Instagram, also referred to as "Insta" or "IG", is a photo and video sharing social network, owned by Facebook, that has grown to be one of the most popular social networks since first launching in 2010. According to Forbes, as of June 2018, Instagram reported more than 1 billion monthly active users worldwide and 500 million daily active users.
Instagram has become a great resources for businesses, big and small, to grow their company and reach potential customers. This goes the same for celebrities and influencers who work based off of their interactions with their followers, with certain sponsorships and collaborations with companies. Alongside TikTok, Instagram gives their users opportunities to be found and truly excel in their career no matter the path; doctors, personal trainers, bloggers, D.I.Y./ crafters, etc. (I'm still trying to become a viral TikTok sensation myself)
Since starting my lifestyle blog and doing some collaborations with small companies, I have tried to take the time and really use all the tools and resources Instagram has to offer for users to overall get more engagement and outreach. Although I am just shy of 2,000 followers and no where near I want to be, I have seen an increase of 200+ followers in the last couple months, and this is how I did it:
(These tips work best for personal/business Instagram accounts that are Public, not Private)
Hashtags and Locations
Anytime you post on Instagram, whether it's a Story or a feed post, you should always be adding hashtags and a location. In doing so, you are increasing the discovery potential and impressions of your recent post. When someone is searching a location or hashtag in the Search Bar of Instagram, they will be able to see all Recent and Top posts using that specific hashtag or location. This is a very quick and easy way to get your post noticed, by both your followers and other Instagram users.
Regarding hashtags, Instagram allows 10 posted on a Story and 30 posted on a feed post. Because you are limited to a certain amount, make sure you are choosing the top hashtags relative to your post content and you Instagram account as a whole. You can also do some research on the Instagram Explore page itself and/or the Internet to see which hashtags are currently trending and doing more than others. (FYI: You can also add a hashtag in your Profile Bio to be discovered more)
When adding hashtags in a Story, you have a couple options. There is a "Hashtag" sticker you can use when posting 1 hashtag, allowing a user to click on that hashtag on your story posted and view all posts with that hashtag. When you type your hashtag and press "Done", go ahead and tap on that sticker and choose which text format you like best. Another way is to simply add the hashtags as text. To make sure they are registered as a hashtag, check to see that they have been underlined. The only reason why it might not be working is if you have spaces in the hashtag, which aren't allowed and won’t be recognized. If adding the hashtags in text, I suggest hiding them so the viewers can't see and it won't distract from your content. To hide the hashtags, you can either make the text really small and cover it with a sticker/GIF, slide it out of the frame completely, or use the color picker alignment tool to make the text color the same as your photo background. When adding hashtags in a Post, you have two options. You can include them in your caption or in a comment on your own post. I usually add mine a couple lines down in my caption so users have to press "see more" to see them, but other people will add their 30 hashtags in a comment right after they post so that it is the first or so comment. Either way, your post can be found by searching any of those hashtags.
Adding a location to your post is also very easy, whether it is a Story or feed post. For an Instagram Story, all you have to do is go to the "Location" sticker and start typing and choose the location you want to include. Based on the type of post, you may decide to show the sticker and again pick the format you like or you can hide it, similar to how you would hide a hashtag text. When posting a feed post, you should also always include a location. On the final draft page of your post, you'll see a section to "Add Location." Simply tap there, start typing the location, and select the one you want to use. I almost always use New Jersey as my location, unless I am at a restaurant or traveling (even though I sadly haven't gone out in a while).
Tagging Accounts
It doesn't hurt to tag other accounts in your posts, when applicable. It could be a store, a friend, your fav celebrity, the show you're watching, the boutique you ordered clothes from, etc. Any account your tagging in your post gives the possibility of your post being reposted by them, as a Story or even a feed post. This then brings your account to their followers attention as well, and if they like your content, you may gain more engagement and followers because of it. Most of the time, when I have a product in my post, I will tag the store's Instagram in it. Because I focus on fashion a lot on my Instagram and blog, I make sure to tag my clothes in my posts with the stores I got them from. Even if I don't get reposted, I am still included on their pages "Tagged" posts where users normally go to look at product reviews and such.
Long Captions
When posting, try and think of adding a longer caption than usual. Trust me, I know how frustrating it can be to think of a caption and using a short and to the point one may be easier, but the longer your caption is, the longer a user will stay on your post, and Instagram will see this as a suggestion to show your post to more users. Especially now that Instagram has "Suggested Posts", your posts may be shown on other users pages that don't follow you. To help with these long captions, try to add a "Call-to-Action" to get the user to look at your profile more, whether it's to check out a link in your bio, another recent post, one of your Story highlights, or a recent Story. This will both make your caption longer and increase engagement with your account.
Comment
I learned this trick not too long ago, but now I swear by it. Make sure you like and reply to ALL the comments on your post, especially within the first 15 minutes of posting. The engagement your post gets in the first 15 minutes from the time you posted are crucial for Instagram to determine how long and who they are showing your post to. If it doesn't get a lot of engagement in this time, Instagram will put it lower in users feeds and it will be seen less. With liking and replying to your comments, you are adding so much more engagement than before. Think about it! If you get 50 comments on your post and you reply to all of them, you are doubling the amount of comments into triple digits. Depending on the type and amount of comments, you may run out of things to say so you need to get a little creative. There are an endless amount of emojis and words to say, don't worry!
Remember: The 15 minutes before you make a post are also crucial on Instagram. Make sure you are engaging with posts on your feed or the Explore Page with likes, comments, replies, shares, etc. Instagram also looks at this data to decide who and where to show your new post to.
Daily Outreach
For the past couple months, I have carved out 5-10 minutes of my daily routine to go on Instagram and just explore and like new posts on my feed. I even comment on the posts here and there. I've always made sure to like all the posts on my feed and view all the Stories, but with Instagram's new Suggested Posts, I now also scroll and like most of those as well (and comment). I definitely saw a lot of new followers coming from this strategy, especially users that have a similar profile to mine. What's great about this feature is that there is ALWAYS new suggested posts to look at that are geared towards your activity on the app and similar to the accounts that you follow. Whenever I’m bored, I find myself scrolling endlessly on Instagrams Suggested Posts (and TikTok).
I also recently started to follow hashtags that are relevant to my account like #blog, #blogger, #lifestyleblogger, #ad, etc. Any hashtag you want to follow, simply search it in the search bar on the Explore Page and press "Follow." In doing so, any posts with this hashtag will show up in your regular feed, whether you follow the user that posted it or not. When some users see that you like and/or comment on their post with the followed hashtag, they may give you a follow or like on your profile as well.
Keywords
Having keywords in your posts and profile is SO important. It helps to create a consistent profile that users will want to follow. Also, it helps Instagram figure out what your account is about and makes sure the right users get to see it, whether it's on someone's Explore page or Suggested posts. You can include these keywords in your captions, comments, and profile bio.
Profile Bio
Your bio on your Profile Page is so important. It is the first thing a user looks at when they stumble upon your page. What does your bio say? What is your profile picture? Did you include a link? How many people do you follow?
Make sure you take the time to go to your bio settings and add in any information you can. Your profile picture should be a clear and recognizable photo of you so that you can be recognized, your bio should include keywords of who you are and what your account is about, and if you have any external website or social accounts to share, you can link it in the link section. If you have multiple links you want to share, I suggest creating a LinkTree or LinkInBio account that generates your own personal link leading to a personal page with all your included links. If you take a look at my link here, that I also have in my Instagram bio, you can see that I have my blog website linked, as well as individual blog post links and one of my recent TikToks. This is a great tool, considering if you have less than 10k followers, you cannot add a swipe-up link in your Story post.
For businesses, another feature is to add a Category to your account, like "Personal Blog" or "Shopping & Retail." You can also add contact information, like an email, phone number, address, and WhatsApp. Depending on the business, you can also add Action Buttons like "Order Food", "Book Now", or "Reserve." These new features came into play when COVID-19 hit and small businesses especially needed support in keeping the business going.
Consistency
Consistency is KEY! You probably heard this a million times, but it is true. If you are serious about building your following, you need to post consistently. I try to post at least 2-3 Stories a day and 2-3 posts a week. With consistent posts, Instagram is going to show your posts more and your followers will soon start to expect your posts every week. It can be hard to get this much content, but try your best!
Share to Facebook
If you are trying to increase your Facebook outreach and engagement as well, there are some easy ways that Instagram can help. When posting on your feed or Story, there is an option to also share the post to Facebook, as long as your account is connected. Because Instagram is owned by Facebook, it is very easy to share content to both networks. This comes in handy when needing to post content to both accounts, with possibly different audiences.
New Algorithm
Lastly, but also pretty important, you should be aware of Instagram's new algorithm and what they consider to be the most important when looking at a posts engagement. If you think Likes are the most important stat to look at, you are mistaken. Saves on a post are now the most important thing to look at, followed by shares, then comments, then likes. Although Likes still carry a lot of weight in our minds, Instagram is looking more at the amount of saves and shares your post is getting. With that being said, it would be a good idea to try and create content, including the captions, that call a user to share and/or save your post. For example, a post about outfit ideas might be more save-worthy than a selfie. It also may get more shares if you add something in your caption like "Send this to your friend and plan your next shopping spree."
I hope these tips help, and as always, I would love to hear your input, especially if you have any tips yourself or any questions!
Good Luck!
Xoxo,
Steph
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