12 Ultimate Tips to Get Followers On Instagram

You can always use a little help when it comes to getting Instagram followers. Many people strive to grow their following on Instagram, so now is the perfect time for you to jump onto the bandwagon.

I’m sure you’re aware that getting Instagram followers has never been harder. Various tricks that worked in the past (e.g., the “follow-unfollow” strategy) don’t work anymore as Instagram becomes smarter every day.

Lucky, there still are ways to grow your Instagram followers that work. You only need persistence and put some effort into executing the 12 tips shared in this article.

Don’t expect your Instagram to get a lot of followers in a short time. Instagram growth is a continuous process that’ll require work every day, it will require consistency and you’ll have to show up for your followers to acquire more of them.

Remember that all the secret magic formulas don’t really work and they are a waste of time. Even worse, they may be against the Instagram policies and result in your account being permanently blocked.

What are the Instagram tips to get followers?

What I am going to share is not a secret formula. In fact, these are the practices that many successful Instagrammers have been using to achieve their goals.

Look at your ideal account today; the one whose success you’d like to have. Do you think that the number of followers, or the number of likes that they have happened suddenly? It certainly didn’t happen suddenly. I am sure that it took years of consistently showing up and work to get where they are today.

You are no exception. You’ll also require to put in work to get what you want.

However, don’t be discouraged. It’s actually enjoyable and you’ll soon notice what works best for you. Replicate what works, experiment with new techniques, and enjoy the growth of your Instagram account.

But now, let’s take a look at the Instagram tips to get followers.

Edit your bio; make it intriguing

You know what is and what isn’t interesting. Therefore, you know how to put your best foot forward when it comes to letting others in on who you really are. Your biography should entice people to learn more about who you are and why they might want to follow or engage with you as a person (or business) on Instagram.

If you really want to make an impression with your bio, consider making it into a little mini sketch. It is how you can come across as more exciting and show people things about yourself that they may never know. If you fail to show this, people will most likely not follow you. Therefore, having an appealing bio with exciting content is essential when trying to increase your followers.

Tips to create an intriguing Instagram bio:

be natural and don’t try to brag
use short sentences that are easy to understand
don’t use complex words or sentences
use emojis to display your character and emotions
be yourself

Use a profile picture

Find the images or illustrations representing you best on Instagram. If you want to be at your best on Instagram, you must find the perfect profile picture. Sometimes, people might not even look further and judge your profile based on the profile picture that they see.

Having no profile picture will automatically mean that you’re not worth following, as you might be perceived as an inactive or spam account. If you’re creating a personal account, make sure to use your photo with your face; if you’re a brand – you should use your logo.

Tips on choosing a perfect Instagram profile picture:

if you’re a brand, use your official logo
if you’re a person, use a photo where you’re alone (no group pictures)
preferably use a photo where your face is visible
choose a photo with good lighting
a smile on your face is inviting and you’re more likely to get more attention

Be sure to add relevant keywords

Keywords are essential when it comes to Instagram growth. The best way to discover your content is through hashtags (that are keywords relevant to your post), but specific keywords describing your profile should be used in your bio as well.

Adding specific keywords to your bio will help your account be discovered on Instagram search. For example, if you’re looking for Instagram accounts about “healthy cooking”, you would key in “healthy cooking” in your Instagram search. As a result, you’d get a list of accounts that correspond to your searched keyword.

This is a powerful way of growing your audience. And an easy one.

It can be a hassle trying to remember what all of your preferred keywords are. Therefore, you should take some time and make a little list or cheat sheet of the major keywords associated with your account. It can help your account grow immensely in size and number of followers.

Tips on choosing the right Instagram keywords:

these keywords should be broad enough
ideally 2-3 words in length
they should be searchable (it means they should be actual phases that people would look for)
limit your keywords to 1-2 the most important ones to be shown on your bio

Have a strategy for your hashtags

Hashtags are one of the ways to make your content discoverable. They plan an important role and you should come up with a strategy. In the end, you want to use the most relevant hashtags that make sense.

Even though Instagram allows to use of up to 30 hashtags per post, I’d suggest using a maximum of 20. The reason is simple – you don’t want to overdo it. Accounts that use hashtags excessively can be perceived as spammy and too pushy.

You shouldn’t use the same hashtags all the time either. I noticed that when I continuously use the same hashtags, my reach reduces.

For this reason, I always have a note on my phone with 10-20 general hashtags within my niche that I can use any time (e.g., #foodieblogger, #homecooked, #dinnerideas, #coffeenyc, etc.) I would use the ones that are the most applicable to the post, the rest I’d think of based on the picture or video that I’m uploading.

