How to Get More Followers on Instagram: 10 Ways to Your First (or Next) 1000

Instagram has over 2 billion people using it every month. It also lets users shop directly through posts. That makes it a strong tool for any business. But we’ve seen it ourselves – growing followers on Instagram is not easy, especially if you’re not a big, well-known brand.

Just posting a few pictures or Reels isn’t enough. To grow, we need to understand who follows us and talk to them often. Don’t worry — we’re here to share tips that really work.

Let’s look at some clear and useful ways of how to get more followers on instagram — whether it’s your first 1,000 or your next 10,000.

Types of Instagram Followers

Before we talk about how to get followers, let’s understand the kinds of followers we might get:

1. Fake Followers:

These are not real people. They’re usually bots or fake accounts that don’t have profile pictures or real posts. They might make our numbers look better, but they won’t help us grow because they don’t like, comment, or share. Instagram’s system looks at how much people engage — not just how many follow — so fake followers don’t help at all.

2. Ghost Followers:

These are real people, but they don’t engage anymore. It’s like having contacts in your email list who never open your emails. They don’t hurt your account, but they don’t help it either.

3. Organic Followers:

These are the followers we want the most. They are real people who look at our posts, comment, like, and maybe even buy from us. They may include:

• Customers: People who already bought from us.
• Competitors: People in the same field watching what we do.
• Influencers: Creators with small to medium followings (10K–75K) who might want to work with us.

Among all the types, organic followers are the best. So, how do we get more of them?

How to Get More Instagram Followers

Even if we don’t have a big team or lots of experience, we can still grow if we focus on the right things.

Here are the areas that matter:

• Instagram Strategy
• Content Creation
• Engaging With Followers
• Promoting the Account

Instagram Strategy Tips

1. Show a Real Person in Your Content:

People like to follow people, not just logos or brand names. That’s why influencer marketing works so well.

Even if we don’t want to pay influencers, we can still get great results by having someone from our team be the “face” of the brand. It could be a marketer, a team leader, or anyone who enjoys social media and understands how to talk to people online.

When someone shows up regularly in our posts, followers begin to connect with them. They feel like they’re following a real person, not just a business.

If we have someone on our team who enjoys Instagram, we should let them create and appear in posts. Even if they’re new, they can learn by getting certified in Instagram Marketing and using easy templates to practice.

2. Let Your Team Be Part of Your Instagram Content:

No one understands your brand or product better than the people on your team. If they’re comfortable, ask them to be in your Instagram posts — this could be photos, short videos, or even voice clips.

You can make this easier by setting up a simple system to collect content from them. For example, create a shared email where they can send photos, videos, or fun ideas like memes. Or, if your team uses something like Dropbox or Google Drive, make a folder where they can upload content easily.

Think about how your team likes to share things already, and choose the easiest way to involve them.

2. Share Helpful Content Using Instagram Carousels:

One of the best ways to get more followers is to give your audience something useful. In this case, that means teaching them something new.

Carousels — posts with multiple images or slides — are very effective. Research from Sprout Social shows they get the second-highest engagement after Reels. Even Instagram’s head, Adam Mosseri, said carousels get more reach than regular photo posts.

Think of a topic your audience wants to learn about, and turn it into a short Instagram carousel. Start with an eye-catching title on the first slide, so people want to swipe through. Grammarly is a great example of a brand that shares helpful carousels regularly.

3. Keep Diversity and Inclusion in Mind:

Instagram is used by people from all over the world. That means our content should speak to different types of people, not just one group.

Try to think beyond age, gender, race, or income. Focus on common problems your product solves — problems that many different people face.

This makes our content more welcoming and helps us reach more people. Inclusive marketing helps us think differently about who our buyers could be.

For example, Urban Decay Cosmetics does a great job of showing real, diverse people in their posts. Instead of only showing traditional beauty looks, they feature many styles, backgrounds, and identities. This opens them up to new followers that other brands might ignore.

4. Post Often and Stick to a Schedule:

If we want people to follow us, we need to keep showing up. That means posting content regularly — and making sure it’s useful and well-made.

Marketing expert Sarah Schmidt says posting with a purpose helps build loyal followers. Don’t just post random things. Try to tell a story over time — like a series of updates, behind-the-scenes moments, or themed posts.

It helps to make a posting schedule and stick to it. When we post at the same time each week, people start to expect and look forward to it.

Think of it like a favorite TV show. While our content may not be as exciting as a show, having a set time helps build trust and keeps people coming back.

What’s the best time to post?

The best times are between 12–3 PM and 6–9 PM.

Friday is the top day for engagement, followed by Saturday and Sunday.

But don’t stop there — test these times to see what works best for your followers. If your audience is in a different time zone, posting time may need to change too.

