How to Get More Instagram Followers Without Paying for Ads

Instagram is the platform to be on if you’re a brand who wants to reach a large market of young consumers.

Roughly 59% of Instagram users are 18 to 29 years old. And another 33% are 30 to 49.

Then if you’re worried about attracting Gen Z and beyond, Instagram still reigns supreme. A whopping 72% of teens are using Instagram daily.

The only social media platform topping Instagram today is Snapchat.

But whether you’re trying to reach the people who are male, female, young, or middle-aged, you need a strategy to help them find your Instagram page.

Setting aside a budget to advertise on Instagram seems like a simple and fast way to get results. But once you reach your ad spend limit, your content is removed.

And it won’t guarantee you more followers.

Why waste money each day on Instagram ads when you can create content that earns a solid list of followers? This is possible when you’re using methods that generate organic traffic.

Not sure how to do this? Then continue reading!

Gain Exposure with Instagram Stories

Organic reach is declining for regular Instagram posts and taking their place are Instagram Stories. So it makes sense to put this feature on your social media marketing to-do list.

If you’re not already creating Instagram stories, then it’s time you start. Instagram stories are already surpassing Snapchat.

These short videos are great for capturing the attention of your audience and engaging them with your brand. It’s also a great tool for making an introduction if you’re a new business.

Show them behind the scenes of your company. Or use it to create funny skits.

When you post Stories, they show up on the Explore Page. This gives you exposure to Instagrammers who aren’t yet following you.

The key is to make them as targeted as possible. You can do this by adding hashtags and even geo-locations.

The latter is beneficial if you have a local business you want to generate foot traffic too.

The Explore Page recommends Instagram pages to follow and shows the latest Stories and posts.

The good news, is your story doesn’t have to be an actual video. You can use GIFs as well.

This makes it perfect for showing off trailers, products, or your business. Here are two great examples:

This one is from M.Gemi an Italian shoe company.

And the other is from Hopper, a travel company. This one is more engaging because it asks users to swipe up to get a deal.

What a way to bring your call to action to life!

Make Your Bio Rich and Engaging

Most Instagrammers are going to check out your bio before they decide to follow your page. So it’s important to make this as intriguing as possible.

Now, this doesn’t mean you have to craft a long-winding backstory for your brand. But it should resonate with your audience and show off your brand’s personality.

For example, this bio is short, simple, and sweet. It tells people what they’re all about in four small words.

And if you have a business account like this one, you can include links to your website (or a particular landing page, which is recommended).

Post Comments for Free Promotion

Another way you can attract potential followers without spending a dime is to become an active member of the community. It’s not enough to just post your own content anymore.

People are looking for engagement, especially on social media (hence its name). There are a number of ways you can socialize on Instagram:

• Reply to comments on your posts, even if it’s just to say thanks.
• Search for Instagrammers in your niche and post comments.
• Ask questions on Instagrammer’s posts to stir up a conversation.
• Give valuable feedback, insights, or advice.

The key is to make comments that show appreciation, incite emotion, and engage users. If they end up checking out your profile page in the process, then even better!

Include Hashtags in Every Post

Everything you post on Instagram should have hashtags attached to it. You can include your own and hope it’ll one day catch fire.

But you also want to include hashtags that are already popular, but related to your post. Otherwise, your posts will be deemed spam and ignored by users.

You can look up hashtags on Instagram by typing in the words inside of the search bar. This will show you how many people used the hashtag.

The idea is to find hashtags that are popular so you’ll know users are more likely to find your post. As a rule of thumb, you should aim for hashtags that have less than 500K posts.

After all, you don’t want your posts getting lost in a sea of content. You want your post to show up and stand out.

Make your posts interesting and engaging and use the right hashtags to make this happen.

Quick tip: You can add hashtags to your post as well to make it more visible. This is a good idea to help your own hashtags pick up steam.

Get Followers Who Genuinely Like Your Content

What’s great about growing your Instagram list of followers the organic way is that it allows you to connect with your audience.

Instead of relying on your ad spend to attract users, you’re instead using your content. This will help grow meaningful relationships with your audience and earn yourself loyal followers.

If you don’t already have a content strategy set up for your profile, then that’s the first place to start. It’s a good idea to use tools like Social Sprout and Hootsuite to manage all of your posts.

As a business owner, you may not have time to sit around posting all day. Nor should you have to. With these tools, you can automate all of your content for a week, month, or even 6 months.

Just be sure to include timely posts in the mix to stay relevant and capitalize on trending topics.

Need help with putting together your Instagram marketing strategy? Try using authentic tools like this hashtag tool — That helps you discover the best to use hashtags to boost your exposure.