Do you want to attract a larger audience on Instagram? Are you wondering if it’s a good idea to pay for Instagram followers?

In this article, you’ll learn why buying followers is a bad idea and how to gain more Instagram followers organically.

Instagram followers: How to grow your Instagram audience in 2023

Should you buy Instagram followers?

Yes, of course it is one of the options to help you gain visibility on Instagram. However, it is good to know that you need to have more active real followers than purchased ones.

You can choose from various follower packages by clicking on the following link: Instagram followers shop

How to get more Instagram followers in 2022: 10 tactics that work

You can also use the Instagram growth tactics listed below to build your account and make progress toward achieving your marketing goals.

#1: Optimize your Instagram profile for Instagram Search and Explore

Potential followers have plenty of ways to discover your brand on Instagram, starting with finding your account through search. Instagram search has improved significantly over the past year, and adding relevant keywords to your profile can help your account appear in search results.

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To optimize your Instagram bio for search, naturally add keywords that your ideal customer is likely to type into the app. For example, the @testkitchen Instagram bio includes keywords like „cooks“ and „recipes“ as well as the brand name America’s Test Kitchen.

Potential followers can also discover your business through content on the Explore page, the Reels tab, or several other places in the app. Regardless of where they spot your business, they will likely visit your profile before deciding whether to follow your account.

To encourage new users to follow you, it’s helpful to feature all your most interesting content on your profile. Here are a few elements to include:

• The most engaging Instagram Stories that introduce your business and make people want to see more content.
• Branded hashtags that showcase user-generated content, providing social proof
• A link in bio that helps people find key resources or prompts them to shop your posts

The @testkitchen profile above includes several story highlights that provide tips, highlight events, and share gift guides. The profile also features a branded hashtag (#atkgrams) that fans can add to content featuring the brand. In the image below, the #atkgrams hashtag page contains more than 54,000 posts, many of which are fan-created.

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#2: Prioritize creating original content on Instagram

Sharing memes and reposting other accounts‘ content (with permission) doesn’t violate Instagram’s guidelines. However, this type of content may no longer help your account grow. In April 2022, Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced that the platform would begin ranking content based on originality.

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Mosseri did not reveal how the platform intends to define original content. Even so, it is useful to prioritize creating content on Instagram that is completely unique to your business. By strengthening this ranking signal, you can increase your chances of appearing on the Explore page, which is a great way to attract new followers.

Not sure what original content to post? An overview of your Instagram follower demographics can help you refine your customer persona and create content that will resonate with your customers.

#3: Focus on Publishing Reels and Video Content on Instagram

When planning your content mix, it is a good idea to prioritize videos over photos. In December 2021, Mosseri announced Instagram’s shift toward Reels and short videos. Since then, the platform has given Reels prominent placement in the Suggested feed, on the Explore page, and on a dedicated tab in the main menu.

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By creating Reels on Instagram, you can make it easier for people to discover your business and increase the likelihood that your content will appear in one of these placements. If you are just getting started with short videos, the Meta Business Suite will make it easier to get going.

Open Business Suite and go to the Planner tab. Browse through some of the holidays listed on the right side of the calendar. Click the Template button under any holiday to get templates that will help you plan all kinds of content, including Reels.

Using the search bar, you can find a template for any occasion, or use the guided template feature to get a template ideal for your business. Either way, you can create a short video in just a few minutes, then download it and publish it on Instagram.

#4: Allow People to Remix Your Video Content on Instagram

Instagram did not always make it easy to share other accounts‘ content directly within the app. Reels, however, works a little differently. Using the Reels app, you can now enable remixing, which allows other people to use your videos as inspiration.

To enable remixing, go to settings and toggle the Remix switch. Then focus on creating video content that inspires your ideal audience to create. Anything from a dance challenge to meal prep, outfit styling, or business tips is fair game.

Image of Reels and Remix controls in Instagram business profile settings
When another account remixes your Reel, your Instagram handle automatically appears in the new Reel. This means that remixing can improve your account’s visibility, which can help you attract more followers.

To increase your follower count, you can also remix other accounts‘ Reels. Find a Reel you want to respond to and tap the three dots in the bottom right corner. Select the Remix this Reel option and record your take or add your insight. Once published, the videos will appear side by side in a single post.

#5: Use relevant hashtags

Technically, you can add up to 30 hashtags to each Instagram post. However, in March 2022, Mosseri announced in his Instagram story that adding hashtags to content on Instagram won’t do much to increase view counts. That said, hashtags can help your account appear in search results.

So should you bother with hashtags? It’s always a good idea to add at least three to five hashtags, which is the number Instagram officially recommends. It’s also useful to create a branded hashtag and ask followers to use it when they write about your products and services.

If your customers‘ content appears on the Explore page or other suggested locations, new followers can easily see your branded hashtag, as shown in the @testkitchen example above. They can then tap to visit the branded hashtag page or view your profile and potentially decide to follow you.

