Are you looking for cool ways to boost your Instagram growth in 2023? The key to keeping up with the ever-changing Instagram algorithms is to follow and understand the current trends.
That's why we've put together a list of 16 well-tried growth strategies — full of tips and tricks you need to break through the competition!
So, let's begin and get your Instagram accounts booming in 2023! Don't forget to grab a coffee (or your beverage of choice).
1. Create Killer Content Pillars
If you haven’t heard about content pillars yet, they’re basically big themes or topics your content revolves around. Think of them as your content strategy foundations.
But how do you find the right content pillars for your Instagram account? It all depends on your business or Instagram marketing goals. Some people want to make more sales; some just want higher credibility, so they approach their content strategy differently.
If you want to grow your Instagram followers and increase your brand awareness, you need to start by understanding your target audience. Identify their needs, pain points, and interests. This will help you create engaging posts on social media that resonate with your followers.
To get started, brainstorm as many content pillars as possible. Once you have a broad list, refine it by choosing 4 or 5 that are the most relevant and impactful. If you focus on a few niche topics, you’ll have a higher chance of breaking through the noise.
Let's say you are a brand that sells organic, handmade skincare products. Your niche could be "natural skincare," and your content pillars might include:
1.Ingredients used in skincare products, their benefits, and how they work.
2.Skincare routines: Tips for building a skincare routine.
3.DIY skincare: Guides for creating your own natural skincare products at home.
4.Sustainability: Information on sustainable and eco-friendly practices in skin care, including packaging, sourcing, and waste reduction.
2. Give Your Profile a Consistent Look
Instagram is no longer just about pretty pictures, but if your profile doesn’t have a consistent look, you’re less likely to stand out on the platform.
Picture this – you're strolling down a street and spot a store that sells amazing products, but when you look at the storefront, it's not very appealing or exciting. Would you still want to go in and look around? Probably not.
The same principle applies to Instagram profiles. If your content doesn't represent your brand and lacks a cohesive look and feel, it's less likely to attract organic followers.
Here is what you should do instead:
• Choose a color scheme from your brand book (up to four colors) and apply it to your grid.
• Try to use consistent font for your graphics.
• Plan ahead - there are a lot of free online tools that let you preview your grid, so sign up for them and play around to see which one looks the most appealing.
3. Leave Your Digital Footprint
Don’t underestimate the power of engagement on Instagram. If you're looking for organic growth, leaving thoughtful comments on your audience’s posts could really help.
Not just any comments though, make sure they're thoughtful and relevant to your brand and values.
Here is how you should do it:
1.Look up hashtags or creators in your niche
2.Turn on the bell notifications for their posts
3.Go to their profile and leave a valuable comment whenever they share something new.
Just remember that you don’t always have to agree with everything. Or sometimes, you could even be funny or relatable but make sure to stay respectful.
4. Decode Your Content
You can create the content you like the most with the most appealing visuals, but if it doesn’t resonate with your audience, chances are your posts won’t be successful.
To do it properly, you can start by looking at your Instagram Insights, which provides a range of data and metrics to help you analyze your content. This includes information on impressions, engagement, reach, and more. You can examine these metrics to identify which posts are performing well and which aren't and adjust your content strategy accordingly.
Now once you look at these successful posts, try to figure out what made them so good. Was it the topic? The style, format, or a hook? Look for common themes and try to replicate the same pieces.
5. Make Your Account Discoverable
Instagram's algorithms are pretty complex, and if you want to boost your follower growth, you need to work on your Instagram SEO.
What does SEO have to do with Instagram, you might ask? The answer is - a lot. If you haven’t heard of Instagram SEO before, it’s a process of optimizing your profile to show up in different recommended areas, such as:
• The Explore Page
• Search Terms
• Hashtags
• Recommendations
• The Search Bar
• The Reels Tab
• Suggested For You Tab
Algorithms take everything into account before pushing your post to a bigger audience. So, the aim here is to help Instagram understand who you are, what you post about, and who you post for. And this is how you do it:
Optimize your Bio
Make sure to use the main and secondary keywords. For example, if you have a skincare account, your main keyword is “skincare”; some secondary keywords can be “Anti-aging,” “Vegan,“ “Organic,” and so on. Don’t forget to use these keywords in your captions and graphics.
Use Hashtags wisely
When it comes to hashtags, the simple rule is to stay niche. Also, no need to use all 30 of them - just make sure not to use too many, or hashtags that are used frequently (i.e., every 5-10 seconds). Doing so can cause your posts to drop off the top of the search page and make it harder for others to discover your content.
Tag Instagram topics
Instagram has a relatively new feature called Instagram topics; you can see this right before posting your Reel as you scroll down for the Share Button. This feature lets you choose from several categories and helps the algorithms push your content to the right audience.
By selecting relevant 3 topics, you can increase your chances of reaching users who are interested in your content. This can help you increase your organic growth.
Use Alt text
The main purpose of alt text is to help visually impaired people experience and enjoy the Instagram platform and have full access to its content. It soon evolved into another Instagram growth hack, and it really works. Before you post, go to your settings menu and describe your photos or videos in more detail.
6. Tag Places on Instagram
Tagging your location in your Instagram posts is also another way to optimize your Instagram SEO, but it’s almost always overlooked, especially if you’re not posting scenery pictures. If you want to boost your Instagram growth, tag popular places where your target audience might hang out or live in. For example, if you’re trying to increase your brand awareness in a specific city or area, it’s highly recommended to tag that location in most of your posts.
You don’t always have to settle for generic places. You can experiment with other creative tags, for example, ‘Euphoria ”, “Procrastination,” “Beach therapy,” and so on
7. Use Story Stickers
You shouldn't underestimate Instagram Stories! They're a great way to create content that's not only engaging but also helps increase brand awareness. Unlike your feed, you don't have to worry too much about the resolution or aesthetic of your Stories. Plus, people tend to watch Stories more often than scroll through their feeds.
