How to get followers on Instagram in 2022?

Read on to learn How to get followers on instagram in 2022? and the 9 best strategies (with tools and examples) that can help you reach a larger, more engaged audience for your business on Instagram.

You spend hours planning and creating content for Instagram. Moments after you clicked "Share," all was well in the world. You have the confidence to publish something great.

Then the radio went silent. Or some likes and comments from your few followers. But how do you get more followers on Instagram if not by posting great content?

There is no step-by-step guide for Instagram growth. But there are some best practices that can help you reach a wider audience and gain new followers.

 Here are 12 ways to Get more followers on Instagram.

How to Gain Followers on Instagram

 1. Optimize your bio 

Make the most of those 150 characters. Your Instagram bio tells potential followers who you are and what you want people to do when they visit your profile.

Your Instagram bio should include:

clearly describe what you do

 Touches of your personality 

Call to action (shop read more contact us etc)

 A link 

Your in-bio link is your only clickable link on Instagram, so use it wisely. Some businesses include standard links to their websites, while others periodically change to reflect recent posts. However, if you want to make it easier for yourself, take advantage ofBio linking tools, such as the start page, allow you to turn a single link into a directory of links.

CoolStays includes all the important aspects of a great Instagram resume.

Consider including a branded label. For example, we encourage our fans to use#BufferLove when they talk about our product. Adding a branded hashtag to our bio tells people which hashtag to include to get our attention. Also, when anyone clicks on a hashtag, they will see posts from fans who have used that hashtag.

At Buffer, we added the hashtag #BufferLove to our Instagram bio.

2. Find the best time to post on Instagram

Notice we didn't say found the Best time to post on Instagram? The truth is, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to when to post on Instagram to get the most people. But there are ways to find out the ideal time your  followers. 

Start by using Instagram Insights to determine when your audience is online. From your Instagram business profile, click the Insights button, scroll to Your Audience, and click View All. From there, scroll to the bottom to find when your audience is most active.

Instagram Insights will help you find the best time to post.

You should also consider when your content is most relevant.

For example, a step-by-step recipe video might perform better outside of work hours because people are more likely to be cooking. On the other hand, a post from a coffee shop might perform well around 2pm. When people go through an afternoon's trough. Try different posting times and track engagement.

If you're looking for additional guidance on when to postBuffer's Answers feature gives you three post timing suggestions to maximize your reach on Instagram.

Buffer's Answers feature uses data from your previous posts and follower activity to calculate the best time for you to post.

Find more in-depth guidance in our articleHow to find the best time to post on Instagram.

 3. Post consistently 

2021 study of 14 industries shows that business sharing An average of four Instagram posts per week. But we recommend posting at least once a day. Brands that enter the routine process through Instagram posts tend to see the best results. Daily Instagram followers are posting faster than those who post less, according to a Tailwind research profile Frequent place.

 With Instagram's algorithmic timeline consistency is a key factor in getting your posts seen. If your posts are shared regularly and get good engagement, Instagram's algorithm may show your posts near the top of your followers' feeds.

Of course, quality is always more important than quantity. Posting more often doesn't necessarily mean higher engagement rates. Focus on creating content that resonates with your target audience—more on that in Section 9: Engage with Your Audience.

The Instagram scheduling tool lets you post consistently without worrying about posting directly from the app every day. take a lookHow to Schedule Instagram Posts to Save Time and Increase Engagement Discover our favorite Instagram scheduling tools (free and paid) and scheduling tips.

4. Understand how the Instagram algorithm works

Many Instagram users initially panicked about the shift from chronological feeds to ranking timelines. However, since the average post after the change is50% more followers than before. So forget about learning how to beat the Instagram algorithm. Instead, focus on learning how to use the system to your advantage.

There are six factors that determine what is shown in each person's timeline: interest, timeliness, relationship frequency, tracking, and usage.

