Learning Instagram’s algorithm can feel like a slow and painful death, especially when it comes to post engagement and follower count.

Many ‘grammers deal with this frustration, which in turn may lead to giving up on social media altogether or looking for “shortcuts” that can impact your profile majorly, like buying followers or playing the follow-unfollow game (not cool, guys).

When it comes to your followers, you want people who 1) you want as a client or customer, 2) you want to be a client or customer of, 3) find their content interesting/inspirational/educational.

Instagram is all about engagement and authenticity. You can’t just post once or twice a week and put your phone down and forget about it. Your goal with social media (and specifically Instagram) should be to create relationships and community.

 With that in mind, here are five ways you can boost your follower count on Instagram organically.

Use high quality images

Instagram is a visual platform. If you post blurry or grainy photos, your followers just aren’t going to be interested, no matter how amazing the caption is.

Use a planning tool, like Tailwind, that helps you see the layout of your grid ahead of time so you can make sure your feed fits your brand’s aesthetic. If you use stock photos, make sure you choose images that fit your brand identity and colors. If you’re creating your own images, stay so consistent with your filter and color scheme.

Be intentional with your captions.

While Instagram heavily relies on visuals, you need to give your followers an authentic post underneath. Just posting pictures won’t get you anywhere anymore.

2020 is the year for long form captions that help your followers learn more about who you are, what your brand is, and who you’re there to help.

When writing your captions, make sure you’re writing to your ideal client. 

Writing for everyone means you’re writing for no one.

Follow the 80/20 rule when it comes to posting on your feed. Eighty percent should be a mixture of educational, personal, and inspirational content, and the other twenty percent should be promoting your business, masterclass, program, or launch.

When you follow this rule, you’ll be able to build a relationship with your followers because you’re letting them know who you are! This allows your audience to be more involved and see the behind the scenes, which means a consistent audience retention – and new followers flowing in.

Make sure you’re showing up in the ‘related accounts’ section.

When you like an account from their profile, more often than not a “suggested for you” section will pop up underneath the follow button. You can also access this feature by going to a profile and clicking the downward arrow underneath the account’s bio.

This list is created based on your interests, who you follow, and that specific profile account’s activity.

Appearing in this list is a great way to gain followers – but there isn’t a tried and true method to get on the list, but here are a few ways you can improve your luck:

• USE KEYWORDS IN YOUR BIO.
• MAKE SURE YOU’RE ENGAGING WITH SIMILAR BRANDS/BUSINESSES.

Optimize your Instagram profile.

When someone visits your Instagram profile, you only have a few seconds to convince them to click that “follow” button.

Your feed is the first impression you make on potential clients, so you want to make sure your profile is flawless (#aesthetics).

When it comes to convincing potential followers that you’re worthy of gracing their feed, they’ll make that decision by reading your bio, looking through your grid, and checking out your highlights. 

This is why it’s so important to make sure your profile page is created to convert.

 To do this, you need to make sure your Instagram profile photo captures your brand, you’re using keywords in your bio, you’re active on stories, and you have a consistent grid.

Show yo face.

Even Jenna Kutcher utilizes this tip!

Did you know that photos with faces get 38% more likes on Instagram?

Your followers are looking for accounts they can relate to, whether that’s a brand, person, or influencer (I mean, look at Sarah Landry over at The Bird’s Papaya!) 

That’s why it’s so important to make your Insta account as relatable as possible and establish your brand as an expert in its niche.

People are looking to make authentic connections with the people behind the brand even more than they are looking for information about the brand and their products or services.

If you’re camera shy, try challenging yourself to posting your face once or twice a week to begin with. You’ll be shook by the results! You can also try taking Jenna Kutcher’s free Instagram challenge that she talks about on her podcast, The Goal Digger (I’ll link it here for reference).

 Growing your Instagram account doesn’t have to be slow going! With the right techniques and strategies, you’ll be able to increase your followers in no time!

Make sure you’ve optimized your profile, are creating branded content, are being authentic, and engaging with your followers to see the most growth!