In 2020, the Instagram platform continued to grow in importance. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, blogger, or influencer, the app can help you achieve more reach and, thus, more customers if used correctly. However, you can only succeed with the app if you have reached a corresponding number of Instagram followers, i.e., users who subscribe to and follow your activities. Fortunately, there are many ways to get more followers on Instagram – for free, without having to buy any. Here are 20 tips to help you get more users on your Instagram account in the long run.
On the Internet, you can find numerous methods to increase the number of followers with a few tricks. Often you read the tip to buy Instagram followers – but we would advise you against that. Buying Instagram followers is a legal way to increase your subscriber count, but they are not real users. As a result, they won’t like or comment on your posts and will never buy a product from you. We’ll show you how you can get more Instagram followers for free and answer these questions:
- How do I get more followers on Instagram?
- Why shouldn’t you buy followers on Instagram?
- How many Instagram followers do you need to make money?
1. Choose A Suitable Profile Picture To Get More Followers On Instagram
It sounds like a pronounced tip at first, but the effect of this tip should not be underestimated. Your profile picture, whether a personal or corporate account, should always be instantly recognized by other users. So, choose an image that matches the rest of your Instagram feed so that users know what to expect from your profile. If you have a company account, it’s evident that you should use your logo in good quality as your profile picture.
2. Use A Unique Name
The name of your account must also be immediately apparent to the user. In the best case, your profile name is accurate, or your company’s name is. This way, you can be sure that you will be found in the Instagram search when a user enters your name and that you will get more Instagram followers for free. Your username, which can be set separately, should also be your real name or your company’s name.
3. Fill In The Biography Completely
To complete your profile’s first impression, the account’s biography should also be filled out completely. This is located directly under your profile picture and should tell users what they can expect on your profile. It is an excellent idea to describe the most important terms briefly. You can also use a location or a unique hashtag. In any case, your website should be linked.
4. Use The Right Photos
It is essential to post images of high quality. They are the first thing the user sees and decide whether the user will look at other pictures of you. The platform Instagram has its beginnings in sharing photos – accordingly.
High quality means, for example, that the photos are not blurry and are well-lit. Many people use Instagram to get inspired, and your pictures should set a good example. It doesn’t matter what topic you post pictures on. The most practical issues are those you can pick up on the latest trends. Your images must attract the attention of users. This is essential to avoid getting lost in the mass of ideas, especially if you want to follow the latest trends.
5. Use The Story Function
Instagram’s Story feature has become just as popular, if not more so, than regular picture posts. This feature allows you to compile pictures and videos into a slideshow that deletes itself after 24 hours. On the one hand, this feature is handy because it is still displayed above the regular picture feed and is thus the first thing that catches your eye as soon as you open the app. On the other hand, Instagram Stories gives you the opportunity to share your Instagram followers a better look behind the scenes and thus present yourself more authentically. Because basically, the Stories feature only offers advantages: The videos and pictures are produced quickly and are often viewed more frequently by users than the typical picture posts. In addition to the standard images, they bring an excellent extra reach without buying new Instagram followers.
6. Use The Subscribers Of The Competition To Get More Followers On Instagram.
Now, you may be wondering where you can find these new subscribers. Of course, it is essential to continuously fill your profile with recent posts to gain new Instagram followers for free. However, it also offers a significant advantage in actively searching for new potential followers.
The answer, as is often the case, is with your competitors.
Look around on Instagram for successful channels that serve the same target audience as you. Now click on the number of subscribers, and you have a massive list of people who have the potential to be interested in your product or content. It would be best if you now interacted with these people so that they become aware of you. This can happen, for example, by liking or commenting on their posts. After all, everyone is happy about positive feedback.
7. Do Not Neglect Your Subscribers
Just as important, if not more important, than interacting with other users is keeping in touch with your subscribers. Reply to comments or at least like them so that your Instagram followers see that you read the words and are interested in them. In this way, you create sympathy and bind the users to you even more. This will also make it easier for you to get your products out to people. You prefer to buy products from someone you like and trust, right?
8. Stay True To Your Theme With The Feed
Sure, it’s tempting to bring a little variety into your Instagram feed. But if you deviate too much from your core theme with your images, you’re more likely to lose subscribers in the long run instead of gaining them. Users have landed on your Instagram account because they are interested in your topic. If you change this, these users might turn away from you. In addition, your feed should create a harmonious overall picture. So look at your profile: Do the images match each other? Do the colors match? Do you have two very similar photos next to each other? These are just little things, but in the end, they can make all the difference in whether a user stays on your profile.
9. Use The Right Hashtags For More Followers On Instagram
Instagram hashtags help users find the content that interests them the most. So, with the help of hashtags, you can search for specific topics and see the accounts that show relevant content.
So hashtags are critical to increasing your reach and, thus, your Instagram followers for free. Unfortunately, only some hashtags work equally well with every image. Of course, there are popular hashtags that are searched for by many users, but pictures often get lost in the crowd. Using hashtags that describe the image most appropriately and are frequently searched for by your target group is a good idea. So think carefully about which target group you want to reach and their interests to adapt your hashtags to them. Tools like Likometer show you which hashtags are currently leading. This is another way to gain new Instagram followers without buying them.
