Growing your Instagram following isn’t about finding quick hacks or shortcuts. Instead, it’s about embracing organic social media marketing — a sustainable and authentic approach that helps you build a real, engaged audience over time. It’s tempting to take the easy route, like buying fake followers, but trust us, that’ll only hurt you in the long run.
If you’re new to Instagram or just getting started with your business or personal brand, the first few steps are all about getting your foundation right. And even if you’re an experienced creator, it never hurts to revisit the essentials and make sure everything is in order.
So, whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to refine your approach, we’ve got you covered. In this article, we’re going to walk you through 24 effective strategies to grow your Instagram followers for better organic social media marketing — and trust us, these tips work. Let’s get into it!
How to Grow Your Instagram Followers for Better Organic Social Media Marketing?
1. Optimize Your Instagram Username and Name with Keywords
The Instagram algorithm favors search results that contain relevant keywords in your username and name, helping improve discoverability.
Username (@handle): Your username is your Instagram handle (e.g., @yourbrand). Keep it consistent with your brand name and other social media profiles to ensure easy recognition.
Name (Display Name): Your Instagram name appears on your profile and can include keywords related to your business or niche. Adding a relevant keyword here boosts visibility and helps potential customers instantly understand what you offer.
Tip: Use only one or two well-placed keywords—overloading your name with keywords may appear spammy and hurt your credibility.
2. Craft Your Perfect Instagram Bio
To create the perfect Instagram bio, focus on these four key elements:
- A clear description of what you do or sell
- A touch of brand personality
- A direct call to action
- A clickable link
Your Instagram bio is limited to 150 characters, but it’s crucial for making a strong first impression on potential followers and customers. A great bio should be clear, creative, and informative, instantly communicating what your business offers and how it benefits users.
For example, the phrase “Hello, paper person” not only adds personality but also helps define the brand’s target audience—stationery lovers. The next line delivers a strong call to action, highlighting their product offering (100+ unique designs).
Tip: Track which CTAs generate the most clicks. Testing different bio variations will help identify what resonates best with your audience.
Your link in bio is a powerful tool to direct users to an external page. You can link to your website, latest campaign, or update it regularly based on new posts. Additionally, customizing the Start Page lets you keep it on-brand while tracking link performance.
3. Using Third-Party Support
Buying Instagram followers can be an effective way to boost your brand’s presence quickly, especially for those starting from scratch. A higher follower count enhances credibility, attracting more organic engagement over time.
However, with many suppliers in the market, it’s crucial to do thorough research before making a purchase. Look for genuine customer reviews, third-party site evaluations, and industry feedback to ensure you’re choosing a trustworthy provider.
A reputable supplier will offer real, active followers who contribute to authentic engagement. For instance, BuildMyPlays is a top choice for buying real Instagram followers, known for delivering high-quality followers that interact with your content.
Once your follower count grows, your Instagram presence appears more credible, encouraging more organic users to follow and engage with your account naturally.
4. Create a Strategic Instagram Marketing Plan
The key to gaining Instagram followers isn’t just about numbers—it’s about having a clear strategy that aligns with your business goals.
While growing your follower count is a great starting point, it shouldn’t be the sole focus. A successful Instagram presence should support broader business objectives, such as:
- Increasing brand awareness
- Boosting product sales
- Driving traffic to your website
By staying aligned with these goals, you can maintain a consistent brand presence, craft a compelling story, and attract the right audience—turning new visitors into loyal followers through organic social media marketing.
5. Identify Your Target Audience
Creating the right content starts with knowing who you’re creating it for. Understanding your audience ensures that your posts resonate and attract the right followers.
Ask yourself:
- Where are they located?
- What do they do for work?
- How and when do they use Instagram?
- What challenges or pain points do they face?
Answering these questions will help you tailor content that speaks directly to your ideal audience, increasing the chances of engagement and long-term follower retention.
6. Build a Cohesive Brand Story and Aesthetic
Can you sum up your brand in a single tweet? Think of it as your modern-day elevator pitch.
If a post doesn’t quite match your feed’s aesthetic, don’t worry—you can always share it on Instagram Stories instead.
7. Use Hashtags to Attract More Followers
While Instagram hashtags may not be as powerful as they once were, they still play a key role in expanding your reach. Using brand-specific and industry-relevant hashtags helps you connect with your target audience effectively.
To find the right hashtags, start by researching your competitors. Check their posts for commonly used hashtags and analyze how frequently they appear. Experiment with popular and relevant ones to see what works best.
You can also review your own post analytics within Instagram. Click “View Insights” on any post and scroll down to see how many impressions came from hashtags.
Want deeper insights? Use a hashtag analytics tool to quickly identify high-performing hashtags that can help you tap into new markets and attract more followers.
