Social Media: Simple ways to gain more Instagram followers
Tap Into Instagram Reels
If you’re not sharing Instagram Reels yet, you could be missing out on a huge opportunity to grow your follower count.
Reels, Instagram’s short-form, looping video feature, is still one of the most effective ways to reach new audiences on the app.
Unlike most of the Instagram experience, viewers in the Reels feed are served high interest content from both users they follow, and users they don’t.
This means the Reels you create can easily reach far beyond your follower list – helping to increase your visibility and grow your follower count.
For the best results:
Use keywords and hashtags in your Reels captions that accurately describe your video content
Use trending sounds
Keep your Reels short and snappy to encourage repeat views
Create original content
Add on-screen text for viewers watching without sound
Aim for high-quality video footage (rather than uploading content with a TikTok watermark)
Even if your brand or business doesn’t feel like an obvious fit for Reels, there are still ways to see success.
Experiment with popular trends, take followers behind-the-scenes, or even share a before and after of your product.
Optimise Your Post Captions for Search
Optimising your Instagram posts for search is a major Instagram hack for growing your following.
Following a recent update from Instagram, English-speaking users in 6 countries are now able to search Instagram using keywords.
According to an Instagram spokesperson via The Verge, the team considers a number of factors, including the “type of content, captions, when it was posted,” and more to surface relevant results.
It also uses machine learning to “find the highest quality content that’s relevant to you.” For now, only grid posts will show up.
Curate Your Profile for a Strong First Impression
Having a well planned Instagram feed, that clearly showcases your niche, is key for converting profile visitors into followers.
When someone lands on your profile, you want them to instantly understand what your account is all about.
To create a consistent aesthetic that supports your brand, use a visual planner tool to curate your Instagram grid before you post.
Consider how your posts look together as a whole, and what impression they give when someone lands on your profile for the first time.
Host an Instagram Giveaway
If you want to grow your following fast, hosting an Instagram giveaway can be one of the most effective tactics.
With the right strategy, you can reach thousands of potential new followers, all while building a stronger sense of community around your brand.
Make sure you set clear entry requirements that support your growth goals, such as tagging a friend in the comments, sharing to Instagram Stories, and following your account.
Instagram giveaways can be especially beneficial when hosted in partnership with a creator or brand that shares your target audience.
Which brings us onto our next strategy to get more Instagram followers...
Collaborate with Influencers and Brands
Collaborating with likeminded influencers and brands is a major win-win. You'll be able to benefit from brand association and tap into a new pool of potential followers.
The best news? Collaborations don’t have to break the bank. Some of the most effective partnerships are simple and mutually beneficial.
You don’t have to work with supersize influencers to make an impact. Nano and Micro influencers typically have higher engagement rates than Macro influencers, and typically have a lower rate card for sponsored posts.
However, you will have to work with more Nano or Micro influencers to reach the same audience size as a Macro influencer – so the right strategy will depend on your bandwidth and budget requirements.
Create Highly-shareable Content (Including Memes)
When it comes to organically reaching new audiences, creating share-worthy content is a great place to start.
Inspirational quotes, informative carousel posts, and on-trend memes are all tried-and-tested formats – and it only takes one viral post to reach thousands of people.
Memes in particular are huge for generating viral reach – especially when they tap into something that’s trending in popular culture. They’re often funny or clever, and they typically feature a combination of text and imagery (a photo, GIF, or video).
To create a super successful meme, try to find the balance between the trending visuals you’re working with, the sentiment of your target audience, and your brand’s niche.
The more your meme resonates with members of your community, the more likely it will be shared far and wide.
Have a Clear Value Proposition
Would you walk into a shop if you had no idea what it sold? Probably not, right?
Well, the same principle applies to your Instagram account.
Having a clear value proposition (whether it’s styling tips, inspirational quotes, or lifestyle content) is essential for converting visitors to your profile into followers.
However, this doesn't mean all of your content has to be exactly the same.
Cross-promote Your Instagram Account on Different Channels
If you’re looking for extra ways to grow your Instagram following, cross-promoting your account on other platforms is a great place to start.
TikTok is a major platform for cross-promoting your Instagram account.
On TikTok, one of the first things you can do to ensure Instagram traffic is by connecting your Instagram account to your TikTok.
You can then create a few TikToks that encourage viewers to click through to your Instagram profile.
If TikTok isn’t part of your marketing strategy, you can direct people to your Instagram via your website, email newsletter, podcast, or another social platform.
Create an Instagram Challenge
Instagram challenges have always been popular (remember the ice bucket challenge in 2014?), and now they're appearing more frequently on Instagram Reels.
Creating a successful Instagram challenge can catapult your account into the zeitgeist – reaching thousands, or even millions, of potential followers.
For the best results, make sure that participation is as easy as possible, create a branded hashtag to tie the challenge back to your brand, and think about what people will enjoy participating in.
Encourage User-generated Content (UGC) With a Branded Hashtag
Encouraging your community to share user-generated content (UGC) is an awesome way to raise brand awareness and grow your Instagram following.
And sharing UGC is super easy! Followers can either use your branded hashtag or tag your brand.
The result? Anyone who sees a user-generated picture has an easy route to discover the Birdy Grey Instagram account.
Make Your Content Accessible
Over 430M people people in the world are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, while at least 2.2B people have a vision impairment.
Here are four simple ways to make your Instagram account more accessible and inclusive today:
Add subtitles or text overlays to video content (including Instagram Videos, Stories, and Reels)
Manually write descriptive alt text for your Instagram posts
Verbalise visual details during stories and videos
Capitalise each word in Instagram hashtags. This helps screen-readers to read them aloud properly