10. Use Your Location
With every picture, Instagram lets you announce your location with a geo-tag. Use this, if possible, and a local hashtag. This will help you reach people looking for content for a specific site. This is often the case when they are looking for insider tips in a particular city or want to get inspired for their next vacation. So always feel free to share your information with local hashtags to attract new subscribers.
11. Post Content Regularly
Even if it’s hard, especially in the beginning, you’ll only be successful if you keep at it. Similar to sports, you’ll only see visible results if you stick it out and keep doing it for a while. You will probably get fewer new Instagram followers daily than you would like. That can be very frustrating. However, you should still post something new regularly. If you only publish a new post every few weeks, you will lose the interest of your subscribers, you will also be rated poorly by the Instagram algorithm, and your pictures will be played out less often.
12. Participate In Challenges For More Followers On Instagram
You should participate in Instagram challenges to promote networking with other accounts and draw attention to yourself. In these, users post specific videos and images, for example, on a particular topic, using the same hashtag and encouraging other users to do the same. This creates a significant movement. You can get in touch with other users and be found by people looking for this challenge.
13. Don’t Forget The Caption
If you think Instagram is all about pictures, we’re sorry to disappoint you. The texts under the views are just as important as the pictures themselves, even if they are only noticed after the shot. Captions are very popular with users, who often react to them through comments. It’s worth putting in some work and creating a creative or exciting text. The Instagram algorithm will also reward you for the extra work. The more comments and likes your post has, the better it will be displayed.
14. Making Contacts Via Direct Messages
With the Direct Messages feature, you can send private messages to a specific user so that others can’t read them. For example, you can write to other accounts that serve the same target group as you and ask them for cooperation. However, you should clearly state what you can do for the respective account. If this needs to be clarified, many do not read the message to the end, and the opportunity is lost.
15. Use Other Social Networks
To increase your reach on Instagram and thus get more Instagram followers for free, you should also use other social networks for yourself. On Instagram, the focus is on pictures. Youtube is a better place to post videos than Instagram. Facebook is famous for sharing private details with others. So use other platforms that suit you or your business and point users to your other accounts on each social network.
16. Use Live Videos
Just like Facebook, Instagram also offers a live video function. With this feature, you can share real-time events from your everyday life with your users. For example, you can give them a glimpse behind the scenes of your company. Or you can let them participate in events you are organizing as a company and thus make more publicity for the event. Generally, personal insights create a higher authenticity and are often rewarded with more Instagram followers without buying them.
17. Cooperate With Other Users
Cooperating with other users offers you a great way to get more Instagram followers for free by showing yourself on someone else’s profile. For example, you can take a picture together and tag each other on it. Or you can post photos on the same topic at the same time and type each other again.
Shoutouts are also an excellent way to increase your Instagram follower count for free. However, these 2020 are less effective than they once were, for example, in 2019 or earlier. With a shoutout, you introduce another account to each other on your account. How many new followers you get from a shoutout depends on the follower count of the different reports and how active the users are. On average, you can expect around three to six percent of users to follow the call and subscribe to your account. It is best to select an account for cooperation similar to your own in content. This makes it more likely that users will follow the call.
18. Post Content When Your Users Are Online
It’s not only important to post content regularly, but also to do it at the right time. If you have a business profile, Instagram offers you a statistic where you can see when your followers are online more. You should use this information and adjust the timing of your posts accordingly. This way, you will reach more people, as the posts will only disappear slowly in the timeline.
19. Organize Raffles
Everyone likes raffles or when they get something as a gift. You can also use this to your advantage to get more Instagram followers. As an entrepreneur, you can raffle off your product or service, for example. Or you can cooperate with other profiles to raffle something together. The raffle’s participation condition should be that all shapes must be followed.
Again, you should ensure that the product and the cooperation partner fit your target group. Otherwise, you may attract too many other users who have nothing to do with the topic and will be gone again after the contest. For sweepstakes, you also need to familiarize yourself with Instagram’s guidelines. Instagram has some guidelines that you, as a user, must adhere to.
20. Visit Offline Events
As great as networking opportunities are in the online world, offline events still offer excellent opportunities to connect with others. It’s different from meeting in person and exchanging ideas with other users. Classic networking can, therefore, also be very valuable for Instagram collaborations. For this purpose, there are numerous blogger events or influencer meetings in larger cities where you can meet many people from the same industry.
At some events, however, you have to be invited by the organizers. This requires an already good follower count. Therefore, these events are more suitable for people who want to continue expanding their existing follower count. Or you can ask your Instagram blogger friends if they can take you to an event.
Followers On Instagram Conclusion: Good Things Take Time
Of course, a fast-growing profile on Instagram is exactly what you want to achieve. But purchased followers or bots, while they make your account seem “big” at first glance, are a hindrance at second glance. Because behind them are “dead” followers who neither react to your posts nor positively affect your reach. So move away from purchased followers and try to grow as organically as possible – even if this way costs more time. If you follow the tips we’ve given you here, you should automatically get more Instagram followers.
