• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Social Media Examiner

Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle

  • 🔥 Free Newsletter
  • ⭐ FREE Web3 Course
  • 🗓️ Our Events
    • Social Media Marketing World (Mar 13-15)
    • Other Industry Events
  • 💡 Society
  • ⚙️ Tools
  • 🎙️ Podcasts
    • Social Media Marketing Podcast
    • Social Media Marketing Talk Show
    • Web3 Business Podcast
    • Our YouTube Channel
  • 🎯 Partner With Us
    • Podcast Sponsorship
    • Email Sponsorship
      • Email Newsletter
      • Dedicated Email Blast
    • Event Sponsorship
      • Social Media Marketing World
    • Tools Sponsorship
  • 👋 About Us
    • Our Story
    • Articles
      • Web3
      • Instagram Marketing
      • Facebook Marketing
      • YouTube Marketing
      • LinkedIn Marketing
      • TikTok Marketing
      • Expert Interviews
  • Search
  • Social Media Marketing World10th annual. Biggest industry event. Get the recordings!IMPROVE YOUR MARKETING

    10 Ways to Grow an Organic Instagram Presence

    by Julia McCoy / November 2, 2016

    social media how toDo you want more Instagram followers?

    Looking for organic Instagram growth tactics?

    With more than 300 million active monthly users, Instagram still offers businesses the opportunity to reach new users without buying ads.

    In this article, you'll discover 10 organic tactics used by top Instagram marketers to gain more Instagram followers.

    organic marketing tips to increase instagram followers
    Discover 10 organic ways to grow your Instagram presence.

    Tips From Sue B. Zimmerman

    @SueBZimmerman, a featured speaker and recognized Instagram expert, started her Instagram accounts five years ago. Here are the organic tactics she's used to amass an audience of over 40K followers on two separate accounts.

    To start with, you need to post consistently. While the average Instagram account posts once per day, more successful accounts (like Sue's) tend to post more frequently. Choose a frequency you can hold to.

    sue b zimmerman instagram bio
    Sue B. Zimmerman has amassed a large following on Instagram.

    As you begin to receive comments and questions on your posts, be sure to respond to everyone who engages.

    You'll also want to find and engage with others who post content related to your business, industry, or brand. You can find these users by checking hashtags that are relevant to your interests and brand, or by viewing the followers of your favorite accounts.

    As you engage with others, don't simply like the photos or leave generic comments. Comments like “Nice pic!” won't leave an impression or inspire someone to check out your account. If you want to gain a new follower, leave thoughtful comments that have some heart!

    Ready for some pro tips?

    #1: Cross-promote to Gain Followers

    If you have a blog or are on Twitter, Facebook, or Snapchat, you'll want to broadcast and amplify the fact that you're also on Instagram.

    sue b zimmerman cross-promote example
    Share your Instagram username on your other social channels.

    For example, take a screenshot of your Instagram account and share it on Facebook along with a link to your Instagram page. Or simply share your Instagram username in the post and ask your followers to follow you on Instagram.

    #2: Add Emojis to Boost Discoverability

    Emojis are the universal language on Instagram. In fact, Instagram reports that nearly 50% of all captions and comments on Instagram now have an emoji or two.

    3 Days of World-Class Training—Zero Travel!

    Social Media Marketing World

    Travel to Social Media Marketing World off the table? Get all of the great content at a fraction of the price with an On-Demand ticket.

    That’s full access to recordings of every keynote, workshop, and session—the ones people travel thousands of miles to see. Don't wait. Get your On-Demand ticket and enjoy actionable content that you can watch anytime, anywhere.

    GET YOUR ON-DEMAND TICKET NOW

    Because emojis are searchable on Instagram as both a hashtag or in your user name, people can find you based on which emoji you use.

    sue b zimmerman bee emoji
    Sue B. uses bee emojis in her bios!

    For example, if you're a photographer and include the camera emoji in your bio, a stranger who's looking for a photographer by running a search for the camera emoji just might find you.

    instagram emoji search
    Users might find a photographer's Instagram account by searching for the camera emoji.

    #3: Create a Photo Theme to Reinforce Familiarity

    Instagram is akin to a digital magazine, so curate content that shares a similar theme or vibe. For example, crop all of your images the same way, post pictures of the same subject matter, or use the same filter on all of your photos.

    sue b zimmerman instagram theme
    Sue's followers are used to seeing a clean font and images with lots of color.

    #4: Add Hashtags to Gain Traction

    The right hashtags can expose your images to a large targeted audience. You can add up to 30 hashtags, and interactions are highest on Instagram posts with 11+ hashtags.

    Looking for supplemental hashtags? You can use Hashtagify to find hashtags that are relevant and related to your business. Simply type in a major hashtag from an already-popular post and see which of the resulting related hashtags you can add to your post to bring in new traffic.

    hashtagify search
    Use Hashtagify to find relevant hashtags to use in your Instagram posts.

    Alternatively, you can search Instagram for one of your hashtags and look at the Top Posts results to see which hashtags others are using in their own posts. If you go this route, don't copy and paste the string of hashtags from a post. Stay relevant to your audience and use only the hashtags that make sense.

    #5: Use Audience Preferences to Inform Your Content Strategy

    It's important to go back through your photos periodically to see which posts got the most likes and comments. This helps you serve up more of what your followers are interested in and weed out the types of posts that don't perform well.

    Tools Resource Guide

    Looking for something to make your life easier?

    Discover the tools we recommend to drive engagement, save you time, and boost sales across your entire marketing funnel or business.

    Whether you need help planning content, organizing social posts, or developing your strategy, you’ll find something for every situation.

