15 hacks to get more followers on Instagram

Who does not want their Instagram followers to climb? Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet, but there are many small steps that can help. You will find them here, let’s find out how to get more followers on Instagram! 

It is not about how many followers you have, but rather about how closely you are in contact with your followers and how loyal your community is. Of course, a few more followers can still do no harm, especially at the beginning if you want to get started as an influencer. We have collected what you can do to increase your recognition on Instagram so that more users can find you and follow you. Without any dirty tricks and annoying #like4like stories. 15 top tips for more Instagram followers, let’s go! 

1. Your profile picture: Show who you are

Your profile picture should be meaningful and easily recognizable so that users can immediately (re–)recognize you and know what you do. As a mommy blogger, for example, you can show kids toys or yourself with your child. As a fashion influencer you should choose a stylish picture with a trendy outfit, as a photographer a photo with your camera, as a travel blogger a vacation photo, and as a YouTuber a photo with your cam. If you already have a certain reputation, you can do without it. Otherwise, it can help users to classify you immediately and find you on Instagram. However, keep in mind that your profile photo is displayed small and round, so details are no longer visible. It is best to upload your profile picture to Instagram with a resolution of 1080 x 1080 pixels. Choose a suitable image section and concentrate on the essentials (you in a cool outfit or you and your YouTube cam).

2. A unique name & a completed bio 

Additionally, choose a unique name for your Instagram account. Otherwise, it will be difficult for users to find you on Instagram search. Your Instagram name is recorded by the search engines as well. It is the only thing that is indexed by your profile, so it should be particularly meaningful. Your Instagram bio should also be rich in content so that new users know immediately who you are, what you do — and why they should follow you. If you have a blog, you should link it here. This way, your new followers can quickly see what content they can expect from you.

3. Clever networking 

Make sure to network with others on Instagram. Follow other accounts and get in touch with them: Leave a like and meaningful comments. It is not enough that you post your own content on Instagram; you should also be active and interact with other people‘s content. You should do this regularly so that the other accounts notice you. However, it should never degenerate into spam. Comment on the posts in the same way you comment on friends‘ posts. In this way, you draw attention to yourself as an influencer and support others who in turn support you. And Instagram’s algorithm likes it as well when you are regularly active with your account.

4. Community management is the be-all and end-all 

You should definitely react to comments under your posts (with a like) if not even reply. Of course, this is not always possible, but you should do it to the extent that your followers notice that you are interested in them and appreciate them. Naturally, this applies to private messages too. The more followers you have, the more difficult it will be to respond to the flood of messages. In this case, a single post or story thanking them for the messages is sufficient. After all, it is no use collecting new followers while your old followers drop out because they feel ignored. In short: Maintain and value your community. 

Of course, you can use stylink to counteract the flood of DMs as well. If your followers ask you several times a day where your top is from, which products you use for your skincare routine or where you buy your furniture, then give stylink a try! Instead of answering all messages, you can simply link the products. So, your followers can easily buy your favourite items. If you use our Linkmaker for this, you will also earn money!      

5. Use other accounts with a large reach 

To make your Instagram profile a little more popular, you can use other accounts that already have a very large reach. Set tags on your pictures to other accounts that repost pictures. Of course, the other accounts have to be thematically relevant to your content. As a fashion influencer, for example, you can link to accounts like @americanstyle or @zara__europe or @world_fashion_styles. If these well-known accounts repost your pictures,  your profile will be mentioned and linked, which will give you new reach and possibly new followers. It is important that the quality of your pictures is right: they have to be really good to be shared.  

And we at stylink like to push you on Instagram or here on our blog. We share the posts of our stylink community so that even more followers can see them and discover you. Just follow us on Instagram: @stylinkofficial_eu. 

6. Promote your Instagram account 

That sounds totally banal, but it is often forgotten. If you want people to follow you on Instagram, then you should promote your account a bit. We do not mean you should spend money. You can link and describe your Instagram profile on your blog or your YouTube channel, for example. It might be useful to add it to your email signature. Besides, you can use your account offline if it suits you. If you talk to other bloggers or privately with other mothers, then just tell them about your Instagram account for mums or about your sales tips.

7. The hashtags have to be right 

Use hashtags in your posts and use local hashtags. Do not rely on your gut instinct; check which hashtags your community uses and do some research beforehand: How often is the hashtag searched for? You can easily filter your search on Instagram by hashtag. Only post hashtags that are relevant to your post. #like4like may bring you a lot of followers, but only those who are not actually interested in you and your account. So only use hashtags relevant to your post. A mixture of very specific or local hashtags and more general ones works best. With frequently used, general hashtags, your photo will quickly get lost. With rarely used hashtags, your photo will remain visible much longer but will be found less. Therefore, you should combine general and specific hashtags. This applies not only to your posts in the feed but also to your Instagram stories. 