#6: Geotag your Instagram content to reach people in or near your location

If your business has physical stores, offices, or a headquarters, geotagging your content can also help you connect with followers in your area. The biggest advantage of geotagging is that it gives users another opportunity to find and learn about your business.

After all, your business isn’t the only account that can use your geotags. When customers and fans mention your brand in their Instagram content, they can use your geotag. Anyone searching for your business or keywords related to your brand can find your geotag under the Places tab in search. They can then tap to view all content featuring your geotag.

Where relevant, you can add other geotags to your content instead. For example, if you’re posting content from a trade show or conference, tagging the venue or event will help draw more attention to your posts.

In some cases, it makes sense to geotag a broader area. For example, you might tag the city or town where your business is located. Or you can geotag the place where your ideal followers are based. Either way, geotags can improve your visibility and help you connect with people who are interested in local businesses.

In the Instagram post below, @valleycruisepress geotagged Austin, Texas. Adding this geotag can help this design brand connect with more customers and attract new followers in the local area.

#7: Collaborate with complementary brands and influencers to reach new people.

Growing your audience entirely on your own can be slow. Fortunately, collaborating with influencers and brands can boost your account’s visibility even further. When you work with influencers or brands, you can tag the other accounts in your content or caption. With Instagram’s collaboration tools, you can also list both accounts as creators.

If an influential account mentions you or features your products, you may gain a few followers. However, you’re more likely to gain followers faster if there’s something in it for them. Giveaways can be particularly effective for growing accounts, especially when hosted together with brands that have a similar target audience.

For example, the Instagram post below from @drinkkoia highlights a co-branded giveaway with a chocolate-themed prize. The giveaway terms require users to follow all three accounts, which has the potential to significantly increase the follower count of each brand.

#8: Engage in Collaborations with Other Accounts That Your Instagram Audience Follows

Interacting with other accounts can get you noticed by more people, which can help you grow your audience. To leverage engagement to gain followers, create a list of key accounts in your industry, including influencers and other brands. Add them to your Close Friends list so you can easily view content from their feeds.

Then browse the Close Friends feed and make an effort to engage with the content they post. Write meaningful comments that will resonate with other followers, help you build genuine relationships, and attract more followers.

#9: Run Instagram Ads to a Cold Audience of People with Characteristics Similar to Your Target Group

Achieving organic growth on Instagram can take a long time. If you are in a hurry to build an audience on a short timeline, there is a legitimate way to speed up the process. You can run an ad on your Instagram account that will allow you to grow your follower count more quickly.

To gain more followers, run an ad from your Instagram account. First, publish an organic post that you want to promote with a paid campaign. Once the post is published, open it in the Instagram app and tap the Boost Post button.

Select Profile Visits as your goal. For the audience, you can allow Instagram to target people who are similar to your followers. Alternatively, you can create a custom audience using Instagram’s targeting based on demographics and interests.

Image of the step for selecting a goal to boost a post on Instagram
Then set your budget and campaign duration. Before publishing the campaign, preview it in the feed, in Stories, and on Explore. Instagram will automatically add a call-to-action button labeled Visit Instagram Profile, which will bring people to your profile and encourage them to follow. Once the ad starts running, you can look forward to gaining more followers.

Image of the step for creating an audience to boost a post on Instagram
Can’t decide which organic post has the best chance of gaining the most followers? Go to your company’s Instagram profile and tap the Ad Tools option. The app will automatically recommend the best post that has already performed well with your audience, making it a great place to start.

Image of the suggested post to boost on Instagram in the Ad Tools tool.

#10: Publish Consistently to Retain Both New and Existing Followers.

Posting according to a schedule may not help new followers find you the first time around. But once they start following you, a consistent publishing schedule can help them more reliably see and engage with your content. It can also help you retain followers and prevent them from leaving, which would reduce your follower count.

To find out when it’s best to post on the platform, go to your account’s Instagram Insights page. On the overview page, tap Total Followers. Then scroll to the bottom of the page to find out when they are most active. You can toggle between days and hours to find the optimal times for posting.

Image of the Instagram Insights app showing data on the most active times
Other Meta tools offer more detailed insights. For example, the Business Suite scheduler suggests specific times to post based on your Instagram followers‘ activity. Directly from Business Suite, you can click to upload and schedule posts and stories at recommended times. Note that this tool suggests one time slot at a time, so it is best for scheduling content one by one rather than in bulk.

Image of the Instagram Insights app with the chart When Your Instagram Followers Are Online
You can also use Creator Studio to find the most suitable times of day to post. Go to your Instagram profile and open the Insights tab. Tap Audience to view activity by hour. You’ll see the number of followers who are typically active at any given time, which can help you determine the best time to schedule your content.

Conclusion

Whether you prefer organic growth or want to accelerate results with ads, you have plenty of options to grow your Instagram audience. Use the tips above to build your audience and strengthen your brand.

Get More Instagram Marketing Tips

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