Photo by Jeff Shuh | @jeffshuh
It’s the topic of the week, day and hour, “How do I get more Instagram followers?” As the social space grows more crowded by the day, this has become increasingly important – and difficult, especially since the new algorithm was introduced and kicked us all in the teeth.
In the blogging world Instagram currently runs the show – how many followers you have, how many likes each photo gets and how many comments are all taken into consideration by brands looking for influencers to partner with. So the more followers you have, the more work you get, the more money you earn. It’s simple, right?
Not so much. Simple in theory, but challenging in practice. Building an Instagram account takes commitment. It can be incredibly discouraging, time consuming and nothing less than frustrating. But with the right strategy you will see a growth in your numbers. Just remember it’s not a popularity contest, it’s a business – so treat it that way.
- Define your aesthetic. Strong branding is important across the board with blogging, but when it comes to Instagram a consistent aesthetic and style is essential. You want all of your content to have the same look and feel so your followers recognize your image before checking your handle, thus establishing a strong brand. I re-edit most of my blog photos when posting them on Instagram to ensure my Intsa aesthetic is maintained. This is also necessary for the next point…
- Maintain a strong top 9. Your ‘top 9’ are the last 9 images you’ve uploaded to your feed creating the 3 x 3 grid users initially see when they click on your profile. This is essentially a preview to your feed and your strongest opportunity to convert a new follower. It’s all about balance, ensuring each image sits well next to the ones around it i.e. rotate back in forth between darker and lighter images, rotate between busy and clean images, balance your colours so they’re pleasing to the eye. Basically you need to think of your feed as a work of art, it’s your ‘grab’ and the better the art the stronger the grab. One of the best Apps for pre planning your feed is UNUM (you’re welcome).
- Engage with others. I have this listed as number 3 but it’s just as important as the previous two, especially with the new algorithm. You have to engage with others to get yourself out there! So warm up the old thumbs, start double tapping and get those comments rolling. Through doing so you 1) create an active account which Instagram will pick up on and in turn be more likely to feature on the explore page, and 2) elicit engagement back, which places your account on other people’s following feed. It’s the trickle effect! The more you engage, the more you’ll trickle through the space. Keep in mind the new algorithm tracks what type of content you engagement with to define what type of content it shows you. You can use this to your advantage.
So there you have it, my secrets are out. Happy gramming, guys!
Third Form Wrap Dress here (similar slip version here)
Axel Arigato Slip-ons (similar here)
Chloe Drew Bag here
Kapten & Son Watch here
Dior Sunnies here
Beautiful dress, great post!!
http://www.inmydreams.ca/
Thanks Hun! Glad you like it xx
Amazing outfit!
Thanks Pipa 🙂
Great points hun! All so true. I never cared much for Instagram and my lack of interest and engagment really shows in my number of followers etc. I have to really put in time to try and build it now that I see more of the potential. Though I am struggling with my photos lately, trying to keep them consistent and in the grid that I want has had me SO frustrated. I will investigate this planning app, I have had mixed feelings over others I have tried.
xx Jenelle
http:www.inspiringwit.com/
Thanks Hun! It is a rather grueling process at times eh? Consistent content creation is one of the biggest challenges and I think all of us are inclined to dislike our grid, simply because we look at it so often!! Your photos are definitely consistent though and they’re always so beautiful! Def check out UNUM, it allows you to move your photos around without deleting and re-uploading like VSCO 🙂 xx
omg downloading unum now!! great post and loving that dress
xx
http://thedemeler.com
Thanks so much Laurie! I have been trying to grow my Instagram following and in turn my blog followers, and these are all fantastic points!!
http://www.monamoire.weebly.com
Super cute dress, love the design
http://myeternalsymphony.com
Hands down, this is the most helpful article I’ve ever come across for growing an Instagram following. All three points are spot on! Do you have any tips that would help with pinning down an aesthetic?
Thanks for this great post Laurie!
– Harleen
http://myeunoia.com
Hey Harleen,
I’m so glad it was helpful! Thanks for the awesome feedback 🙂
In terms of aesthetic, I would suggest browsing all of your favourite Instagram accounts and working out what it is you love most about each of them – or which ones resinate with you best. Use this to create your own. Then just stick to it! And if your taste does evolve down the track (which happens to me all the time) then slowly evolve your aesthetic with it.
Hope thats helpful too!
xx
That is very helpful! I might even take it a step further and create a vision board with the images so I always have a reference point if I feel like I’m going off track and then I can change it out as it evolves.
Thank you for getting back to me! 🙂
– Harleen
Great look! Love that you paired a nice silk dress with casual shoes! It gives the look a nice balance!
xoxo
Love everything! Thank you so much!
NewVintageHandbags.com
?Steph
Hi Laurie, thank you for the insightful post! An important aspect of great content creation on Instagram is also amazing image quality and I think you’re images are always so beautiful!! Do you have any quick-tips for taking such beautiful photos, or is there a specific camera that you use?
Thanks love!