So how do you build a bigger audience?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Creating an account is free and easy. The ultimate goal is obvious. But everything in between can feel like a mystery. How do you grow engagement and gain momentum?<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s frustrating when you only have a few followers. You are putting a ton of time and effort into posts and Reels, but no one is even seeing them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Are you doing something wrong? Are you not doing enough? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Relax. There\u2019s no conspiracy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Instagram is simply a massive market for attention<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Everyone is fighting for the same scarce resource: a few seconds of someone\u2019s scroll time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Instagram algorithm decides who gets that attention, and it rewards specific behaviors. Once you understand what it\u2019s looking for, you can use that to your advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this post, I\u2019m going to cover proven tactics that will:<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are now more than 3 billion active users on Instagram<\/strong>. Every single one of them is searching for something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you can create content that resonates with even a tiny fraction of this market, that\u2019s going to result in hundreds of thousands of followers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ready to rock? <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are tons of follower growth strategies in this post, and you will find success fastest if you have a few things in place early on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udcc8 Set up a professional account<\/strong>. With a Creator or Business account on Instagram, you can view data on your followers, when they are active, and performance metrics about your posts. This is crucial info.Creating a professional Instagram account<\/a> is free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udce2 Know your audience<\/strong>. Every Instagram growth strategy depends on understanding your target audience<\/a> and what they want. The better you know who you are speaking to, the easier it will be to provide value that\u2019s worth a follow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udcb2Map out your funnel<\/strong>. Having a clear conversion funnel<\/a> in place ensures that when new people find your account, they know exactly what you offer, why it matters, and how to take the next step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udcec Build out other channels<\/strong>. Instagram is a great way to connect, but you can grow faster and stronger with a presence on other social media platforms, using email marketing<\/a>, and with a website of your own<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83e\udd33 Get comfortable with video<\/strong>. Reels are the fast-track to more exposure, so being confident about shooting and editing your own videos will give you a huge advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udcaa Commit for the long haul<\/strong>. Are you ready to post 730 times this year? That\u2019s only twice per day, which is the minimum you ought to be posting if you are trying to drive follower growth. Setting your heart on a minimal-effort, overnight social media success is a recipe for burnout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you stick with it, you will continuously improve your skills, refine your funnel, and better understand your audience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s no way to have everything locked down 100% before you begin, so don\u2019t worry if you aren\u2019t a pro videographer on day one. You\u2019ll get there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These are currently the best ways to increase your follower count. Some of them have worked for ages, others lean into more recent developments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Using AI to create content is a horrible idea if you are looking to gain followers. Most humans hate AI-generated content<\/a>. They don\u2019t interact with it and that kills your engagement rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But using AI for research? That is a great idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n AI tools like LLMs (large language models) are super useful for finding out what your audience cares about, what your competitors are doing well, and what types of posts are driving customer engagement<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Think of an LLM as an assistant that gives you feedback on your ideas and helps you research massive amounts of information in seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s an example. I brainstormed some new ideas for a brand in the personal finance space using Claude, the LLM from Anthropic<\/a>. I wrote, \u201cWhat questions are people commonly asking about in personal finance? Turn each question into a simple post or Reel idea.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Claude thought for a few seconds and then spit out 2-3 questions with example posts and Reel ideas for 11 different topics like housing, debt, student loans, taxes, and budgets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a solid start. I\u2019d put my own spin on the post titles (as is, they feel very AI-written, which makes sense), but they give me a good target to shoot for. As Claude reassured me at the end of its answer, all of these content ideas are \u201cbased on actual search volume and real questions people are asking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Silver bullet? No. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Time saver? Absolutely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some simple prompts you can use for audience research and to generate ideas for content. Just fill in the blank with your niche, topic, or product category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The average brand is pushing out 40-80+ posts per month, and using AI to brainstorm is useful for making sure that you are addressing the full range of your audience\u2019s fears<\/a>, interests, and hopes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Based on what you discover you can start creating content that speaks to your specific audience within your wider market. The more you can make it your own, the further you get away from producing AI slop, which everyone hates, and will win you zero new human followers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are trying to build your follower count, Reels are your ticket to getting in front of more users as fast as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your regular posts are going to be seen by like 10-20% of your followers (unless you buy ads), but because Instagram wants to compete with TikTok and YouTube Shorts, they will show Reels to non-followers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your average post reaches 300 people, your Reel might reach 3,000. YMMV, but why fight against the algorithm? <\/p>\n\n\n\n At least for now, Reels are the best free way to get in front of people who don\u2019t already follow you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some technical tips for creating Reels that have a good chance of being viewed, shared, and building your brand<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n One thing you will notice is that everyone who has a big following sticks to these guidelines. Here\u2019s a screenshot from a BossBabe Reel featuring founder Natalie Elizabeth Ellis.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The overlay text of this Reel is \u201cMeta just quietly changed how story visibility works,\u201d which is going to pique the curiosity of anyone who cares about their reach on Instagram. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Notice that the Reel captures her process (filming herself) while selling the dream (making money in your sweatpants). It\u2019s a well-lit video, but it feels more spur of the moment than overly-edited. This is the kind of \u201creal life\u201d content that plays well on Instagram. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And check out the description. For people who click through and watch, there is a concise breakdown of exactly what\u2019s offered by the overlay text: how story visibility works after the latest algorithm update. Natalie delivers on her promise, giving her followers real value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take a look at popular Reels from other creators in your niche. What\u2019s working for them? What sort of themes and tactics can you repurpose?<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have never shot video before, get ready for your first few Reels to be a little choppy. Who cares? There is no better way to reach new followers on Instagram, and plenty of creators are finding huge success with Reels that are intimate, unpolished, and raw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every single successful account on Instagram posts consistently. It\u2019s not an accident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is important for three reasons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One<\/strong>, the algorithms that choose what to display on Instagram are driven by patterns. When you post at a consistent clip, you\u2019re giving the algorithm reliable and fresh data to work with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you let your account go stale or you post sporadically, the algorithms will be more cautious about displaying your new content. The social media management tool Sprout Social has a great post on the Instagram algorithm<\/a>, how it works, and why consistency is key.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two<\/strong>, regular posting keeps you top of mind for your audience and builds trust with people who discover your account. People unconsciously associate consistency with reliability, whereas sparse or outdated posts create doubts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Three<\/strong>, consistent posting is how you get good. It\u2019s what builds your muscles to create, your imagination for what to post, and your knowledge of what\u2019s going to work. Not everything you post is going to be a banger. But you are only going to learn the game if you take a lot of shots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To make it easy to publish consistently, plan and schedule your posts ahead of time. Build a content pipeline and editorial calendar<\/a> so you can stay on schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Is it ever possible to post too much?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes. Posting lower-quality content just to post isn\u2019t good. If you can only put out 2-4 great posts a week, that\u2019s better than 7 mediocre or repetitive posts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep an eye on your performance metrics. What you don\u2019t want to do is publish a great post and then undercut its performance by publishing something new. You can easily divide your audience’s attention, resulting in lower impressions and likes on both posts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Find a sustainable, consistent rhythm, and stick to it. Missing a day isn\u2019t the end of the world, but if you go dark for a week, you are going to have to work extra hard to get back to where you were.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s two steps to this strategy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you have more than 100 followers on a professional Instagram account, you can see when your followers are most active on the platform. Open your dashboard, go to Insights<\/a>, and look for trends over the past month or two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Figure out when the peak times are, and then schedule posts about 30-60 minutes before the periods of highest activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Use trial and error to figure out the best possible times based on what times give you the best engagement consistently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But don\u2019t stop there, at least if you care about getting more people to buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cross-check your post timing with the web analytics<\/a> on your site or online store. What times of day are you getting the most sales from Instagram traffic? Is it different on weekends or particular weekdays?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Engagement is awesome, but money in the bank is better, and your Instagram Insights dashboard is not going to tell you when you\u2019re getting the highest conversion rate<\/a> in your store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are lots of confounding variables that influence which posts take off and generate sales. But over time, if you pay attention, you\u2019ll start to get a sense of what works and what doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your Instagram bio is your home turf on the platform. It should help a stranger understand immediately:<\/p>\n\n\n\n This last step is where people really struggle. They either don\u2019t present a clear call-to-action (CTA)<\/a> in their bio, or they have too many links and it\u2019s not obvious what people should do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s a good example of an Instagram bio from Sharron McKinistrie, a social media strategist who likely has been paid to write hundreds of bios for clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Short and sweet, her bio lets you know some of her accomplishments without feeling like LinkedIn. Some things she\u2019s doing well:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shannon\u2019s profile establishes who she is and offers a lot more information, yet it doesn\u2019t feel cluttered or overwhelming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For brands, it\u2019s basically the same game. Here\u2019s the bio for Quince, a wildly successful online retailer that offers premium goods at low prices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The entire bio, links and all, is about 10 words total. It\u2019s clever enough to be memorable, with concise copywriting<\/a> that captures the essence of what they offer, \u201cInexpensive expensive things, accessible to all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Quince Story highlights are basically a navigation menu from a website, offering visitors an easy way to explore categories like Wellness and Fragrance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I wouldn\u2019t agonize over your bio. Just hit the basics, keep it brief, and be sure to offer visitors a clear way to take the next step. Avoid anything that looks cringy, try-hard, or SEO optimized. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Stories are a great way to build momentum with your existing audience. They are one of the first things that people see when on their Instagram feed, which keeps your brand top of mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since Stories disappear after 24 hours, there is urgency baked in. People hate missing out<\/a>. It\u2019s a great opportunity to share things that feel timely, newsworthy, honest, and especially time-sensitive deals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are lots of built-in editing tools, which is great, but you don\u2019t have to turn every Story into a polished brand asset. A quick self-shot clip, a raw thought, a simple behind-the-scenes moment can help build trust better than anything that looks staged or overproduced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some tips for using Stories effectively:<\/p>\n\n\n\n And don\u2019t forget to save your best stories as Highlights, which are permanently displayed on your bio. That means they are one of the first things people see when they discover your account. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can use Highlights to showcase key content that new visitors want to see, like FAQs, product demos, or customer testimonials and other types of social proof<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you co-author content with a collaborator, Instagram pushes it to both of your audiences. This automatically expands your reach, and the increased engagement from both sets of followers sends a positive signal to the algorithm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s really a win-win, but only if the new audience cares about what you offer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The trick is selecting partners with followers that are going to find value from learning about your account. A fitness coach teaming up with a healthy meal-prep service? That\u2019s great because there is a ton of overlap between their target markets<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n I would definitely focus on relevance over follower count in terms of finding good collaborators. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A nano influencer (1K-10K followers) who posts about the topics your audience cares about is going to be a dream to work with. They\u2019re probably not swamped in collab requests, which means they\u2019ll be more affordable and less demanding to work with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s tempting to try and work with big follower-count creators and brands, but it’s harder to make it pay off unless you are bringing a similar size audience to the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To find good collaborators, search hashtags in your niche and look for accounts with genuine engagement in the comments. You can also look at who your followers are following.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you reach out, let them know what you admire about their work. Propose a specific project like a Q&A or joint post, and make it obvious why there is value for both of you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a great way to build loyalty among your followers and get them to engage consistently. I\u2019m thinking of something like \u201cMonday Q&As\u201d or \u201cBehind-the-Scenes Tuesdays.\u201d It can be anything as long as your audience cares about it and you can sustain production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It works because you are giving people something to look forward to. If you make the series something enjoyable and valuable, they are going to expect it and be more mindful of keeping up with your account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The format also gives you a structure to work within, which means you don\u2019t have to start from scratch. Take a new idea and plug it into the recurring format. This makes your life easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When people find your brand via the recurring series, they may follow you so as not to miss the next one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Every share puts your content in front of someone else and their followers. And when your audience pushes something along, the Instagram algorithm sees that as a strong signal that your content is worth showing more people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So what makes content sharable?<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is no exact science to it, but shareable posts tend to have some common characteristics that hold true across different niches. They are clear, helpful, relatable, and bite-sized. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Think: quick tips, cheat sheets, checklists, tutorials, memes, and motivational or inspirational quotes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I used to work for Ramit Sethi, and he and his team have mastered shareable content. People want to share what he posts because he uses clear language, has strong opinions, and delivers instantly usable insights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ramit puts a ton of time and effort into creating content that feels vital, exciting, and valuable. Consider this post with more than 15,000 likes and hundreds of comments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s direct, crisp, visually appealing, and aspirational. These are his<\/em> money rules. You\u2019re not going to find them anywhere else. Originality is another key aspect of shareability. Why would someone share something that\u2019s everywhere already?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some tips for crafting content that\u2019s shareable:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s go over the basics here. These tactics have worked for years, and while you probably already know most of them, they still matter today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Consider this a quick checklist to make sure your Instagram account is covering all the fundamentals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s a few strategies that you should stay away from:<\/p>\n\n\n\n These shortcuts and spammy tactics won\u2019t get you where you want to be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Followers are great, but you could hit a million without ever seeing a dime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For most creators and brands, Instagram is an amazing channel that puts them in front of new potential customers. It\u2019s the first step in the customer journey<\/a> where a person becomes aware of their brand and why they should care about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Getting followers to take the next step is critical. You need to encourage a meaningful fraction of your followers to visit your site, sign up for your newsletter, or make a purchase in your online store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instagram follower growth matters, but only when it plugs into a larger system that turns the attention you\u2019ve won into an outcome that impacts your brand\u2019s bottom line. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether Instagram is the top of your ecommerce funnel<\/a> or the way you generate leads<\/a> for your business, understanding that entire customer journey will help you craft posts that build the right kind of audience to really grow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" You can pay some shady company to get you 1,000 more Instagram followers in a few minutes. But it\u2019s all bots, and guess what? Those…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":254,"featured_media":107594,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[147],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-107591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-media-marketing"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Graphic](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/12053729\/Instagram-Followers_Featured-Image.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
![\"Mark](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/12054024\/Followers-on-Instagram-Zuck.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nPre-Growth Checklist: Before You Try To Get More Followers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The 9 Best Tactics To Get More Followers on Instagram<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Use AI for research<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"AI](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/12054146\/Followers-on-Instagram-Budget-Questions.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
2. Reach a new audience with Reels<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"Bossbabe](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/12054350\/Followers-on-Instagram-Bossbabe.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n3. Keep a steady posting rhythm <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. Post when your audience is active and buying<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
5. Create a bio that makes next step obvious <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"Shannon](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/12054457\/Followers-on-Instagram-ShannonMckinstrie.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
![\"Quince](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/12054535\/Followers-on-Instagram-Onequince.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n6. Use Stories strategically<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
7. Collaborations with relevant creators and brands<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
8. Create a recurring series<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
9. Publish content people want to share<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Grid](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/12054643\/Followers-on-Instagram-Ramit-Sethi.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Ramit](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/12054713\/Followers-on-Instagram-Money-Rules.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
Standard Instagram Best Practices for Driving Follower Growth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n
Bad Ideas That Kill Your Follower Growth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
Getting More Instagram Followers Isn\u2019t Enough<\/h2>\n\n\n\n