With 1 billion monthly users, Instagram rises to the top of the most popular social networks. When you start on the social network, you often have only one idea in mind: to see your number of Instagram subscribers skyrocket. The accounts of influencers are the stuff of dreams with their number of 5-digit Instagram subscribers …
However, before we start this article on how to get more Instagram followers, we want to remind you of the essentials:
3 golden rules on how to increase Instagram followers Hack!
- Getting a lot of followers (subscribers) on Instagram doesn’t make you successful. Some accounts have thousands of subscribers, but those subscribers aren’t always qualified and engaged. Having 10,000 followers on Instagram is great. But it is better to have 1000 subscribers who are really interested in your subject and in your niche, who will like, comment, share … In short, having a lot of Instagram subscribers is good, having a lot of commitment from these subscribers is even better!
- Some accounts with a lot of followers have used fraudulent means, buying their Instagram followers. We do not recommend these methods which are paid, and which, in the end, will damage your reputation. Why? Because this mass of Instagram followers is not really interested in your business/topic. They did not choose to subscribe to your page. They will not be interested, not engaged, and they will not buy your products.
- In summary, to have a lot of followers and a lot of likes and engagement on Instagram for free (that is to say, a qualified community that will interact and likely to become a customer): you have to define your target audiences. , its objectives, its strategy. Observe the most popular hashtags and practices in your business. Treat your content accordingly. Interact yourself with followers and influencers. It’s a free method, which takes time, but which is the best: the one that will have an impact on your real business, your brand awareness, and your turnover, in the end!
The first 1,000 Instagram followers are the hardest to convince. Why? Because no one knows you yet and it’s up to you to prove that you are a talented brand and influencer. That said, impossible is not French.
How to get followers on Instagram? But above all, how to engage them over time? Follow the guide! Find out how to gain Instagram followers in just six months, with these 15 Instagram tips.
How To Increase Followers On Instagram for free?
# 1. Define an Instagram strategy and targets
- Define your target audience: who are your Instagram followers?
As with any communication on social networks, it is not enough to just jump in and make a few posts to have subscribers. You really need to think about your content strategy and your posting pace to build a strong presence and community. What are your targets in your market? Do you want to talk to athletic women, single men, fashionistas, or cooking enthusiasts? Depending on your niche, you will have several targets and different ways to communicate with them. You must therefore precisely define who are the people you want to reach, and what their uses are on Instagram.
- Define the most popular hashtags in your niche :
Start by following a few accounts and see the hashtags they use, the post styles they share, the businesses they support. We recommend that you spend your first week examining all of this and then building a strategy to reach your targets and a wider audience.
- Define your goals
Also, think about your primary purpose for being on Instagram. Do you want to drive traffic to your site, sell products directly, or build a loyal and engaged community?
- Define a monthly publication schedule
Your tone and content will be different depending on your end goal. Finally, think about posting ideas that can last over time, so that you don’t have a few posts the first few days.
After doing all of that, you are ready to earn some quality Instagram followers!
# 2. Join Instagram pods
How to break into Instagram? In the beginning, you can get more followers on Instagram for free and quite easily with a technique that allows novices to see their number of subscribers increase quickly. How? ‘Or’ What? They have joined groups that allow you to boost your Instagram, and have free Instagram likes.
You might be tempted to join the biggest Instagram engagement groups, but your follower list will be much more targeted if you stay in whatever niche it is – travel, beauty, fashion, etc.
You will find new followers in these groups and get likes from people who share the same interests as you. A good way to get free Instagram followers. It’s also a way to get a lot of likes on Instagram. But if you really want to grab attention and get into the influencer community, don’t forget to return the favor by following the newcomer pages. This process can be efficient at start-up, but it takes time.
You can easily have 2,000 new Instagram followers in just a few weeks by adopting this strategy.
Even if that doesn’t immediately translate into your bottom line, you’ll already gain credibility and prevent your Instagram page from showing just 38 followers. This is a short term strategy for your first few weeks on Instagram. Don’t overdo it.
# 3. Repost from other users to gain Instagram followers
If you’re wondering how to get noticed on Instagram fast, follow this trick that’s pretty simple to replicate.
