15 Best Ways to Gain Instagram Followers in 2023

Instagram is one of the highest-engagement platforms on social media, with over one billion monthly active users. The ever-changing Instagram algorithm has, however, made it hard for brands to hit upon a foolproof strategy to ensure their content is seen to get a following. If you are wondering how to gain followers on Instagram, here are 15 effective ways to boost your engagement and gain quality followers. 

Here is the way to get followers for your account fast. 

1. Work With Brand Ambassadors

A brand ambassador represents brands online. They run multiple campaigns over time and can serve to develop an efficient image for your brand. Their strong influence on Instagram can help you expand your reach, humanize your brand, and boost your following. 

2. Incorporate Reels into Your Content Mix

Reels are bite-sized videos that are highly favored by the Instagram algorithm. Reels are a mainstay if you are working on how to gain followers on Instagram. It can also boost your following by getting your content discovered through the audio overlaid on them. According to Meta, reels make up more than 20% of the time spent on Instagram.

3. Curate Your Profile Grid

Don’t overlook the visual aesthetic of your Instagram feed. Curating a visually pleasing profile grid is key to converting visitors into followers. A well-customized profile grid can show your followers what you do in a matter of seconds, help you stand out, entice new followers, and leave a lasting impression.

4. Pay for Sponsored Posts and Product Reviews

If you want to reach new customers and boost your engagement, sponsored posts and product reviews can help. You can use sponsorship posts in two ways: brand-sponsored posts and paid promotional posts to help you gain followers, increase brand awareness, improve return on investment, and drive traffic.

5. Get Followers From a Loyalty Program

Make use of a loyalty program. Ask your customers to follow and engage with your Instagram in order to get incentives. It is a fantastic way to increase organic engagement, reach your target audience, provide customer service, and build credibility. 

6. Run a Giveaway

Like loyalty programs, running giveaways can help you gain followers in exchange for an enticing reward. You can ask people to follow, like, comment, share, and tag others on the post and try their luck at winning the giveaway, resulting in high organic engagement and new followers.

7. Post at the Right Times

Keeping a consistent content calendar and posting at the right times is crucial if you’re considering all strategies and options regarding how to gain followers on Instagram. Figure out the optimal engagement time for your content through insights and post consistent content that provides value to your audience. 

8. Use Geotags to Boost Local Discovery

Adding geotags to your content is another simple yet powerful way to get your content found on Instagram. You don’t have to use your location in geotags; tag landmarks and places that get high searches on Instagram. Create content specific to geotags that can get you featured at the top of the search page. 

9. Cross Promote Content

Utilizing other platforms to cross-promote your Instagram page can help you build followers across multiple platforms, not just on Instagram. Cross-promoting can be as simple as adding your Instagram information on different platform content such as blog posts, newsletters, YouTube videos, and more, so people can find you on Instagram.

10. Market Through Your Personal Instagram Account

Use your friends and family on your personal account to promote your brand. Connect with them to help garner some initial engagement, gain a following, and build a sense of community.

11. Ask for More Followers

Wondering if there is a more direct approach how to gain followers on Instagram? That’s easy—ask. Asking for more followers is a basic yet good strategy to gain followers. You can use methods like a ‘call to action’ (CTA) on your posts and comments, use relevant hashtags, follow other creators, and run campaigns to grow your following. 

12. Use the Right Hashtags on Posts

The Instagram hashtag has been a great way to gain followers on the social media platform for a very long time. However, just stuffing popular, irrelevant hashtags can have the opposite results. Figure out a hashtag strategy for your content, find the hashtags used frequently by your target community, and use the right hashtags to attract your ideal followers.

13. Use the Right Hashtags in Instagram Stories

Similar to hashtags on posts, incorporating hashtags on Instagram stories can be a good way to give your content an added chance to get discovered by a new audience. With the help of hashtags, the story can get featured on search pages. However, if you are adding many hashtags, make sure to hide them in your story, so they don’t look bulky and distracting to your followers. 

14. Get on Feature Accounts

Feature accounts are large curated accounts on Instagram that select the best content and repost them to their followers with the creator’s credits. For new or small content creators, feature accounts with a huge following provide a great opportunity to connect with the target audience. 

15. Organize Your Stories Into Highlights

As stories are only available for a limited time, highlights provide an excellent opportunity to extend your story reach. You can add links, CTA, and more to your stories, and then organize them in highlights with a title to help visitors navigate your profile and increase your following. 

Doing it, the Emeritus Way

Now that you know how to gain followers on Instagram, apply these methods to build your own content strategy and boost your following. Remember that gaining followers is just one part of the equation. You also need to make consistent, engaging content to create value to keep followers. If you want to upskill and get greater insight into digital marketing, check out these digital marketing courses offered by Emeritus. 

By Krati Joshi 

Write to us at content@emeritus.org