The winners list of the best instagram hacks for 2018 and 2019 is here. Instagram is booming and so can your account, with over 800 Million active monthly users last year. This number will likely continue growing at the same pace in the future. Therefore, if growth hack your account and get more online followers & exposure, you need to get on the platform ASAP. If you’re already on Instagram, than you’re probably wondering what strategies you can employ to quickly grow the number of your Instagram followers.
In that case, you’re in the right place. In this article, I’ll share 15 best strategies for acquiring Instagram followers. These tips will help you amass a large following of people who are genuinely interested in your business and your brand. That way, you’ll ensure that your advertising efforts on Instagram will bear fruit.
Here’s 15 Best Instagram Growth Hacks 2018 & 2019 To Quickly Grow Your Instagram Followers:
Tip #1 – Create A Robust Viral Instagram Growth Strategy
Any business endeavor is destined to fail, without a solid plan.
So, first and foremost, you need to devise a solid Instagram marketing strategy.
It needs to be clear, in a sense that you know exactly what you’re going for.
It also needs to be actionable. You need to know exactly which marketing moves to make to get the desired results.
So, you first need to set a clear goal for Instagram. This can be increasing brand awareness, acquiring new leads, driving more sales, etc.
Regardless, you need to make sure that your goals on the platform align with your overall marketing strategy.
Secondly, you need to know exactly who your audience on Instagram is. This will ultimately define the approach you’ll want to take.
Next, think about the story you want to tell on your Instagram business profile. Don’t look at each individual post as standalone.
Instead, think of them as pieces of a bigger puzzle. Use every image and video to weave a broader story about your brand.
Alternatively, you can position your brand as inspirational. You can do this by sharing success stories, lifestyles, and achievements of your customers.
Finally, think about your brand aesthetic before you start posting. What are your brands colors? What visual look are you going for? How does that translate to your Instagram profile.
You want users to instantly recognize and relate to your brand, regardless of which post they’re viewing.
Tip #2 – Creating & Sharing Content For Instagram
Only post awesome, high quality photos and videos you know the audience will enjoy.
Don’t just post for the sake of populating your profile. The users will be able to tell if you don’t invest a lot of effort…
On the other hand, relevant, fun, interesting content will spark audience engagement. That’s how you get a ton of likes & comments on your Instagram posts.
In order to get an overwhelmingly positive reaction, you need to know your audience inside out.
Your content should be tailored to them, not to your business or your products.
In the image above, you can see that even though it’s my 30th birthday, I went out of my way to create something for my audience. In this case, i’ts the 10 Lessons From Turning 30.
Now, there’s one thing to keep in mind there. You might think something’s amazing, but your audience might not agree.
So, do your research and ensure your audience will find your posts interesting, and will want to engage with them.
Remember, the goal of your Instagram content is to either: entertain, inform, or engage. Keep this top of mind when posting stuff on this platform.
Also, don’t make the mistake of posting low-quality stuff. Instagram is predominantly a visual platform.
Therefore, regardless of how engaging and captivating your post might be… If the visuals aren’t up to standards, the posts won’t produce the desired results.
Tip #3 – Promote Your Instagram Profile On Other Platforms
This is crucial, especially if your Instagram profile is relatively new.
How do you reckon people will find you?
The best way to go about it is to make it as easy for them as possible, by including a link to your Instagram profile in other channels.
For instance, if you already have a decent number of fans on Facebook – let them know you’re on Instagram too!
This can be done both through posts, as well as by including a link to your Instagram profile in your Facebook page description.
You can even boost Facebook posts, to ensure they appear in your FB audience’s news feeds.
You can do the same on Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media platforms.
That said, don’t forget to add social buttons to your website as well. For example, I include all my social handles at the end of each blog post.
Makes it real easy for people to find and get in touch with me. And, they can do so using a platform they prefer.
Alternatively, you can also add this on the navigation bar of your website, or in the “About Us” page.
In any case, this will make your Instagram profile easier to find.