Here's a quick overview of what each factor refers to:

1. •  Interest: The degree to which Instagram thinks a person will like the post based on previous activity

   •  Timeliness:  How recent the post is 

   •  Relationship: an account that a person uses on a regular basis

   •  Frequency: How often a person uses the Instagram app

   •  Following: Posts in accounts one person follows

   •  Usage: How much time a person spends on Instagram

Instagram's algorithm is designed to show the best content for each user. So while six different factors may seem like a lot to worry about, the best thing you can do is consistently create high-quality content.

We looked at each ranking factor in more detailHow the Instagram algorithm works in 2021: Everything you need to know. We've also included guides on how to create content tailored to each factor, and shared tips on how to use Instagram's algorithm to your advantage.

5. Experiment with different content types

Instagram is more than just photos. Over the years, the app has introduced a number of ways to share content on the platform. Mixing it with different content types is one of the best ways to get more followers on Instagram because it gives you the opportunity to reach and connect with a wider range of people.

Remember: the algorithm looks at interests and strives to show people the types of content they interact with the most. So if a person likes and comments on Instagram Reels more often than other post types, they are likely to see more Reels in their Instagram feed. However, if another People interact with carousel posts more often, and they see more of that content type in their timeline.

Each type of content has advantages. For example, Instagram Reels have an advantage because they are the newest type of content and Instagram is always rolling out new features.

Since the launch of Instagram Reels in 2020, the app has moved the Reels button to the center of the menu bar and made Reels appear larger than photo posts on the Explore page. consideringWith 200 million people viewing the Explore page every day, the extra visual space can make a huge difference in how many people you reach out to.

Instagram TV (IGTV) videos also appear4x larger than the photo on the Explore page. Since IGTV videos are up to 60 minutes long, this type of content is great for long videos.

Instagram Reels and IGTV take up more space on the Instagram Explore page.

Instagram Stories disappear after 24 hours, but they also have benefits.

57% of brands believe thatStories are "somewhat effective" or "very effective" as part of their social media strategy.

Additionally, if you have a verified account or at least 10,000 followers, you can add an Instagram Swipe Up link to Stories to drive traffic to specific pages.

Simultaneous carousel of posts - series of up to 10 images/videos in a single post - boastingThe highest engagement rate of all post types. Think of a carousel as a short story or a trailer for longer-form content like a blog. You can use text images photos videos or everything in one topic post.

DLC Anxiety uses carousel posts to explain how to reframe anxious thoughts.

Confused about all the arguments for different post types? People like what they like. So, while research can tell you what the average engagement rate is for each content type, or argue over one over one, the best strategy is to use multiple types of content. Mixing your Instagram content gives you access to People with different preferences, and expanding your reach can help you grow your Instagram followers.

6. Find your brand voice and create unique content

People won't follow your business on social media, so they can see the sales pitch. They follow your brand because they love your personality and the content you create.

What works for a business might not work for your brand — even if you're in a similar industry. E.gJuggling Daisy Hobby Farm and So-and-So Farm both consider themselves unique farms.

Juggling Daises are about fun stories, cute photos and wholesome content. Meanwhile, This and This Farm has a more gruff style, including curse words and humor.

Ask yourself what you want your tone to be. interesting? Rich content? Is it fun? Cynical? Your personality should also reflect what you are passionate about. So-and-so Farms believes in sustainably grown produce, so many of their Instagram posts talk about their farming practices. what topic do you have The address of your Instagram content? Everything you share on your business account should showcase your brand's personality and beliefs.

Juggling Daisies showcases its unique personality on its bio and Instagram posts.

Think of your business account as one person.

Personalize your account and createBrand guidelines so you stay consistent. Brand guidelines should include notes about the tone style and values as well as the brand’s colors and fonts.

 7. Write great captions 

A beautiful photo grabs attention—a great Instagram caption can keep it.

Captions give you the opportunity to provide more context or details about the photo or video you are sharing. plus useKeywords in subtitles can help you appear in the app's search results.

Instagram captions can contain up to 2200 characters.

Of course, not every headline needs to be read like a blog post. Play with different lengths. Some photos work perfectly with short, playful captions with a few emojis, while others might benefit from something longer and more reflective.

