Building a large Instagram following can be a crucial factor in your success in any niche. Consistent growth of real followers is the key to building a large, engaged audience that will support you throughout your journey.
Here are some suggestions to help you grow your following on Instagram:
Define Your Niche
Before you start posting, clearly define your niche and target audience. Think about this niche each time you post, too. What topics are you interested in? What value are you providing your followers? Decide on your content, theme and even brand colors to help give a consistent feel. Two Bookstagram examples that come to mind immediately are @CrimeByTheBook and @reading.rose.report. These Instagrammers have a consistent, recognizable personal style. Once you have a clear understanding of your own niche, you can create content that matches.
Optimize Your Instagram Profile
Your profile is the first thing new followers see when they discover your page, so make sure it's complete first! Use an attractive profile picture or a logo that expresses your brand and your niche. Take advantage of the bio field, too, by writing an engaging intro and using keywords related to your niche to make it easier for people to find you. Finally, don’t forget to add your website or your Linktree to your profile. You only get one link here, so make it count!
Post Consistently
Everyone knows that regularly posting high-quality, relevant content is key. You don’t need to have a set schedule, but you do need to post frequently, since a dropoff in posts leads to a dropoff in followers.
Each post should be visually appealing and engaging, and should connect well with your niche. Use high-quality images, videos, and captions that provide value to your audience. Take advantage of hashtags too. It’s a good idea to use a mix of popular and niche-specific hashtags. Niche-specific hashtags can help your post get in front of a more targeted audience, who will want to follow and engage.
Engage with Your Audience
Engaging with your audience is an important part of building a loyal following. Ask questions in your posts and then respond to all the comments you receive. Use polls in your stories to encourage engagement even more. Engaging with your audience not only helps you build a relationship with them but can also increase your visibility on the platform.
Engage with Other Creators
Leaving thoughtful and engaging comments on other creators' posts can help you build relationships and be seen. Avoid spamming with generic comments like "Nice post!" or anything generic like that. Those empty comments feel like bots, and besides, the best you can get is a like back. Instead, follow other creators in your niche and join the conversation with your thoughts.
Host Instagram Contests and Giveaways
Hosting a giveaway can be a fun way to engage with your existing audience and attract new followers. For example, many bookish creators raffle off ARCs or authors offer giveaways of their new books. Your prize might be different, as long as it’s relevant to your niche. You can set the rules of the contest to require participants to follow your account, tag friends, or share your content, which can help you grow your following.
Collaborate with Other Creators
Collaborating with other creators in your niche can be a great way to increase your reach, meet new people, and gain new followers. One way to do this is to add the other creators in a reel, or tag them in a post that responds to their post. You can collaborate on posts, reels, or stories, or do a live video together.
Share Behind-the-Scenes Content on Stories
Sharing behind-the-scenes content can help you build a personal connection with your audience and attract new followers. You can also soft-launch new material, and tease upcoming events here. Depending on your niche, stories can be about your creative process, your inspiration, how you set up for reels or posts, or what you do when you’re not working as a creator. This can be a fun way to build a connection with your audience
Use Instagram Reels
Instagram is promoting Reels content so much now! So take advantage by making Reels that can be seen by many new users and can help you grow your following. Trending audio will also help spread your new Reels far and wide.
Overall, growing your following on Instagram probably won’t happen overnight, but it is possible with the right strategy and niche. By regularly posting quality content in your niche and engaging without spamming, you can grow your social media following over time.
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