It would be nice to have a great amount of followers on Instagram! …Right? The main question you have to ask yourself first, is:

Why do you want to grow Instagram followers ?

Tip 1: Build awareness

 For me Instagram is a way to build awareness of my blog. It’s to get traffic and a great way to build engagement with your readers. It gives them more inside of your life, besides blog posts 🙂
Here are a few more answers to questions about: how to grow Instagram followers

Tip 2: Becoming a productive member of the community

If you want interaction and grow instagram followers.. Find others in your niche and engage with them. I remember spending an hour a day reaching out to other bloggers via comments and finding other bloggers to follow via hashtags. If you are hoping others will engage with you, you need to be willing to comment. Put the time into becoming a productive member of the community through the use of positive comments, likes etc.

Tip 2. Keep your Instagram specific to your niche.

Understand your audience and what you are promoting. For example, If you’re a fashion blogger, then you need to keep your Instagram specific to your niche. You shouldn’t be featuring only food or interior photos. Understand what works and keep doing that.

 Why are people following you in the first place? For example, my niche is blogging and fashion.
So if I started filling my Instagram feed with mainly food items. I would be losing the audience that helped me grow Instagram followers in the first place. Stick to your niche and understand your audience. Take nice and clear photos and keep a consistent look of filters and an overall vibe.

Tip 3. Awareness

Stay consistent with your posts. When I first started my @charissa_goldapple Instagram account,
I wanted to grow my blog awareness. I commit to posting 1-2 photos per day, sometimes more. Usually with a steady schedule. Every time I have a new blog post, I will promote it on my Instagram that day.

Tip 4: Be your own critic

Walk through your own feed once in a while. Check if you like the flow of the photo’s. If you use curtain filters it is better to use only one or two over again.

Tip 5. Submit to Iconosquare

Iconosquare analyzes your Instagram statistics. It lets you know which photos have high engagement as likes and comments and at which times they were posted. You will gain followers by having others like and/or tag their friends in the comments. The best way to do that, is to post at times that most people are on their phones. Of course there are times I’m doing something. Then I post when it’s most convenient for me. But my growth is definitely better when I stick to popular times for my followers.
Note that trends and habits tend to change over time. Trial and error is the best approach to really finding out which days and times work best for you.
*EDIT: I got a lot of questions on social media and by e-mail about Iconosquare. Iconosquare is a website, not an app. It’s really simple: all you have to do is login with your instagram account and then you can manage all your statistics etc.

Tip 6. Using Hashtags will help grow Instagram followers

I have been using hashtags since the birth of my Instagram. These are the ones I use most frequently. #fashionblogger #fashionblog #styleblogger #blog #styleblog #wiw #outfitpost #ootd
You can also use Iconosquare to analyze your most used tags and also top tags. Instagram allows a maximum 30 hashtags so don’t be afraid to max out the limit. If I’m wearing a dress and boots in a particular photo… I make sure to add additional hashtags: #dress #girl #boots. Or if I’m at a certain location, I make sure to use the city hashtag and the place. For each hashtag, Instagram features the most liked photos at the top under “Top Posts”. It really helps with user engagement and for others trying to find specifically what you’re promoting. And maybe grow Instagram followers !

Tip 7: Grow Instagram followers organically

Grow Instagram followers organically is a better way. You will have a slower start than the person who purchased 5k or 10k. But your engagement and readers will be real and that’s what you want.

Good luck!