Learn how to use Instagram posts, stories, and reels to create content that increases your Instagram followers and drives customer engagement.

Instagram is now more than just a place to share trends. People use it to chat with friends, share useful information, and showcase their precious daily lives. The platform is now both a personal space for sharing personal images and a new kind of library where diverse information lives and breathes.

Brands can also leverage Instagram for marketing. By using hashtags appropriately and uploading high-quality photos and videos, they can increase their presence on this online platform.

Also, Instagram Business Instagram is increasingly evolving into a platform. Many content creators share their unique stories on Instagram while also monetizing their personal brands by selling products. So how do you increase the number of followers that serve as a gauge of interest in all these activities?

In this article, we'll explore different ways to grow your Instagram followers and boost engagement with your Reels, posts, Stories, and more.

Increase Your Instagram Followers: 18 Ways to Grow Your Customers

1. Creating high-quality content
2. Integrating Reels into Your Content Mix
3. Cross-promotion of content
4. Optimize your Instagram profile
5. Partnerships with creators and influencers
6. Build a personal brand account alongside your business account
7. Reposting a post published on a featured account
8. Find hashtags your customers use
9. Post or schedule posts for appropriate times
10. Connect with your competitors' followers
11. Create an account and collaborate with creators for your campaign.
12. Attract local followers using location tags
13. Organize your Instagram Stories into Highlights
14. Ask for more followers on your Instagram posts
15. Run a giveaway event
16. Share user-generated content
17. Using Instagram Live
18. Try Instagram Ads

One of the most important factors in marketing is how many people a brand can reach with the products it promotes. This concept, also known as traffic, can be more easily achieved by increasing your Instagram following.

With a large follower base, influencers and brands can relatively easily attract potential customers and convert them into paying customers, generating revenue.

1. Create high-quality content

Instagram is a platform built on visual elements like photos and videos, not text. Therefore, maintaining high-quality resolution and image quality when uploading photos and videos is crucial. High-quality content allows your content to stand out from the crowd, and for brands, it helps build trust while providing information to followers. To achieve this, it's important to focus on a few key elements.

• High resolution : It's recommended that images uploaded to Instagram be of a high resolution from the time they're taken. Even when taking photos with a mobile phone, be careful not to zoom in too much to avoid pixelation.
• On-brand assets : Maintaining colors, palettes, and fonts that align with your brand identity creates consistency across your feed and makes your followers feel secure and trustworthy.
• Shooting Tips : If you plan on posting product images to your feed, it's a good idea to pay attention to camera settings, including color, resolution, brightness, lighting, and composition.

2. Integrate Reels into your content mix

Instagram, which started out as a photo-sharing app, quickly expanded into the video space with its Stories feature. Stories are a more intimate form of vertical video, visible only to friends, followers, and page visitors. However, Reels are freely accessible to everyone and reach a wider audience through Instagram's Explore tab, giving them greater viral potential.

Reels are better than Instagram posts Because the participation rate is high Brands and creators are encouraged to add Reels to their Instagram strategies. Reels receive an average of 42% more likes than posts, and they receive four times more shares than posts.

social media marketing agency “Reels gives anyone the opportunity to reach a new audience,” says Trilce Jirón Garro, owner of TBS Marketing . “Creators can create community-driven content that builds trust, builds a following, and generates revenue over time.”

Brands and creators can add Reels to their content to show a more authentic and human side of themselves to their audience and followers. To create content for Reels, follow these tips.

• Maintain a unique and trend-driven content concept. Explore trends on Instagram, TikTok, and the web to create your own unique style. This will increase the chances that your Reels will go viral and reach new viewers.
• Create simple, relatable content. Not every reel needs to be as glamorous as a Hollywood film. Even low-quality videos can be just as effective as those that cost more to produce.
• Place a powerful scene early in the video. You can prevent viewers from leaving by placing powerful scenes, phrases, and thumbnails that grab people's attention within the first five seconds of your video.
• Provide information to your viewers. When creating reels, find a balance between informative and entertaining. Try uploading how-to videos, tips, industry information, humorous interpretations of viral trends, or product demos.

When creating reels, we recommend avoiding specific objectives, such as selling a product. Successful reels can be created simply by conveying information, adding entertainment, and entertaining viewers.

Ourexpresso uses Reels to motivate and entertain viewers simultaneously. By incorporating powerful messages or inspiring stories into short videos, they encourage viewers to watch until the end.

