By Adam 
Everyone seems to want to know how to get more followers on Instagram. More Instagram followers means a larger audience and more opportunities to get yourself out there in front of people and other brands.
However, growing your following isn’t as easy as just posting a few images a day – there are all sorts of factors that will determine your social media popularity. Using these 7 tips regularly will show you how to get more followers on Instagram
- Share Images That Your Audience Can Relate To
If you take a close look at some of the most popular Instagram accounts, you will notice one common theme. All the photos they share are something that most people can connect with and relate to. They are unique, original and personal. Sharing photos that your audience can relate with, you establish a connection with them, and that is the best way to attract more people to your account.
Basically, ensure that your Instagram account is original and authentic. One way to do that is to share behind-the-scenes of your office, appropriate photos of your last office party, or the processes that go into the making of your products. That’s how you are going to connect with other users.
You can always buy Instagram followers initially to aid the process and give your images a headstart with some positive interaction. If looking to do so, then HelpWYZ can help you.
- Post at the Most Appropriate Times
Before you post anything on Instagram, consider your audience’s time zones and what time most of them check their Instagram.
Considering that Instagram is for the most part mobile, most Instagram users don’t have a favorite time – however, engagement is normally high Wednesdays between the hours of 5 and 6 PM, while most people tend to post on Thursdays. Nevertheless, most Instagram users will normally log in during their free time like first thing in the morning, on Sundays, or on their way home from school or work.
Photos on Instagram typically have four hours before they get lost within the platform’s news feed. To avoid this, consider posting at times when most of your followers have some spare time and can access their accounts. For instance, if your target audience is high school students, post your content and photos between afternoon when most students are either on lunch break or are headed home for the day.
If your target audience is professionals living in Chicago, then consider posting images during CST rush hour when most people are on their way home and checking their Instagram accounts while on the “L”.
- Use Relevant and Popular Hashtags
Search Webstagram or Google to find trending hashtags used to organize images and photos. You can use trending hashtags relevant to your industry or to you to make your photos more visible. This should help you generate a bit more interaction. For instance, you could use Instagram’s top ten hashtags of all time: #me, #love, #Instagood, #follow, #like, # cute, #tbt, #tagsforlikes, #followme, and #photooftheday.
Alternatively, you could use Instagram’s autocomplete to find industry-relevant hashtags for you.
While hashtags play a crucial role when it comes to attracting new followers, it is advisable that you don’t go overboard. Avoid posting entire hashtag paragraphs; instead, use one to three hashtags per image. Anything beyond three will come across as being spammy.
- Follow Others
If you want other to follow you, then you will have to follow them. The rule of reciprocation is just how Instagram and other social media platforms work. So, instead of simply uploading photos and expecting users to come out of nowhere and follow you, work on putting yourself or your brand out there.
What we are simply trying to say is you have to be more active.
Search for brands and users that share the same interests with you and like, comment on, and share their photos. Consider following Instagram influencers and stars and engage them or even ask for shout outs. You could also look for hashtags that contain tags like: #ilovemyfollowers, #Shoutout, #follow, and #TagsForLikes.
- Host Instagram Contests
Hosting contests is one of the most effective ways of boosting engagement and gaining new followers on Instagram. It is a tried, tested and proven tactic on most social media networks. However, considering that Instagram is quite popular, it’s become the favorite platform to run contests.
Instagram contests are easy to setup and run. Take an amazing photo, add captions that inform your audience that there is a contest underway, sit back and enjoy the game. It is vital that you use a #contest hashtag to make it easy to find. Also, remember to share it on other social media networks such as Facebook.
Make the Most of the Bio URL
The bio url is your Instagram profile’s prime real estate. You don’t want your bio only linking to your site page all the time – that’d be just boring. Consider switching it up at least twice a week and use the link in your profile bio to drive traffic to your most popular or newest content.
- Get Descriptive with Captions
Pictures are worth a thousand words; however, you cannot ignore the words. National Geographic is good at using storytelling in conjunction with their Instagram photos to create engagement. While a majority of traditional media brands have fallen off the radar, NatGeo has continued to thrive in the digital world and is one of Instagram’s top brands and has 50+ million followers.
- Ask Your Audience Questions In Your Photo Captions
A simple yet effective way of ensuring that your images receive more likes is asking a question in your images’ captions. This will not only increase the amount of likes you get, it could also increase the number of comments.
As we have mentioned a couple of times now, engagement is one of the best ways of increasing the number of people following you on Instagram.
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Digital Editor