And the easier time people have finding you, the more Instagram followers you’ll gain. It’s a simple numbers game, really.
Tip #4 – Use Appropriate Instagram Hashtags For Followers
Hashtags are the bread and butter of Instagram.
They’re not just for fun, they actually have an important function.
When someone is searching a specific hashtag, if you’ve used it on your posts, they’re much more likely to find your content.
However, it can be a bit tricky if you don’t know much about hashtags.
What you can and should do is search for popular hashtags, relevant to your industry.
Think of it as if you were doing keyword research. Brainstorm different hashtags users might be typing in their Instagram search bar to find content related to your business.
Then, perform the search yourself. Instagram will list out similar hashtags by popularity. Consider including some of them in your posts.
Alternatively, you can create your own branded hashtag. How? Simply make one up.
Here’s an example of branded hashtags I use in my posts:
However, make sure not to go overboard with the hashtags.
Using too many may distract the audience from the post’s capture. Therefore, they’ll miss the message you’re trying to send.
Dozen or so hashtags might also come off as desperate and spammy.
So, choose you hashtags wisely, and stick to 3-6 per post.
Tip #5 – Get On Instagram Explore Page
If you’re an active Instagram user yourself, you’re likely familiar with the Explore Page.
Users access this page by clicking on the magnifying glass icon at the bottom of the app.
The page features content Instagram believes you might enjoy, based on the accounts you’re already following.
It doesn’t feature just the posts, but Instagram Stories as well.
So, it pays off to take the effort and increase your chances of getting on this page.
Whenever your target audience “explores” Instagram, there’s a chance to get your content in front of them.
So, how does one get to the Explore Page anyway?
It’s not exactly clear how Instagram chooses content for the Explore Page… However, it’s likely a combination of these factors:
- Content that’s similar to what the user has engaged with in the past
- Content that has high engagement (likes and comments)
- And content similar to that of accounts the user is currently following
Again, hashtags play a vital role. Browse through the Explore Page yourself, to see what hashtags are dominant in your niche.
Also, take a closer look at what type of content your audience enjoys the most. Then, create similar posts following the same guidelines.
If you’re implementing the 2nd tip from the list, you’ve already got the engagement part covered.
Bottom line is, follow the previous tips and check out the Explore Page yourself to see what’s trending.
Then, create similar content and you’ll maximize the chances of getting featured on here.
Tip #6 – Find & Follow Instagram Influencers And Active People In Your Niche
This should be a habit in your business as a whole, not just on Instagram.
You always want to be an active member of your community and stay up to date with everything that’s going on in your industry.
On Instagram, this translates to following other influential accounts. This doesn’t mean just your competitors, but also experts, and individuals tied to your industry, who already boast a sizable following.
Here’s the thing… When you follow someone on Instagram, they’ll likely check out your profile. If it’s filled with relevant, engaging content, they’ll likely follow you back.
And their audience can see who they follow. Which means, your business might get discovered though someone else’s profile.
Check out this amazing video i found on youtube by Biaheza where this young guy walks you through the whole process step by step, check it out.
So, you’re basically leveraging other people’s profiles to build your own following. And it’s perfectly ethical!
Therefore, there’s no reason not to like a relevant profile, even if they’re a direct competitor.
You might even consider writing a witty or informative comment on some of their posts.
Again, this can grab the attention of users who are viewing the post. They might end up checking out your profile and giving you a follow.
You can further increase the chances of that happening by answering the audience’s questions. Just don’t forget to direct the response at them with the @ symbol.
Otherwise, they won’t receive a notification about your response.
Tip #7 – Be Consistent With Posting Everyday On Instagram
Consistency is key when it comes to building a following on any social media.
Your current Instagram followers will quickly lose interest if you’re posting every once in a blue moon.
They not only expect quality content from you; they also expect it on a regular basis.
On top of that, when they like and comment on your posts – their followers can see that activity.
Which in turn means higher exposure.
And besides, the more you post, the higher your chances of being discovered.
There’s also the possibility that your Instagram followers might share the content they enjoy with their friends.
So, it definitely pays to be consistent with your posts. But, how often should you post?
Ideally, you want to post daily. However, that isn’t always realistic.
In my honest opinion, you should aim to post at least 3-4 times a week.
Tip #8 – Choose The Best Times To Post On Instagram
In order to increase engagement and your chances of being discovered, you need to post when the majority of your audience is active on the platform.
Obviously, different times work best for different types of businesses.
Still, there have been quite a few studies who leveraged data from businesses all over the globe to give you a rough estimate of average best posting times.
Here’s what CoSchedule has found:
As surprising as it might be, the weekends aren’t the best days to post on Instagram.
It’s actually Mondays and Thursdays. The best times are also somewhat unexpected, with one of them being 2 AM.
Although these might not be true for your business, it’s a good starting point.
You can post at the times you see on the image above, and then monitor the engagement of each post.
Later, try moving the posting times by a few hours, and gradually you’ll figure out the best time for your business.
Tip #9 – Write Compelling Instagram Captions
As I stated earlier, Instagram is a predominantly visual platform.
However, captions play an important role as well.
If you’ve ever done A/B testing before, you already know that a few words can have a huge impact on conversions.
Therefore, a single sentence caption has a significant role in increasing engagement on Instagram.
It gives the necessary context to the story you’re telling with the visual. And a witty, interesting, or informative caption might just make the users more inclined to leave a like or a comment on your posts. And we’ve already discussed the role these play when it comes to your Instagram exposure…
When writing captions, there are a few things to keep in mind.
First, you want to ensure the predominant words are at the front. The reason being that captions cut off after a few lines of text.
You want to ensure your message is clear from the get-go, even if the users don’t see the whole text.
You might also consider asking your audience a direct question. This will give them an incentive to comment on the post, further increasing your engagement.
Also, don’t be afraid to splash in a couple emojis. They draw attention, and can add the fun aspect to the post.
But, make sure that fun and relaxed is what you’re going for. A business in a super serious industry should probably avoid them.
And lastly, try experimenting with different lengths. Sometimes, a picture doesn’t tell a thousand words and may require an explanation (context I mentioned earlier).
Other times, the visual will be powerful enough and a single line of text might suffice.
Tip #10 – Create Amazing Profile Account (Don’t Forget The Bio!)
A well-developed profile is your ticket to quickly growing your Instagram followers.
By having a curated profile, that sends a clear message, and is visually appealing – you’re making it much more likely that whoever stumbles upon it will hit that follow button.
Your profile includes the profile picture, your name, username, website, and bio.
The name holds up to 30 characters. Characters, not words – keep that in mind.
Spaces are counted as characters, as well. So, you’ll be quite limited here.
But, what’s the big deal? Shouldn’t it just be the name of your business?
Well, the thing is, your Instagram name is included in the search function.
Therefore, if possible, you might want to include a keyword here.
Your username, on the other hand, should be the same as all your other social media profiles.
The reason is simple – you’re making it easier for users on other platforms to find you on Instagram.
As for website, this is the only place where you can include a clickable link. Apart from CTA in ads, of course.
So, make sure to send your Instagram followers to a relevant page on your website. This doesn’t necessarily have to be your home page.
It can be a landing page where they can opt-in for one of your lead magnets, or a product page where they can check out your offers.
Finally, the bio allows you to write up a short description of you and your brand. It’s up to 150 characters long, so you’ll still have to be brief.
Here, your goal is to convince the target audience to follow your Instagram profile, using compelling copy.
#Tip 11 – Ask Your Instagram Followers To Tag Their Friends
Don’t shy away from asking your Instagram followers to tag their friends in your posts.
If your post is interesting enough, they will likely comply. This will, in turn, expose your content to a much greater number of users.
For example, say you’re running a bakery. You can post a breathtaking visual of your famous doughnuts, and ask them to “tag a friend who appreciates their delicious sugary goodness”.
It can work for any type of business, provided you have some creativity, and already have a good relationship with your existing Instagram followers.
Tip #12 – Search & Tag Trending Location On Instagram
If you’re running a brick & mortar business, or if your business have a physical location, you might want to consider tagging your photos with that location.
And it’s not just so that the users can find you more easily in the real world. By clicking the tagged location, they can see ALL posts you posted from the same location.
Which means higher engagement, and therefore higher exposure!
Even if your business isn’t bound to a specific location, there might be situation where you can and should take advantage of this feature.
For instance, you can tag your location if you’re posting photos from a live event.
How do you add a location to a post? It couldn’t be any simpler, really.
Just tap the one you want to tag the location to, then click Edit.
You’ll see the option to “Add location”. Tap it, write the location name, save the edits, and you’re done!
Tip #13 – Create Instagram Stories With Free Apps
Instagram gives you the opportunity to go beyond users’ feed, with Instagram Stories.
True enough, they disappear after 24 hours, but that’s still plenty of time for your Instagram followers to engage with them.
Data from Instagram itself suggests that almost every first Instagram Story results in a direct message. Furthermore, one third of those Stories come from businesses!
So, if you’re not utilizing this feature, you need to start creating Instagram Stories today.
Tip #14 – Learn To Create & Run Instagram Ads
Instagram paid ads are a great way to reach your target audience.
They give you an opportunity to get your content in front of a large number of people, who wouldn’t have otherwise seen it in their feeds.
They function fairly similarly to Facebook ads, in regards to the targeting options.
You can target your audience based on their location, demographics, interests, and even behaviors.
If your marketing budget allows, you should definitely throw in a few ads to quickly increase your exposure.
Apart from just the feed, you can also advertise to your Instagram followers through stories.
This is another amazing option, since Story ads show in between other user’s stories. They simply have the “sponsored” label on them, but other than that, users wouldn’t be able to tell them apart from random Stories.
The best thing about Story ads is that they’re not as obtrusive as regular ones. Consequently, the audience is generally much more receptive to them.
Tip #15 – Use Insight Instagram Analytics Tools For Insights
There’s a number of Instagram analytics tools that can give you pretty valuable insights.
The data these tools provide allow you to see impression for every post, including reach, engagement, top posts, and so on.
You can also quickly get access to your audience’s demographics. Planning your marketing efforts by relying on relevant data is always a good idea.
This information can help you figure out what’s working, and which parts of your strategy aren’t delivering expected results.
Then, you can tweak your strategy accordingly, and start gaining more Instagram followers.
For example, you might learn that the majority of your audience isn’t based in the US from these insights. In response, you can switch up your posting times to align them with the times your audience is active on the platform.
In turn, you’ll see your number of Instagram followers rapidly increasing.
Conclusion On Growth Hacking Instagram
There you have it – 15 quick & easy tips to grow your Instagram followers.
Hopefully, these tips will help you increase your presence on Instagram, grow your following, and acquire plenty of new leads and customers.
Just make sure you’re posting high quality, relevant content, at the right times, and with consistency.
Pull this off, and splash in a few other tips from the list, and you’ll be an Instagram sensation in no time!
What do you think about this tips?
Have any of your own you’d like to share? Then go ahead and leave a comment below. 😉
You can also check out our post on the new instagram algorithm hack for 2019
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About The Author
Your Millionaire Mentor
Shaqir Hussyin
Shaqir Hussyin is the founder and CEO of WealthAcademy.com & Funnels.com. Nicknamed the “Backpack Millionaire”, he’s invested $350,000 into his own education and training. Whilst traveling to 100+ countries, Shaqir has built over 10+ million dollar brands and attracted over 500,000+ subscribers.
His signature program is now available: Max Income System; 14 Simple Steps To Making Your First Income Online
Shaqir is also a highly sought-after speaker and direct response “Sales Funnels” global leader. Shaqir’s work has impacted over 100,000 businesses in 65 different countries. Connect with Shaqir on Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn & FB Group.