But how do you increase your story views? The best-kept secret for more Instagram story views is probably the “time spent” metric. The longer people stay to watch your stories, means more engaging your content is.
So, if you want people to swipe right “back” to your story, you need to make it intriguing. You can start by using Story Stickers. Story stickers can add some fun and creativity to your content and make them stand out from the rest. You can use story stickers to promote your blog posts, products, or other types of work.
8. Don’t Forget Your Captions
We all know the importance of captions, but what’s the best way to make them engaging?
Start your captions with a hook: Your caption's first sentence should be catchy and attention-grabbing. You can use a question, a bold statement, a quote, or a teaser to pique your audience's interest and entice them to read more.
Add value: Your caption should add value to your audience's experience. This can be in the form of education, entertainment, inspiration, or other.
Use storytelling: People love stories, so try to incorporate storytelling into your captions whenever possible. This can help you connect with your audience on a deeper level and make your brand more relatable and human.
Include a call-to-action: Encourage your audience to engage with your content by adding a call-to-action (CTA) in your caption. This can be a simple question, a suggestion to like or comment on your post, or a suggestion to visit your website or follow your account.
And don’t forget to put relevant hashtags in your captions instead of your comment section.
9. Reels Tips and Tricks
If you're looking to boost your Follower Growth on Instagram, Reels can be a game-changer. Unlike other features, Reels have a viral effect that can get your content in front of a much wider audience. So, it's a good idea to prioritize your Reels game and try to post at least one reel per week.
Before posting your Reel, though, make sure to check your Advanced Settings and do the following:
10. Make Sure You’re not “Shadowbanned”
While it may feel like the Instagram algorithm is working against you, the truth is that there are countless guidelines to follow on the platform, and it can be difficult to keep up with all of them.
Unfortunately, Instagram isn't always transparent about what you're doing wrong. The good news is that Instagram recently introduced a new feature called "Account Status."
To access it, go to your Profile > Menu > Settings > Account > Account Status.
This feature allows you to see if your content is eligible for a recommendation, which is a great way to understand why your posts may not be performing as well as you'd like.
With this knowledge, you can make changes to improve your content and ensure that you're not "shadowbanned" without knowing it.
11. Stop Trying to Break the Algorithm
Here is a thing, the algorithm doesn’t need to be broken - it just needs to be understood.
The main purpose of the algorithms is to make your experience on the platform enjoyable. So forget the idea that the algorithm is against you and doesn’t want to give you enough reach.
It only wants to keep you on the platform as long as possible, and one of the ways Instagram can do that is to show you content you like. Instagram looks at everything you do on the platform, starting from your activity, the posts you engage with, the captions or hashtags you use or follow, the videos you watch, and so on.
Then the algorithms cross-reference your information with other users' content and show you the most relevant posts.
So, try to learn more about Instagram algorithms. This will help you create a strategy that delivers the best results.
12. Be Relatable
Being relatable on Instagram is crucial for growing your account, as it helps you connect with your audience and build trust. You can be relatable on Instagram by
• Sharing your personal experiences
• Showing your human side
• Using humor
• Sharing behind-the-scenes content
• Being authentic in your interactions with your followers.
13. Follow Creator Coaches
Following creator coaches on Instagram can provide you with valuable content inspiration and guidance on how to improve your content strategy. These coaches often share tips and tricks on how to create engaging content, build a following, and grow your brand on Instagram. If you follow them, you will be able to learn from their expertise and incorporate their insights into your own content.
14. Use AI to Make Your Content Creation Easier
AI can make your content creation easier on Instagram by helping you with tasks such as generating ideas, scheduling posts, and analyzing performance. ChatGPT is currently one of the most famous and frequently discussed AI tools, and it can be used to improve your Instagram content. (The best part is that it’s free.)
1.Give ChatGPT some details about your account, such as your niche, target audience, and goals. This will help ChatGPT generate more relevant ideas.
2.Ask for suggestions: Ask ChatGPT for ideas for your Instagram posts. For example, you could say, "Can you suggest some creative post ideas for my fashion account?"
3.Refine the ideas: ChatGPT will generate several ideas for you. Refine them by asking follow-up questions or clarifying what you're looking for.
4.Use the ideas: Once you have some ideas, use them to create your Instagram posts. Customize them to fit your brand and style, and don't forget to add your own unique perspective to make them stand out.
15. Find Your Best Time to Post
One of the easiest ways to find the best time for posting is through your Instagram Insights. If you have a business account on Instagram, you can access Instagram Insights to see when your followers are most active.
To access Insights, go to your profile, tap the three lines in the top-right corner, and select "Insights." From there, select "Audience" and scroll down to see your followers' activity by the hour and by day.
Instead of posting when your followers are the most active, try sharing your content 30 minutes earlier. This way, you content will be the best thing your audience sees, which could lead to an engagement boost.
16. Outsource Your Instagram Growth
If you don’t have much time to grow your Instagram followers, you could always outsource this process. One agency to consider is Social Boost. As an Instagram Growth Agency, we use a follow/unfollow method to help you grow Instagram accounts.
While some people might question the effectiveness of this approach, many users have found it to be a legitimate way to increase their following on the platform. You might ask, is Social Boost legit? We’d rather let our reviews and clients speak on our behalf. Check out our Trustpilot and see for yourself.
Summary
We hope you found these tips and strategies helpful for growing your Instagram following. Remember, building a strong presence on Instagram takes time and effort, but with consistent implementation of the tips shared in this blog, you can see real results. Don't forget to track your progress, analyze your data, and adjust your strategy as needed.
