Instagram is a visual platform. You have to make an impression by having an engaging presence and sharing valuable, visually appealing content that your followers will enjoy and appreciate. While you should never solely rely on "likes" for encouraging engagement on Instagram, getting those double taps (and more) feels pretty good. When someone adds you as a favorite, they want to make sure they see your best posts when they pull up their favorites. There are four ways to get your photos added to that list.
What are Instagram Feeds?
Instagram has several features that help you share, discover, and connect with the world's photos. One of these features is Instagram feeds. An Instagram feed is a collection of posts from people you follow on Instagram. Feeds can be viewed on a desktop or mobile device and in third-party apps that integrate with Instagram.
You can view your own feed as well as the feeds of others on Instagram. When you click the magnifying glass icon at the top right of the home screen, you'll see a list of suggested accounts to follow and their recent posts—these are the people whose feeds you might want to follow. You can also search for specific users in this area. For your people to view your feed, you must have followers first.
How Do You Get Instagram Followers?
A follower is someone who has subscribed to your account and receives updates from it via their Instagram newsfeeds. Followers can also like photos or leave comments on them after they're posted. Followers give brands credibility because they represent real people interested in what they have to say or share online — which helps drive more engagement down the road when those same people see new content being posted. Here is how you gain followers.
Have an optimized bio
You can get Instagram followers in many ways. But the most important thing is to have an optimized bio. Create a bio that tells people what your account is about. Try to keep it short and simple, so people can easily understand what your page is about. Use keywords that best describe what your account is about. For example, if you're a photographer, use words like "photography," "pictures," and "photos." This will help people find your account when they search for these words in Instagram's search bar. Include a link to your website or social media profiles (Twitter, Facebook) in your bio. This way, people who visit your profile can easily find out more about you and follow you on other social sites too.
Have a specific time when you post
The other step to growing your Instagram following is to have a specific time when you post. Just like any other social media platform, people are more likely to engage with content that is relevant to their current mood and situation. It's also important to know your audience and tailor your content accordingly. For example, if you're targeting millennials, posting at or around 7 p.m. could be ideal since this is when they are most likely to be on Instagram (and other social media platforms).
Be consistent
Don't post too often or too little, as both will make people unfollow your account. Posting consistently allows people to see what you have been up to and keeps them interested in following your posts.
Understand the Instagram algorithm
The algorithm takes the number of likes, comments, and shares into consideration when deciding which posts should appear first in the feed of users who have liked your photos or videos. This means that if someone likes your post but doesn't comment or share it with other people, then their view of that post might not be seen right away by others who follow them as well. However, if someone comments or shares your post with others, then their view of that post will be seen right away by other users who follow them as well (and vice versa).
Discover your brand voice
Before you can grow your audience, you need to figure out what your voice is. The way you speak to your audience will be different than the way another brand would speak to them. Maybe they like humor, or maybe they like more serious content. This is something that takes time to figure out, but once you do, it will make growing your Instagram account much easier.
Hashtag
When you post a picture on Instagram, you can add a hashtag at the end of the caption if it's not already there. For example: "This is my dog, #Buster." The hashtag will then appear under the picture, and other users can search for it to see all of the pictures that have been tagged with it.
Post engaging captions
When someone sees an image on their feed or Explore page, they may not click on it right away if the caption isn't interesting enough for them to want to learn more about it or share it with their friends and family members on social media. Think about what kind of language would catch someone's eye and make them want to click through and see more — then write something like that.
Tag people in posts who are relevant or influential
This is one way to get more engagement on your posts. If you tag someone in a picture of yourself, they'll likely see it and be curious about what you're up to. If you tag someone in a picture that may interest them, they'll likely want to check it out and possibly even like or comment on it as well.
Use Instagram stories
Instagram stories are a great way to engage with your followers. You can post images or video clips that disappear after 24 hours, which means you don't have to worry about them taking up space in your feed. Stories also provide an opportunity for you to connect with your customers on a personal level.
You can use stories to share exclusive content and behind-the-scenes footage from events like product launches and trade shows. You can even ask people questions related to certain products or services that they may be interested in buying from you. And if they respond positively, then you have another opportunity to sell them something else.
