If you’re a creator on Instagram and you might also want to use the platform to land collaborations as an influencer, then you’ll probably ask yourself at regular intervals: What do I need to do to keep my account growing? Growth and an increasing reach are important keys to your success on Instagram. So it’s time to take a closer look at what you need to offer the legendary algorithm in order to be visible.
How can I grow my account on Instagram?
First of all: Yes, it is still possible to grow with your account. No, you don’t have to have studied applied Instagram science with a focus on “understanding algorithms”.
Increase your engagement rate
The engagement rate indicates how many people react to your content on Instagram – for example, give a heart, comment, share or save the post. The more the merrier, because the Instagram algorithm can assess whether your content is well received by users or not based on the number of interactions. That’s the reason that people often use the Instagram auto liker without login to get more interactions on their posts and that brings more followers to their account.
To increase your engagement rate, you can, for example:
- Consciously post images that are frequently liked (for example, selfies, pets, baby bumps, etc.).
- Ask questions in the caption to encourage people to comment.
- Make specific reference to the share and save function.
- Use appropriate tools in Instagram Stories (e.g. poll, quiz, slider, etc.).
Find your niche
Do you find it difficult to establish yourself as a fashion or beauty influencer, for example, and not get lost in the vast sea of competition? No wonder! Because if you’re doing what everyone else is doing, it’s actually almost impossible to stand out from the mass of accounts and grow continuously.
Our tip: Find your niche and concentrate on being distinctive. You can achieve this, for example, through a very specific style, concrete topics or certain values.
Always remember: There is hardly a niche on Instagram that is still completely “free”. However, you can make yourself comfortable in one that has only been sparsely occupied so far.
Use hashtags wisely
You can set up to 30 hashtags per feed post on Instagram. But does this number make sense?
Not really. A study by Quintly showed: The more followers you have, the fewer hashtags you should use. As a rule, a maximum of four per post is enough.
Furthermore, it is not only important how many hashtags you use, but also which ones. General keywords such as #fashion, #beautyblogger or #sunset are popular but contribute little or nothing to the visibility of your post. It’s better to research specific hashtags that are used less often but can actually improve your reach.
Post regularly
The more often you post something, the more likely it is that your content will be seen and you’ll get free Instagram followers. Sounds pretty obvious, right?
One of the most important factors for growth on Instagram is regularity in posting. If time allows, you can post one or two feed posts per day.
By the way, the time at which you publish your pictures and videos is no longer decisive for your growth. The reason for this is that the algorithm sorts by relevance and not by chronological order.
Provide really good content
Of course, it is not only important how often you post, but also what kind of content you share with your followers. Here, the rule of thumb is as simple as it is effective:
Compelling content must inspire, inform and/or entertain.
If you keep this in mind with every post, chances are good that your reach will continuously increase and your Instagram account will grow.
Post more videos
Even though Instagram started as a photo app, it’s now impossible to ignore the fact that videos have become the number one content format. Whether it’s stories, reels, IGTV or feed videos – moving images are the trump card and currently contribute significantly to success if you want to grow your profile and find cooperation partners.
Try out new features directly
Instagram has launched a veritable fireworks display of new features in recent months – and we can probably expect more bangers to follow.
Even though it always takes time and sometimes even effort to learn new features, it’s worth the effort – because Instagram will reward your commitment with reach.
The best examples of this are accounts that have increasingly focused on reels in recent months and have delivered great content with the help of this format. Producing a reel is a lot more work than just posting a photo, but if you want to grow on Instagram in the long run, you simply can’t ignore new features.