If you've posted a Reel, don't forget to leverage Instagram's analytics to gain insights. The "View Insights" option in the Reels section allows you to see how your Reel reached both followers and non-followers. Views may be higher if your Reel reaches more non-followers, allowing you to identify patterns in content engagement.

3. Cross-promotion of content

Brands showcase the same content across multiple platforms. The same content can be repurposed and reused across channels like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, with edits that reflect the unique characteristics of each channel. This is called cross-promotion.

Cross-promotion is a great way to naturally grow your following and establish your presence by uploading the same content to multiple platforms without spending too much time or energy. However, when cross-promoting, you should adapt the video length, format, and hashtags to suit each platform's characteristics. It's also a good idea to include a call-to-action (CTA) when introducing your account on other platforms that encourages people to follow you on Instagram. This will not only increase views on those platforms, but also rapidly increase your Instagram following.

Additionally, each social media channel has a different audience. They don't necessarily watch the same content repeatedly across different platforms. Hugo Amsellem, an investor and advisor at Jellysmack , commented on this phenomenon, saying, “Only 10 to 20 percent of people see the same content across multiple platforms. You shouldn’t be sending the same message to the same person across different social media channels.”

Lifestyle brand Nadya Okamoto, founder of August , said: In an interview with Modern Retail, he said, "August began gaining traction on TikTok in August, and its Instagram following also grew to 175,000. By actively posting across multiple platforms, we saw a significant impact on our cost-to-acquire (CAC) in August, leading the brand to move away from paid media as a key customer acquisition channel."

There are many channels you can cross-post to Instagram. However, to cross-post the Instagram Reels format to various channels like YouTube and Facebook, you must first have a thorough understanding of each channel. Then, based on this understanding, you can create high-quality posts.

4. Optimize your Instagram profile

Instagram users are more likely to discover your brand through content on the Explore page. If they want to learn more about your brand, they'll visit your profile. This is a crucial step toward acquiring new followers. A strong brand can signal to potential customers and followers that your account is for them.

Your Instagram profile is one of many touchpoints in the customer journey. Therefore, your brand should be represented consistently across your e-commerce website, other social channels, product packaging, and customer communications.

To increase followers From your Instagram profile to your content grid, everything matters. Your Instagram feed serves as your brand's billboard. It's the first point of contact between your customers and your brand, and it embodies your brand's essence. Before finalizing your profile, consider the following:

• How well each element conveys consistency through personality, filters, colors, or layout.
• Are you making the most of clickable links in your bio?
• Are the overall elements in harmony and effectively represent the brand?
• Are you making the most of your Instagram profile space while conveying information in the right tone?

A look at DrawAndrew 's Instagram profile page makes this easier to understand. DrawAndrew actively uses green as a signature color in his personal branding. Green is prominent throughout his posts, and even small items are colored green, ensuring that green is instantly synonymous with DrawAndrew when anyone thinks of him.

From DrawAndrew's profile Clicking drawandrew.store will take you to the shopping mall selling goods from Draw andrew.

You can also brand your Reels Grid by consistently using captions, fonts, and colors. Creators @hanbin_ssam 's Hanbin English uses the same colors and subtitle styles to create consistency in the content. This layout helps viewers identify reels more quickly.

💡Tips: Use tools like Later or Instagram's Use the built-in scheduling feature to systematically manage and plan your Instagram posts and Reels. You can organize and layout your feed just the way you want.

5. Partnerships with Creators and Influencers

While Instagram advertising can help you expand your reach, partnering with influencers can add credibility and trust to your paid promotions. According to a survey , only 38% of consumers trust brand content, while 61% trust influencer recommendations.

When choosing influencer marketing as a strategy to grow your following, ensure the partnership is a good fit for both the brand and the creator. The more closely your target audience aligns with the creator's follower base, the greater the likelihood of a successful campaign and a significant Instagram following.

Instagram Influencer Marketing Examples

Maeil Dairies collaborated with Chef Edward Lee to create a variety of recipes using low-sugar soy milk. These recipes were shared in a Reels video, providing consumers with valuable insights into how to use low-sugar soy milk in recipes like carrot cream buckwheat noodles, soy milk fruit juice, and soy milk soup.

To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Missha collaborated with the popular characters "Teletubbies" to launch a limited-edition collection. The brand's Instagram account shared information about its signature products in Teletubbies-themed packaging, sparking interest among followers and potential customers.