You must be sure that you know what the right hashtags are and when to use them to gain followers on Instagram. Don’t think that hashtags with millions of posts are the ones that you should be using.

Quite the opposite. For those that have anything above 100k posts, I’d use just a few. The reason is simple – it’s too noisy and too many people post using them so my content will just drown in the sea of other content. Likely nobody will see my post.

Better choose hashtags that are highly relevant to your niche and aren’t super crowded. In this way, you’re sure to get engagement with your posts. Sometimes, I receive likes for posts that I shared months ago. It just proves that using less common hashtags brings long-term value.

Tips on creating an Instagram hashtag strategy:

research your niche and find the most relevant hashtags
determine whether these hashtags have the potential for growth
create a list of hashtags you’d want to use
check other posts that show up when you use your chosen hashtags. Are they relevant to your niche?
update the list of hashtags frequently

Use relevant hashtags

So, now that you have established a strategy for your Instagram hashtags, it is important to follow it. It is also important to use relevant hashtags, that describe what your picture is about.

Remember, people who are interested in your niche, and therefore your primary target, will be using these hashtags to search for content. You want them to discover yours.

If people do not see that your posts have any relevance, they will most likely pay no attention. Therefore, being sure that your hashtags are relevant and relative to what you post is important. Do not try using trendy hashtags for posts that have nothing in common with the hashtag, as it will be perceived as spam.

Moreover, social media changes really fast. New hashtags emerge every day. You should spend time researching whether any new relevant hashtags appeared and if so, use them while they aren’t flooded with too many posts. Big events (such as Superball, Olympic games, concerts, etc.) often have a lot of hashtags that you can leverage on. Keep in mind, this type of hashtags has an “expiry date”; they won’t be that relevant once the event is over.

Tips to use relevant Instagram hashtags:

your hashtags should describe your picture and your niche
research what your competitors or similar profiles use as their hashtags
research whether any new trendy hashtags within your niche emerged
continuously assess your hashtag list and consider if they are still relevant (e.g., #Tokyo2021 won’t be relevant next year so you shouldn’t use it and take it out from your hashtag list)

Engage with your audience

Instagram is a social media platform, and you’re expected to socialize. Forget about growing your followers, if you only post a picture and forget about your account until the next time it’s time to post.

When you engage with someone through Instagram, you are essentially showing them that they are important. That’s why you should take time to interact with other accounts by liking and commenting on their posts.

By doing so, you’re exposing your account to more eyes and increase the chances of getting extra followers as well. Nevertheless, you position yourself as a leader in your niche and someone who’s worth following.

If you want to increase your followers, then it is important to respond to comments on your posts and DMs from other users.

Hit the reply button to comment and respond. Foster the dialogue and strengthen the connection. If someone double-tapped on your post, check out their profile, and if you find some posts interesting – double-tap back!

Instagram is like a party – you shouldn’t be hiding in the corner if you want others to notice you.

Tips on engaging with other Instagram users:

Spend as little as 15min a day browsing through other accounts, leave genuine comments, and like their content.
Reply to all comments that you receive. A simple “Thank you [heart emoji]” doesn’t require much time or effort.
Build relationships online as if it was a real-life situation, be approachable and friendly.

Post regularly

When it comes to increasing your followers, you mustn’t let your account go stale. Therefore, if you are not posting regularly, then many people will feel like there is no point in following you or even commenting on your content because they feel like there is nothing for them to see.

There are too many inactive accounts on Instagram. You don’t want to be perceived as one of them.

So even if you interact and spend time engaging with other accounts, if your last post was a month ago, it won’t add much juice to your Instagram growth.

Create content regularly. It can be once a day, a couple of times per week, or even once a week. It’s good to always have up-to-date content for others to consume.

Think about regular posting as a way to get a higher reach. If you post 1 post per week, which gets in front of 100 people, it means that your reach is 100 people per week. Maybe 1% will follow you – that’d be 1 follower per week.

However, what if you posted 3 times per week and reached 100 people with each post? That’s 300 people reached per week. If 1% followed you, that’d be 3 followers per week.

Do you see what I mean? By posting regularly, you’d be able to reach more people and thus get more followers.

Tips to post regularly on Instagram:

create a weekly Instagram calendar and outline what your captions and pictures will be. By planning in advance, you’ll be sure to have content on the go.
use other formats (such as Instagram Stories, IGTV, or Reels) regularly too. For example, you can promote your posts on Instagram Stories.
you can recycle old content over and over again. It’s safe to repost the same picture 1-2 months after because your long-time followers won’t remember it, and your new followers will see it for the first time.

