The 14 Best Ways to Get Free Instagram Likes
Likes may be considered the most important success metric on Instagram. Yes, I rank them above followers because having a lot of likes on your posts automatically leads to having more followers, while having a lot of followers doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be getting a lot of likes as well.
When it comes to getting more Instagram likes, there is more than one way that you can boost them. In this article, we will look at the top 14 ways you can get free Instagram likes. Sit back, relax, and learn all the most efficient ways to get free Instagram likes.
Get free Instagram likes: Hashtag strategy
If used properly, hashtags can be a very powerful tool, but only strategically placed hashtags can propel your posts and increase your engagement. With Instagram allowing users to follow specific hashtags, their worth is all the more increased. You can add up to 30 hashtags in your posts, and up to 10 hashtags in your Instagram Stories, so it’s best to learn how to use them wisely:
- Niche-related hashtags: Using hashtags that are relevant to your niche will connect you to people who are looking exactly for what you’re posting.
- Not too popular: Don’t be fooled by numbers. If you’re using highly saturated hashtags, chances are your post will be buried in the feed and it will have no effect on your growth.
- Trending topics: Trending topics like #Christmas, #Winter, and #HolidaySeason have the potential to make your posts go viral. Always be on the lookout for trending topics that align well with your brand, audience, and industry.
- Use the right amount: People have different opinions on what the right number of hashtags for optimal engagement levels is. Using too many will appear spammy, using too little can limit your visibility. I’d say that using 10-15 hashtags is the best way to go.
Pro tip: You don’t want to spam your followers with a lot of hashtags, I get it, and you don’t have to. You can simply hide your hashtags and make them invisible with five dashes or periods, each on a line by itself. The best way to use this method is to post it in your first comment, and your followers will only see […] after your name in the photo feed.
Get free Instagram likes: Apply the right filters
Are you positive that you’re using the right filter for your posts? Think twice. This might just be the one thing preventing your posts from really thriving on Instagram. Photography filters are known to boost Instagram engagement, as filters that increase contrast, adjust exposure, and add a warmer tone get better results.
Keep in mind that not all filters can improve your photo. Although there is data as to which filters are most popular on Instagram, you still need to use those that combine well with the nature of your posts. Learn how to properly use Instagram filters and your posts might appeal to a bigger audience.
Get free Instagram likes: Contests & giveaways
Placing an incentive in your posts is another great way to lure people into engaging with your account. Most Instagram influencers use contests and giveaways to attract more likes. Keep in mind that contest and giveaways are not entirely free methods, as you have to give something to a few lucky followers, but you could work with a brand to get something for free. Nonetheless, both of these methods can drive a lot of engagement toward your account, you just need to learn how to use them properly:
- Goals: You need to define the goal of your contest/giveaway for it to be successful. In your case, it would be to generate more engagement on your posts. Determining your goals will help you decide how users will enter the competition.
- Rules: Most Instagrammers create contests or giveaways by including simple rules for entering the competition, usually by requesting users to like, follow, tag or comment on their posts.
- Prizes: For the contest/giveaway to be successful, you also need to create an enticing incentive. Offering some kind of prize of significant value will stimulate users to enter your competition.
Giveaways and contests are a great way to drastically increase your engagement and rank higher on search. Furthermore, the drastic increase of engagement will trigger the Instagram ‘alarm’ and your posts will have higher organic engagement across the platform. These may not be entirely free methods of getting Instagram likes if you can’t find a brand to work with, but they’re definitely worth mentioning.
Get free Instagram likes: Be community-minded
Follows and likes on Instagram are used as tokens of appreciation by Instagrammers, and the best part is – they are free! Those who like you will follow you and engage with your posts. The thing is, they all expect you to do the same for them. Although you shouldn’t go and double-tap on every post you can find on Instagram, it is in your best interest to spend some time giving something back to the community.
Follow-back, like, comment on your follower’s posts and they will reciprocate. On the plus side, when you engage with someone else’s posts, especially by commenting, you expose yourself to a wider audience and find chances for some of their followers to check you out. Instagram is all about being nice to one another. If you don’t take my word for it, check out how a big brand on Instagram engages with their followers in the post above.
Get free Instagram likes: Find generous providers
There are providers who are generous enough to provide you with free Instagram likes. How do you find these generous good-hearted providers, you ask? Luckily for you, we have done in-depth research and analyzed all the best providers in the industry that provide free Instagram likes. The top-five providers that offer free Instagram likes are:
They all offer free Instagram likes as a trial version to lure you into buying some of their bigger packages, which is fine as we all need to make money. These are all still credible and reliable Instagram likes providers that offer free Instagram likes and expect nothing in return.
Get free Instagram likes: Collaborations
Collaborations are big… everywhere. Not only on Instagram, but the trend of collaborations is also popular on YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. The reason why quality collaborations are such a big hit is that they allow two or more Instagram users to combine their talents and share audiences, with free likes coming from this new audience. You can collaborate on Instagram in many ways:
- Doing a live video together
- Creating a joint-post that you both share
- Hosting takeovers
- Mentioning each other in posts or Instagram Stories
You can be as creative as possible with your collaborations. One important thing you must remember is to always collaborate with someone who shares a similar audience to yours. It is pointless for a dog walker to collaborate with a chocolate manufacturer as both of their respective audiences have different interests… and dogs can’t eat chocolate. A dog walker would have a great time collaborating with a local dog groomer though!