8. Determine the Best Times to Post on Instagram
The best time to post on Instagram? When your audience is online.
- Open the Instagram app and go to your profile.
- Tap the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner.
- Select “Insights”, then tap “Total followers”.
- Scroll down to “Most active times” to see peak engagement hours by day.
Besides timing, consider content relevance. A recipe tutorial might perform best in the evening when people cook, while a coffee shop post may thrive during the afternoon slump.
Experiment with different posting times to see when your content gets the most reach and engagement.
9. Promote Your Instagram Handle Across Other Channels
Driving traffic from other platforms to your Instagram profile is an easy and effective way to increase discoverability and grow your following.
Make it effortless for your existing audience to find you on Instagram by adding your profile link to:
- Product packaging
- Relevant blog posts
- Marketing and transactional emails
- Website footer or sidebar
- Social media posts from team members
- Email signatures (yours and employees’)
- Bios on other platforms like TikTok and YouTube
- Networking events and webinars (use your Instagram QR code for in-person events)
Your Instagram link doesn’t need to be flashy—a simple icon or QR code in the right places can drive consistent traffic and new followers.
10. Craft Engaging Captions
It’s easy to overlook Instagram captions after perfecting a post, but they can be the deciding factor between gaining a follower or being scrolled past.
The key isn’t length—it’s relevance. Captions perform best when they’re either very short (20 characters) or long and detailed (up to 2,000 characters). The right length depends on the post’s purpose:
- Educational posts benefit from longer captions.
- Aesthetic product shots often do better with short, punchy text.
Tip: Make the first line count. Since only one to two lines appear in the feed, use a curiosity-driven hook to grab attention and stop the scroll
11. Leverage Instagram Analytics
Regularly reviewing Instagram analytics helps you identify what resonates with your audience and what doesn’t. You might notice that entertaining Reels drive the most engagement, while educational content performs better in carousels. Recognizing these trends allows you to fine-tune your content strategy for maximum impact.
While Instagram’s built-in analytics provide useful insights, they’re limited—you can’t compare post performance side by side or customize reports. Using a third-party analytics tool gives you a more comprehensive view and allows you to track key metrics more efficiently.
Which metric matters most? It depends on your Instagram strategy. If you’re testing new hashtags, focus on new followers rather than likes. If you’re experimenting with posting times, prioritize tracking impressions to determine when your audience is most active.
12. Partner with Instagram Creators or Small Businesses
Collaborating with Instagram creators or small businesses is a win-win strategy—it expands your reach by introducing your brand to a new audience. The key is to partner with creators or brands whose values and audience demographics align with yours.
Collab posts appear on both accounts, allowing your partner’s followers to discover your business effortlessly. If big influencers are out of your budget, consider working with micro-influencers—they often have a highly engaged and loyal community that trusts their recommendations.
To find the right influencers, you can:
- Search manually on Google
- Use Instagram hashtags and keywords
Beyond individual creators, you can also collaborate with other small businesses. Instagram collabs don’t have to be limited to shared posts—you can also:
- Go live with a creator
- Host an Instagram account takeover
- Repost influencer content
- Post influencer-created videos on your brand’s account
Strategic collaborations boost visibility, credibility, and engagement, making them a powerful tool for organic growth.
13. Try Different Instagram Post Formats
Instagram has evolved beyond just photos, offering Reels, pinned posts, Story Highlights, and carousels—each with unique engagement potential.
Which format works best? Carousels tend to drive the highest engagement, but audience preferences vary. Reels might be ideal for quick, entertaining content, while carousels may work better for educational posts.
If your growth has stalled, experiment with different post types to see what resonates. A balanced mix of formats often yields the best results.
Tip: Don’t just test formats—explore different content styles, like adapting memes to fit your brand, using trending audio, or speaking directly in Reels. Keep up with Instagram’s Trend Report and creator updates to stay ahead of platform trends.
14. Engage with Audience Through Comments and Stories
Building a strong Instagram presence isn’t just about posting—it’s about connecting with your audience. Engaging with followers helps you understand their needs, answer questions, and gain content inspiration.
The most straightforward way to interact is by responding to comments and DMs, especially inquiries from potential customers. While replying to every message may become difficult as engagement grows, prioritize addressing key questions to maintain strong connections.
Beyond direct responses, Instagram Stories offer powerful engagement tools. Use question boxes, polls, interactive stickers, countdowns, and links to spark conversations and encourage participation.
Tip:Organize key Stories into Instagram Highlights to create a permanent resource section answering common customer queries—making it easier for followers to learn about your products and services.
15. Design Shareable Infographics and Memes
Eye-catching infographics and relatable memes are highly shareable, helping expand your reach and attract new followers.
Encouraging your current audience to share your content is a great way to introduce your brand to potential new followers.
