6 Creative Ways to Get More Instagram Followers in 2018

How do I get Instagram followers? It’s a question we’ve all asked ourselves at one point or another. And with good reason, too! Getting more Instagram followers should be a top priority for any business that uses Instagram for marketing, but it’s not as easy as it once was.

To help you get more Instagram followers in 2018, we’re sharing 6 new and creative ideas that will help you get Instagram followers for free:

1. How to Get Followers for Instagram: Be Strategic With Your Instagram Comments

It might seem obvious, but a surefire way of growing your Instagram following is by commenting on other users’ posts—but not in the way that you’re used to.

In a recent blog post, Sue B. Zimmerman gives the low-down on how to get followers for Instagram by commenting “strategically.” “Start off by listing 10 to 20 people or brands who have a similar audience as you. Keep that list in your phone somewhere to refer back to,” she says. “When you have time to actively engage, go to each of these accounts and leave genuine comments on their most recent posts.”

The idea is to be the last person to comment on the post. That way, anyone else who comes to that post in the future will see your comment. And if your comment was interesting enough, they might just click over to your account to have a look!

By “interesting enough” we mean that you should avoid leaving generic comments, like “cool pic” or “nice.” Instead, you should make an effort to leave a genuine comment that other users will find funny, interesting, or useful. You can even throw in a few emojis to show off your personality.

Writing good comments is a bit like writing a good Instagram caption. They should be engaging, have personality, and inspire others to take action.

 2. Use Instagram Stories to Get Instagram Followers

Take a moment and head to the Explore page on Instagram. Notice the row of Instagram Stories at the top of the page? The reason those Stories appear is because Instagram selected them based on the accounts you follow and the posts you like. Instagram may also show you Stories that accounts you follow have liked, or were liked by a large number of people.

If you want to get on the Instagram Explore page, you need to create ultra-engaging, super-targeted content. “The better your Stories are, and the more they speak to a specific audience, the higher the chance that Instagram will add your account to the recommended Stories at the top of the Explore tab,” Zimmerman says.

So what does this have to do with getting new Instagram followers? Well, the Explore page is a crazy powerful feature on Instagram, and having one of your Stories featured can set off a viral effect that gets you a ton of likes, comments, and, course, new followers for Instagram who choose to see more of your content!

 3. Get Instagram Followers by Sharing Engaging Videos

As we mentioned in our post about the best time to post on Instagram, the new Instagram algorithm gives priority to posts with higher engagement, which means the more likes and comments your post receives, the more people will see your post. In other words, if you’re able to generate a lot of engagement on your Instagram posts shortly after posting, this signals to Instagram that your post is quality, engaging content and your post will move to the top of your followers feeds and be shown to more users.

Since videos generally receive a good amount of engagement, it makes sense to use the format in your marketing mix. There’s also the fact that Instagram, with the recent release of Instagram Stories, Video Channels on Explore, and Live Video, appears to be investing heavily in video content.ost will move to the top of your followers feeds and be shown to more users.

Since videos generally receive a good amount of engagement, it makes sense to use the format in your marketing mix. There’s also the fact that Instagram, with the recent release of Instagram Stories, Video Channels on Explore, and Live Video, appears to be investing heavily in video content.ost will move to the top of your followers feeds and be shown to more users.

4. How to Get More Instagram Followers: Run an Instagram Contest

If you’re looking for a super effective Instagram contest idea, try partnering with another business or influencer. It’s a great way to promote your Instagram contest to both of your audiences, and also share each other’s followers. Start by looking for a cool business to partner with, and then organize a 3-5 day giveaway where Instagram users are rewarded with prizes for following both accounts, and tagging their friends in the comments.

A great example comes from Local Wanderer, which recently ran an Instagram contest with The Burrard, a hip, retro hotel in downtown Vancouver. The contest involved a giveaway in which Instagram users could win a 2-night stay at the hotel by following both Instagram accounts, and tagging three friends in a comment. By the end of the contest, The Burrard gained a whopping 500 new followers for Instagram!

By getting Instagram users to tag their friends (or three) in the comments, you can draw more attention to the contest, and gain even more followers than you would otherwise!

5. Create an Instagram Hashtag Strategy to Get More Instagram Followers

Instagram hashtags are one of the most useful tools in a social media marketer’s tool belt. Using the right hashtag (or combination of hashtags) can help you expose your brand to large and targeted audiences. In fact, your chances of attracting new followers for Instagram, getting more likes, and increasing engagement are vastly increased by the use of hashtags.

Another great strategy is to search for hashtags that have an active and involved community behind them, and then post and engage with those hashtags. It’s an effective way to interact with like-minded users, while at the same time raising awareness about your brand! A good example of this is #morningslikethese, an Instagram hashtag community that shares images and videos of their morning rituals. By using that hashtag on your posts, you can help other Instagram users discover, follow, and engage with your Instagram account!

With high engagement rates and over 1 billion active monthly users, it’s no surprise that getting more Instagram followers is a big priority for most businesses. We hope that these 5 ideas are a helpful start for anyone hoping to get Instagram followers in 2018! Let us know if you have any other strategies for getting Instagram followers in the comments!

6. Engage With Your Audience to Get More Instagram Followers

In general, Instagram is a very reciprocal community and those who are able to dedicate to consistently interacting with their target audience are the ones who receive the most exposure and earn the most loyal fans.

Now, the major problem that most business owners face is that they simply do not have enough time in the day to dedicate to engaging with people in their target demographic. This is why we created Boostly.

With Boostly, you can save hours upon hours of manual work every day, by letting us handle the community engagement piece of the equation. We interact with key members of your target audience on your behalf, to draw their attention to your page. We work on your account around the clock to make sure the right people are viewing your page in order to maximize the results of your Instagram strategy.