The average length of Instagram captions is increasing, but most brands still don’t approach the 2,200-character limit. The 2020 average isIt is expected to increase from 142 characters in 2016 to 405 characters.

OnlineDrea uses short and long captions on Instagram.

So when do you go long and when do you keep it simple? There are no hard and fast rules. Just like content types, it's best to mix it up. Check out these two posts from Andréa Jones OnlineDrea  . 

One article has a short title, while another article specifically directs you to the title for a longer explanation.

 We’ve  There are a lot of hashtags explored on blogs, but nowhere on social media seems to be as important as on Instagram. The right hashtags expose your images to a large target audience, and Instagram users don’t seem to experience hashtag fatigue like they do on other sites network.

Start by finding hashtags that appeal to your target audience.Free Instagram tools like Display Purposes that help you find relevant hashtags for your Instagram posts. For example, with Display Purpose, you can just type a few words about your image and it will suggest popular tags to use.

Hashtags are essential if you want to gain more Instagram followers.

Use hashtags to discover your content by searching or filtering when people click on the same hashtag from another post. people can evenFollow their favorite hashtag so trending content with that hashtag appears in their Instagram timeline.

Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags per post, but don't add extras to get to 30.

 TrackMaven Nine hashtags are recommended for maximum engagement. Just make sure you don't use the same nine hashtags over and over. Instead, group your preferred hashtags by category so you can quickly add some relevant hashtags to each post.

Hashtag Manager helps you build a library of hashtag groups so you can access each Instagram post more broadly.

 9. Engage with your audience 

Engagement is critical to Instagram's growth. Many brands mistakenly focus on likes and comments without considering the people behind these metrics. If you really want to gain more Instagram followers, you need to involve your followers in the conversation.

Remember, just because someone sees your content doesn't mean they're currently following you. If you have the opportunity to interact with potential followers, you should grab it. Every comment is an opportunity to gain new followers (or keep current ones), so make sure you respond to every comment Comments you have received. If your hand cramps at the thought of tapping your phone, don't worry. With the Buffer Engage tool, you can reply to comments from your desktop.

But don't just wait for your followers to start a conversation. Create engagement opportunities. Use Instagram stickers like open-ended questions and polls in Instagram Stories. Ask questions in the photo description. Encourage people to tag friends in comments with tips such as "Tag your BFF to invite on this cruise!" or "Tag your wine-loving friend and you'll have a wine tasting with him."

Need more ideas? Check out ourInstagram engagement tips to learn how to get more followers on Instagram by increasing engagement.

 10. Collaborate with others 

Another great way to gain Instagram followers is to collaborate with others through partnerships or influencer campaigns. ourBlume's brand spotlight is a good example. Blume accesses Buffer's followers through the original Instagram Stories and accompanying Highlights. Meanwhile, Blume will share the spotlight with their fans, bringing their audience to Buffer. It's a win-win.

Instagram Highlights SpotlightJanice Ayan of Bloom

Influencer marketing is another way to grow Instagram followers. If you have the budget, you can pay content creators to promote your brand. However, if you want to keep it simple (and on a low budget)Micro-influencers (1000-10000 followers) can be very influential. In fact, content from micro-influencers has higher engagement rates than content from large accounts. You can seek out micro-influencers to build partnerships or just re-share user-generated content (UGC).

Remember those brand tags we talked about in Section 1: Optimizing Your Resume? With one click of your branded tab, you'll have a full catalog of content to choose from.

When we first launched Buffer's Instagram, we encouraged fans to use #BufferStories and #BufferCommunity. We use these tags to find and re-share user-generated content. Within a year, our Instagram followers grew from 4,250 to 21,000.

 We discovered Jon Woon re-shared the content (with permission of the original author) via our branded hashtag and on our own account.

Why is UGC so popular? Ramon Berrios says it enhances brand credibility by delivering authentic experiences about a brand's product or service from previous customers. Trend  . 

Collaboration is also an opportunity to demonstrate your values and personality through networking. The businesses and people you align with and support say a lot about your own brand. Partnerships are also particularly powerful for local businesses. Consider working with your neighbors so you can Reach a super target audience.