A follower is a promise in the reverse direction: someone allows you to appear in their feed regularly. They only do that if they expect something from you that they otherwise wouldn't get. Anyone who can name that expectation has already done the hardest part of building an audience.

The steps below follow this order: first the reason to follow, then the profile that shows it, then the ways people actually get to see your profile at all. Individual formats have their own guides (views, comments, shares); this one is about the profile as a whole.

Step 1 of 6

Write down the reason to follow

Put into one sentence what someone gets out of following you. "A recipe every week that needs only three ingredients" is a reason to follow. "We are your partner for nutrition" is not. The sentence is not meant for the profile but for you: it later decides which posts belong and which do not.

Test it on two or three customers. Say it out loud and ask whether they would follow someone like that.

ChecklistStep 01

The reason to follow is stated in one sentence.
Two or three customers have heard it and reacted.
Three planned posts clearly match that sentence.

Step 2 of 6

Setting up your profile as a shop window

Anyone who arrives via a reel or a recommendation looks at your profile first and decides within a few seconds. Name, bio, profile picture and the first posts must together show the reason to follow from step 1. The name field is searched, so industry and location belong there.

Pin the posts that best explain what you do. The link in your bio should not lead to the homepage, but to where a prospect can take the next step. Highlights replace scrolling through old stories: prices, process, customer testimonials, location.

ChecklistStep 02

The account is set up as a business account.
The name field contains industry and location.
Three posts are pinned at the top of the profile.
The bio link leads to a page with a clear next step.
At least three highlights are created and labelled.

We can design a profile that belongs together at first glance for you: profile picture, highlight cover images and grid in your visual style.Instagram offer from Social Rocket

Step 3 of 6

Invite the people you already know first

Your first followers are usually not strangers. Customers, suppliers, employees and neighbours already know you and will follow if you ask them. Especially for businesses with a shop or customer contact, this is the most affordable way in.

It is easiest where you already have contact anyway: in conversation at the checkout, on the delivery note, in the signature of your emails. The note should name the reason to follow, not just the account name.

ChecklistStep 03

The email signature names the profile and the reason to follow.
A note about the profile appears in the shop or on documents.
The team has been asked to follow the profile.

Step 4 of 6

Making reels for people who don't know you

Reels can also be shown to people who don't yet follow you; that is part of how the format works and the way strangers find you. A reel for strangers must be understandable without prior knowledge: what it is about, who it is for, what the viewer gets. A reel that only regulars can understand reaches them too, but no one else.

The end of every reel should pick up the reason to follow. "This happens every week" is an invitation that fits a profile with a series. How to build reels is covered in the guide on views.

ChecklistStep 04

Every reel is understandable without prior knowledge.
Captions are switched on.
The post text contains the word your customers search for.
The end includes a note about the continuation or the profile.

Step 5 of 6

Appearing together with suitable partners

Anyone with a similar audience who doesn't compete with you is a good partner: a supplier, a shop in the neighbourhood, a club, a customer who likes to talk. A joint post can be published as a collab post and then appears on both profiles.

Approach the partner with a ready-made proposal, not with the question of whether you could do something together sometime. If people are shown, their consent is needed, ideally in writing.

ChecklistStep 05

Five possible partners are noted.
A concrete proposal for a joint post is ready.
Consents from the people shown have been obtained.

Step 6 of 6

Check once a month where followers come from

In the Insights, Instagram shows which posts have moved reached accounts to visit your profile and follow, and how your audience breaks down into followers and non-followers. These are the numbers that show whether step 2 and step 4 are working: many profile visits without new followers point to a profile that does not show the reason to follow.

Note the figures every month in a table. Three months give a picture; one week does not.

ChecklistStep 06

A fixed monthly date for the evaluation is set in the calendar.
Profile visits and new followers are recorded in a table.
The post with the most new followers is noted and will be varied.

What you should have after four weeks

How fast a profile grows depends on industry, location and starting point. These things are in your hands and can be ticked off after four weeks:

A reason to followA sentence your team can also say, and against which every planned post is measured.
A profile that shows itName, bio, pinned posts and highlights tell the same story.
Invited contactsThe people you already know are aware the profile exists.
A starter list for month twoPartners, reel topics and the posts that did the best job of getting people to follow.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take for a business profile to grow?

That can't be predicted reliably. Plan in months and check first whether the right people are following, not how many.

Is a personal account enough?

For a business, the business account is the right choice; the insights you need in step 6 are included there.

Should we follow other accounts so they follow back?

That brings accounts that aren't interested in your offer. Follow partners and customers because you want to see their content.

Can advertising help with building an audience?

Yes, if the profile already shows why someone should follow. Ads amplify what is there; they don't replace it.

Agency · Instagram

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SREditorial team Social Rocket. This guide was written by our editors and is reviewed regularly. It contains no links to providers that sell followers, likes or views.