5 Ways to Grow Your Instagram

This is by far my most requested post. I can’t tell you how many people have asked me how I’ve grown my Instagram. I’ll admit that it most definitely wasn’t an overnight success, and some (most) days I struggle. There are days I lose 20 followers, and there are days I gain 50. There are days I only have 1,000 people seeing my content, and there are days I have 20,000. Unfortunately, a new algorithm was set in place with Instagram, and it has made it difficult to be seen. But, consistency and good content, while using the right strategies will help you. I’ve come up with my top 5 ways to grow your instagram:

Post often

Don’t take this as a green light to be annoying or overwhelming, but try to post more! I try to post at least once a day. If I can’t do that, I’m burnt out, or I forget to post at the optimal time, I at least create a few stories. Creating fresh content keeps your account from being forgotten about, whether by current followers or by Instagram.

Lots of hashtags

You can include up to 30 hashtags, so why not do it? Hashtags are a great way to grow your blog, because they can reach a variety of people. Use hashtags that are relevant and meaningful to your content, but also add in some of the best used Instagram hashtags. Below is an example of the hashtags I used on a recent post. By the way, just from hashtags alone, I had over 1,000 views on this photo.

Also, I always add a handful of space between the caption and my hashtags, so the hashtags don’t takeover the message I’m attempting to convey. Below is a screenshot I took of the same post from my account:

As you can see, I use little dots, because it’s easier. However, there are ways you can add empty spaces between context and hashtags to break those two things up.

Engage with other accounts

In order to get engagement, you have to engage, yourself. Like, comment, and follow accounts that post content that you enjoy, are relevant to your niche, or use the same hashtags you do. The “explore” tool is a great way to find content by niche type, and it will help you find accounts to follow. Another great way to find accounts to engage with, is to go to an account that you already follow, and see the suggested accounts.

Be descriptive in your captions

Telling a story, teaching something new or having questions within your caption grabs attention. A photo may be worth a thousand words, but it also needs to have a captivating caption. While a pretty picture make get you a bunch of likes, a great caption will get more engagement. The more you receive likes and engagement, the more likely your content will be seen in the explore feature, which means more exposure.

Develop a theme

Consistency is key for many things in blogging, and it is no different on Instagram. When you post on Instagram, you want your posts to be cohesive. You want your entire page to look esthetically pleasing. Whether this is by using the same filters for photos, or posting in a particular pattern, make sure your posts flow. Below are a couple of accounts I love, and show a perfect example of having a theme: