How to Achieve Organic Instagram Growth and Get Real Instagram Followers

Instagram is no doubt one of today's most popular social networking platforms. A lot of people are using the photo-sharing platform to share photos. With Instagram, all you need is to create a profile and you're all set to showcase your skills in photography.

In Instagram, users can follow each other and be notified every time someone posts a new photo. The number of followers that an Instagram user has is also beneficial in determining the user's level of influence and authority. For you to become popular on Instagram, you need to have a significant number of followers.

If you're someone who wants to gain more Instagram followers, you must keep in mind that it cannot be done overnight. There may be ways to buy followers but aside from the risk of getting your account banned, these followers are either bots or fake accounts. These followers do not give you any form of user engagement. What you need to find are real followers; people who are actually interested in your posts.

To attract the right followers, here are some tips that you should keep in mind at all times.

If you want to gain more Instagram followers and actually keep them, you must always make sure to post high-quality content. This means properly cropped photos in clear resolution with engaging captions. It also helps if you focus on posting photos that fall in a specific niche or subject. If your Instagram is all about food and travel, then focus on that niche. Avoid posting photos that are unrelated like selfies.

While it's nice to gain more followers, you also need to make sure that you can actually keep them. If a user no longer finds your posts interesting or relevant, you'll most likely end up getting unfollowed. Another thing is inactivity. If you don't post consistently and at least once daily, people will think that you're no longer active so they might as well leave.

One of the best and proven ways to get your Instagram photos discovered is through hashtags. Every time you make a post, make sure to include relevant hashtags. Use the Instagram search and discover feature to find trending and relevant hashtags. Note down these hashtags and be sure to include them the next time you post. Just don't flood the post with hashtags. Use them wisely and limit the use to at least 15 hashtags per post.

Another way to get users to follow you on Instagram is to follow them first. However, make sure to follow users who are actually posting related content. This helps you explore their profile and discover more like-minded people. Through this, you can start building your network and target audience. Note that this method doesn't guarantee that you'll get a follow back but it's always worth trying out.

Discussions about a certain post or photo usually happen in the comments section. Thus, if you want to increase your visibility in the Instagram community, you need to interact with others and let them be aware of your presence. If they know you and find your posts in the comments insightful and interesting, they'll most likely check you out.

If you have other social media platforms like Facebook, don't miss the chance to inform your friends and other contacts to follow you on Instagram. If you have a channel on YouTube, make sure to include a link to your Instagram profile to every video that you publish. If you own a website or blog, use a widget or social button that links back to your Instagram profile. Needless to say, the more exposure your Instagram profile gets, the more chances of you getting followed.

This is something difficult to do but definitely worth a shot. If you're following a popular Instagram user who has similar content as you, you might consider requesting this person for a shout out. A shout out is when a user mentions you on his or her post. This usually works if that person is known for giving shout outs to loyal and active followers. Other than that, you can find other ways to get your request noticed like offering to send them free stuff.

This method actually works well for accounts who are promoting their business or brand. To attract more followers, you can do a giveaway or raffle and pick a random winner. For participants to be eligible for the giveaway or raffle, they must follow your account and share it with others. The success of this method lies on how effective your promo mechanics are. Be creative and challenge yourself to think out of the box.

This method is definitely underestimated but works significantly well especially if you like to socialize and build your network offline. When establishing a connection with people in the real world, you usually ask for contact details and vice versa. If you have a business card, you can include your profile URL or Instagram handle. Other effective ways to promote your Instagram account offline is through flyers, brochures and other forms of printed materials. Other than that, don't be embarrassed to promote your account through word of mouth.

The above tips may not give you lots of followers overnight but what's guaranteed is the followers that you'll be getting will be authentic. The growth of your followers may be gradual but you can definitely see a steady increase in user engagement. This is what's important. Over time, you'll reach several milestones that will help make your Instagram profile even more popular.