5. Use Different Types of Content:

Do we usually post only pictures? Or maybe only Instagram Reels? If we want more Instagram followers, it’s smart to try different types of content.

People like to see and learn in different ways. If we only share one kind of post, many people in our audience might ignore us.

Instead of making one big post to please everyone, we should divide our followers into smaller groups. Then, plan different posts for each group.

One account we really like is Airbnb. They share a mix of short videos, photos, and carousels to keep their feed interesting and show offers in many ways.

What kind of posts get the most likes and views? With an Instagram business account, we can use Instagram Insights to check which posts work best.

6. Follow Trends and Current Events:

Instagram changes fast and loves trends. Finding ways to add popular memes, trends, or news into our posts helps us stay noticed.

For example, Audible usually shares book news and author talks. But they also mix in funny memes. This helps them reach new people and keeps their current followers interested.

7. Make Short Videos:

In 2025, short videos will be very popular on Instagram. According to the Report, short videos are the most used content and give the best results.

Good news: We don’t have to be video experts to make Reels. Short and simple videos work well when paired with popular sounds and smart captions.

When we need ideas, we look at accounts like Duolingo. They quickly join trends and make fun, easy videos that work well.

8. Use Good Photography Tips:

On Instagram, good photos matter a lot. Bad photos can turn people away, even if your other posts are great. You don’t need to be a professional photographer to have a nice feed. Just learn some simple photo rules and use editing apps on your phone.

Photo Tips:

• Use the rule of thirds (imagine your photo divided into 9 parts, and place the main subject along the lines).
• If unsure, center the subject.
• Look for balanced and even pictures.
• Capture small details to add interest.
• Use good light; natural light is best.

Editing Photos:
Instagram has some tools, but often we need extra apps to make photos pop. Try apps like Canva, Photoshop Express, or VSCO Cam for quick fixes.

9. Start Talks with Captions and Comments:

Captions are very important. They explain your post, make your brand feel real, and give extra value that makes people want to read, comment, and follow.

Using captions to start conversations can help more people see your posts because Instagram shows popular posts more.

Good captions often include:

• Personality
• Emojis
• Hashtags
• Questions

Personality:

Many popular brands use humor and personality to connect with followers. Kelly Hendrickson, a social media expert, likes Netflix’s Instagram for this reason.

Netflix talks like a friend — casual, funny, and trendy. For example, they joke about their popular show, You. This makes their posts feel like a chat among friends.

Questions

The best way to get people to reply? Ask a question. The drink brand Poppi asked its followers to guess a new flavor. This is a fun way to get people interested, catch the eye of new followers, and build excitement. We would definitely follow them after seeing this post to get updates when the new flavor comes out.

Another way to get followers to interact is by adding a playful call-to-action. For example, you could write, “Double-tap if you think this is funny,” or “Tell your story in the comments.”
Writing things like “Tag a friend who does X” or “Share this with a friend who needs X” helps you reach more people by showing your post to new eyes. Need help writing your Instagram captions? HubSpot’s Free AI Content Writer can help you.

Comment and engage with others’ content.

Half the work to get more Instagram followers is to get noticed. One way to get more views, even if your posts don’t show up on Explore or Suggested pages, is to comment and engage on other people’s posts.

Like posts. Share and tag other accounts in your Stories. Write comments on posts by people you want to follow you (like influencers or possible customers) or on posts popular with your current followers. Show your real self or start a chat, and people will see you (and be more likely to follow).

Engaging Instagram Followers

We have talked a lot about good content, now let’s see how you can raise engagement directly.

10. Encourage and post user-generated content:

If we see a normal person talking about a product on Instagram, we trust them more than if the brand says the same thing. Most people feel this way.

As a brand, posting user-generated content (UGC) helps build trust with your Instagram followers. UGC shows you appreciate your customers and also gives social proof. In fact, 40% of buyers say UGC is important when they decide to buy. Caitie Sfingi, Co-Founder of Kinhive, a platform for women founders, says UGC helped her brand grow on Instagram.

“We saw the most follower growth from UGC-style video ads,” she says. “Professional videos look like ads. They are too perfect, so people skip them because they know they are being sold to. UGC ads feel like a friend talking about your product or service.” The photo app VSCO often shares content made by its users on Instagram.

Attracting New Followers With Your Instagram Profile

An incomplete profile sends a big warning to new followers on Instagram. Missing details can make people wonder why it’s missing, and this can hurt your trust (Remember what we said about fake followers?).

1. Choose a clear username:

Your Instagram username (or handle) should be easy to recognize and search — like your business name. For example, the UK business The Journal Shop uses the simple handle @thejournalshop.