💡Tips: Affiliate Marketing Alternatively, if you're considering influencer marketing, consider pitching your business directly to influencers or asking your MCN agency to introduce you to suitable influencers.

6. Build a personal brand account alongside your business account.

If you run a founder brand (essentially a brand closely tied to the founder's story), build a personal Instagram account alongside your business account.

Running both a business and personal account simultaneously can help you build awareness, gain Instagram followers, and make potential customers more curious about your brand. Owner of Publy In addition to Publy, Park So-ryeong runs a personal account to keep in touch with people.

__chommy is another great example of driving followers from a personal account to a business account. PVCS , Laveree __chommy, who runs a brand, shares her daily life in a fun way on her Instagram account, which she uses to attract followers and direct them to her two business accounts.

7. Reposting a post published on a featured account

Certain Instagram accounts, also known as feature accounts, curate the best content in a specific niche and some boast massive followings. Being featured on these accounts will bring new people to your profile and potentially increase your Instagram following.

GoPro Korea is a travel and video-focused account with 67,000 followers. This account reposts posts from people who have captured amazing footage using GoPro cameras, showcasing them to their own followers. GoPro benefits from the free access to excellent reviews of its products, while individuals benefit from the ability to share their stories with a large audience.

If you want your account to be featured on these featured accounts, you must first stand out to the brand. The simplest way to do this is by using hashtags. Using the same hashtags as the brand will make it easier for your account to be noticed and increase the likelihood of being featured.

8. Find the hashtags your customers use

The ideal outcome is to attract new followers on Instagram while also consistently engaging your current ones. Posting consistent, engaging photo and video content will help you maintain the loyalty of your current followers. But how do you attract new followers with your Instagram posts?

Using hashtags on Instagram can naturally increase your visibility in search results for users looking for similar content. Frequently using popular hashtags can be a helpful way to do this. However, these hashtags are often oversaturated and rarely yield positive results.

Here are some of the most popular Instagram hashtags in Korea right now:

1. #daily
2. #work out
3. #Eatstagram: Food-related posts
4. #Fashionstagram: Fashion-related posts
5. #Communication: Use when you want to interact with your followers.
6. #Photostagram: Posts related to daily life, travel, and scenery.
7. #Beauty
8. #cafe
9. #travel
10. #music

Using these tags is unlikely to get you noticed by other popular accounts, and they may not be relevant to your brand. Therefore, it's better to find hashtags directly related to your brand and content. To do this, research hashtags and keywords within your industry and determine which hashtags your target audience uses.

Hix.ai or Social media hashtag generator tools like Later can help you find the right hashtags for your business account. These are paid apps that help you generate recommended hashtags based on popularity and relevance. You can also get recommendations from ChatGPT.

Even if your budget is limited, you can still find relevant hashtags by entering your target keyword into the Instagram app's search bar. Create a list of hashtag keywords by experimenting with various keywords that describe your brand and products.

Competitor research is another way to discover hashtags. Check out the content of your most popular competitors on Instagram. What hashtags are they using in their most popular posts?

Create a list of hashtags

Through keyword and hashtag research, you should develop a list of tags that you can use consistently throughout your content. For example, if you run a men's sock business in Toronto, your final list of relevant hashtags might include:

• Brand Keyword Hashtags: #mybrandname #mensfashion #mensaccessories #mensgoods #fashion #mensstyle #instafashion #menswear #mensfashion #mensaccessories #mensgoods #fashion #menstyle #instafashion #menswear

• Product Category Keyword Hashtags: #happysocks #corgisocks #socks #sockswag #socksoftheday #sockgame #socksofinstagram #happysockday #socks #sockstagram #sock coordination #cute socks #sock style #sock fashion #sockgram

• Location-related keyword hashtags: #Toronto #TorontoFashion #TorontoFashionBloggers #madeinCanada #Toronto #TorontoFashion #TorontoFashionBloggers #MadeInCanada

Saving these keyword hashtag groups in a convenient location, like a note-taking app or Google Docs, allows you to easily copy and paste content, even on the go. Some Instagram scheduler tools even allow you to save caption templates (complete with hashtags) for one-click captioning.

✏️ Note: To add hashtags to your previous content, you can either add them in the comments or use Instagram's editing features to add them to the caption after posting.

Using Hashtags in Instagram Stories and Reels

Hashtags are essential in both Stories and Reels. In Stories, you can use the hashtag sticker or insert hashtags directly into your captions.