Basically, you should not overdo it. A few relevant hashtags work best. According to research, two to five meaningful hashtags are a good value to use as a guide. But: The smaller your account, the more important and effective the hashtags are and then you should get more out of it. More important than the number, however, is the relevance. You can easily find the right amount for your account by trying it out!  

Tip: If the hashtags in your Insta story annoy you or you just cannot find a place next to your big shopping haul, then just hide the hashtags. If you are using a GIF or another sticker, you can push your hashtags (and @ tags) very small and then place the stickers on top. This way your followers will not see them, your story is not overloaded, and you will still show up in the search for those hashtags.

8. Trending hashtags & challenges 

You probably remember the numerous dance interludes to Drake’s “In my Feelings”. Otherwise, a quick hashtag search (#inmyfeelings) will help you. In short: join in, use the trending hashtag and ride the wave. This also applies to Instagram challenges, for example, the well-known Ice Bucket Challenge or the Mannequin Challenge (#mannequinchallenge). You can use trends that go viral for your own benefit. It is important that you do not forget the hashtag in your posts so that users can find you. If you post a funny picture or video, you will be found through the hashtag search or the Explore Feed — and you will have a few more followers.

9. Make your own hashtag 

You can create your own hashtag! This is useful, for example, if you post a lot, have already achieved some popularity and want your loyal community to grow. The same game applies here: New users see the hashtag on other accounts, in the Explore Feed, or the search, and bang, you are on their radar! A well-known example is the posts about cooking and eating by actress Janina Uhse and the corresponding hashtag #janinaandfood.

10. Follow hashtags or: 1001 possibilities for hashtags 

As you can see, you can do a lot with hashtags on Instagram and reach a lot of followers if you do it right. So, it is worth it if you make an effort with the hashtags for your posts and stories. If you have created your own hashtag, then you should definitely follow it. Here you can see everything that is published on Instagram with your hashtag — the user-generated content. This way you can control what is posted with your hashtag and, if necessary, report posts. Besides, it is a way to value and interact with your loyal followers. It gives you ideas for new content that can attract new followers. For the new ideas, you should follow other hashtags from your niche in order to keep an eye on the current trends.

11. Use location tags 

Many users search through the location tags on Instagram and you will be found more quickly if you include your location when posting. In addition, you can use a location hashtag. Dual–use is especially important with Insta Stories: It allows you to show up in both Explore Feeds — for the location and the hashtag — and new followers are more likely to come across you when they search for these locations.

12. Create your own Instagram filter 

If you create your own filter for Instagram Stories, your followers and other users can also use it. Your big advantage: Every user who uses your filter for their story advertises you because not only the filter name appears in the story, but also your name as the creator of it. In our blog article, we have compiled information on how to create your own filter for the Instagram Story and what advantages it offers you.  

13. Get in touch with other influencers: teamwork 

Work with other influencers, for example through shout–outs. That works well in your story as well. Shout–outs work best with accounts that deal with topics similar to yours. These accounts may be interesting for your followers and they will be happy that you introduce them to a new influencer to follow. Ideally, this influencer will introduce your profile to their followers to discover you. 

If you know other influencers privately, you can also post something together. For example, you go shopping together and do a fashion haul together on YouTube, ask each other questions on YouTube or in your Insta story, post photos together, etc. This way you become visible to each other’s followers and increase your reach.

14. Connections offline 

Offline blogger events are particularly useful for networking with other influencers. There you can meet other influencers, build relationships with the organizer and the other bloggers, and you can learn from each other.

15. Emotional content 

You can reach your followers on Instagram not only with creative photos but also through emotions. Post something that touches your followers or something that touches yourself emotionally. As a fashion blogger, this can be the private moments and small crises in your everyday life. Likewise, sharing a funny or embarrassing fashion fail is a good idea, as your followers will reward your honesty. Personal captions do not directly increase your number of followers, but they are important to many users in the right dose and can therefore strengthen the bond with your followers. Emotions ensure a high interaction rate so that many users see this content, sometimes link other users, and thus attract new followers to you. Personal captions are difficult for many influencers because they are very private. Make your followers feel like they know you and show that you are not perfect. This can also be little things, like showing yourself without make-up or retouching from time to time.

Conclusion 

Instagram followers who form a close community and diligently comment on your posts are more valuable than many random followers who are not interested in your content. Buying followers is therefore taboo; that should be obvious. To increase your number of followers on Instagram, you can use our 15 ultimate hacks instead. Have fun with it! 

By all means, the Instagram 101 still applies to all the battle for followers. Keep a clear line, post only very high-quality photos, relate to your niche, show your personality, post regularly and at the right time. Use different formats on Instagram to offer your followers as much as possible: Stories, posts, pictures to swipe, videos, even a live video or IGTV. And stay true to your content thematically in order to retain your credibility. After all, there is a good reason people are following you. 

Do you have any other tips or experiences on how to increase your number of followers?