If your business name is taken, try similar options (like your business name plus a word or phrase).

For example, Peloton uses @onepeloton, and Australian activewear brand Lorna Jane uses @lornajaneactive.

While it’s best to have your exact name, these small changes still make your brand easy to find.

2. Have an on-brand profile picture:

Use a clear, good-quality picture of your face if you are a creator, or your logo if you are a business. You want people to quickly recognize you when they see your posts.

Pro tip: Use the same profile picture on all your social channels so followers recognize you instantly.

3. Add details next to your name:

Not many people do this, but the name field on Instagram is extra space you can use to tell people more about yourself. Use this space to share what your business does.

For example, HubSpot could write “HubSpot | AI-Powered Customer Platform.”

Style blogger Sarah Ramondt Lennon adds “Amazon Fashion” to her name.

Adding these small details tells visitors what you are about as soon as they visit your profile. If you want more Instagram followers, use this space to attract people right away.

4. Share your value and personality in your bio:

Instagram lets you use only 150 characters in your bio. Use them to tell people why they should follow you. Say who you are and what you do, but also add a bit of your personality.

Here are some examples to help you:
@cheekbonebeauty : “ Indigenous Roots Sustainable By Nature B Corp Certified Cruelty-Free @sephoracanada @thirteenlune @jcpenney Founded by @cheekbonejenn”

@oreo : “Playful moments from your favorite cookie.”

@sahilbloom : “New York Times Bestselling Author of The 5 Types of Wealth. On a mission to redefine what it means to live a wealthy life.”

@CalifiaFarms : “⁣Because life’s too short for one type of milk. ”

@coragedolls : “Instilling cultural pride with products & stories that finally reflect her. #blackowned”

5. Add a LinkTree:

When you say, “check out my link in bio,” make sure your link page is easy to use. You can add up to five links in your bio, but we suggest using LinkTree to add more.

You can use LinkTree to send people to your website, other social media, special offers, or anything you want.

Your bio link is the best way to get followers to take action, and it’s the only place to add clickable links for free. LinkTree helps you use it well (and it’s free).

6. Establish your unique brand:

Do you have brand colors? A special font or style?

Use these to create a look for all your Instagram posts.

This makes your feed look neat, professional, and easy to recognize. People will see your posts and know they are from you, even if they see them somewhere else.

Beauty brand Live Tinted uses its brand color, orange, all over its Instagram page and posts.

Also, create a consistent voice on Instagram — one that fits your brand and company culture.

You don’t want to sound very casual on Instagram but formal everywhere else.

Once you find your voice, keep it steady and natural in your videos, captions, comments, and messages.

When your profile looks ready, try to have 15 or more posts before you start trying to get followers.

This way, when new people visit, they see many posts and get a clear idea of what you offer.

How Not to Increase Instagram Followers

Besides using AI, you might want to try shortcuts to get more followers on Instagram. We want to warn you that these shortcuts usually cause more problems than good results (like less engagement, penalties, or even being banned).

Let’s look at some ways you should avoid to grow your followers.

Don’t buy Instagram followers.

Some people want quick results and buy followers on Instagram. But buying followers is wrong and breaks Instagram’s rules. This can hurt your brand because people will trust you less. There are also other problems with buying followers.

Fake followers don’t interact. As we said before, these accounts won’t like, comment, share, or repost your posts. When your posts get no engagement, Instagram thinks your content is not interesting or helpful.

Even if your follower number looks big, fake followers will lower things like:

• How many people see your posts
• Likes
• Comments

Having fake followers also makes it hard to see if your marketing is working. Instead, focus on growing real followers who like your brand and content.

Don’t use too many hashtags.

Putting too many hashtags in your Instagram captions can hurt your follower growth for some reasons:

• It can confuse your message or story by taking attention away from the main post and making your captions hard to understand.
• It can bring followers who don’t really care about your posts. These followers won’t engage or stick around.
• It can make your posts look like spam or like you are desperate for attention. This can make people avoid your account because it feels less real or professional. Instead of using many hashtags, we suggest using only relevant hashtags that match your post.

This way, you attract people who really care about your topic and increase your chance of getting likes and followers.

Don’t post low-quality or copied content.

You won’t get new followers if you often share poor-quality or copied posts. People’s feeds already have too many posts, so sharing bad or common posts doesn’t add value. By making good-looking, original content that gives something useful to your audience, you can get more engagement, make your brand look good, and earn real followers.

Earning Your Instagram Followers

If you want many real and active Instagram followers, you have to earn them. It’s more important to care about the quality of your posts than just the number of followers. From what we have seen, when you spend time making interesting, helpful, or inspiring content without trying quick tricks, followers will come naturally and happily.