Instagram followers can help you grow your professional or personal brand. A large follower base shows your credibility and enables you to build a loyal community for your brand. A higher follower count also boosts the visibility of your content and makes it more discoverable.
Instagram followers are the building blocks of your social media profile, whether personal or business. Followers are the individuals who follow your Instagram profile and subscribe to your content updates.
Different Types of Instagram Followers
Instagram followers can be of three types based on their unique impact on your account's credibility and engagement:
Organic Followers
Organic followers are those individuals who genuinely like your content and follow your account. They are valuable assets for your brand as they engage with your content over time without asking for any incentive in return. They can help you build a loyal and authentic community around your profile.
Fake Followers
Fake followers are not genuine users since most of them are bots. They can temporarily inflate your follower count without real engagement or interaction. Accounts with fake followers look less authentic and negatively impact your overall credibility.
Engaged Followers
Engaged followers follow your account and actively interact with your content. They like, comment, share, and save your posts, which leads to higher engagement rates. Engaged followers are organic as they show a genuine interest in your content.
The impact of Free Instagram follower count on credibility
Instagram followers can improve your account's credibility and enhance engagement levels. Here's how it impacts your online presence:
1. Enhanced Credibility
A higher follower count skyrockets your brand’s credibility. When users see a substantial number of followers following your account, they perceive your account as influential and trustworthy. It motivates them to discover your content, follow your account, and share it further.
2. Social Proof
Your follower count serves as your brand’s social proof. It indicates that your content resonates with your target audience. People like to engage with posts that have enough likes and comments. A larger follower count always attracts more engagement which translates into more visibility and credibility.
3. Increased Engagement
While engagement is driven by the quality of your content, a higher follower count can lead to increased engagement rates. As the number of followers grows, the number of likes, comments, shares, and saves on your content also spikes. Higher engagement in your content shows that your content is valuable.
4. More Collaboration Opportunities
Brands and influencers often collaborate with accounts with a substantial follower count. As your followers increase, it opens new avenues of brand partnerships, sponsored content, giveaways, and more.
5. Content Priority
Instagram's algorithm prioritizes content from accounts with a substantial follower base and higher engagement rates. This preference helps your posts have a better chance of appearing on followers' feeds and in the "Explore" section.
How to Gain Free Instagram Followers Organically?
A. Optimize Your Instagram Profile
Your Instagram profile is your digital storefront that creates the first impression. You must optimize it well. Here's how to do it:
Create an Attractive and Informative Bio
Your is an opportunity to present yourself or your brand to your audience. It should be concise and impactful. It must convey your identity and what you offer. Use reader-friendly language and incorporate relevant keywords to help users find your profile.
Select an Impressive Profile Picture
Your profile picture should be a clear and recognizable image. For personal accounts, use a professional headshot or a relevant picture. For business accounts, use a logo or a product image.
Use an impressive Username and Instagram Handle
Your username and Instagram handle help people discover you on Instagram. The name should be easy to remember and related to your identity or brand. You can use your actual name or a variation thereof for personal accounts. In the case of a business account, the handle name should reflect your brand’s persona.
Consistency Across Branding
Ensure consistency in your profile picture, username, and bio. It helps establish your identity and makes it easier for users to recognize you across different platforms.
Relevant Links and Contact Information
Put your website or blog link in your Instagram bio. It’s the only clickable link on your profile. Consider adding contact information, such as an email address, to make it easy for potential collaborators, customers, or followers to get in touch.
Utilizing Highlights
Instagram Highlights enable brands to showcase their best stories permanently on their profile. Organize them into relevant categories or themes to let visitors explore your content more deeply.
Captivating Call-to-Action (CTA)
Include a call-to-action that entice users to take a specific action, such as following, visiting your website, or checking out a recent post. The call-to-action guides users on how to engage with your profile.
B. Create High-Quality Content
Creating high-quality content can help you gain more followers. Ensure that the content resonates, engages, and captivates your target audience. Here's how to craft content that leaves a lasting impression:
Visually Appealing Content
Instagram is a visual platform, so your content should be appealing and attention-grabbing. High-resolution images, vibrant colors, and a consistent visual style enhance your profile's overall appeal.
Diverse Range of Content
- Photos: Images that evoke emotion.
- Videos: Engaging short videos, tutorials, behind-the-scenes, or product demonstrations.
- Stories: Ephemeral content
- Reels: Short and entertaining videos
- IGTV: Long-form videos for in-depth content, interviews, or tutorials.
