More Instagram Followers in 2020: Get More Fans with These Tips

Want more followers on Instagram? Many others want the same thing, which is why it's hard to win new followers. You could rely on spam tactics, buy Instagram followers, or invest your time. Today we want to show you how, with some hard work, you can win real new followers, completely without bots. So our goal is to build a follower base made up of real people who also interact with your brand. This is one of the most popular but also most time-consuming Instagram tactics. You can also read our guide to more Instagram likes.

The best ways to win new Instagram followers, our tips:

Here are our tips for your Instagram success. The more of these tips you implement, the better your chances of success. You'll find more tips, for example, right here as well.

1. Have a well-thought-out Instagram plan

Using a social network without a clear strategy leads to wasted resources and a low return on investment. As you read this post, you certainly want to gain more Instagram followers. This is a really great goal to start with. However, it should be part of a strategy that is tied to your marketing goals and your business strategy. Think about why you want to gain more Instagram followers. Perhaps you want to:

Increase brand awareness
Increase product sales
Drive traffic to your website.

When you focus on these goals, your Instagram accounts stay consistent. This way you can tell a compelling brand story that appeals to new profile visitors and build (and maintain) a loyal following. In our guide to using Instagram for business, we walk you through every step of developing a strategy that can help you gain more Instagram followers.

2. Define your target audience

Ask yourself a few questions about what you want to achieve:

How old are they?
Where would they live?
What exactly do they do for work?
When and how can they use Instagram?
What are the pain points and challenges?

By answering these questions, you can create the right kind of Instagram content to reach Instagram followers.

3. Create a consistent new story and aesthetic

Perhaps you need to address curiosity by showing how your product is made. Or share a view of an employee to humanise your own brand. If you want to position your brand purposefully, you can try to present your customers' lifestyle or achievements. Whatever you want to achieve, make sure you maintain a consistent brand character, appearance and story. Your posts should be recognisable and easy to identify. For example, if you like succulents (and you do, right?)

4. Create an excellent profile and bio

Your profile is the backbone of your presence on Instagram, and a well-crafted profile is important for growing your audience. Two thirds of visits to Instagram business profiles come from non-followers. Your profile should convince these new viewers to click the "Follow" button. They won't do this if your profile is unclear, incomplete or off-putting. Name: Based on 30 characters and included in Instagram search, you may want to include a keyword. Username: Make it exactly like your other social channels. This way followers on other platforms can easily find you on Instagram. Website: The only place on Instagram where you can include a clickable link (apart from calls to action in ads or swipe-up stories). Bio: 150 characters to convey your brand identity and show new visitors why they should follow you. Check out our Instagram bio thoughts and tips to make the most of your profile.

5. Share engaging content

Excellent content attracts visitors to leave comments and share your posts. This engagement gives you an Instagram algorithm boost and helps you gain more reach and new followers. Whatever you post needs to be interesting to your own target market. Your images need to be compelling, and your captions need to be engaging too.

6. Promote your Instagram presence on additional social networks

If you want to gain more Instagram followers, you need to make sure people can find you effortlessly. Put another way, you need to create your Instagram profile so it is easily accessible. If you have already built a fan base on another social network, share your Instagram account with those fans. Share a link to your Instagram profile and give your existing social followers a reason to check it out. (Like an exclusive Instagram discount code.) The automotive and industrial company Schaeffler Group has over 107.000 followers around LinkedIn. When they launched their Instagram accounts, it was a clear decision to market them to this current group of potential followers. If you're just opening your own Instagram account, make sure you publish some content before you promote the accounts elsewhere. Aim for at least 12 posts. You can also highlight some of your best Instagram posts on your other channels. Remember to boost these posts with paid ads to make sure more of your followers follow you on Instagram.

7. Share your Instagram account in other communications

All communication tools - both offline and online - give you the opportunity to direct people to your Instagram account. Make sure your website, email signature and online email address include links to an Instagram account. This ensures that people who are already in contact with your brand online can find you on interpersonal media. When promoting a new Instagram account, a quick email burst highlighting a few stunning posts is a great way to quickly find free Instagram followers.

8. Use the Instagram nametag

Your Instagram nametag is a scannable code that lets Instagram users follow you instantly. We mentioned that communication materials offer the opportunity to promote your Instagram account. The Instagram nametag is a simple and efficient way to market your account on offline materials such as packing slips, signage and product packaging. Your nametag is also a great way to receive new followers in real time at networking events and conferences. People you connect with in person can scan your code to follow you without having to sort through your handle. Access your Instagram nametag by tapping the 3-line icon at the top of your Instagram profile.

