Blogging Tips

Must-Know Strategies for Gaining Instagram Followers

January 26, 2020
A black woman typing on a laptop

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.

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22 Comments

  • Reply Traline Denita January 27, 2020 at 11:11 am

    Amazing tips as always!!! I’ve been on my quest to gain followers and it hasn’t been easy. I hate the idea that gaining over 10K followers will happen in 90 days…..HOW SWAY?!?! Thanks again for always bringing the “Juice”!!!

    • Reply Madisen January 27, 2020 at 11:00 pm

      Exactly! I used to roll my eyes when I’d read those blog posts lol. It may be possible if you go viral but that’s rare and we shouldn’t rely on that. Thank you for reading sis!

  • Reply Dawn January 27, 2020 at 1:23 pm

    Amazing tips sis!! I agree with a lot of this, and will be incorporating some of these now. I try to engage with as planing people as possible when I’m on the app. I definitely want to step up my quality and edit photos more.

    • Reply Madisen January 27, 2020 at 11:01 pm

      Thank you so much boo for reading! Yes, I’m working on engaging more often myself, especially with people who I don’t follow yet. That’s the only way to build more connections! Your quality is great already, but yes editing can really take it to the next level.

  • Reply Reina Benjamin January 27, 2020 at 3:06 pm

    This is crazy! Over the past few days, i just learned some of these GREAT tips you just mentioned above! I applied some last night, especially with not using popular hashtags , and girl i saw a little traffic coming to my page.

    • Reply Madisen January 27, 2020 at 11:02 pm

      Yesssssss I’m so glad you’ve noticed a change sis! In the beginning, I was using all of the popular hashtags and barely saw any numbers. As soon as I changed that strategy, it’s been working for me ever since. Keep doing it and you’ll notice a huge difference!

  • Reply Kaya Marriott January 28, 2020 at 12:12 pm

    As always, fantastic content, Madisen!! It’s a good motivator to just keep at it–and that steadily engaging and creating is the way to go.

    • Reply Madisen January 28, 2020 at 2:35 pm

      Thank you so much love! Yes, that’s exactly what I’m trying to show others in this post. There are shortcuts you can take but it won’t benefit you in the long run!

  • Reply Alisha January 28, 2020 at 1:51 pm

    Love this! So insightful & will definitely use some of your tips.

    • Reply Madisen January 28, 2020 at 2:36 pm

      Thank you so much! I hope they work well for you. ♥️

  • Reply Shaker January 30, 2020 at 1:09 pm

    Congratulations!! 🎉 You are doing an amazing job and I’m excited to connect and grow with you. I love a girlfriend that’s organic and sincere. ✨

  • Reply Shakera January 30, 2020 at 1:10 pm

    Congratulations!! 🎉 You are doing an amazing job and I’m excited to connect and grow with you. I love a girlfriend that’s organic and sincere. ✨

    • Reply Madisen January 30, 2020 at 1:16 pm

      Thank you so much! Same to you! ♥️ I appreciate your support sis!

  • Reply Stacey January 30, 2020 at 2:19 pm

    Great content! I’m always lazy with hashtags and when I do it’s the popular ones. I have to change that. Thanks for sharing.

    • Reply Madisen January 30, 2020 at 4:52 pm

      Thank you so much! Yes switch up your hashtag strategy and see how much of a difference you notice! I usually don’t use hashtags that have over 700,000+.

  • Reply Celia Rose February 1, 2020 at 12:33 pm

    Been going through a lot of your posts sis!! You have been helping me a looot!! 😍 Your website is so bomb. Thank you so much!! ❤❤

    • Reply Madisen February 1, 2020 at 2:05 pm

      I’m glad my posts have been helpful for you! Thank you for reading.

  • Reply Breonna Queen April 23, 2020 at 11:38 am

    CONGRATS ON 10K! Thanks for these tips on growing your Instagram account. I def agree that creating high-quality content really is key!

    • Reply Madisen April 27, 2020 at 2:49 pm

      Thank you so much! Yes high-quality, valuable content is important!

  • Reply Ticara October 27, 2021 at 5:08 pm

    L O V E this! I’ll be sure to implement this tips on growing my audience. Thank you for sharing.

    • Reply Ticara October 27, 2021 at 5:09 pm

      these*

    • Reply Madisen October 27, 2021 at 11:51 pm

      Thank you for reading! I hope you notice changes as you continue to follow these strategies!

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