Designate an experienced content creator. Just like there should be one (maybe two) people managing your other social media accounts, there should only be one or two people managing your Instagram account. If possible, choose someone with experience on the platform who will "get" it — and be sure they stay updated on all new features Instagram has to offer from Reels to IGTV. If you work for a large organization, you might find that a lot of people want a say in what's posted. That's when an organized request or guidelines document comes in handy. This document should inform people how to request a post on your Instagram account, when, the value of the post, and why. 3. Follow photography and editing best practices. On Instagram, post quality matters. A lot. Your Twitter followers might forgive a few bad tweets, but a bad photo on Instagram is a big no-no. Fortunately, you don't have to take a photography course to be a good Instagram poster — nor do you have to practice for weeks before you start. But you should get familiar with basic photography tips and photo editing apps. Photography Best Practices Since Instagram is a mobile app, chances are, some content you post to Instagram will be taken on your mobile device. That's expected.
If your budget allows, consider investing in professional photography for your Instagram photos, as that will elevate your profile. Otherwise, a smartphone and a few editing apps will do. Focus on one subject at a time. Embrace negative space. Find interesting perspectives. Look for symmetry. Capture small details. Make your followers laugh. Edit photos before you post. Instagram has some basic editing capabilities, but oftentimes, they aren't adequate to make visuals really great. Most of your photos should go through at least one or two photo editing apps on your mobile phone before you open them on Instagram. Additionally, consider creating a cohesive Instagram theme across your feed, so anyone visiting your account for the first time can get a sense of your brand. example of consistent instagram profile theme from byrdconsults instagram that helps to gain 1000 instagram followers
Adhere to a regular posting schedule. Once you've created and optimized your profile, have someone managing it, and have your creative assets ready, it's time to start posting. It's a good idea to have a solid number of great posts up – maybe 15 or so – before you start engaging people and working down this list. That way, when people visit your profile, they'll see a full screen of photos and will know you'll post great content regularly. To start posting on Instagram, download this social media content calendar template first and plan out your posts. It's best to build a backlog of content ready a few days or weeks ahead of the publishing date. This will ensure you always have content during holidays, vacations, and even creative blocks. Keep your target persona in mind as you plan out your posting schedule, as that can drastically impact your posting timing and frequency – especially if you're targeting an audience in a different time zone. (Download this free template for creating buyer personas if you don't have a few already.) Optimizing your schedule for your specific audience might take time and experimentation.
Experiment with these times and days to see what works with your audience. You may find that your target users are most active and engaged at different times. Allow outside contributors to curate your content. Although it's best to have only one or two people manning your account, one or two people can't be everywhere at once taking photos. What about that fun sushi night the engineers had last night? Or the event your head of sales spoke at earlier this week? There's a whole breadth of content you'll want to post to Instagram, and more often than not, one person won't be able to keep track of it all. One solution? Create a system where you can curate photos and content from members of your team. There are a few ways to do this. The first option is to create a specific email address for employees to send their photos, short videos, memes, hyper-lapses, and so on. Encourage people to add a descriptive subject line so you can easily sort through the content they're sending. While this doesn't seem like the smoothest way to curate photos, it's actually the easiest for the people sending you photos — and the easier you can make it for them to send content, the more content you'll get.
1000 Followers AppIf your team shares a Box or Dropbox account, you could also create a shared folder where people can automatically drop their photos and videos. Use a consistent, platform-specific brand voice. Photos and videos might be the most important part of your Instagram posts, but captions, comments, and other text should never be an afterthought. If you're managing a channel for a brand or have more than one Instagram manager, consider developing a consistent voice that humanizes your brand. This shows potential followers that you are credible and relatable, rather than formal or intimidating. When developing a voice, you should keep the platform and your audience in mind. For example, many influencers and prominent accounts on Instagram have a very casual voice and style but remain professional and on-brand. Once you've got your voice down, make sure it stays consistent and natural in your captions, comments, messages, and your bio.
Write engaging, shareable captions. Captions are an essential part of your post — the icing on the cake if you will. Consistently great captions can do wonders for humanizing your brand, winning over followers, and making your content more shareable — thereby giving you more exposure. Here are a few things you might see in a winning Instagram caption: Clever or witty comments Calls to action Relevant emojis Hashtags Clever or Witty Comments Some brands and influencers have used clever or witty captions, or even audience-appropriate jokes to further humanize themselves on Instagram. My colleague Kelly Hendrickson, HubSpot's social media team manager, says that she loves Netflix's account and sub-accounts, particularly because of the post captions. "They have such a clear brand voice, and you laugh along with them. They're in on the joke, just like one of your friends," she says. example of instagram business account like netflix using clever or witty comments to gain followers on instagram Netflix's voice is casual, trendy, and humorous while still staying on brand. In the post above, the caption is funny, authentic, and relatable. Who hasn't flipped through a friend's Instagram Story with the hope that you'll be featured?
Calls to Action Another way to increase the shareability of your caption and engage your followers is to ask questions or have some sort of call-to-action in the captions of your photos. For example, you might write, "Double-tap if you find this funny," or "share your story in the comments." In the example below, we asked followers of the HubSpot Instagram account to leave a comment with a book that's had a positive impact on their work, along with tagging the author: example of an instagram call to action cta on hubspot instagram account to increase engagement and gain instagram followers Relevant Emojis Adding just a few relevant emojis can add even more personality to your posts. It could also make them even more noticeable on an Instagram feed. In the post below, Danielle Gray, a beauty expert with over 50K followers, includes witty text with relevant emojis to make the post pop. example of instagram user stylenbeautydoc using emojis to help gain instagram followers
25K FollowersAlong with the three items listed above, you'll also want to include hashtags. Optimize posts with relevant hashtags. On Instagram, a hashtag ties conversations from different users who wouldn't already be connected into a single stream. If you use relevant hashtags, your posts will gain exposure to a wider audience and help you become discoverable to potential customers. The key to using hashtags effectively is to be selective and use them sparingly. Try to limit the number of hashtags per caption to around three. Similarly, don't use "like for like" hashtags, like #like4like or #like4likes. This is a shortcut tactic that'll only leave you with low-quality followers. To find the hashtags your audience might be using, do a little research on relevant hashtags in your niche or industry. The easiest way to do this research is in the Instagram app itself, in the Explore tab (i.e., the magnifying glass icon). When you search for one hashtag, it'll show you a list of related hashtags at the top of your screen.
For example, when I search for #digitalmarketingstrategy on Instagram, it shows me relevant hashtags like #digitalmarketingexpert, #digitalmarketing, and so on. gain instagram followers by optimizing using relevant hashtags To help relate to your followers on a personal level, you might consider hopping on hashtag trends like #tbt ("Throwback Thursday"), #MotivationMonday, #TransformationTuesday, or other trending hashtags. Here's a post from Fanmdjanm, a headwrap collection and lifestyle brand with over 150K followers on its Instagram account, using the #HappyMothersDay hashtag: Once you build up a bit of a following, you can try creating your own hashtags — like your company name or a slogan that applies to your content. This is a great way to build up your brand on the platform and build a more cohesive presence. Lean into trending content formats. With the arrival of TikTok on the social media scene, short-form videos have become one of the most effective content formats on social media.
In fact, according to a HubSpot Blog survey, 85% of marketers who use short-form videos find them to be the most effective content format. And 95% of marketers who leverage short-form videos plan to increase their investment or continue investing the same amount in 2022. That's why it's important to lean into trending content formats. After TikTok, Instagram came out with IG Reels, and this feature is a great way to post funny, relatable content. When Instagram comes out with new tools, like IG Reels, don't be afraid to use those features because they can help you gain Instagram followers. 10. Post content your followers want to see. To gain your first 1,000 followers on Instagram, it's important to know who your audience is. Once you've created your Instagram account, you should take note of which posts perform best. Is it interactive content, behind-the-scenes stories, funny and relatable posts, or something else? When you have a general idea of what performs best, continue to create that type of content. Additionally, Instagram has many tools and features you can use: IGTV, IG Reels, Instagram Stories, Instagram Live, Highlights, etc. Begin by posting several types of content formats and see which one does best. Then, come up with a strategy and master that one tool. Doing so will help you create content your followers want to see and gain new followers.
25K Followers InstagramPromote your Instagram. Like the old adage about a tree falling in a forest, if you start an Instagram account without promoting it, is the account even real yet? Well, yes. But, you'll have fewer followers. One of the best ways to gain followers on Instagram is to promote your account. Embed posts in your blogs (like you see a few on this post), post on your other social media platforms, and share social links in your email newsletters. A great way to gain followers on one platform is to ask current followers on other platforms if they want to follow you somewhere else as well. Additionally, to promote your Instagram, it's important to get started with Instagram promotions and ads. This will help you reach a wider audience. I know it might seem like ads are only effective for selling certain products, but I've followed several business accounts because of a sponsored post I saw.
Engage with users through follows, likes, and comments. Instagram is very much a community, and one great way to get involved in that community is to find people who post pictures that interest you, follow their accounts and interact with their content. It's the most natural way to draw attention to your own Instagram account. This accomplishes two things: for one, when they get the notification that you've followed them, there's a good chance they'll check out your profile. This goes back to the importance of having great content on your account before you start reaching out to others. Secondly, it means you'll be seeing their recent posts in your feed, so you can Like and interact with them if you choose to. As you build a following, celebrate your followers by responding to and pinning their comments, and even reposting their posts for user-generated content. 13. Cross-promote with influencers and brands with similar audiences. Once you build rapport with the folks behind accounts with similar audiences to your own, consider collaborating with them. Partnering with influencers and brands helps with discoverability, reach, and social proof.
For instance, influencer Sweetlikeoyin who has around 60K followers, posted a sponsored image of herself on the beach wearing a dress from Lulu's. The clothing brand then published the same image. With this partnership, both accounts can expand their reach and gain new followers. It's a win-win. However, be sure to create content that seems natural and makes sense for your brands and collective audience. 14. Run Instagram contests to encourage engagement. Another great way to expand your reach while increasing engagement with your photos is to run a contest or giveaway. As part of your contest, you can ask users to follow your account, like, and/or comment on the post to be eligible to win. I mean, come on. Who doesn't love winning free stuff? You can also add a user-generated content (UGC) element to the contest, too, where people post a photo of their own and use a specific hashtag. Here's an example from PlayaBowlsNortheastern, where followers were asked to follow Playa Bowls as well as their brand partner, Scoop and Sushi, and tag a friend in the comments. In exchange, followers had the chance to win a free bowl:
