Getting more likes on Instagram will help Instagrammers increase their popularity on the platform and attract engagement. It can be challenging, but the 25 Instagram like hacks presented here can help any brand, influencers, or everyday user get the likes which lead to more followers, and the possibility of going viral.
Instagram like hack: Posting engaging content
Have a consistent image filter
Using the same filters for all their images will help users create a sense of consistency for their posts. This helps boost recognition for the account and attract the attention of audiences.
They can add more variety by using different unique filters for each type of posts they make. The image above is actually a perfect example as The Weeknd is using a black and white filter on all images advertising his Memento Mori project.
Do more boomerang posts
Boomerang videos are short GIF-like clips that continuously loop forward and backward. They are made with the Instagram Boomerang app. These posts work great for quickly catching the attention of followers and works both Stories and regular posts.
To make their boomerang videos more interesting, users should use exciting scenes as their subjects. Clips with quick and dramatic movements work particularly well with it. They can also use slow-motion clips for a different effect.
Create image carousels
The Instagram carousel feature is an effective way to include multiple images in a single post. Users can create carousels that provide a simple 360-degree showcase of their products. They can also post different products in one carousel.
Adding a bit of interactivity helps make image carousels more entertaining. Splitting one long image into smaller images is one way to do this. Perhaps the most common is telling a story. Watch the journey of these coffee beans:
That added aspect helps encourage people to like the post.
Post images featuring quotes
Posting images that feature a quote is one of the quickest ways to attract more Instagram likes. Audiences always love reading quotes that they can relate to, and even tag their friends for easy likes.
When posting quote images, users should choose the ones that will best resonate with their specific audience and present them in a simple manner to better draw attention.
Create interesting image grids
Coming up with different grid layouts for their Instagram home page is a good way for users to draw audience interest to different photos. There are different grid formats to enhance the look of their main page. When deciding what format to use, users should consider how each image in the grid will work with each other.
The unique example from Boss Babe Inc. above shows you something to try and stand out and be memorable.
Post more videos
Posting more videos is always an effective Instagram like hack. There are a many different video content ideas that users can do, such as:
- How-to clips
- Product sneak peaks
- Video greetings for followers
By coming up a variety of video content, users have a better chance of catching the interest of their audiences.
With Instagram recently launching IGTV, with videos of up to 60 minutes being allowed, video is the future of Instagram. Start thinking about some sort of ongoing series to film to keep this content coming out steadily.
Post photos of followers
People love it when the accounts that they follow post their photos. This also works to show that users do engage their followers, attracting more likes. To make it more entertaining, they should choose candid shots of their followers.
Tagging the people featured in the posts will make them visible to the latter’s respective followers. If you don’t have any good photos to use, a “Post a ______photo and I’ll regram it and tag you!” call to action will help.
Instagram like hack: Caption and tagging
Ask followers questions
Asking questions in captions is an effective way for users to get their followers engaging and attract more likes. Simple yes or no questions work well here. For more involvement, ask more complex questions that can start real conversations, or try incorporating the like button into the question. “Like for yes, comment if no” is a common call to action.
Create “Tag a friend” posts
“Tag a friend” captions are a good way to encourage followers to share a post with friends. Users can share any relatable content and ask their followers to tag friends who will be interested in them. This is a good way to generate awareness in a more organic manner.
Once those tagged people view the post they can like it, or the tagging itself will increase engagement in the post and cause it to be shown to more followers.
Use local hashtags
Users can attract more people from their local audience by using hashtags associated with their area. People are more likely to engage with posts that are near their locations, increasing the chances of getting more likes.
These local hashtags can be anything from the name of the city, to a specific event hashtag, or something the local radio station is doing. Users can also search for the most popular Instagram accounts based in their area to see what hashtags they use. Picodash can help you do this if you sign up with them as well.
Tag influential accounts
When tagging influential accounts, users should do it in their photos and not in the caption. This will make the photos appear on the tagged accounts’ feeds under the “Tagged in” section. By posting content that will interest these accounts, users can increase their chances of being featured by them. This makes them visible to the former’s audience.