When I created my store’s Instagram account, my posting strategy was basically to repost content created by other members. This is a good beginner’s strategy to gain Instagram followers, as you often produce little content at the start of your business. To avoid being reported for infringement, you should always mention the original author in your description, with no exceptions. Instagram has updated its policy and it is now mandatory to obtain permission before reposting any content.
When I started out, I would take screenshots and add the images to my Instagram account. The Repost app really got my account off the ground. In particular, it allowed me to repost video content on Instagram. One of my biggest successes was reposting a video that was viewed 52,862 times with 1,264 comments and 9,147 likes. Considering the fact that I had less than 10,000 subscribers at the time, this was downright epic.
Why repost other users’ content instead of mine?
Simply because I knew it was easier to repost content. And to be totally honest, my visual and video content will never be as good as anyone else’s.
How did I choose what to repost? I was looking at the numbers.
As I was already very active on Instagram, I consulted every day the contents related to my list of hashtags. I then checked the videos and visuals to see what drew the most reactions. If I really wanted to share a post, then I knew it would fit on my page. This strategy has a huge impact, and it’s simple enough if you’re new to the quest for Instagram followers.
# 4. Post engaging posts to appear in Explorer
If you’re wondering how to get 10K on Instagram, aim for Explore.
The Explore section groups together the content offered when you click on the magnifying glass in the Instagram application. It offers personalized content to each Instagrammer based on the posts they have interacted with in the past. If you like soccer, there will be a lot of posts in this universe. The algorithm is not very clear on the selection of those posts that offer a hell of a boost to accounts for free, but they would be selected because they had strong engagement from the moment they were published. So try to make offbeat content, which automatically generates likes and comments. Even if you only appear once in this section, it will give you a big boost in your Instagram followers.
# 5. Get your Instagram account promoted on Buzzfeed
Another Instagram trick to boost your subscriber numbers is to try to reach the widest possible audience. And Buzzfeed leads the class when it comes to embedding Instagram posts into its content.
One of the Buzzfeed team members wrote an article explaining how she developed her personal Instagram influencer brand. Currently, she has over 6,500 subscribers, but the article she posted on the platform arguably helped. A great way to boost your Instagram! Buzzfeed has a community section where anyone can post their own content. But to gain credibility and visibility, stick to Buzzfeed guidelines.
Buzzfeed doesn’t fit your niche? No problem! You can also use the HARO tool, which allows you to receive requests three times a day from journalists seeking content and expert commentary for their articles. Most of them accept a link to a website and to social networks. You kill two birds with one stone by posting both a link to your store and to your Instagram account. The only small drawback, you have to write in English.
# 6. Ask customers to share their Instagram photos
At first, it will be much easier to gain Instagram followers if you post photos of customers in your feed. Why? If you are wondering how to get more Instagram followers for free, follow this step.
This can boost your Instagram followers, to make themselves known.
If you’ve never had a client before, reach out to influencers in your niche with fewer than 5,000 followers. That number might seem low, but influencers who have fewer Instagram followers want to monetize their accounts and will be more willing to take photos of your products for a lower cost. You can also offer them an affiliation through which they will receive a commission for each sale made via their customer referral link.
If you already have a few sales under your belt, reach out to your customers and offer them a free gift or cash incentive in exchange for quality images taken with the purchased product. Offering incentives is not an ideal long-term strategy, but in the phase of establishing your brand, it can help you gain Instagram followers.
More and more people will see customer photos on your Instagram account, so they will tag you in their posts when they receive your products. If you comment on their posts, repost their content, and follow them, chances are they will do the same. It may even happen that some subscribe simply after identifying you in their publication.
# 7. Adopt a style to have more Instagram followers
This strategy may sound a bit classic for gaining Instagram followers, but make no mistake about it. We don’t follow you for the content you have already posted but for what we think you will post in the future.
Imagine, for example, that you have a fan page on beautiful watches and that you publish beautiful photos and videos of trendy watches every day without fail. If Instagram users constantly see your posts, eventually they’ll realize that you always have the best-looking watches. They will therefore follow you while waiting for the same type of content.
Taking care of its content, quality, and regularity is the key to getting more followers on Instagram.
Always stick to the same style or theme doesn’t just serve your brand; it also creates an interest in your Instagram account, which your subscribers (current or potential) will get used to. They want to see the same type of content, day in and day out.
If you meet this expectation with each of your posts, you will quickly gain Instagram followers.