C. Leverage Hashtags
Hashtags guide users to discover your content. They can expand your reach and connect with a broader audience. Hashtags help users to categorize content and make it more discoverable. When users search for or click on a hashtag, they find a feed of posts around it. It allows brands to reach users who haven’t followed your business account yet.
Here's how to harness the power of hashtags effectively:
Research and Selecting Relevant Hashtags
Choose hashtags that are relevant to your content and target audience. Research popular and trending hashtags within your niche. Consider using a mix of broad and specific hashtags to maximize your content's visibility. Instagram's search feature can help you explore popular hashtags and their related ones.
Use Trending and Niche-Specific Hashtags
- Trending Hashtags: Jump on trending hashtags that are relevant to your content. Participating in trending conversations can boost your content's visibility.
- Niche-Specific Hashtags: These hashtags might have fewer people looking at them, but they can bring you followers who are interested in what you share.
Avoid Overusing and Irrelevant Hashtags
While Instagram allows you to use up to 30 hashtags per post, overusing them can make them appear spammy. Instead, focus on quality over quantity. Choose hashtags that truly reflect your content and resonate with your target audience.
Create a Branded Hashtag
Create a unique branded hashtag for your content using your brand name or a tagline. Ask and encourage your followers to use the hashtag when sharing content related to your brand.
Monitor and Adjust hashtags:
Regularly track the performance of your posts using different hashtags. Analyze which hashtags are driving engagement, visibility, and follower growth. You can adjust and improve your hashtag strategy based on these insights.
Use Hashtags in Stories and Reels
Think hashtags beyond regular posts. Use them in your Instagram Stories and Reels to grow your reach further. You can add hashtags directly to your Stories and use the "Explore" feature to discover relevant hashtags for your Reels.
Be Consist with your posting schedule
Consistency helps in building a dedicated and engaged follower base on Instagram. With a consistent content posting schedule, you can establish trust and keep your audience engaged.
Here's how to make consistency a cornerstone of your Instagram journey:
Establishing a Consistent Posting Schedule
Your posting frequency should resonate with your audience. Whether you post daily, a few times a week, or weekly, stick to a schedule. It will help your followers know when to expect fresh content. With consistency, you can cut the risk of your audience losing interest or forgetting about your account.
Engage with Followers Regularly
Respond promptly to comments on your posts to make your followers feel valued. Engage in conversations through direct messages. Show genuine interest in your followers' thoughts and feedback.
Use Instagram Insights for Insights:
Instagram Insights offers valuable data about your audience's behavior. You can use this data to identify optimal posting times for maximum engagement. Post content when your followers are online. It will increase the likelihood of your content appearing on their feeds and receiving immediate interactions.
Use of Instagram Marketing Tools:
You can use social media marketing tools to schedule posts in advance. It can help you maintain consistency during busy periods. You can create multiple pieces of content in one sitting to save time and effort.
Be Flexible to Schedule:
You can change your posting schedule based on audience feedback and changing trends. Flexibility ensures that you continue to meet your audience's evolving needs.
D. Collaborations and Cross-Promotions
Collaborations and cross-promotions on Instagram can significantly boost your reach, engagement, and follower growth. Collaborate with influencers and brands in your niche. It will help you tap into their established audiences and create mutually beneficial relationships.
Here's how to leverage collaborations to your advantage:
1. Partner with Influencers and Brands
Identify influencers and brands that cater to similar target audiences. Collaborating with them introduces your content to a new, relevant audience. Choose partners whose followers are likely to resonate with your content.
2. Conducting Giveaways and Contests
Giveaways and contests can provide exciting opportunities for engagement and growth. Create a partnership with influencers and brands to co-host the giveaway and events. Ensure that the prize aligns with your niche and attracts genuinely interested followers.
3. Promote User-Generated Content
Encourage your followers to create content related to your brand or theme. Repost user-generated content (UGC) on your profile, giving credit to the creator. UGC boosts engagement and strengthens a sense of participation.
Conclusion:
getting more free followers on Instagram is a great way to boost your online presence and connect with more people. In this guide, we've covered many ways to grow your follower count naturally. From making your profile and posts better to using hashtags, engaging with your followers, and teaming up with others – each step is important for Instagram's success.
Tarun Gupta, CEO of Brainpulse Technologies, is a prolific author and digital marketing specialist. His insightful writings span SEO, content marketing, social media strategy, and email campaigns, offering invaluable expertise to businesses worldwide. Tarun’s contributions continue to shape the digital marketing landscape, guiding success in multiple niches.