Building a following is one of the first tasks when starting fresh on social media. No matter the situation, you require followers to interact with your content and boost your online presence. Your followers can help create brand awareness and build your credibility.
Since a platform like Instagram has over 2 billion monthly active users, you might assume getting new followers for free is easy. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Very few people will follow you without giving it a thought. Even if you produce quality content, you must show why you deserve a follow.
This tutorial explains how to get free followers on Instagram for enhanced exposure and visibility.
How to Get Free Followers on Instagram
There are many reasons to be interested in knowing how to get more followers on Instagram for free. Perhaps you want to increase brand awareness, generate more sales, have more profile visits, or drive traffic to your business website – but don’t have the funds to buy followers. The only viable solution is to get free Instagram followers.
However, there is no such thing as a free lunch, even on social media. Even if you don’t spend money to grow your follower count, you may still have to invest time, effort, and resources to get free followers on Instagram. Fortunately, we have practical tips on how to get more Instagram followers for free.
Here are the steps:
Develop a Practical Instagram Strategy
Whoever said that failing to plan is planning to fail was 100% correct. Joining Instagram or any social media network without a plan can be futile. Your Instagram journey might fail even before it begins.
Start by laying the groundwork and setting goals. Part of the reason you may be learning how to get followers on Instagram free is to increase awareness, drive traffic to your site, and boost sales. Once you know what you want to accomplish, the task becomes more manageable – and the results more likely.
Define Your Target Audience
Define your target audience before striving to get free Instagram followers. Determine your ideal audience by learning what they do, where they live, their interests, and when they are most active on Instagram.
Instagram attracts web users from all walks of life. However, the latest statistics show that most Instagram users are below 34 years old. If your brand deals with products for an older age set, you may have to adjust your strategy to cater to younger clients and vice versa. You’ll also have an easy time creating content for your target audience.
Optimize Your Instagram Profile
Your Instagram profile is among the first places that prospective followers will visit to know more about your brand and what to expect. Your profile comprises your name, username, bio, and links to your website, product page, or online store.
How you optimize your profile will determine whether you deserve a follow. An optimized profile builds credibility and enhances trust. If you leave your bio blank, your would-be followers might dismiss your brand.
Start with a user-friendly, easy-to-remember name to make your brand easy to find. Add a professional profile picture or use your brand’s logo to enhance exposure. Finally, write a legible bio that captures the most critical aspects of your brand, and add relevant links to direct followers to your website or service page for more info.
Create High-Quality Content
One effective way to get free Instagram followers is to create high-quality content that resonates with your target audience. Your photos, stories, and reels should be visually compelling and inspire others to follow you.
Creating content for Instagram is never easy. However, you can get it right if you already know what your target audience likes to see. Think out of the box and design inspirational posts that will leave your prospective followers yearning for more.
Utilize Instagram Features
Instagram is ever-evolving with new innovative features and functions for its users. You can utilize tools such as Add Yours stickers to create a buzz and encourage others to contribute. With Add Yours stickers, everyone can see and participate, even if they are not your followers. If you post engaging and exciting content people love, non-followers will likely tap the follow button.
You can also set up polls, giveaways, contests, and other promotions on your Instagram account. People love freebies and will likely follow you for free if they discover your promotion is genuine. Just ensure you follow Instagram’s promotion guidelines to avoid any issues.
Post Consistently and at the Right Time
You’ll be doing your brand an injustice if you post inspirational content once and then go missing for a while. Don’t be a one-hit wonder if you want to know how to get more followers on Instagram for free. The key to building your follower count is to post consistently and at the right time.
Your content should be consistent with your brand and personality. The brand image should be the same across all your social media accounts. Moreover, you should post when people are most active on Instagram to increase their likelihood of interacting with your content. According to Sprout Social, the best time to post on Instagram is between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on weekdays.
Make Your Content Shareable
Aside from creating quality content and posting consistently, ensure your posts are shareable. Create informative and inspirational content, so your followers will want to share it with their friends. Remember to enable re-sharing, so others can repost your content to their stories. Your posts will reach a wider audience, increasing the chances of effortlessly attracting more followers for free.
If you’re yet to enable re-sharing, follow these steps:
- Load the Instagram app on your device
- Log into your Instagram account
- Tap the profile icon or your profile photo at the bottom
- Tap the More button (three horizontal lines) at the top-right
- Tap Settings And Privacy
- Go to How Others Can Interact With You
- Tap Guides And Sharing
- Tap the toggle next to Allow Post Sharing To Stories to activate re-sharing
Tag Your Location and Relevant Users
Employ geo-tagging to get followers from a local area. If your target audience resides in a particular area and you want more followers from that region, you can tag the location in your posts.
You can also tag other relevant people who are already your followers to attract their friends. When you tag someone on Instagram, their followers can see the post they’re tagged in. If the content resonates with their interests, they will likely follow you.
Another strategy is to use hashtags to find your target audience. However, not any hashtag will do. You may have to research to find niche-specific hashtags to attract relevant followers.
Collaborate with Creators, Influencers & Other Brands
The impact of creators and influencers in creating exposure can never be understated. Influencers are highly influential and have a massive following. One word from them can change your fortunes and attract more followers to your brand.
Most Instagram creators and influencers charge a fee. However, you can convince them to offer their services for free if your collaboration will benefit both of you. For instance, you can offer them a few products for free in return for their influence. They will likely accept if the product resonates with their interests.
Cross-Post and Cross-Promote Your Content & Profile
Instagram allows you to link your account to your Facebook profile. You can cross-post and cross-promote your content across both platforms. Chances are that someone with a Facebook account also has one on Instagram.
Since both platforms have audiences with different demographics, cross-posting across both networks can help you reach more people and attract more followers without paying a dime.
Engage Your Community
Posting content on Instagram is not enough to attract more followers. Building your follower count entails engaging your community. You can achieve this by responding to comments, replying to messages, and reposting content from others.
People love feeling appreciated and will likely follow you for this simple reason. They can tell you care if you reply to their comments on your posts. You can also pin the best comment on your post to make your followers feel noticed and appreciated. Another strategy is to host a Live video where you answer questions and address concerns from your followers and non-followers.
Check Instagram Insights
Instagram insights tell you about your account’s performance over the last 90 days. They show analytics such as content interactions, accounts reached, engagement rates, number of video plays, and follower growth.
Checking your Instagram insights can help determine if you’re on the right path. It shows you the best-performing posts and the content Instagram users prefer. You can use the data to change your strategy or create a more effective plan to improve your chances of attracting new followers.
However, you require a business or creator account to view your Instagram insights. Fortunately, you can switch to a professional account by going to the Settings page on Instagram.
FAQs
Why should I get free Instagram followers?
You may want to get free Instagram followers because you’re starting fresh on social media and have a tight budget. Building an organic following from scratch without spending money can be gratifying. It can help you appreciate your audience more as you engage and connect with time. Your customers will also remain loyal if you stick to the same principles that attracted them to your brand in the first place.
Do I get paid for having more followers on Instagram?
No. Instagram does not pay you for having more followers than your competitors. However, your earning potential will likely increase with more followers on Instagram. You only need to apply the right strategy to convert your followers into customers to generate sales and grow your revenue. Instagram provides various tools and avenues to earn an income from your followers and other users.
What other ways can I use to attract more followers on Instagram?
You can add captions to your posts requesting people to follow you. Some Instagram users might appreciate your content but need a nudge to follow you. Another strategy is to follow relevant accounts and ask them to follow you back. Many could be willing to follow you if they notice possible collaboration opportunities.
Can I use bots to create Instagram followers?
Avoid using bot accounts to create fake Instagram followers. It is against Instagram’s community guidelines to use bots to collect followers artificially. Besides, Instagram applies various metrics and uses effective systems to detect unauthentic followers. Your Instagram account might risk a ban or suspension for creating fake followers. If you are interested in paying for followers, it’s far more effective and responsible to purchase real followers from brands like Twicsy.
