With 500 million daily users, reaching 10K followers on Instagram might sound easy. But even creators sharing beautiful, high-quality content struggle to break this barrier. If you want to know how to grow Instagram followers, read on. We’ve got some pro tips for reaching that five-figure milestone.

Find your content ‘niche’

You might want to know how to get followers on Instagram fast, but it’s worth pausing and thinking about the fundamentals. The platform was built for creative people to share their content. Each creator’s content is unique to them. to know who you’re reaching out to, you need to consider why your current audience follows you. 

Is it your delicious-looking recipes? Your stunning travel content? Or fun pictures of your pets? Understanding your niche will help you know the type of followers you need to attract and what they love. 

Once you’ve figured out your niche, you can dive into it. Look at trends and put your spin on them. Try new content that reflects what your audience loves about you and new followers are sure to appear.

Optimize your bio

When someone stumbles upon your account, they’re probably going to look at your bio. Ensure it’s informative and focused on your subject because if they like what they see, you’ll probably get a follow. 

Include hashtags to cover the niches you create content about so you appear when people search for them. Use your link to send visitors somewhere to learn  more about you and your content. 

Post regularly

While having a back catalog is important, you can’t rely on that body of work to keep winning new followers. If you’re looking at how to grow Instagram followers organically, one way is to keep those updates flowing.

It allows you to test out new ideas, cover current events, and display your talent. As well as letting you appear more often in followers’ feeds, of course.

Use relevant hashtags

Hashtags are how people search on Instagram, but they are also clickable. If a user clicks on a hashtag you’ve put in a caption, there’s a chance they’ll see your post, reel, or story.

There’s a balance to getting hashtags right. If you use broad subject tags alone (e.g. #food), you’ll be lumped in with millions of others and get little engagement. Alongside these terms, use more specific ones (e.g. #macarons) or mid-level hashtags (e.g. #desserts). 

Sure, the narrower the subject, the fewer visits you’ll get. But those users will be more likely to follow you as they are interested in your niche.

Seek out genuine followers

While it’s nice to see the numbers rising, having too many bots or unengaged users following you will be looked at negatively by the Instagram algorithm. Review your followers occasionally  to see if they are active, contributing members of the community. Remove those that aren’t and start conversations with the real users to build a thriving audience base. 

Interact like a human

If someone posts a comment on your content, use the opportunity to show you’re a real, engaged person by replying. It’s an almost surefire way to get a follow. Even if the comment is critical, engage with them. You might not change their opinion, but you’ll gain some respect for addressing it head-on. As well as gaining support from those who do agree with you. 

The key thing is to ensure it remains polite, of course. If they are just trolling you, block them and move on, and report them if they are abusive.

Experiment with formats

Instagram has a lot of great formats to play with. From Stories, to Reels to Lives, using them all will help keep your content fresh and engaging. Though you won’t know what works until you test and learn, this creative process will ensure both you and your followers don’t get turned off by boring repeats. 

Consider using paid

You can set up ads that will show on Instagram and Facebook, and they can be a great way to get your content under the noses of potential followers. There’s a cost involved. But, depending on how competitive your topic is, it could be just pennies for lots of clicks. 

Start by boosting your organic content. Then you can see what is most effective before setting up a full (and more expensive) ad campaign. 

Promote your Instagram elsewhere

Don’t forget to use your other online and offline platforms to drive people to your Instagram. Put a link to your profile on your website, YouTube, and any ads so potential followers know exactly where to find you. 

Analyze and optimize

If you have a Business or Creator account, you can access analytics by going to your profile and tapping the Insights action button. It’s a useful tool for measuring engagement and determining what kind of content is or isn’t working. 

You can use these insights as the basis for new content ideas, see the best time to post and figure out exactly who your audience is.  

Why am I losing Instagram followers?

On any social platform, follower numbers ebb and flow. Don’t worry if a few are lost here and there, as long as the general trend is upwards. 
However, if followers are falling off a cliff, it can be down to many things. To find out exactly what’s causing the drop, look at your analytics to see when it started and consider what might have caused it. 

Then, by returning to basics and refreshing your approach, you should start seeing your followership growing. It isn’t easy to reach that 10,000 figure, but it’s not impossible either. With good content, you can reach the magic number quicker than you think.

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