1. Define and Understand Your Target Audience

You can’t give them what they want if you don’t know who they are.

If you have a brand and a product, you should have done some market research already. You know your audience’s age, their income, probably even where they live.

With that type of information, you can give them what they want. More importantly, you can increase your audience.

2. Optimize Your Bio and Profile

Two-thirds of the visits to a business profile come from non-followers. Is your bio/profile compelling enough to make them want to become followers? If your profile is vague, bland, or boring, what are the chances someone would think the rest of your content would be any better?

Something has already led them to your account. Don’t lose them so soon.

3. Use Keywords to Boost Your Instagram

You want to be found in search, so are you using the best keywords to help potential followers find you?

Granted, Instagram doesn’t make it easy to insert keywords, but it can be done. The name and username fields are the only places you can use a keyword—the trick is to do it without looking ridiculous. Your username is probably consistent across social media, and it should be.

But you have more leeway with your name field, so don’t just fill in your name and call it done. The field allows up to 30 characters, so this is where you want to slip in a keyword, but don’t stuff.

For example, let’s say your business is making handmade soap or custom t-shirts. Then you’d want to add that in your name field. Jilly Doe – Handmade Soaps or Jilly Doe – Custom T-Shirts.

Just be sure to use your 30 characters. Especially if you only sell locally. Then you want to add your city as a keyword. Actually, you should add your city anyway!

Keywords are critical if you want to be found by Instagram users who could be prospective followers.

4. Use the Right Hashtags

I’m sure you’re already using hashtags, but are you using the right ones?

Remember, your goal is to increase your audience. So think outside the box when it comes to hashtags. Merely sticking with hashtags within your niche won’t necessarily get new eyes on your account.

People may not know they want what you have until they see it. So widen your net.

According to Hootsuite, as of July 2021, the top 25 Instagram hashtags were:

• love (1.835B)
• instagood (1.150B)
• fashion (812.7M)
• photooftheday (797.3M)
• beautiful (661.0M)
• art (649.9M)
• photography (583.1M)
• happy (578.8M)
• picoftheday (570.8M)
• cute (569.1M)
• follow (560.9M)
• tbt (536.4M)
• followme (528.5M)
• nature (525.7M)
• like4like (515.6M)
• travel (497.3M)
• instagram (482.6M)
• style (472.3M)
• repost (471.4M)
• summer (454.2M)
• instadaily (444.0M)
• selfie (422.6M)
• me (420.3M)
• friends (396.7M)
• fitness (395.8M)

If you’re an artist, I’m sure you’re using the #art hashtag. Try adding a not-so-obvious hashtag as well. As long as it makes sense. Your target audience may be bigger than you think.

5. Post Shareable Content

An important step is to get your post shared. So, of course, you need to post Instagram content that users want to share.

This could be memes or infographics. Maybe something that’s just funny, or perhaps timely. Users could share their blogs or their Instagram Stories. Either way, it will likely get you in front of a new audience. And maybe even new followers.

6. Promote on Other Networks

Expand your reach by making use of other social networks or blogs. Wherever you have fans/customers/clients, make sure you advertise a link to your Instagram. And make it a clickable link.

But don’t do this until you have some content. Post on Instagram at least 12 times before you even think of inviting people to check out your account. And if you have a post with high engagement rates, make sure that’s the one you point people to. It’s proof that you have an engaged audience, even if your account is still new.

7. Get Featured

Some accounts exist simply to curate other people’s Instagram content. Getting your content featured on one of these accounts–and some of them have hundreds of thousands of followers–can drive traffic to your account. Assuming, of course, they link back to you.

Whatever your niche there’s likely at least one of these accounts to match. Post awesome content, use the right hashtags, and you might catch the interest of one of these accounts.

8. Use the Location Tag

This is especially important if you have a physical location or a product you only ship locally. So if your location could be important to someone searching Instagram, make sure this information is available.

9. Boost Your Instagram by Collaborating with Other Brands

They don’t need to be businesses in your vertical.

Are there local brands you already collaborate with in some way? Consider doing something seasonal. Putting together gift boxes—whether physical or virtual—can be a great way to draw in new followers. Or running a giveaway contest.

Use each other’s branded hashtags, pick the best times to post, maybe even run some sponsored ads so your post will show up in the Instagram Feed.

10. Increase Engagement and Followers with Instagram Stories

Half a billion Instagram accounts use the Stories feature daily, and businesses make up nearly half of the most viewed.

Another statistic Instagram shares is that Stories have high engagement rates, with a third of Stories watched by users receiving direct messages. That’s the kind of engagement you want and is sure to increase your followers.

11. Consider Using Instagram Ads to Boost Your Instagram

Making use of sponsored ads and targeting your market is a powerful way to add new followers and boost your Instagram account. You can place ads in the feed, in Stories, and the Explore feed.