Many experts recommend sticking to 5 or 11 popular hashtags, or some other arbitrary number. When I developed my store’s Instagram account, I ignored these tips and went all out.
I was copying and pasting a whole list of hashtags from my phone to my app. I would sometimes try to use other hashtags but ended up spotting which ones generally worked best. Most often, I used the maximum number of Instagram hashtags, i.e. between 15 and 30.
Add all of these hashtags in your Instagram captions and as the engagement with your page grows, you will have more and more engagements and comments. The more Instagram followers you gain, the more visibility your posts will gain from these hashtags.
And if they’re specific to your niche, you’ll have an even higher chance of being discovered by your target audience, which will also help you increase your Instagram followers. However, avoid generic hashtags such as #love or #picoftheday if you are in fashion, for example.
If you want to know which popular hashtags are recommended to gain Instagram followers, do not hesitate to read our article dedicated to the best Instagram hashtags according to your niche.
# 9. Use your Instagram posts in your blog
If you have a personal or professional blog, you can include your Instagram images in your posts, for example: “Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram too”.
If you run a fashion blog, illustrate your style advice post with Instagram images. To do this, go to the publication that interests you, click on the icon representing three dots (…), then on the integration option. Then copy this link into the code section of your article to embed the image.
Over time, you will attract more visitors to your blog and they will be more likely to check out your Instagram account as well. And so you gain Instagram followers
This is a longer-term strategy, especially if you don’t have a lot of visitors yet. But by adding Instagram posts to your blog now, you’ll increase your chances of visibility when you start getting lots of insta likes six months from now.
# 10. Track users who like competing pages
Another Instagram tip: spot users who follow brands to gain Instagram followers. Who are your biggest competitors on this network? Check out their posts to see who’s commenting on them. Follow these same users and engage them.
Remember, when choosing competitors on Instagram, it’s best to go for smaller brands. Why? If you sell makeup brushes and try to get subscribers among users commenting on Sephora, it probably won’t be the right audience, even if it’s a similar niche. Bigger brands tend to have more loyal customers.
On the other hand, if your competitor has 100,000 followers on their Insta account, they may not be foolproof.
When commenting on photos of the users you follow, don’t use a commercial pitch or send the same message to everyone you contact, or they’ll be scared off. If they ask a question in their comment, answer them. When writing your comments, be guided by what other users have already posted.
Communicating with and following users can boost your account and get more followers on Instagram.
# 11. Collaborate with influencers to multiply Instagram followers
Another way to achieve 10,000 followers on Instagram is to get approval from influencers or have influencers temporarily take the reins of your account.
If an influencer has a loyal following, their approval will earn you Instagram followers on your account and maybe even make sales.
Remember to write a contract that prohibits the influencer from sending fake traffic. We happened to work with an influencer who shouted out to us and we saw 2000 fake subscribers arrive on our account. It was obvious she had used a bot. When a sudden wave of fake subscribers lands on your account, you risk having your account blocked.
If you’re looking for a more effective approach to breaking into Instagram, ask the influencer you work with to take the reins of your account in your Instagram Stories. So visitors will have to subscribe to your page to read the story. Remember to ask the influencer to let their audience know about the event a few days in advance.
# 12. Run contests to get more Instagram followers
If you run contests on Instagram and have a small audience, you are likely to gain a few more followers. But if you run contests on your website and add an option to follow yourself on Instagram and other social networks, you’ll reach a much larger audience.
If your audience size is small, you can post your content on certain Facebook groups or contest blogs.
When I first started in marketing, I contacted contest blogs sending them free products in return for their review. Most would agree to do this in return for a free product, but in some cases, you had to somehow buy Instagram followers since they were also asking to be paid. They were writing a review that included pictures and a description of their experience with the product. Their audience could then enter a competition to win the product. We have thus gained hundreds of subscribers on all our social media accounts. It’s a great way to increase your Instagram followers if you don’t have an audience yet, but it won’t be as targeted as if you run a blog contest that matches your interests.
If you’re just getting started, running contests can help you get more Instagram followers. On the other hand, if you do it too often, you might not reach the type of audience you are looking for. If your goal is to increase your sales, contests won’t necessarily help you. You can however test contests to increase your sales volume. On the other hand, if your goal is to simply grow your follower count quickly and get lots of likes on Instagram, this strategy is very effective.