Users can follow not only accounts but also hashtags of their choice. Therefore, Instagram Stories are more likely to reach not only account followers but also those who follow the hashtag.

Reels hashtags are added in the third step of the Reels creation process. After adding and editing your video, you'll be taken to a screen where you can add location tags, hashtags, and user account tags.

9. Post or schedule posts at appropriate times.

Posting regularly at regular times is another way to build anticipation among followers for your brand or individual posts. You can use scheduled posting settings to post at a specific time every day or week.

If you're just starting out on Instagram, leverage Instagram's analytics to determine when your content is most effective and reach the most people based on marketing research. While your potential customers may not necessarily visit at specific times, gaining insights based on this data can help you adjust your content publishing approach.

To automate your posting on time, consider using a social media scheduling tool to automatically post during the times your customers are most engaged, even while you're sleeping.

10. Connect with your competitors' followers.

Your competitors' followers are the perfect target for your Instagram followers acquisition efforts. After all, they've already expressed interest in products or brands similar to yours.

There are five types of activity on Instagram:

• Follow User
• Like a post, story, or reel
• Comment on a post
• Tagging users in content
• Send DM

If you want to build meaningful relationships with your followers on Instagram, focus on communication. Engaging with potential customers and maintaining positive relationships with your brand's fans will help you build their support. Two-way communication—this is the true value of followers, something no robot can replace.

11. Create a campaign account and collaborate with creators.

Beyond Instagram influencer marketing, you can partner with other brands and creators on campaigns and content that offer mutual benefits. This is most effective when both accounts have something to gain, such as reaching an audience similar to their target audience.

When collaborating with other companies, choose brands that complement your own. For example, if you sell activewear, your target audience may overlap with water bottle or smartwatch companies.

No Brand collaborated with Super Matcha to launch five snack products. By partnering with a brand that already has a loyal customer base, a private brand can introduce new products to consumers at a relatively affordable price, creating a win-win situation for both companies. By partnering with a brand with a proven track record of delicious taste, No Brand can lower the barrier to entry, while Super Matcha can gain widespread recognition through the E-Mart No Brand distribution channel. As awareness grows, so can the number of followers.

12. Use location tags to attract local followers.

In addition to hashtags, you can also make your Instagram posts, Stories, and Reels searchable by tagging locations, such as the city you're in or the location where a photo or video was taken.

Locations not only have their own Instagram feeds, but also their own Stories to expose your content to locals and tourists searching for your location.

Local businesses can maximize the value of location tags by regularly posting to these feeds and engaging with posts from customers who are actually nearby.

Seongsimdang Bakery posted a post announcing the arrival of mango season, introducing a new "French Mango" product. They tagged the main Seongsimdang Bakery location so followers could click on the location tag to find the bakery's exact location.

13. Organize your Instagram story into highlights.

Story highlights are an essential element of your page. Instagram stories are set to disappear after 24 hours. However, organizing them into highlights can extend the value of your content.

Highlights allow users to quickly identify brands, content, and products and determine their preferences. By ensuring new visitors can find the information they need immediately without having to scroll through their feeds, you increase your chances of acquiring Instagram followers.

Umbro used Highlights to group stories into product collections. Collaborating with celebrities like Day6 immediately raised awareness for the business.

Story Highlight Ideas

There are a variety of ways to structure your stories to attract more Instagram followers. Here are some ideas to help you get started with your highlights.

• Create a trailer that tells the story of your account and brand.
• Organize your stories by theme, product collection, season, or content type (DIY, product launch, behind-the-scenes, etc.).
• Create new highlights every time you launch a new product or collection to keep your highlights fresh and relevant.

Gather user-generated content into a single highlight and share it with your loyal customers.

14. Ask for more followers on your Instagram posts.

Not sure how to gain a lot of Instagram followers? Don't be afraid to occasionally ask your target audience to follow you. Just like YouTubers ask their viewers to subscribe, you can also encourage Instagram users to follow you to see more of your content.

You can do this in Instagram captions or mention them in video content like Reels and Stories. Use common marketing strategies to encourage users to follow you. What content should you ask for? Explain to your customers why they should follow you, what they can expect, and what your future plans are.

💡Tips: Creators need to encourage their current followers to become subscribers. Instagram subscriptions allow creators to offer exclusive content to their paid subscribers, which How to make money on Instagram This is the easiest way.