Share your posts across different platforms

Don’t limit your Instagram posts to Instagram only. Other social media networks, such as Twitter or Pinterest are great to promote your Instagram posts.

Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest have one thing in common – they can be highly visual. You should Tweet your Instagram posts and save them as Pinterest pins.

In fact, as more of your Pinterest pins get saved, more people would see your posts and click-through to your Instagram account. The more people that visit your Instagram account via Pinterest referrals and also enjoy your content, the more followers you could gain.

The same goes for Retweets, the more people Retweet your posts, the higher the reach for your post, the better the chance to get new followers.

Tips on sharing your Instagram content across different platforms:

make sure to share your Instagram posts on Twitter and Pinterest after posting them on Instagram. This will increase your post reach.
you can Pin and Retweet old posts as well and get more exposure to them
you can also repeat Pins and Retweets after 1-2 months to recycle the content

Have a call-to-action

Sometimes what’s missing in Instagram captions it’s a call-to-action.

It is essential to tell your viewers what you want them to do. Sometimes, like, save, share or comment can be less evident, thus make sure to remind what you expect your audience to do.

I often suggest adding a call-to-action at the end of each post. For example, if you want that your audience saved the post for future reference, say, “Don’t forget to save to access this valuable infographic later.” If you want your audience to comment, ask a question “So, what are your thoughts? Comment below.”

Having a call-to-action increases the engagement with your post significantly, so give it a shot!

Suggestions for Instagram call-to-actions:

Don’t forget to save this post for later!
Like if you want more similar content.
Don’t forget to like this post!
Follow me not to miss my new posts!
Do you agree? Comment below!
Ask me a questions

Keep things simple

As the old saying goes ‘Keep it simple, stupid!” and in terms of growing your Instagram following, this holds true too. The less complicated your posts are, the better off you will be when it comes to actually getting people to pay attention.

Your posts should aim to solve some sort of problem in a simple way. Your travel posts can help decide where to go for a honeymoon; your food pictures can inspire recipes for lunch prep; your outfit pictures can help someone renew their wardrobe.

Give your audience a good amount of content and make it clear that you have more to offer. It will help boost your numbers on the platform over time!

Avoid overcomplicating things. Don’t post content that’s not relevant to your audience. Also, try to avoid overly complex pictures or videos, as normally people don’t want to be burdened when they browse social media. Keep things simple.

Tips to keep your Instagram posts simple:

don’t post pictures that are “busy” and hard to understand. Keep the backgrounds dull, and direct attention to the main object of your post.
avoid using overly contrasting colors.
don’t overedit your videos and photos.

Be creative

This is something that most people in the Instagram marketing world overlook when they are trying to grow their followers. However, this is something that you should definitely focus on as it will help you in the long run.

Do not copy someone else’s posts or captions, as it won’t work out. If someone shared a post and got 1000 likes, it doesn’t mean that you’ll also get that amount.

There is a difference between being inspired by someone and copying someone. It is perfectly fine to follow accounts that you admire and get inspiration from them.

But remember to be unique and offer unique content.

Tips on being creative on Instagram:

be yourself and don’t copy others (possibly more “successful” accounts).
use your tone in captions; imagine that you’re talking to a friend.
do collaborations with other accounts within your niche

Have a plan

Many people overlook this, but it is very important. Whether you are using Instagram marketing as your primary marketing channel or just something to work on in between other methods, you need to have a plan that outlines what you will be doing so that you can get results.

Ensure that you are aware of how many posts and comments you should be posting for each day, month, and year. It will help make sure that your account will not become overcrowded, and it will also help attract more followers in the future!

It is also important to answer what you want to achieve on Instagram. Is there a specific goal? Maybe you want to record your daily life and share it with people. But maybe you want to monetize your Instagram and earn passive income.

Having a goal in mind will help you in building a solid plan which will bring your closer to achieving your goal.

To do that, be sure to measure your results and celebrate your milestones.

Tips on creating an Instagram plan:

determine what your Instagram goals are.
set activities that you need to carry out to achieve that goal (e.g., post 100 posts in 2021).
break down your activities into months and stick to the monthly or even weekly plan.
don’t forget to measure your results on a regular basis to see the improvement and that you’re getting closer to reaching your goal.

What are the 12 ultimate tips to get followers on Instagram?

All of these tips will help you grow your Instagram followers. Be sure to follow them and have patience. Instagram is very competitive, and it takes quite a lot of effort and time to grow to tens of thousands of followers organically. Don’t be harsh on yourself, and enjoy the process!

Remember that the more followers you get, the higher the number of your follower target will be. It is a never-ending cycle, so make sure not to burn out.

These are the 12 tips that I advise to use to grow Instagram followers in 2021: