How do you increase your Instagram account followers?

Hello!

As Facebook has updated its corporate policy, Instagram has become the latest hub for virtual world visibility. Everyone from small, family-run companies to big global brands is expanding their Instagram presence.

On Instagram, there are over 500 million active users every day. Of these, 80% of accounts belong to at least one company. It is only natural for advertisers to monetize their Instagram accounts.

But to do this, you must first build a powerful follower base. You need more engagement with your content and your audience needs to stay involved. So how do you grow your fan base on Instagram? Here are some practical tips to get you started.

1. Post Imaginative Content

Creating quality content is irreplaceable. If your content is strong, people will like, comment on, and share your posts. On Instagram, everything revolves around compelling visuals. Use vibrant colors and well-framed images.

Instead of simply posting product photos and promotions, tell stories around them.

Airbnb excels at weaving niche stories. They aim to inspire travel by staying with locals and encourage users to explore cities worldwide. They share snapshots of hosts’ lives from around the globe to spark user interest.

The captions highlight hosts’ passions or the kinds of experiences travelers can expect. They also showcase multiple destinations. By connecting through authentic real-life stories, followers don’t feel they are only seeing promotions.

2. Maintain Regular Posting Intervals

A study conducted in 2026 with the Tailwind visual marketing tool showed that consistent posting is crucial for growing on Instagram. Researchers analyzed more than 100,000 Instagram posts over three months. The study found that accounts posting most frequently saw higher engagement rates and faster follower growth.

It is a good idea to post on your Instagram account at least once per day. Be patient—results will not appear overnight.

3. Use the Right Hashtags

Hashtags help you reach audiences that do not yet follow you. To attract the right crowd, you must choose the right hashtags.

For events in particular, try variations of the same term. These hashtags are often trending, giving you a strong chance of visibility.

Tools such as HashtagForLikes can help you find trending hashtags with low competition and high engagement.

Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags per post, but research by Sprout Social shows that posts with nine hashtags achieve the highest engagement rates.

Digital marketers often debate the ideal number of hashtags, yet everyone agrees that overuse is counterproductive.

4. Encourage Follower Content Creation

If you struggle to plan content in advance, you can turn the situation to your advantage.

Invite your audience to participate in content creation rather than only consuming what you produce. Encourage followers to create videos, photos, and GIFs featuring your products. Develop a branded hashtag to showcase user-generated content.

This approach boosts brand recognition and customer satisfaction while turning followers into advocates. Buffer reported a 400% increase in engagement after featuring user-generated content and tagging the creators’ Instagram handles.

5. Run Contests

Organize contests and offer giveaways to grow your Instagram account. Free incentives motivate users to engage more deeply with your brand.

Be creative with contest mechanics. Ask users to repost one of your images and include your Instagram handle in the caption. Alternatively, invite them to post their own photos using a branded hashtag.

Earthpix successfully used this method by encouraging users to like and share content for a chance to win a free trip to Fiji. The post received over 10,000 comments.

6. Collaborate with Influencers

To scale quickly, partner with the right influencers. Identify creators who have large, engaged audiences. A single mention can expose your brand to their entire follower base.

Ask influencers to test and promote your products. Tagged posts work wonders. You can also provide unique promo codes or discount links in their captions, driving followers directly to your Instagram account or website.

Even with a modest follower count, influencer collaborations allow you to reach a much wider audience through their loyal communities.

7. Publish at Optimal Times

The timing of your posts significantly affects engagement levels.

Sprout Social research found that posts published Tuesday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. generate the highest engagement. Thursday posts performed best overall, with peak times at 5 a.m., 11 a.m., 3 p.m., and 4 p.m. Wednesday at 3 p.m. and Friday at 5 a.m. were also strong.

Use these insights to schedule your Instagram content strategically and maximize growth.

8. Leverage Instagram Ads

Instagram advertising blends seamlessly with organic content, so followers do not feel overwhelmed by promotions.

You can choose from four main formats: photo ads, video ads, carousel ads, and slideshow ads.

Photo and video ads appear just like regular posts, distinguished only by a small “Sponsored” label.

Carousel ads let you showcase multiple related products in a single swipeable unit, highlighting different angles or features.

Instagram has also expanded Stories advertising. Brands like Gap already use the format to run multi-video campaigns, incorporating stickers and drawing tools for interactive experiences.

Thank you!
Join us on social media!
See you!