15. Run a giveaway event

One of the best ways to drive followers is to run a giveaway. Brands and creators often ask users to complete one or more actions to enter a giveaway. These actions include:

• Follow the account (and all collaborators' accounts)
• Like the event information post
• Tag one or more friends
• Leave a comment
• Clicking on the event registration form on the brand website (this also helps build your email list)

Adding tags can potentially attract new followers, and since contest entries are favorable to the Instagram algorithm, it can also increase the reach of your post.

Lotte On increased its follower count by hosting an event called "Ppom Run." In this event, titled "Show Off Your Running," users could win prizes by following Lotte On's Instagram, uploading a running-related photo with a hashtag, and then capturing the image and leaving a comment on the event page. Through prizes, brands can encourage user participation, while users can build brand awareness and connect with the brand.

✏️Note: Instagram's Please review our Promotion Guidelines and understand all legal requirements applicable to Instagram giveaways in your country or region.

16. Sharing user-generated content

User-generated content (UGC) refers to any type of content—videos, photos, written reviews, audio, etc.—created by fans, customers, or followers about a brand. UGC acts as authentic customer reviews, helping to humanize a brand and lend it credibility. This can increase purchase confidence.

Also, by sharing your customers' posts, you can get their attention for a short while, which will help them build a better understanding of your brand. Strengthen loyalty , encourage customers to refer their friends, and encourage repeat purchases.

Book Wurm reposts content from satisfied customers directly to their Instagram page to thank them for their purchases and tags.

UGC Best Practices

While your most passionate fans will share their experiences with your products without being asked, there are ways to encourage more UGC.

• Create a branded hashtag feed where customers can post images.
• Add a call-to-action to your Instagram profile .
• When you run a giveaway, ask people to post a video or photo review.
• Reach out to small influencers, offer them free products, and get honest reviews.
• Add a postcard or message to your product packaging and ask customers to share their experience on Instagram.

💡Tips: Like Social Photos Using the Shopify app , you can import your Instagram followers' user-generated content (UGC) into your website and display it on product pages. This creates a visual review where other customers can actually see your products.

17. Use Instagram Live

Instagram Live is a feature that lets you broadcast live to your followers. It works very similarly to Reels or Stories, but is recorded live and allows direct participation. You can monetize your content with Instagram badges , and there are additional interactive features like the ability to save your Live streams and repurpose them into permanent content.

In this Instagram Live, influencers Alfredo Lewis 's beauty brand We've partnered with K18 Hair to host live chats with makeup artist @makeupbyloveandrea . This smart collaboration allows brands to expand their content reach and gives creators the opportunity to reach the right audience.

Here are some tips to grow your followers using Instagram Live.

• Acquire influencer accounts.
• We conduct interactive AMAs (ask me anything) or Q&As.
• Announce a product launch or update, or give exclusive access to viewers who are engaging in real time (try Instagram Live Shopping).
• Expand your reach by broadcasting live with up to three other accounts through a “merge.”
• Bring a human touch to your brand by revealing the behind-the-scenes story of your operations.
• Run how-tos or tutorials on your products and answer viewers' questions in real time.
• Interview creators or other compatible brands and promote them in advance on both accounts.

18. Try Instagram Ads

Now that we've explored how to acquire Instagram followers organically, there's one final option for brands and individuals: paid advertising. While paid advertising may be costly, it can be an attractive option because it allows you to gain followers relatively quickly.

Instagram ads can be run on a self-service platform where you can set your own goals and budget. This allows you to display your ads to Instagram users who share your interests or are based in the region where your business operates.

We can tell this post is an advertisement by the "Ad" symbol below Speak's profile name. Below the image is a "Learn More" link, which, when clicked, takes you to the advertisement page. These ads are algorithmically displayed to users who follow similar accounts and have high interest. Ads appear naturally, like Instagram posts, and are featured in users' feeds, blending in with content from friends and recommended accounts.

Instagram account is a powerful sales channel

Now that you know how to gain more followers on Instagram, it's time to put what you've learned into practice. Develop a social media content calendar, create Instagram posts, and prepare to reach new audiences. Remember to connect with your existing followers and adjust your social media strategy as trends evolve and new Instagram features become available.

Growing your Instagram followers is just the first step in using the platform to achieve your business goals. Your Instagram account is one of many social media platforms and channels that can expose your brand to new followers and customers. By building a following and attracting potential customers, you can create more opportunities to monetize your personal brand or convert followers into sales.

Illustration: Eugenia Mello

Frequently Asked Questions About Increasing Instagram Followers