# 13. Partner with another brand
If you’re just starting to learn how to gain Instagram followers, here’s a trick that I discovered with my own case study: Take some great photos of your products yourself. Another brand reposted one of my photos and credited me. As this brand had almost 300,000 followers, I gained a few new Instagram followers in its audience. I didn’t have to do anything except take my own photos. I didn’t even need to contact any new Instagram followers – they were the ones who contacted me! And other brands have followed suit.
# 14. Multiply stories to retain Instagram followers
Posts are now less viewed in Instagram feeds. What matters now are the stories! And the more you do, the more regular you will maintain a relationship with your Instagram followers. Post news about your brand, special offers for your subscribers, unusual videos. We recommend between 1 and 3 posts per day, the lifespan of the stories being 24 hours. If you have an important message to convey, it is better to write a post and a story on the subject.
Small surveys in your Instagram stories also allow you to engage your community … but also to get to know it better! Ask questions about their tastes or habits to refine your offer or then create personalized content. Not sure if you should sell this product in green or blue? And why not ask your loyal customers and followers first?
# 15. Test ads on Instagram
Instagram ads are easy to do right from the Facebook Business Manager. Setting up Instagram Ads works the same way as Facebook Ads. It is especially the image formats and hashtags that will differ on Instagram. To know everything about Facebook Business Manager, we recommend our complete guide to master Facebook Ads.
Testing ads on Instagram can be a great way to grow your audience after a few weeks of posting to your profile. You can choose an advertising goal to drive engagement or subscriptions to your account. Ads can also boost your site traffic or sales. Prefer very visual and dynamic content that can be displayed in Instagram stories.
We recommend that you test on a low budget and especially to promote a particular product to facilitate engagement and clicks.
Also Read: How to Get 1k Followers on Instagram In 5 Minutes!
How to boost your Instagram captions?
The image is not the only important element in your Instagram feed. We saw above that hashtags are also a great element in gaining Instagram followers. Your Instagram captions should also be relevant and not just be a succession of Hashtags. Find the phrase that makes you laugh, the right quote, and why not translate it into multiple languages if your audience is in multiple countries. It’s all in storytelling, and the more humor or emotion there is, the better it works!
When it comes to the length of your Instagram caption, there aren’t really any rules. For funny photos, you better find a catchy and dynamic little caption, which will add a touch of humor to an already funny situation. If you really want to share your feeling or an anecdote, feel free to share a longer Instagram caption. This post will elicit more emotions and comments.
Applications to increase the number of Instagram followers
Like many others a while ago, I launched my store’s Instagram account using a bot, which is an app that increases the number of Instagram followers. Its name: Instagress. It worked really well and made it easy for me to rack up my first thousand Instagram followers. But today this type of strategy is strongly discouraged. Instagram and other similar apps will be blocked by Instagram and you may have your account closed. It would be a shame, especially since there are many more satisfying techniques to increase your Instagram followers.
To gain followers on Instagram, use marketing automation tool apps like Buffer or Hootsuite.
Want to become an Instagram champion and have 10,000 Instagram followers? Sign up for Instagram guru Gretta Van Riel’s free Instagram course.
Three influencers tell you how to gain Instagram followers
Juanika Dildy
Juanita Dildy is the founder of the popular The Ladypreneur website. His Instagram account has gained over 16,000 subscribers. Here are his tips for getting Instagram followers:
How did you manage to reach 16,000 followers on Instagram?
All the difference comes from commitment. It’s vital that your followers know that you value them as much as they value you. For more engagement, search for popular hashtags to attract followers, find users who stand out from the crowd, like a few of their photos, and add comments to them. You will attract the curiosity of the people you have communicated with, they will follow you and identify their friends on your posts.
Have you used any apps to increase the number of your Instagram followers?
Initially, tools like Instagress were useful for engagement, but now that it’s possible to target subscribers and sponsor content, they’re no longer needed.
What advice would you give someone who wants to gain followers on Instagram?
Publish, publish, and publish again! The more users who see your content, the more familiar they are with your brand, and the more likely they are to like, follow and share it. The more you post, the more your users will feel like they know you.
Imagine hearing a noise in your kitchen in the middle of the night. You rush over and find Cristina Cordula making coffee. In this situation, most people would not call the police. They are so in touch with the content that she offers that they feel like they know her. Some would even consider its presence in their kitchen a privilege. It is the constant publication of content that allows influencers to benefit from this effect.
