5 Proven Tips to Grow Your Instagram Account
Just wanted to start off by saying that you probably won’t be as popular as any of the Kardashians by following all these tips. But it will definitely help you gain some visibility in this crowded space, whether you’re doing this for your business or your own personal account.
1: Instagram Handle (easily remembered or easily forgotten)
Think of it like if you were to start a brand. You need a name that sticks or something people will remember you by. So when the time comes they need to search for your account, they don’t have to scroll through their entire Following list to find you. (also, nobody does that.)
If your Instagram handle is jayesh_335345, you might want to come up with something shorter and catchy. Try to avoid having a lot of numbers like your Gmail accounts.
Also if you’re out of ideas, just stick to your name, like me. Instagram.com/khairulazmas (shameless plug)
2: Post Regularly & Consistently (at least once a day)
When you’re starting out, it’s tough to have something to post every single day. So you could probably start with once a week then eventually work towards having something to post daily.
A post once a day hits the right spot for Instagram. Posting more than 1 post a day would appear spammy to your followers or friends and would make you look desperate.
If you do have more to share on that particular day, try posting them on Instagram Stories instead or save it for another day. Alternatively, you could post as many as you want on Stories and not appear spammy. I’d recommend you post more personal stuff on Stories so your followers could feel like they’re getting to know the Real you. It’s a more personal touch.
On top of just posting regularly, consistency is also key for having an attractive Instagram account. Imagine following someone who posts random stuff like a Repost of a meme on one day and then goes posting a random photo of clouds the next day. (also Reposting stuff using Regram or any other apps out there is not cool on IG. Especially the ones that attach an ugly watermark to your post and starts your caption with #Repost.)
Try to find a theme and stick to it for as long as you can. Even if you can’t always find photos of clouds to post every day, there are other elements of a photo that can be similar, like colors for example.
This Instagrammer did it by keeping everything Black and White, even though the subject of the photos are all completely different but it somehow still feels like a gelled unit.
Alternatively, you could find recurring themes like Lines in your images.
3: Use Hashtags & Geotag
Research shows that Geotagging your posts increases your engagement because there is always someone out there searching for the next place to grab a coffee or a nice spot to take an #OOTD. Even if your Geotag is as generic as Singapore, still tag them. Tourists who are planning to visit Singapore would be all over that geotag so that they can plan their itinerary.
I’d say Instagram Places search is the new Google search for travel/food/photo spots.
When it comes to Hashtagging your posts, it gets tricky. But no worries, I got you covered. Instagram allows you to use a maximum of 30 hashtags for a single post but don’t be that guy. (I’d recommend a maximum of 10 hashtags per post) Also, don’t tag #love to every single post just because it is the most used hashtag on IG. Your posts get lost in those hashtags because everyone uses them. Instead, focus on hashtags that actually relate to what you are posting. And to do that, let me introduce you to www.displaypurposes.com
So let’s say you’re posting an image from your recent trip to Bangkok, Thailand. Just by doing a simple search, it gives you the hashtags that other people are actually using for those type of images.
Also, try to find niche Feature Hubs that feature photos within your niche. These accounts usually indicate them on their profile page. They usually either require you to Tag them or use a certain hashtag so they could discover your post and hopefully feature it on their accounts. There are Feature Hubs like this for every niche. You could start with the smaller accounts first and then move your way up to the big ones.
If all else fails, there is always Instagram’s very own weekly themed mini-competition which they call the Weekly Hashtag Project or #WHP in short.
Instagram usually posts new themes every Friday or Saturday so do look out for them and try to join in the fun! I’ve been fortunate enough to have one of my posts featured on their official account and it got me 1 thousand new followers the very same day.
4: Engage with the Community
Just like any other community in the real world, communities online work the same way. You have to interact with other like-minded people to actually be apart of a larger community.
To do this on Instagram, you need to check out the hashtags that are within your niche and leave a Like or Comment on posts that you find interesting. Start following these people and don’t be afraid to send them DMs (Direct Message) too when needed. I’ve sent a lot of DMs asking certain Instagrammers about how they took a certain photo or where they took a particular photo. So get out there and make friends.
5: Figure Out What Works on your account
So after you’ve been posting regularly for a couple weeks or months, evaluate which type of posts have been performing better than the rest. Which hashtags are working better for you? At which time of the day do your posts get more engagement? Mix it up a little so you can see the different results and eventually find the right formula that works.
Any kind of progress is good progress. Even if it’s just a slight bump in the engagement of your post. I hope this has helped you in one way or another. Good luck!
