Must-Know Strategies for Gaining Instagram Followers

Do you want to learn how to gain Instagram followers and expand your business?

I’ve seen many posts about “how to gain 10K followers in X amount of time”, however, I want to make it clear that there’s no timeframe for growing your page.

Everyone’s journey is different and it’ll take time and dedication to see consistent growth.

This post won’t give you shortcuts on how to gain Instagram followers. Instead, you’ll find strategies that can help you build connections and improve your engagement which will lead to a bigger community.

Remember, although a high follower count looks nice, there’s no purpose for it if no one is engaging with your content.

How to Gain Instagram Followers

Engage + Follow Similar Accounts

Double tapping on a few photos is nice, but what’s even better is leaving genuine comments and following people within your niche that you’re interested in.

You can’t expect to sit back and have everyone run to your page and comment all of the time. Engagement is a two-way street and what you give out will come back to you.

Building genuine connections will bring more eyes to your content and potential followers if they like what they see.

You want to start working on your engagement during the beginning stages of your account. Although it’ll take time, the wait will be worth it.

It’s better to have an engaged audience with a bigger following at the end!

Create Quality Content

Posting quality content will not only attract your target audience to your page but also brands that you can potentially work with in the future.

Keeping your photos and videos bright and crisp will enhance your overall aesthetic.

You don’t have to purchase a camera to post quality content. Although it’s an upgrade, your phone can produce beautiful content too.

One thing that can make or break the quality of your content is lighting. It’s important to create in areas that are well-lit or you can invest in a ring light.

Another important factor is how you edit. Editing can enhance the features of your content and make it more attractive.

Adobe Lightroom is my favorite photo editor. It does an amazing job of transforming dull photos into quality images that your audience will love.

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Post Consistently

Consistency looks different for everyone. Some people post every day on social media while others may show up 2-3 times per week.

You want to find a posting frequency that works best for your lifestyle. It should always be quality over quantity.

Don’t ever feel like you have to post only to say you did. Your audience will appreciate it when you take the time to provide valuable content that will teach them something.

Planning your content and batch creating can help you stay consistent with the schedule you choose.

When you batch create, you choose one day to focus solely on creating as much content as you can. You can also write down your captions and hashtag sets.

After you finish, you’ll have plenty of content to schedule during the week. This can help you save time and become less overwhelmed with content creation.

Use the Right Hashtags

Finding quality hashtags to use can expand your reach and help you get in front of your target audience. It’s important to use hashtags that are relevant to your brand and niche(s).

Here are a few tips about hashtags:

• You can use up to 30 hashtags
• Don’t use popular hashtags (1 million+ posts)
• Use different hashtag sets for each niche you discuss
• Don’t use the same hashtags for every post

If you use a set of hashtags that perform well, I recommend saving them in the notes app on your phone. This will help you keep track of what works and you can use them again in the future.

Write Engaging Captions

Although Instagram is a visual platform, attractive content isn’t the only thing that can attract more followers. What you write in your captions also has an impact on your growth.

The story you tell on your page is just as important as the content you share. Your captions can show your personality, provide more valuable information, and inspire your audience.

Here are a few tips for writing captions:

• Ask a question. This can encourage your audience to comment

• Include a call to action (Tap the link in bio, subscribe to email list, etc.)

• Ask your audience to save and share your content

• Add your personality. Your brand’s voice and what you stand for should always be consistent

• Write your captions in advance instead of thinking about them on the spot

Collaborate With Others

Whether it’s for a giveaway or Instagram Live, collaborating with other creators in your niche can get you in front of more people.

When you choose someone to partner with, you want to make sure they have a similar target audience.

It wouldn’t make sense to collaborate with a food blogger if your content is about beauty. If you hosted a giveaway and their followers came to your page, they wouldn’t stay because you’re not giving them what they’re interested in.

Your main goal should be to attract people who are looking for the content and solutions you provide. More than likely, they will stick around and engage with your posts!

Following these tips can put you on the right track to gaining Instagram followers. Remember, growth doesn’t happen overnight. It’ll take patience and dedication.

Focus on building an engaged community and the ones who are meant for you will stick around.

Check out these other posts!

• 7 Ways to Create an Engaged Audience on Instagram
• How to Become an Instagram Influencer in 5 Steps
• 6 Ways to Make Money on Pinterest as a Creator