Instagram is a social media platform allowing users to share pictures with followers from all over the world. While Instagram can be viewed on a laptop and mobile device, you can only upload photographs from your mobile phone. It is popular among celebrities, as well as regular people, and the theme can be anything from food to fashion.
As with any social platform, the point of having a blog is to have an audience. In the case of Instagram, these are called ‘followers’. It may take a while to build up a satisfactory number of followers, but if you follow these steps, you should see an impressive increase in your audience.
1. Hashtags
Hashtags are important because they help people find your photos on Instagram. Without them, there would be no way for strangers to see your photos and decide to follow you. Instagram has a limit of 30 hashtags per photo. However, you should not go overboard with them as it may be distracting, especially if you have captioned your photo as well. Remember to choose appropriate hashtags, that directly relate to your images. You can also try some of the popular ones, such as ‘#likeforlike’ and ‘#followforfollow’ to attract more attention and followers.
2. Like and Comment
Like, and comment on, as many people’s images as you can. If you are lucky, they will notice and decide to check out your profile. This also shows that you are an active blogger, and not a ‘ghost’ user. People are more likely to follow someone who will follow them back, not somebody who uses Instagram once every three months.
3. Theme
Blogs with an original, constant theme attract more followers than blogs with photos of random objects and everyday events. If you are not a celebrity, people are not interested in what you are doing throughout the day, so pick a theme and stick to it. People know what kind of blogs they want to look at, so this is what they will search for. Instagram includes a short biography, where you can write about yourself and your blog. If your blog is based on flowers, you should include this in your biography and use appropriate hashtags, for example ‘#flowers’ or ‘#botany’. Stick to this theme, and refrain from including random pictures of your night out with the girls, as this will put off potential, flower-enthusiast followers.
4. Originality
Post original and interesting photos, something eye-catching that is impossible to scroll by without stopping for a closer look. That is the fundamental problem with Instagram; there are an infinite number of photographs to look at, so standing out is quite challenging. Steer clear from overloading your blog with ‘selfies’. They are uninteresting, and unlikely to attract a loyal flock of followers. There is nothing wrong with selfies, uploading one per week will do no harm, but 20 selfies in one day is likely to encourage people to unfollow you.
5. Post Regularly
When somebody checks out your profile, they will probably check when you last posted, and how often you post. If you have not uploaded anything in two weeks, and three weeks before that, they are unlikely to follow you. Enthusiastic Instagram users update their profiles and scroll through the home page regularly, and they want to see new photos everyday. Upload your photos daily, perhaps one at morning and one before you go to bed, to gain the most followers. People will know what to expect, and be reassured you’re not a ghost follower.
There is no quick and easy way to gain followers on Instagram. However, with dedication and determination, you could see your audience growing rapidly. These tips will help to speed up the process of gaining followers, and keeping them for good.