    FIND YOUR NEXT FAVORITE TOOL

    You can use a tool like Iconosquare to streamline this process and incorporate what you learn in your future posts and Instagram stories.

    Tips From KK Fashions

    @KKFashions, an Instagram clothing shop, boasts 15K engaged followers. Here's what Kimberly Kniep has done to more than double her following organically over the past year.

    kk fashions instagram bio
    KK Fashions is an Instagram clothing shop with more than 15K followers.

    Kimberly echoes Sue's advice about maintaining an overall look for your account, posting consistently, and using popular hashtags to bring in more legitimate followers.

    For example, if you're a shop owner, post new items on a weekly basis so your followers have a reason to check back and see what might be available for them. Also add hashtags like #shopaholic, #fashionista, #shopig, #retailtherapy, etc.

    As you work each of the following tips into your marketing, you'll find that they combine to create a snowball effect that produces more followers with each cycle.

    #6: Offer “Share for Shares” to Boost Exposure

    This is a tactic you can use every day or potentially several times a day to form connections with similar businesses on Instagram and reach their followers. You offer to share an account or a product post that's relevant to your own brand and your partner agrees to do the same for you.

    kk fashions share for shares
    Partner with other businesses on Instagram to mutually share Instagram posts.

    #7: Run Giveaways to Attract New Followers

    To bring in new followers and give your current followers something to look forward to, set up frequent giveaways. At the close of your giveaway, encourage recipients to tag you in an Instagram post that shows what they won. Every winner's post will expose your brand and account to even more potential followers.

    Tips From Brilliant Liu

    Brilliant Liu is the founder of @house.of.leaders, a popular Instagram account with more than 267K followers. Here's a few tips on how she grew her highly engaged Instagram account in a little over a year.

    #8: Craft a Bio to Clarify Your Purpose

    It's simple but important to create an Instagram bio that describes you and tells people why they should follow you and what they can expect to see.

    house of leaders instagram bio
    Stay true to the promise in your bio and once you've gained new followers, you'll rarely lose them.

    #9: Create Quote Graphics to Reach New Users Through Shares

    Sharing quotes in images on Instagram isn't an unheard-of tactic, but it's important to post only high-quality pictures and take time to select quotes that are relevant and meaningful to your target audience. And don't forget to give attribution if you take the quote from someone else!

    house of leaders instagram quote
    Share quotes that will be meaningful to your Instagram audience.

    As you match images to quotes, choose a visual that elicits an emotion central to the theme of the quote. When your quote resonates, the shares will grow and you'll reach new users.

    #10: Pay It Forward to Increase Exposure

    An effective tactic that can help you build a network faster is to promote others. Post an image with a statement or a question on it, and then tag a specific follower. Ask for his or her input in the comments and include a reminder to tag another user for input.

    house of leaders tag instagram user
    Tag other users in your post to ask for their input.

    As the image is tagged over and over, you'll be seen by a wider group of potential followers from around the world.
    Want more like this? Explore Instagram for Business!

    Conclusion

    While gaining followers on many social platforms can feel like an uphill battle, Instagram is a surprisingly easy place to create a quality following no matter what type of account you manage. Each of the Instagram accounts above is vastly different from the others, but they've all managed to build large, engaged audiences of loyal followers.

    The way you engage with people on Instagram, and how you answer and motivate them, can help your Instagram account grow. When you help other people, they'll tell their friends to follow you.

    To spark meaningful engagement that turns passive users into loyal followers, take the time to create posts designed to open someone's mind. As people ask questions, give each person a thoughtful response that moves him or her forward in some way.

    Start by adding one or two of these tactics into your own Instagram marketing and see what works for you.

    What do you think? Which tactic will you try first? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

    Tips on 10 tactics top marketers have used to organically gain more Instagram followers.
    Tips on 10 tactics top marketers have used to organically gain more Instagram followers.

    Get Your FREE Course: Web3 for Beginners

    Web 3 for Beginners

    Curious about Web3, but don't know where to start or who to trust?

    Introducing Web3 for Beginners, a course taught by Michael Stelzner, the founder of Social Media Examiner.

    Learn the basics of Web3 and apply it to your business with this FREE comprehensive course.


    CLICK HERE TO GET FREE ACCESS

    Tags: Instagram

    About the authorJulia McCoy

    Julia McCoy, the bestselling author of So You Think You Can Write?, hosts The Write Podcast and #ContentWritingChat. Her company, Express Writers, has over 70 writers and thousands of clients.
    Other posts by Julia McCoy Âť

    Get Social Media Examiner’s Future Articles in Your Inbox!

    Get our latest articles delivered to your email inbox and get the FREE Social Media Marketing Industry Report (39 pages, 50+ charts)!

    Industry Report Cover

    Worth Exploring:

    Facebook

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Instagram

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    YouTube

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Linkedin

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Web3

    Marketing Help Explore More →

    Social Media Marketing Industry Report

    Get Free Report →

    Social Marketing Trends

    The data you've been missing!

    Need a new plan? Discover how marketers plan to change their social activities in the 14th annual Social Media Marketing Industry Report. It reveals what marketers have planned for their social activities, content marketing, and more! Get this free report now and never miss another great article from us. Join more than 400,000 marketers!

    Enter your email to get
    our free report:


    Footer

    Your Guide to the Social Media Jungle
    Copyright © 2023 Social Media ExaminerÂŽ
    All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy.

    Helpful Links

    • About us
    • Our content via email
    • Our podcasts
    • Our YouTube channel
    • Our live show
    • Our industry report
    • Sponsorship opportunities
    • RSS
    • Accessibility