9. Use related hashtags

Hashtags make your posts and stories discoverable to people searching for content linked to a brand, industry or products. Before using hashtags to win more Instagram followers, make sure you know the DOs & DON'Ts of all users of hashtags on Instagram. DO: Find and use what is popular. Use the search function on Instagram to discover popular hashtags linked to a product, service or company. Then set up a stream in Hootsuite to track content posted with that hashtag on Instagram, so you get a sense of what kind of content people respond to. DO: Create your own hashtag. Come up with a hashtag that motivates your audience to discuss photos of your own brand. Using too many hashtags can distract your viewers and dilute your message. It can make you look like spam as desperate, or even worse. DON'T: Use hashtag gimmicks. Using hashtags like #likeforlike, #tagsforlikes or even #followme may lead to an increase in followers. However, they will be people or spammers. And that won't help you build a meaningful, engaged community on Instagram. Focus on using hashtags that are specific to your photo, product or company. DON'T: How exactly are hashtags used in stories? Use this sticker in stories to maximise your chance of reaching new followers. To learn more about mastering the hashtag, here is everything you want to learn about using Instagram hashtags.

10. Aim to be featured

These accounts are simply Instagram accounts that curate and re-share content from other customers based on a hashtag or tagging. Some of the accounts have a huge fan base, and when they share one of your posts (along with your handle), you can send a new stream of followers your own way. There is a distinctive account for attention and almost every market on Instagram. You will find them, as you can do your hashtag research as recommended in the previous tip. Some of them can become something very special. The mother of feature accounts, however, is Instagram itself. Instagram publishes a brand new challenge for the hashtag project on the weekend. Users who create photos and use the hashtag have the opportunity to be featured on Instagram's main account. Keep an eye on @instagram for information on the Weekend Hashtag Project.

11. Tag your location

Whenever there is a location element in your post or story, it's worth adding a location tag. It's another simple way for people to find your content. If your business has a physical location, tag it and invite customers to do the same. Users can then click on that place and see all the photos and stories posted from your workplace, restaurant or shop. This can help make your brand (and your Instagram account) more accessible to more people. For example, here's what you get when you search for the location of Van Wonderen Stroopwafels in Amsterdam: If you post from a seminar or event, adding your location can connect you with other attendees and make your account accessible to a very targeted group of new potential Instagram followers.

12. Target the Explore tab

The Explore tab is exactly what you see when you tap the magnifying glass icon. Based on Instagram itself, here you can "find photos and videos you might like from accounts you don't follow yet". On the Explore tab you'll find Instagram posts, stories and IGTV. Users see a grid of items selected by the algorithm. They then have the option to dive deeper into specific content themes via the topic channels. More than 200 million people visit the Explore tab every day. This is a big opportunity for businesses looking to grow their audience. How can you get your posts shown on the Explore tab? It's not easy. Fortunately, we have an article dedicated to helping you figure it out.

13. Follow other relevant users

There's a fantastic chance they'll look at your feed if you follow a person on Instagram. They're most likely to return the favour if it's filled with compelling content related to their interests. Social listening is an excellent way to find conversations relevant to your brand. And from there you can easily identify powerful users (also called influencers) to follow. It's also a great idea to follow the followers of your best customers. Note, however, that you shouldn't follow too many accounts too quickly. Your follower ratio is also very important for credibility. The following is only the first step. To maximise the number of new followers, you need to...

14. Engage with existing communities

Like most social media networks, Instagram revolves around the communities built within it. You need to engage with these communities. Take part by liking, commenting on and sharing information from other credible users in your own community. Avoid generic remarks (like "Amazing post!"), which seem to come from bots. This helps attract attention (and potential new followers) in three different ways: People see whether you enjoy and comment on their posts, and may look at your own profile to return the favour. If someone disagrees with your content, it appears on their followers' Activity tab, exposing you to a lengthy new audience. More engagement is a great signal to the Instagram algorithm and increases your chances of reaching the Explore tab. Think your product or brand doesn't have a suitable community? Remember that slime make-up and shaving were among the best niche communities around Instagram in 2018. A community is, in fact, out there for everyone.

15. Tag relevant users

It's possible to tag users in your photos with an @ by using Instagram's tagging feature for your caption or reference. In either case, they receive a notification when you do. Tagging people encourages them to engage with the whole post and share it with their own followers. You can share this material to their story with a few taps when you tag someone in Instagram stories. Anyone can click through to your account, and whoever sees their story will see your username if they do.

16. Ask your followers to tag their friends

Consider encouraging your followers to tag their friends from time to time. This can help expose your Instagram accounts. Save this for your most compelling or relatable content. Users should feel like they're doing their friends a favour.

