You spend hours planning and creating content for Instagram. For a brief moment after you hit “Share,” all is right with the world. You’re confident you published something great.
Then, radio silence. Or a few likes and comments from your handful of followers. But how do you get more followers on Instagram if not by publishing great content?
There’s no step-by-step guide for Instagram growth. But there are best practices that will help you reach a wider audience and win over new followers.
Here are 12 ways to get more followers on Instagram
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1. Optimize your bio
Make the most of those 150 characters. Your Instagram bio tells potential followers who you are, what you’re about, and what action you hope people will take after visiting your profile.
Your Instagram bio should include:
A clear description of what you do
Touches of your personality
A call to action (shop, read more, contact us, etc.)
A link
Your in-bio link is your only clickable link on Instagram, so use it wisely. Some businesses include a standard link to their website, while others change it regularly to reflect recent posts. But if you want to make it easier on yourself, take advantage of link-in-bio tools such as Shop Grid that allow you to turn a single link into a catalog of links.
CoolStays includes all the important aspects of a great Instagram bio.
Consider including a branded hashtag as well. For example, we encourage our fans to use #BufferLove when they talk about our products. Adding the branded hashtag to our bio tells people which hashtag to include to catch our attention. Plus, when anyone taps on the hashtag, they’ll see posts from fans who have used it.
At Buffer we include our #BufferLove hashtag in our Instagram bio.
2. Find your best time to post on Instagram
Notice how we didn’t say find thebest time to post on Instagram? The truth is, there is no universal answer for when to post on Instagram to reach the highest number of people. But there are ways to figure out the ideal times for your followers.
First, use Instagram Insights to figure out when your audience is online. Tap the “Insights” button from your Instagram business profile, scroll to “Your Audience,” then tap “See All.” From there, scroll to the bottom to find your audience’s most active times.
Instagram Insights will help you find your best time to post.
You should also consider when your content will be most relevant. For example, a step-by-step recipe video might perform better outside of work hours because people are more likely to be cooking. A coffee shop post, on the other hand, might do well around 2 p.m. when people go through an afternoon slump. Experiment with different posting times and track engagement.
If you're looking for some extra guidance on when to post, Buffer's Answers feature provides you with three posting time suggestions for maximizing your reach on Instagram.
Buffer's Answers feature uses data from your previous posts and followers' activity to calculate your best times to post.
Find more in-depth guidance in our article, How to Find Your Best Time to Post on Instagram.
3. Post consistently
A 2021 study of 14 industries shows that businesses share four Instagram posts per week, on average. But we recommend posting at least once a day. Brands that get into a regular flow with Instagram posts tend to see the best results. According to a Tailwind study, profiles that post daily gain Instagram followers faster than those that post less frequently.
With Instagram’s algorithmic timeline, consistency is a key element to getting your posts seen. If your posts are shared on a regular basis and picking up good engagement, Instagram’s algorithm will likely show your posts near the top of your followers’ feeds.
Of course, quality is always more important than quantity. Posting more often doesn’t necessarily translate to higher engagement rates. Focus on creating content that will resonate with your target audience—more on that in section 9: Engage with your audience.
Instagram scheduling tools allow you to post consistently without having to worry about posting directly from the app every day. Take a look at How to Schedule Instagram Posts to Save Time and Boost Engagement to discover our favorite Instagram scheduling tools (free and paid) along with scheduling tips.
4. Learn how the Instagram algorithm works
Many Instagram users initially panicked about the switch from a chronological feed to the ranked timeline. However, since the change, the average post is seen by 50% more followers than before. So, forget about learning how to beat the Instagram algorithm. Instead, focus on learning how to use the system to your advantage.
There are six factors that determine what shows up in each person’s timeline: interest, timeliness, relationship, frequency, following, and usage.
Here’s a quick rundown of what each of those factors refers to:
Interest: How much Instagram thinks a person will like the post based on previous activity
Timeliness: How recent the post is
Relationship: Accounts a person engages with on a regular basis
Frequency: How often a person uses the Instagram app
Following: Posts from the accounts a person follows
Usage: How much time a person spends on Instagram
Instagram’s algorithm aims to surface the best content for each individual user. So, while six separate factors may seem like a lot to worry about, the best thing you can do is create high-quality content consistently.
We dig into each ranking factor in more detail in How the Instagram Algorithm Works in 2021: Everything You Need to Know. We also include guidance on how to create content that caters to each factor and share tips on how to use the Instagram algorithm to your advantage.
