You can do plenty to get noticed on Instagram, whether it's using the perfect hashtags or engaging with the Instagram community, but there's no reason to stop there.

There are plenty more ways to increase your likes and follower count! Here are some tips to try out...

1. Provide Real Value

There’s one simple rule when it comes to building an audience. Educate or entertain. People should have a reason for following your account.

Unless you’re already a celebrity, your followers might not have an interest in what you’re having for dinner or where you’re spending your weekend. Making your Instagram account about yourself without providing any real value is a sure way to lose followers.

Person writing on whiteboard.

Instead, focus on posting high-quality content that will make your followers stop scrolling and engage with you. Share your knowledge on Instagram. If you’re into finance, educate people on how they could be more organized with their money. If you’re into fitness, share some of your best tips when it comes to losing weight or building muscle.

But knowledge isn’t the only one that will increase the number of reached accounts. Relevant content ideas could include inspirational quotes, photos or artworks, or even memes.

2. Create a Community

We've suggested joining a community in the past, but another approach is to create a community yourself. It will take some hard work, but it can turn Instagram users into engaged followers.

If you're trying to create a community on Instagram, you need to find common ground—a reason people will come back to your account. If you run a business account, get other users to submit content to share through your account.

To create your community, one of the most important things you can do is to engage with other users. Comment, like, and respond to comments consistently, and always be on the lookout for other like-minded people to follow. Once you've created your community, you can think about using Instagram to make money.

3. Experiment With Advice From Instagram Studies

There's lots of research out there about what, when, and how to post on Instagram. Experiment and see what works for you. Keep in mind that some research is actually contradictory so it's really a matter of testing each one.

  • According to a study, the most popular colors are Ethereal Blue, Rose Dawn, Harvest Gold, and Ocean Depths. The study also discovered that trending colors are influenced by traveling photos and images with blue as the dominant color get 24 percent more likes than red images.
Hand with a globe.
  • There are tons of guides on the best time to post. A 2021 study suggests early in the morning (3 AM to 6 AM) and evenings (7 PM to 11 PM), and to stick to weekdays for the important posts.

The more likes you get, the more likely you are to end up in the top posts for the hashtags you choose. Meaning more exposure.

4. Use the Right Hashtags

If you’re not using hashtags or don’t pay too much attention to them when posting, you’re missing the opportunity to get more real followers. Hashtags are great for filtering and sorting Instagram content.

Currently, Instagram allows you to include up to 30 hashtags for a regular post and 10 hashtags when posting a story. However, you shouldn’t flood your captions with irrelevant hashtags. For example, #love and #instagood are two of the most popular hashtags, so your content will get lost in a big crowd when using them.

Instead, focus on more specific hashtags. Learn about how to use hashtags for events, businesses, causes, and so on.

5. Analyze Your Stats

After you try all these different methods, take a step back and see what's working and what isn't. There are several decent Instagram analytics tools out there that you can use to track which of your images do best. Take a look at the times posted, the types of photos, and your captions to get a better understanding of what leads to a successful Instagram image.

  • Switch your Instagram account to a Business or Creator profile and you get access to free Instagram analytics. Go to Settings > Switch to Business/Creator Profile and Instagram will guide you through the steps, which include connecting to your Facebook account (and page if you have one). You'll get analytics on your stories, posts, and additional call-to-action buttons.

Overall, a Business or Creator account will help you better understand your followers.

6. Tag Other People in Your Photos

There are many reasons to tag other people in your photos: they (or their products) are in your shot. If you've gone to a live event, tag the show organizers or entertainers. This is definitely a trick you want to use sparingly.

Don't spam other users. Tag them only when the image is actually relevant to them, and don't tag the same users constantly.

7. Geotag Your Photos

Adding your location to your photos is a great way to get noticed within your local community. When uploading the image, you can add the photo's location. You can tag your photos in locations even if you are not there or create unique geotags. When creating a geotag, think about the audience and where the content would be more relevant.

Searching for "Lisbon" geotag in IG.

8. Take Part in an Instagram Takeover

Looking for guest posting opportunities can be a good way to gain more exposure. Known as an Instagram takeover, the experience, which can last for one or several days, can be of benefit to both parties. So how do you find these opportunities?

The best way to get yourself an Instagram takeover is to find accounts that already host them and reach out with a pitch as to why you should be given a chance to take over their account. Some tips from Dana Nicole, who has tested this method, include:

  • Pick an account that features content in your niche.
  • In your pitch, explain why you're a right fit for their brand, what your takeover will look like, and what their followers can gain from the experience.
  • Try to engage with the account followers by posting questions in captions. Engaging with them makes them more likely to want to follow your personal account, so they can see more from you.

On the flip side of this, you could host an Instagram takeover yourself. If you can get a high-profile user to take over your account, they'll definitely announce the takeover to their own followers.

9. Don't Forget Your Bio

While your focus is undoubtedly on the photos you post, and for good reason, don't forget to craft a strong Instagram bio. Include information that will make your followers connect with you. You only have 150 characters so make it count. Pick one or two hashtags at the very most to include in your bio, so you show up in search results.

And don't forget to use the website link wisely. Since Instagram doesn't allow you to share clickable links in photo captions, this is the only place you can promote your external content.

Example of IG bio.

10. Think Outside the App

While it's important to focus on what you can do in the Instagram app, you should also think about where you can cross-promote your account. Include links to your Instagram account in other social media bios, and where possible, actually connect your accounts.

Go to Settings > Linked Accounts to link your Instagram account to Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and more. When you post an image on Instagram, you can then automatically share those images elsewhere. Connecting your Instagram account to Facebook will also notify your Facebook friends, giving you a little more exposure.

Email is another powerful tool to consider promoting your Instagram account: just putting a link to your Instagram account in your email signature will probably gain you some extra followers who are more likely to be engaged. If you have a personal newsletter you send out to subscribers, include the link there too.

Build an Audience on IG

Before you can become a social media influencer, you have to build your brand and your community. Getting more followers and engaging with them is one way to get there. And now you have enough know-how to get more real Instagram followers!