Name one thing that sets you apart from all other Instagrammers
My account encourages, inspires, AND informs. He influences influencers thanks to a brand image that catches the eye while being educational. It attracts both the experts and the neighbors.
Talia Koren
It’s hard to say who has the most followers on Instagram but some people already have a lot. For example, Talia Koren is the brain of the popular Work Week Lunch account, with more than 280,000 subscribers to date. We asked him what is the best way to gain Instagram followers:
What helped you gain 200,000+ Instagram followers?
I listen to my subscribers and give them what they expect. It shows them that I am invested in my relationship with them and in return, they give me their time and attention. Regularity is also a crucial factor. Rather than just talking about myself, I post interesting content and stories every day that are useful to my followers. Finally, I pay attention to the evolutions of the platform. Using new features such as highlighting stories and understanding algorithm changes is also helping me grow in popularity.
Have you used any tools that have helped you increase your Instagram follower count?
I do not use any tool other than the analyzes offered on Instagram. They are very useful to me! Analyzes are important because they allow us to see what is working and what is not.
We are often asked how to get more followers on Instagram. What should a beginner focus on?
Whether you start with 0 followers or less than 10,000, don’t focus so much on the numbers. They will increase, but it will take time. Instead, focus on how you can reach out to other people and help them talk about you.
What makes your Instagram account different from others?
My account isn’t that much different from many others, but I don’t post photos of myself. What matters is my audience, not me. I also use Stories as a vlogging channel, which my followers like.
Gracie parish
Gracie Parish is an Instagram influencer with 44,800 followers on her Snapped account. We asked him to give us tips to gain Instagram followers:
How did you manage to gain over 44,000 Instagram followers?
I spend a lot of time engaging my followers through Instagram, email, Facebook, and also Pinterest. I take time each week to respond to as many people as possible and I also engage with them in their comments. Thanks to collaborations, I was able to cross-promote with many bloggers or brands that match my brand, and it really allowed me to develop my audience.
What has been the biggest impact on the development of your Instagram followers?
I attach great importance to the authenticity of my blog to create a real relationship with my subscribers. That’s why I only promote brands and products that I really believe in. I’ve been blogging for the past five years and have learned to choose the brands that best match my blog and my style (the brands my followers love). All of this counts in my success.
If we asked you how to get 10K on Instagram, what would you say?
Be yourself and trust yourself. Building a blog takes years and a lot of work, and if you are successful in maintaining your brand and being yourself, your followers will see it. I would also say that you shouldn’t get discouraged at first, because it takes a lot of time and practice to be successful. No [influencer] has had immediate success.
How is your Instagram account different from others?
What makes a real difference between my Instagram account and others is that I try to really show my life to my followers. Much of my content is sponsored, but I always try to post quality posts that let my followers get to know me better and offer content that interests them. A lot of bloggers get tangled up in the business side of blogging, and while it is indeed a job, it’s important to not lose sight of the authenticity and stay close to the subscribers.
Conclusion: How to get free Instagram followers and likes?
In the beginning, the hard part is figuring out how to get followers on Instagram. Once you have passed 10,000 followers, you should continue to use one or more of the strategies presented in this article to further grow your account and reach 100,000 subscribers, or even over a million. Also spend time writing your Instagram captions and choosing popular hashtags. Do not forget the stories to stand out and make a daily appointment. That might mean posting on Instagram three times a day, every day, to build your visibility, but all that hard work will pay off in the end. And you will have an Instagram audience that you can be proud of.
How to get more followers on Instagram in summary
- Define an Instagram strategy and targets
- Join Instagram pods
- Repost from other Instagram users
- Post engaging posts to appear in Explorer
- Get the promotion of your Instagram account on Buzzfeed
- Ask customers to share their Instagram photos
- Adopt a style to engage the audience
- Using hashtags to gain Instagram followers
- Use your Instagram posts in your blog
- Track users who like competing pages
- Collaborate with influencers to multiply Instagram followers
- Organize contests
- Partner with another brand
- Multiply stories to retain Instagram followers
- Test ads on Instagram
How many Instagram followers do you currently have? Tell us in the comments. Click here and get Instagram followers hacks first.
