Growing your instagram followers organically has become a tough gig these days. However, if you’re willing to put in the work and apply the below hacks properly, you should be suprised by the results you get!
Here are 9 simple tricks you can work on daily to help grow your Instagram followers!
1. Optimise Your Instagram Bio
Instagram is now using their own type of SEO to categorize different accounts to be shown to relevant people.
What this means, is you need to be using specific keywords in your Instagram Bio, for example if your account is about Corgi Dogs, and you include keywords related to Corgi Dogs then Instagram will use your content to show to people who might have also shown a lot of interest in Corgi Dogs, meaning you will be able to be discovered by other relevant users.
Include these keywords in your name of your profile, in your actual bio section along with more about your page etc.
Here's our full guide on how to optimise your Instagram bio.
2. Post Valuable Content
This is such a simple and effective tip that people often forget from time to time. You want to ensure that each post you put out there is providing value or entertainment to your niche followers.
Ideally, it’s best to make content that is “share-worthy” so your followers can share with their like minded friends and boom! You’ll be getting more and more people interested in your account.
A good method to help you with creating valuable content is to create a strategy.
3. Keep It Niche
Make sure when you start your Instagram account you are keeping your theme consistent.
People much prefer following accounts that offer niche content of a certain interest eg. Streetwear Fashion, DIY Home Styling, Trick basketball shots etc.
The more niche you can get your account, the more interest it will generate from a specific type of follower who is far more loyal than if you posted random content from a variety of niches which can lose followers quickly.
4. Use Appropriate Hashtags
Although hashtags sound like such a drag these days, they still help to get more eyes on your content, which can result in more followers!
Make sure you are using relevant and appropriate hashtags on your posts. It’s best if you can create a Hashtag strategy to test and see what works best.
Here's a few more ways you can optimise your hashtags.
5. Post Stories
If you can, try to post a number of stories a day, but if that’s too much, just try to post daily if possible.
Stories are fast becoming the more popular feature on Instagram. Try adding hashtags and locations on the stories which are related to that story.
Having stories daily is a great strategy, because when people visit your page and you have stories, they will see that you’re an active page. People always prefer to follow an active page.
Another great thing about stories is they can now be featured on the explore page which means it’s possible for your stories to go viral, with the right content and hashtags!
6. Reply To All Comments
When people take time out of their busy day to leave a comment on your post, it’s always best to respond!
This is not only a great way to build connections with your followers but it also shows that you care.
A handy tip is to reply to the comment with a question, this is a great technique because it will start a chain of comments across your post which will help the algorithm favour this post as more valuable and engaging which is a win for you.
7. Reply To All DM’s
DM’s (Direct Messages) are the internal messaging feature on Instagram. Although it may appear time consuming, it’s best to respond to all messages you receive in your DM’s.
This can be challenging when you’re a big account but the more you do this, the more meaningful the relationships you will create with your followers.
People really appreciate it when you take the time to respond and engage with them and this is a memorable way to show that you care.
If you’re a smaller account, it’s a great idea to reach out to your followers and dm them. Ask them how they are and start a conversation.
8. Comment On Posts Within Your Niche
Go into hashtags and start finding accounts that are similar to your own account or people that would find your account valuable.
Start reaching out and leaving valuable and meaningful comments on their content. If you find a photograph or tip that is really useful, go into detail about what you appreciate about the post and maybe ask a question or two directly to the creator. This starts rapport and allows accounts who may not have heard of you to find your own instagram and follow you.
The key to this strategy is being authentic, not fake! If you do this daily, you will see amazing results.
9. Follow Posts Within Your Niche
Similar to the above tip, it’s highly recommended to find amazing accounts that would find your content valuable and not only leave comments on their posts but also follow them.
The more touch points you have with their posts and account, the higher chance these people will check out your own content and follow you back.
The more engagement the better, so even following up with these accounts in a week or two and comment on their instagram stories and keeping a conversation flowing is a really special way to create a meaningful connection and build a loyal follower.
So, there you have it.
Nine useful tips you can start working on today, in order to grow your Instagram followers organically.
Remember to test and try out these strategies using SharemyInsights to give you a deep dive into how these hacks are helping your account grow. Best of luck!