17. Post consistently

Your followers want to see information from you. That's the reason they followed you. As mentioned before, this activity is visible to their own followers when users interact with your posts. Give them something good to connect with! How often should you post? An analysis by Tailwind found that daily posting is likely to "grow followers per week faster than posting less than once a week".

18. Post at the ideal time

Yes, Instagram uses an algorithm as opposed to a chronological feed. However, timing remains important, as it's one of the signals the algorithm considers. Hootsuite worked with Unmetric to find the best time to post on Instagram, based on your business. Think about your audience to work out when is best to post to your brand. What does their day look like exactly? When are they most active on Instagram? Start by measuring results and analysing different times. For example, if you are a manufacturer, you may want to try posting during commuting times and also at weekends when people aren't in the office.

19. Organise your posts

Is posting time perhaps not the right time to be on Instagram? Use a tool like Hootsuite to schedule and publish right to Instagram. When you plan your posts in advance, you can organise a cohesive Instagram grid that informs a story. You can use the time to craft excellent captions instead of trying to come up with something witty on the fly. With this in mind...

20. Write compelling captions

Your captions play a role in boosting engagement and help you reach more visibility and participation, even though Instagram is a visual stage. And as you've already seen, engagement and success are key aspects of gaining more followers. Here are some key strategies to remember: Place the most important words first. Captions in customer feeds that get cut off after a few lines deliver the most compelling information straight from the surface. This makes it effortless for your audience to leave an opinion. Through this engagement your account becomes visible to many people. Try emoji. Emoji will help attract the reader's attention and are therefore acceptable for most types of accounts on this social network. Try different caption lengths. Instagram allows long-form captions, which means you can test detailed storytelling when your post calls for it. Ultra-short captions can be effective once the graphics speak for themselves. The photographer Matt Payne posts visually stunning graphics. However, he supports them with great captions that make viewers want to see more. For more information and plenty of great brand illustrations, check out our guide to writing great captions that drive engagement.

21. Make use of Instagram Stories

It's worth highlighting this feature specifically, although we've already mentioned stories in some tips. In other words, if you want Instagram followers, you need to use Instagram stories. Half a billion Instagram accounts use stories every day, and 45 percent of the most-viewed stories come from businesses People who use stories are engaged. According to Instagram, almost one in every five stories leads to a direct message. Use the hashtag and location attributes in your stories to make them discoverable. This is a great and underused way to gain followers on Instagram. For more information, see our complete guide to using Instagram Stories.

22. Use interactivity attributes

Instagram Stories offer numerous interactive features for users to take part in, such as question or poll stickers. Poll decals increased video opinions by three seconds in 90 percent of Instagram's beta campaigns using this attribute. When users come across your story on a hashtag or location page, this instant opportunity to engage is a great way to get them to find out more by following you.

23. Try an Instagram Live collaboration

Instagram is the perfect place to use video, a trend that further expands networking. Through interactive features like comments and questions, you can take part and get more out of this engagement to increase your reach. Live videos appear in your new story. When the live video ends, you can let it disappear or make sure it's available for 24 hours for replaying your story. Users are notified as soon as you start going live, so a live video grabs attention. To introduce your live film to a completely new audience, use the "Continue with a friend" option to host a live film together with someone else in your industry. Ask another person to host a film, then invite them. You may both appear in a split screen and introduce each other. That's how it seemed Demi Lovato combined Wilmer Valderrama's Instagram Live, a move that got fans a little excited.

24. Make the most of Story Highlights

Story Highlights let you introduce your brand to people who visit your profile. Pack these highlights with plenty of excellent information and content to show customers why they should click follow. Use these cover images in your own highlights. The nail artist Bee Lalli from Vancouver does excellent work on the salon's Instagram accounts @ClassyClaws.

25. Run contests

To use contests on Instagram to gain more followers, ask individuals to follow you and comment on one of your photos by tagging a friend. To extend your reach, collaborate with another Instagram account and ask participants to follow both accounts. The Abbotsford Tulip Festival often works with local businesses to promote birthdays for both accounts: When you encourage user-generated content as part of your contest, you can potentially reach more people. People will learn more about your competition through posts their friends create. This is an efficient method for gaining more traffic and building trust with followers. We have a whole blog post describing everything you ever needed to know about running an Instagram contest.

26. Learn from Instagram Insights

Instagram analytics applications let you provide impression data for each post, as well as reach, engagement, top posts and more. You can find information about your followers. Reviewing this data regularly allows you to identify places where you can correct your strategy. One of the most important things to keep an eye on is exactly what time of day your followers use Instagram. Matchaeologist, for example, found from insights that its followers weren't living where they expected. While they thought their next was from the UK, many followers were actually based in Taiwan and Hong Kong. This knowledge enabled them to change the timing of their posts to reach (and benefit from) more followers in those areas.