HOW TO GET FOLLOWERS ON INSTAGRAM IN 2019
Do you want to know how to get followers on Instagram in 2019? Real ones?
Want to get higher engagement, perfect your hashtag game, and attract droves of users over to your profile?
Discover the best strategies that ACTUALLY work if you want to know how to get more followers on Instagram in 2019.
Has your Instagram growth stalled? If you’re regularly posting great content yet your follower count continues to stay the same, these are the top 15 hacks to help you achieve results faster than you ever thought possible.
P.S. If you’re looking for tips and tricks to make your Instagram marketing more effective, this workbook will walk you through some marketing hacks you may not have thought of before.
#1 | PARTNER UP WITH ANOTHER INSTAGRAM USER IN YOUR NICHE
Reach out to Instagram users who have built a following in your niche or industry to talk about how you can cross-promote each other.
If you want this to work effectively, you’ll need to find users who have a similar size audience, as well as a similar or complimentary target market.
Here are some ways you can use this strategy:
Arrange a “takeover”, where you each take over the other person’s account for a day
Share each other’s posts
Co-host a contest
Tag each other in your posts
Remember, your goal for this particular strategy is to build your audience. Make sure you offer your BEST content to attract as many target followers as possible.
#2 | USE POPULAR AND TRENDING HASHTAGS
I bet you know how important hashtags are in your marketing. But in short, using hashtags on Instagram will allow people outside of your current pool of followers to find you and follow you.
Don’t bother reading the super long posts about how to use hashtags. There are three main strategies to use when it comes to how to get followers on Instagram:
Use popular hashtags that you know your target audience is using. This will help you gain much more targeted followers (and is a strategy I recommend if you want highly targeted followers!)
Use very popular hashtags that get searched for frequently (e.g. #love, #photooftheday, etc.)
Use hashtags that are designed for getting likes and followers (e.g. #like4like, #follow4follow). Use this strategy sparingly, as the quality of these followers probably won’t be the best.
#3 | USE THE OPTIMAL NUMBER OF HASHTAGS
Notice how I didn’t say 30?
There are a lot of opinions out there on the optimal number of hashtags to use.
Advice ranges from 2 per post all the way up to 30 per post. But the most recent research seems to indicate that 8 hashtags per post is the sweet spot for attracting likes. And that can ultimately lead to greater reach and followers.
If you don’t 100% believe that, I’d suggest starting off by using as many hashtags as you are comfortable with, and then testing out more to see what works best for you.
TOP TIP: Make a list of your hashtags (create around 3-5 different sets to work with) on your phone. This way you don’t have to “remember” them when you go to your post on Instagram. It’s as simple as copying and pasting them into your Instagram post.
#4 | EMBED INSTAGRAM POSTS ONTO YOUR BLOG
A great way to persuade your website visitors to follow you on Instagram is by embedding Instagram posts onto your website or blog.
This allows your visitors to see your post and interact with it right on your page. And by clicking the Instagram logo on the post, they’ll be taken to Instagram where they can check out your other content...and potentially follow you.
NOTE: If your Instagram post is set to private, embedding won’t work for you. If you want to share your posts on your website, be sure to set those posts to “public” first.
#5 | TRY POSTING TO INSTAGRAM ONCE OR TWICE A DAY
Research suggests that posting once or twice a day is optimal for reach, likes, and shares - and that means followers as well.
I want you to remember that this is based on averages. That means some accounts will do best when they post 10+ times a day, while others will get best results posting 2-3 times per month!
Here’s a simple experiment you can do to see what works best for you:
Start by posting once a day
Track how much engagement you get for each post
Also track your corresponding follower growth
Gradually move up and try different posting frequencies (only go as high as you’re comfortable with!)
Your aim is to choose a frequency that gives you the biggest growth, that’s also sustainable and enjoyable for you.
#6 | LIKE OTHER PEOPLE’S PHOTOS
The simplest and best way for how to get more followers on Instagram is to like other people’s photos. Now, the key to using this strategy successfully is to like photos of people who are in your target market. Instead of just liking a bunch of completely random stranger’s photos.
#7 | RUN AN INSTAGRAM CONTEST
Instagram contests are a great way to increase your exposure and reach, especially as your followers tag their friends and let them know about it.
And actually, research done by Tailwind found that accounts that use Instagram contests grow their followers an average of 70% faster than those who don’t.
Here are some strategies you can use to make the most of your contests:
Require entrants to follow your account in order to enter
Ask for user-submitted photos as part of the contest (and ask them to use a branded hashtag)
Require entrants to like your contest post
Of course, be sure to follow Instagram’s official contest rules so you can make sure your contest has the best chance of getting results.
