Proven Ways How to Grow Your Instagram & Followers (2021)

1. Optimize your Instagram account

Before you set out figuring out how to gain followers on Instagram, one of the most important steps is to have your account fully optimized. Think of your brand’s Instagram bio as the “homepage” to your account.

Without a bio, image captions, a proper username or profile image, how will people know the account belongs to your brand? It might seem obvious, but on Instagram your bio and image help form the foundations of your brand identity. The link in your bio is your one spot to drive Instagram traffic to your site, so optimizing your account is essential.

2. Keep a consistent content calendar

The worst thing you can do when trying to get followers on Instagram is to post content at random, haphazard times. If you’re lucky enough to get users following you in the beginning, you don’t want to make them forget they followed you in the first place.

To combat this, keep to a regular posting schedule. Typically, brands shouldn’t post more than a few times a day to avoid spam, but whatever your cadence, keep it consistent. Approximately 200 million Instagram users log on daily, so to cast your net even wider, try publishing a few times throughout the entire day.

3. Schedule Instagram posts in advance

While the Instagram algorithm has changed to show users more content they like, posting at the right times can still give your posts more visibility by increasing the overall engagement they receive.

There’s a lot your brand can do to raise visibility, and now with Sprout Social, scheduling Instagram content is one of them. With our newest tools, we can help your brand schedule content through an easy process.

4. Focus on Quality over Quantity.

Some sources say that you need to post on Instagram between one to three times a day, however, this may not work best for you.

While brand awareness is good, your potential followers might see hyper-frequent posts as spam and will start to unfollow you. Second, if you start posting several times per day and then slow down, your user engagement rates with your target audience may decline.

5. Create your own hashtags.

Hashtags are helping to build up a community and involve people who have common interests. The right hashtag can expose your image, video, or Instagram story to a large and targeted audience.

Many brands are creating their own hashtags and encouraging people to use them – #JustDoIt, #ImLovinIt – we all know what do they stand for.

We know it might be difficult convincing people to use your hashtag and start following you, but what about starting with smaller groups.

Let’s say you host a virtual or video conference and you think of a hashtag – #MarketingSummit2020. Make sure that it's not taken and starting to use hashtags during the event – on invitations, as decorations, in marketing collateral, etc.

6. Avoid fake Instagram followers

There’s a huge difference between an Instagram account having fake and legitimate followers. It might seem tempting to simply purchase Instagram followers, but the backlash outweighs the perks of organic follower growth.

Fake Instagram followers tend to:

• Deceive new followers: If users come to an inactive Instagram feed with tens of thousands of followers, it will lower the account’s credibility. Don’t trick people into following you. Build trust and long-lasting relationships for better engagement.

• Have no ROI: It might seem easier to buy followers, but your acquired bot or unmanned new followers won’t be purchasing anything. People follow brands on Instagram for a reason–they like what you’re posting or your company in general. These are actual spenders and bring monetary value to your business.

• Create little-to-no buzz: If you have 10,000 fake followers, how many are going to comment, like and share your content? More than likely, these bot or fake accounts will be cleaned up by Instagram, deleted and make your posts seem like engagement graveyards.

Real people have the ability to share, like, comment and engage with your Instagram posts. Additionally, these users enjoy when there’s someone on the other side responding.

6. Socialize and comment on other accounts.

Let’s not forget that Instagram is a social media platform where you can meet new people and communicate with those who share common interests.

Start liking tons of pictures that are related to your profile topic, or example, if you are portraying a healthy lifestyle or fractional nutrition look for people talk about it.

Leave your comments under other posts, let them know that they are doing great, or share your own opinion on this topic. Don’t forget about your own comments and DM inbox.

7. Post content followers want

While this is easier said than done, it’s smart to learn what content your followers want to see. You’ll quickly find on Instagram that some content performs better than others. This is why testing is so important.

Whether it’s filters, captions, content types or post times, the smallest detail can make all the difference. Keep your ear to the ground with new Instagram trends so you know you’re posting popular content.

To take your analysis a step further, your brand should invest in Instagram analytics tools. This will make it easier to track, benchmark and analyze Instagram content across accounts.

8. Have a unique grid.

Don't underestimate the power of visual communication. When it comes to presenting a brand, customers recognize the product by its logo first or the color choice. If we see a soft drink and a red color label on the bottle we all know it stands for famous Coca Cola.

Do the same with your own Instagram profile and make your grid consistent and visually appealing.

This isn't just about color but also the structure and symmetry. You can use a free tool like Planoly or Preview that allows you to preview the picture layout before you post. Make sure to stick to one picture filter for color consistency or become more creative with collage and puzzle pictures.

Another tip is to add some quotes on one color background or post the same object on every third or fourth picture in the row.

9. Work with Instagram influencers.

Join forces with other famous, popular, and well-known bloggers and Influencers this way exchanging followers with each other. Make sure you collaborate with influencers who have similar interests or topics because the audience will be more likely to follow you.

It is difficult to force men who follow car repair centers to force following some makeup artists who talk about beauty products. Not only other influencers can make a difference but also real brands. If brands are not approaching you, you can have a short introduction email sent to their marketing team.

10. Make your Instagram followers happy

Last but not least, when you make your Instagram followers happy, you see the payoff in audience growth. We’ve given you plenty of tips for brainstorming and scheduling content, so put them into practice in a way that feels real to your brand voice. In other words, avoid seeming needy, sales-driven or robotic.

For many accounts, this means sprinkling in posts that are legitimately designed to bring a smile to followers’ faces and build customer relationships. Don’t forget to provide content to your followers as if they were friends on your personal feed: this might include posting memes, inspirational content, or just re-sharing interesting photos or artwork (all properly credited, of course) that can give your followers a little mental pick-up during the day.