To maintain brand recognition, consider adding a watermark or a subtle logo in the corner so your content remains credited to you, even if it gets reshared elsewhere.
17. Use Location Tags for More Visibility
Adding a location tag to your post or Story makes it easier for users to discover your content. If your business has a physical location, tag it and encourage customers to do the same—this way, anyone clicking on that location can see posts and Stories shared from your store, restaurant, or office.
If you’re at a conference or event, tagging the location helps connect with attendees and exposes your account to a highly relevant audience of potential followers.
18. Tag Relevant Users
Tagging other users increases your visibility by introducing your content to their followers. This is especially useful when collaborating with creators, as they’re more likely to reshare your content, boosting engagement.
For user-generated content (UGC), always tag the original creator to give proper credit and encourage further interaction.
19. Get Others to Tag You
Encouraging others to tag your account is another effective way to reach new audiences. This works particularly well if you have an Instagram-worthy backdrop at your business location, inspiring visitors to share photos and tag your profile.
20. Connect with Brands in Your Community
Engaging with related brands and local businesses is a great way to expand your reach and attract new followers. By sharing, commenting, or collaborating on giveaways and events, you can tap into each other’s audiences for mutual exposure.
Even beyond follower growth, building genuine professional relationships strengthens your network and fosters meaningful partnerships.
21. Promote Your Instagram Everywhere
Maximize your Instagram’s visibility by linking it across multiple platforms:
- Email marketing – Add an Instagram logo with a direct link in your email footer for easy access.
- Website – Embed a live Instagram grid on your homepage to showcase your latest posts.
- Other social media platforms – Promote Instagram Live events or Story Highlights on your other accounts, especially if you have a larger following elsewhere.
- Marketing materials – Include your Instagram handle on physical items like napkins, pamphlets, or business cards for extra exposure.
22. Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC)
User-generated content (UGC)—posts from your followers featuring your brand—builds trust and social proof, often creating a sense of FOMO that encourages others to engage.
Encourage followers to share content by:
- Regularly resharing tagged posts to your Stories.
- Creating a branded hashtag (e.g., Coca-Cola’s #ShareACoke or Apple’s #ShotOniPhone) to inspire user participation.
23. Invest in Instagram Advertising
While not a free strategy, Instagram ads are a highly effective way to reach new followers quickly by placing your content in front of users who wouldn’t see it otherwise.
Instagram ads provide a legitimate and targeted approach to growing your audience. With a small investment, you can attract genuine followers who are more likely to engage with your brand.
Use Instagram’s targeting tools to refine your audience based on location, demographics, behaviors, and interests. You can also create a lookalike audience to reach users similar to those already interacting with your business.
23. Pin Your Best Comments
A lesser-known Instagram feature allows you to pin comments on your posts—an effective way to boost engagement and attract more followers.
Here’s how to make the most of it:
- Extend your caption – If your post exceeds Instagram’s 2,200-character limit, continue the story in a pinned comment for more in-depth storytelling.
- Highlight top comments – Pin engaging or positive comments from users to encourage more interaction.
Using pinned comments strategically guides the conversation on your posts, fosters engagement, and enhances your post’s visibility.
24. Host Engaging Instagram Live Events
Instagram Live is a powerful tool for connecting with your audience in real-time while attracting new followers. Unlike regular posts or Stories, Live sessions allow direct interaction through comments, questions, and real-time discussions.
To make the most of Instagram Live, promote your event in advance on Instagram and other social platforms. Here are some Live session ideas:
- Announce or celebrate new product launches
- Host Q&A sessions on new products or industry topics
- Collaborate with creators to discuss trends in your niche
- Run workshops or tutorials to provide value to your audience
24. Get Featured on the Explore Page
Instagram’s Explore page is where users discover new content and accounts they don’t yet follow. Landing on this tab can significantly boost your reach and attract new followers.
Getting featured on Explore isn’t easy, but with the right strategy, it’s possible. (Good news—we’ve got a full guide to help you achieve this!)
For a faster route, you can also run Instagram ads and select Explore as an ad placement to increase visibility among potential followers.
Last thoughts
Growing your Instagram following isn’t about quick hacks or shortcuts—it’s about organic social media marketing that fosters real engagement and long-term success. By focusing on authentic strategies, such as optimizing your profile, leveraging analytics, and collaborating with creators, you can attract followers who genuinely care about your content.
While paid strategies like Instagram ads can supplement your efforts, the foundation of true growth lies in organic social media marketing. Engaging with your audience, sharing valuable content, and experimenting with different post formats all contribute to a thriving Instagram presence.
As you implement these strategies, remember that organic social media marketing is an ongoing process. Stay consistent, refine your approach based on insights, and continue building a community of engaged followers who connect with your brand in a meaningful way. By prioritizing authenticity and value, your Instagram account will not only grow but also sustain long-term success.