Get free Instagram likes: Reach out to Instagram influencers
If you believe that you produce quality content that doesn’t get the credit it deserves, you can always try reaching out to Instagram influencers. Instagram influencers are those users that have managed to accumulate a large following and have consistently high engagements. It’s difficult to reach an influencer with a large audience if you have nothing to give in return, but you can make it work by having something to offer them.
If you manage to partner with an influencer you will automatically reach more people as a result. For this method to work for you, I advise you to do a little bit of research and find what the most approachable Instagram influencers are in your niche, create content they respond to, and build up some rapport with them before trying anything.
Get free Instagram likes: Post at a high-traffic time
There are certain hours, days, and months where overall Instagram engagement is at its peak. You want to utilize that. The Instagram algorithm works in a way that it gives popular Instagram posts even more attention, but what matters most is the kind of engagement your posts receive in the first hour of posting:
- If your posts receive below-average engagement in the first hour, Instagram will think that post isn’t good and will decrease its visibility.
- If your posts receive great engagement early after posting, Instagram will further boost its reach and maximize the organic engagement you can receive.
Although sometimes it’s all up to the quality of the post, there are times when timing matters the most. That’s why you need to learn what the best times to post on Instagram are in order to maximize the potential reach of your posts and get the most likes possible. Additionally, when neutral followers see that you’re getting a lot of likes on your posts, they will be tempted to join the crowd as well. That’s what we call the “Bandwagon effect.”
Get free Instagram likes: Tag influential accounts
Find out what the most successful accounts are in your niche and tag them in your new posts. This is a great way to generate more exposure to your posts, because not only will you inform those accounts that you have a new post, but you will also appear in their “tagged in” section.
If your content is good enough, you might be featured by these accounts. This is a very practical way to boost your posts toward bigger exposure and attract more likes to your posts.
Get free Instagram likes: Post consistently
Let’s get one thing straight here – what I mean by posting consistently is for you to work harder on producing more of your best content for your followers. I certainly don’t mean to just fill out a daily or a weekly quota by posting any type of content. Remember the one golden rule that applies to all social platforms – Content is king! You can’t bypass that factor.
The benefits of posting frequently are great:
- The Instagram algorithm gives more exposures to those accounts who post frequently.
- Those accounts that produce quality content on a regular basis receive better organic engagement.
- Followers are more likely to be interested in accounts that have consistent posting schedules.
Again, and I can’t emphasize this enough – post only when you have your best content prepared. Nothing drives followers away like bad content. Having a consistent posting schedule means you’re continuously engaging your current followers with a chance of attracting new ones. Going long periods without posting will prompt your followers to unfollow you, thus decreasing the level of engagement you receive on your posts.
Get free Instagram likes: Capitalize on trending topics
Yes, yes, we all have our “Throwback Thursday” moments when we post a summer photo in mid-December. What’s even better is being trendy. Hashtags have a certain value and their optimal worth is increased along with their popularity.
This means that if you publish a “World Cup” post during the World Cup, that post is far more likely to receive better engagement than if you post the same content a month after the World Cup is over. If you utilize a trending topic and combine it with your branding strategy you will surely increase your organic engagement.
Get free Instagram likes: Write dazzling captions
Captions are great opportunities waiting to be utilized. Whether you fall into the group of long speech writers, or you just want to convey your thoughts in a couple of sentences, there is plenty of room for everyone to maximize the use of captions. To use them properly you need to:
- Place hashtags: One of the two places where hashtags are most likely to be placed is in the captions. Use your hashtags wisely by incorporating them into the natural flow of your caption rather than sticking them in at the end in a big lump.
- Use emojis: Emojis add visual appeal to your post. Use them in a funny, quirky way and they might be charming enough to get you some likes.
- Call-to-action: “Double-tap if you like this story,” “Tag your friend in the comment section,” “Click on the link in the bio.” – These are all great call-to-action examples.
There is a lot of room for creative ideas in the caption section. The most important thing to realize is that you need to be yourself. Don’t over-optimize your captions with unnecessary fluff. All you need is just several concise tricks and I guarantee you’ll be getting more likes in no time.
Get free Instagram likes: Tag your location
Tagging your location on Instagram is another great way to get free Instagram likes. When you click on “Add Location,” you will be presented with nearby locations according to your GPS signal. Once you add the location, your post will be embedded on a separate page where posts from that location pop up to those who click on it. Why is this a good thing, you ask?
Well, let’s say you are in Rome and you just shared an awesome photo of the Colosseum. Everyone who wants to check out cool posts from Rome in that location will have the chance to see your post or Instagram Story there. This lets you boost the discoverability of your post and increase your chances of gaining more likes.
Get free Instagram likes: Use Instagram Stories
Last, but not least, the good old Instagram Stories. Some may think that they’re completely irrelevant when it comes to attracting likes on your posts, but I beg to differ. Here’s how you can create awesome Instagram Stories and entice more followers:
- Polls
- Stickers
- GIFs
- @mentions
- Location
- Live video
- Emoji slider polls
There are multiple ways you can use your Instagram Stories to get more likes on your posts, but the best way to do it is to directly promote your new post via an Instagram Story. Many influencers complain that the Instagram algorithm is ignoring their new posts and that they don’t get as much attention as they did, and that’s why they give their posts an additional boost by directly promoting it in their Instagram Stories.
Date: December 3, 2018 / Categories: Engagement, Like Tactics, / Author: Rich Drees