Want to learn more about marketing yourself on Instagram? Don’t miss out on this free workbook!
#8 | LEVERAGE YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA CONNECTIONS
When it comes to how to get followers on Instagram, we forget the simple strategies, such as…
Letting your current fans, followers and email subscribers know you’re actually on Instagram!
You can add an Instagram badge or Follow button to your website, and ask your subscribers and fans to follow you on Instagram.
Share popular and interesting posts with your email list, social media fans and blog readers, and ask for their input, feedback or thoughts.
It’s also important to let them know exactly why they should follow you on Instagram. Something as simple as “follow us to find out about [insert your message here].”
#9 | LEAVE THOUGHTFUL COMMENTS
Liking other people’s photos is great. But leaving thoughtful comments is even better. As you interact with people’s content, they’ll be more inclined to interact with you and to want to know more about you.
Don’t leave comments asking people to follow you. Instead, leave a comment that says what you like about their photo. This will make your comment stand out from all the cookie cutter remarks and generic likes.
Instagram expert Sue B. Zimmerman, recommends taking this strategy a step further, by making sure your commenting is strategic.
Find 10-20 people who have a similar audience as you and make a habit of leaving well thought-out comments on their most recent posts. If you are the most recent commenter on these posts, people are more likely to see your comments and are more inclined to click through to your account. But only if your comment is actually interesting, entertaining or unique.
#10 | POST IMAGE QUOTES
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know I’m a huge fan of quote graphics.
They’re quick and easy to create, plus they can have a big impact on your audience. You can use them to educate, inspire, motivate, entertain, and they’re FAB for getting likes, shares, and follows.
Not feeling the Instagram quotes strategy?
Foundr Magazine decided to post image quotes on Instagram every single day. They were trying to reach entrepreneurs, so they posted quotes they knew entrepreneurs would relate to.
The results?
In 5 months, they grew from 0 to 110k followers!
Pretty good, right?
#11 | FILTERS ARE IMPORTANT
When it comes to how to get followers on Instagram, using filters has been proven to increase views and likes for your photos.
In fact, filtered photos are 21% more likely to get views and 45% more likely to get commented on.
But all filters are not equal.
According to research from Hopper, the best filter for getting likes and comments (and follows) is Gingham. The Clarendon filter is your next best bet.
#12 | ENGAGE WITH YOUR COMPETITORS’ AUDIENCE
A word of warning: you will need to tread carefully here. But reaching out to your competitors’ audience can be a great way to gain new, targeted followers. Here’s an example.
In an unofficial experiment posted on eCommerce University, one marketer set out to determine how many of his competitor’s followers would follow him back if he engaged with them. Here were the results:
Of the people he followed,14% followed him back
Of the people he followed and liked, 22% followed him back
Of the people he followed and commented on, 34% followed him back
Seek out other brands in your niche, follow their followers and start interacting with their content on Instagram.
#13 | CREATE A BRANDED HASHTAG
A branded hashtag is a hashtag that’s unique to your brand. It can be used to spread awareness of your blog, event, or product/service in a fun and unique way. For instance, you can ask your followers to share pics of them using your product.
The more people who use your hashtags, the more visibility it will get, and so the more followers you’ll get. Here at ABOH we use #blogitbossit.
Here are some good rules of thumb when creating and using your hashtag:
Make sure it’s actually unique. If you use an existing hashtag, it will defeat the whole purpose of what you’re actually trying to do
Keep it short and sweet
Be sure to monitor your hashtag and share, like, and comment on posts that use it.
#14 | USE GEOTAGGING
This is especially important if you want to attract local followers.
When you geotag your photos, other users who have also geotagged their photos with the same location are more likely to see your posts (and potentially follow you).
It will also mean your posts show up when someone searches for that location. This gives you greater exposure and helps you build up your local follower base.
#15 | TAG PEOPLE IN YOUR POSTS
Tagging is something that should be done carefully and strategically. The last thing you want to do is spam people.
But when done right, tagging relevant users can help you create new connections and get new followers.
Some situations where you might tag users include when you:
Post a picture of someone else’s product
Attend an event where someone else is speaking or attending
Have someone else in your photo
Post something you know would be relevant or interesting to a certain person
So there we go! Those were my 15 super simple tips for how to get followers on Instagram in 2019.
I hope these strategies have made you feel motivated to get out there and strategically grow your presence on Instagram.
Need some more inspiration? Get access to this workbook that will walk you through some marketing hacks you may not have thought of.
What is your best tips for getting more Instagram followers? Let me know in the comments!