Write longer captions
Longer captions let users tell more stories about their images, including the context. This helps get audiences more invested in the post and like it. It is also an effective way to share additional information not found on the image, such as the full recipe of dishes featured in a photo.
YUM!
Instagram like hack: Being promoted
Buy Instagram likes
Purchasing Instagram likes is a good way for users to give their posts an initial push and make them visible to more people. Once they are more visible, users will be much more prone to join the crowd and like the promoted photo as well. There are plenty of providers delivering high-quality Instagram likes to try out for this purpose.
To make their purchases more effective, users should strategize how the likes are used. Adding the number of likes that is proportional to the number of followers they have makes for a more convincing push. Buying likes for big events, or particularly important content, is also wise.
Use Instagram Ads for promotions
The Instagram Ads platform features an impressive set of targeting options that users can take advantage of to reach the right group of audiences better. Notice how this is ‘Sponsored' at the top:
To be more effective, these ads should contain more interesting content, such as videos. The ads should also provide something useful, such as a solution to a problem, to better catch the attention of those who have it advertised to them. The worst kinds of ads are, well, ads. When Instagram users feel that they are being advertised to, rather than entertained or informed, they will tune out. Even worse, the accounts could mute the advertising account out of anger, preventing them from ever seeing and liking their content.
Partner with influencers
Teaming up with the right influencers will help users give their Instagram pages a significant boost in terms of credibility. When choosing which influencers to work with, users should consider not only their overall recognizability, but also their general reputation with the target audience.
They also need to provide these influencers with some help in promoting their products. They can, for instance, create Instagram content that specifically addresses the influencer’s own audience. This makes it easier for the latter to present the user’s Instagram page to their followers.
Finding these influencers is easier than ever. The days of looking through dozens of accounts are over as there are now platforms where influencers can meet with those looking to connect with them:
- Upfluence: Small to medium business can find price-points here as rates are reasonable. The software allows for lists of favored influencers so that research can be done, presented to stakeholders, and a decision can be made on who is best.
- NeoReach: This company mostly connects with large influencers, and connects with them through an algorithm which seeks them out. This means that influencers on here are chosen, they can’t just randomly join.
- Takumi: They try to focus on engaging with micro-influencers, the smaller creators with a very engaged audience. Influencers on the platform opt-in, and are then vetted by Takumi to make sure they maintain some standards.
These options are for those who want to spend a little money. For those who don’t have money to spend on influencer marketing it’s going to come down to appealing to the right accounts by building personal connections.
Host a takeover
Takeovers are a specific Instagram like hack that users can do when working with influencers. The idea here is to let the influencer run their accounts for a short period of time, with considerable hype being built before the takeover happens.
The example above shows a great example. An influencer, the musician, is very relevant. The occasion, a music award show, is perfect. Followers of that account are going to get behind the scenes content like they’ve never had access to before.
This helps bring the influencer’s followers directly to the user’s page. Users can make the takeover more engaging by providing limited-time promotions as part of the event.
Instagram like hacks: Doing promotions and contests
Post discounts and promotions
When posting discounts and other special offers on Instagram, users can go with a simple product shot and large text specifying the offer.
This makes them more noticeable in people’s feeds. It also encourages them to like and save the images to remind them later. Even those who do not manage a branded account can share discounts and offers from accounts in their niche. Who doesn’t ‘like’ a discount?
Do “like to enter” giveaways and raffles
“Like to enter” giveaways are an easy way to generate a large number of likes from a single post.
To make the giveaway more enticing, the chosen prize should be something that the audience will be interested in. Product discounts and freebies work best for this type of contest. The account doesn’t have to be a brand for this to work. Influencers get free product all the time, and that’s easy to giveaway.
Smaller items from accounts without much money can also work as giveaways because a free small item is still a free small item. It will work best if it’s hyper-focused for the audience. Giving away a free Goku action figure to an audience that’s focused on anime will work well, but might not be as good for an audience that’s only into Marvel.
Use Instagram Stories for promotions
Owing to their short-lived nature, Instagram Stories are useful for enhancing the exclusivity of promotional offers. Users can use it to promote limited-time offers that will get people scrambling to obtain it. Stories also work well for doing live promotions.
Partner with other users for contests
Joining forces with other brands, influencers, or just friends for giveaways is a good way to attract Instagram likes from a larger audience base. When doing such promotions, users should look for other users that complement their content.
For example, they can get brands that provide complementary services to their products or content. They can then create a prize package that combines their respective products. The post above illustrates this well.
Do user-generated content contests
Doing user-generated content-based contests is an effective way to encourage continuous likes and engagements. The participants will be the ones actively promoting the posts to their peers, increasing their mileage.
One common example is a likes contest, where participants submit their entries and the winner is determined by the number of likes their post received.
Users can be more creative in the kind of UGC they will ask of their participants to add more fun to the contest and increase engagement.
Instagram like hack: Engagement tactics
Post at high-traffic times
To maximize the visibility of their Instagram posts, users should post during the times when most of their audiences are online. This increases the chances of them liking posts the moment they see it.
Each audience is different, but the research shows that the best times to post on Instagram are:
- 11am – 1pm, weekdays
- 7pm – 9pm, weekdays
- Wednesday and Thursday are the most active days.
- Sundays drive the least engagement.
Since Instagram now uses an algorithm-based feed, that initial influx of likes will push the posts higher on the feeds. More visibility is alway the surest way to getting more likes.
For those who don’t want to post outside of working hours, there are scheduling tools which will handle this. Examples include:
Simply schedule the posts during the working day and the tool will post it during the desired active hours. This is not ideal as it doesn’t allow for replies to comments, so engagement could be less than what it would be with someone responding immediately.
Post consistently
Maintaining a consistent flow of content will help users keep audiences interested in their Instagram page. Accounts which set up a regular schedule lets followers know when a new post should be expected. Driving people to look at the page and like the content.
On the other hand, if they want a more flexible posting schedule, they should alert followers when the next post is coming up. The time between posts is going to be up to the individual account. Daily is ideal, but some accounts, with high-value content, will post slightly more infrequently.
Comment on popular photos
The Explore Feed is a useful tool to find relevant and popular images that users can comment on. When commenting, they should aim to contribute to the conversations around the photo.
Imagine being a hair-related brand commenting on this epic hair flip photo with a great comment like “Our conditioner keeps hair flips like this EPIC.” There's a real possibility that a few fans could see this comment and what to check out the brand:
This increases the likelihood that they will be noticed by the original poster and the other participants, and get them curious enough to check out their account and like their content.
Follow more people
This Instagram like hack isn't the best, but following at least a couple of new accounts each day is a good way for users to quickly grow their list of potential audiences. To increase the likelihood that these new accounts will follow back and check their photos, users need to engage them regularly after following. The new accounts that they follow should also be relevant to their own content.
Get a ton of likes with any Instagram like hack from above
Just one Instagram like hack from above will help to push any account, using more of the many strategies will boost the important engagement activity known as likes tremendously. To review the overall strategies, they group in these categories:
- Engaging content: Every like ever given has come down to content being engaging enough to bother liking. Constant analysis of what content is working, and testing new display features, will help an account succeed.
- Captions: This relates to the content as a good caption can push for more likes by being engaging and adding to the story, or can push for activity with a call to action.
- Paid options: Eventually, everyone pays a little more for increased exposure. Every platform is built on users paying for the right to advertise to the audience, and Instagram is particularly effective.
- Engagement tactics: Having plans specifically to get engagement leads to success. Perhaps the most important aspect of this is timing. Engaging with other users, especially popular ones, are also essential.
Combining these hacks into different promotional plans will increase their effectiveness. The next step for any account, or even the first, should be reading this article on getting more free Instagram followers. Lots of likes and lots of followers go hand in hand, and lead to ongoing Instagram success.