9 Ways to Get Instagram Followers for Free
Instagram is one of the best ways of sharing visual content online. It allows users to upload photos and videos and share them with an enormous potential audience spread across the world. To be successful on the platform, however, you need to build a following. You might not have the time and resources to devote towards gaining followers, so here are relatively pain-free ways how to get Instagram followers for free.
1. Entertain your audience
Instagram users aren’t on the platform to help you achieve your goals. They’re there to find interesting content and be entertained, so entertain them, damn it! You’re allowed to make your account fun and light-hearted. Upload funny photos, memes, funny quotes, behind the scenes photos about your business that people have never seen before as well as funny videos about you or your product. To create a connection with your followers, your posts should be personal or related to your business. Always ensure that your posts are original and will be remembered.
2. Take advantage of hashtags
All aboard the hashtag train! Hashtags are a great way of extending your reach and getting more followers on Instagram. Hashtags provide a way of organizing and indexing posts related to certain keywords. Anyone searching for a particular hashtag on the platform can see your posts, regardless of whether they follow you or not. Search for the most popular hashtags within your industry and add them to your posts to boost your visibility. Make use of hashtags that ask people to follow you. However, you should go easy when using hashtags, since using too many hashtags on your post can make you look spammy, turning off your followers.
3. Post at the right time
There is the right time and the wrong time to post. To increase the chances of your post being seeing by a huge audience, you should upload your photos when most of your followers are online, else your posts will get lost in the feed. Most people check their Instagram when they have some free time, mostly in the morning during their commute to work and school or in the evening. Put in consideration the location of your target audience. Upload your photos to coincide with these peak times when your followers are likely to see them.
4. Follow influencers and peers
Instagram is built on the principle of reciprocation: to be followed, you have to follow others. Find your peers and relevant influencers in your niche and follow them. Search for users that have similar interests with you and follow them. Some of these are going to follow you back. Reach out to influencers, engage and build a relationship with them. You can then ask them for shoutouts, allowing you to get before their massive audience and gain extra followers.
5. Put on a contest
Everyone loves free things. Contests are a great way of getting people excited about your brand and raising the motivation of your followers to interact with your profile. They are a great way of attracting new followers and rewarding your existing followers. You can have people like your posts, comment or tag their friends to enter the contest. You can also have user-generated content contests, where you ask your followers to upload relevant photos and include your handle and hashtag in order to participate. Apart from driving exposure and boosting engagement, user-generated content contests provide you with new content, because you can reshare the entries on your profile.
6. Promote on your other social media channels
This is a no-brainer. You’ve already got an audience there, so why not bring a few on over here? Extend your reach by tapping into other social media channels. Link your Instagram with your other social media profiles, such as Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and Tumblr. Every time you post on Instagram, your post is shared with your followers on these other social sites. Because the majority of your followers on these sites are already on Instagram, they’re likely to follow you on Instagram too. Another tactic you can use is to embed your Instagram posts in your blog and convert your blog visitors into followers.
7. Ask your audience questions
Ask your followers questions in the captions of your images. Questions are a good way of getting people to actively engage with your post and getting more to follow you. Asking the right questions can make your account the hub for conversations related to your industry, helping drive more potential followers to your account. Questions are also a great way of getting valuable feedback and getting to know your audience.
8. Like and comment on your peers’ posts
Instagram is a social network, and therefore, you need to get social. Like others' posts and leave genuine comments that encourage people to put up more posts. Reply to comments you receive on your own posts. Especially concerted commenting will convert into new followers over time. However, avoid using use auto-commenting services that ask for your password.
9. Measure your success
How are you going to adjust your personal strategy that works for you if you don’t take notes on what’s working? Measuring your success helps you to know if your efforts are bearing fruit. Your success depends on what you want to achieve with Instagram. The key indicators of success on Instagram include the average number of comments received per post, the number of followers gained, your engagement per follower and referral traffic, which denotes the amount of traffic Instagram is driving to your website.
Bonus tip: You can give a speed boost to your Instagram account’s growth by buying followers. Buying followers improves your social credibility and makes you look popular. As a result, more people are likely to follow you organically and engage with your content more.
Let us answer your questions about buying followers with this resource we’ve put together FAQ About Buying Instagram Followers.
Date: August 11, 2016 / Categories: Guide, Marketing, / Author: Charlie Luck
