow your company on social media. They like your personality and the content you produce, so they follow your brand.
Even if you’re in the same industry, what works for one company might not work for you. Juggling Daisies Hobby Farm and Such and Such Farm, for example, both consider themselves to be one-of-a-kind farms. Juggling Daises is all about entertaining stories, adorable photos, and family-friendly content. Meanwhile, the style of Such and Such Farm is more rough-hewn, with curse words and humour.
Consider what kind of tone you want to have. Funny? Informative? Playful? Cynical? What you’re passionate about should also be reflected in your personality. So many of Such and Such Farm’s Instagram posts discuss their farming practises, indicating that they believe in sustainably grown produce. What are some of the topics you cover on Instagram? Everything you post on your business account should reflect the personality and beliefs of your company.
Consider your company’s account as a person. Create a personality for the account, as well as branding guidelines, to ensure consistency. Along with your brand’s colours and fonts, branding guidelines should include notes on tone, style, and values.
7. Create excellent captions
Great Instagram captions keep people’s attention after they see nice photos. Captions allow you to add more information or context to the photo or video you’re sharing. Additionally, using keywords in captions can help you appear in app search results.
Captions on Instagram can be up to 2,200 characters long. Of course, not every caption has to be written in the style of a blog post. Experiment with various lengths. Some photos benefit from a short, snappy caption with a couple of emojis, while others require something longer and more reflective.
Although the average length of Instagram captions is increasing, most brands still stick to the 2,200 character limit. The average was predicted to be in 2020.
So, when do you go for the long haul and when do you stick to the basics? There is no one-size-fits-all solution. It’s best to mix it up, just like with content types. Take a look at these two posts from OnlineDrea’s Andréa Jones. One has a brief caption, while the other directs you to the caption for a more detailed explanation.
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