Getting ahead on Instagram can seem like hitting your head against a wall. For every new Instagram follower, it’s like you lose tons more. If only there was a way to increase your Instagram followers without having to play that game of cat and mouse.
Luckily there is!
In this article, we’ll show you how to increase Instagram followers with a few of our secret tips and tricks.
Here’s a table of contents to help you navigate this post:
- Develop a unique style
- Improve your Instagram image quality
- Get creative with captions
- Spark conversations with popular hashtags
- Make the most of your Instagram bio
- Use Instagram stories for authenticity
- Remember to use calls to action
- Display an Instagram feed on your website
- Embed your Instagram feed in an about page
- Curate content with hashtag feeds
- Display full-screen Instagram stories
- Highlight product review posts in your Instagram feed
- Create shoppable Instagram feeds
- Show social proof on cart pages
- Highlight Instagram posts you’re tagged in
- Enable easy sharing for Instagram posts
- Run a viral Instagram giveaway
How to Increase Followers On Instagram Without Following Everyone
As we just mentioned, it’s entirely possible to grow your Instagram followers without having to follow everyone. And it’s even easier when you use Instagram Feed Pro to display custom Instagram feeds on your WordPress site.
Instagram Feed Pro from Smash Balloon is the #1 highest rated Instagram feed plugin for WordPress. And besides helping you add stunning Instagram feeds to your website, it’s super-simple to set up, which is perfect for beginners with little design experience.
With that in mind, let’s look at how to increase followers on Instagram without following…well, everyone!
1. Develop a Unique Style
One of the easiest ways to get more Instagram followers is to develop a unique style and aesthetic for your account.
Because there are so many people all vying for attention on Instagram, you need to stand out to get noticed. A clear visual content style sets you apart from the competition and makes it easier for people to recognize your brand.
Rosie Clayton does an excellent job with her Instagram theme of bright, color pops. And with over 100,000 followers, her style choice certainly paid off.
2. Improve Your Instagram Image Quality
Since Instagram is an image-heavy social media platform, it’s crucial you pay particular attention to the quality of your images.
Great quality images have the power to draw in tons of traffic, engagement, and followers. But photos that look thrown-together can have the opposite effect of driving people away from your profile.
You don’t need expensive equipment to take great photos for Instagram. Your smartphone camera will do the trick if you’re careful with lighting, props, and filters.
This photo shot with a Google Pixel demonstrates how smartphone photography can create some insanely good images.
3. Get Creative With Captions
Even though we’ve talked about the power of images on Instagram so far, it doesn’t mean you should ignore the words you use. Your image captions are a great place to engage with your audience and use persuasive language to encourage them to follow you.
Try using image captions as a way to tell a story about your photo. That way you can tap into readers’ emotions, and give them an interesting experience.
Chances are, if they enjoy what they read, as well as what they see, they’ll come back for more and follow you.
4. Spark Conversations With Popular Hashtags
Hashtags are an excellent way to help other Instagram users find your posts. And if you add a range of topical and popular hashtags to each post, there’s a high chance you’ll spark some interesting conversations.
For example, you can combine topical hashtags like #wedding and #weddingphotography with a few popular choices such as #Instagood, and #photooftheday to encourage more people to click through and follow you.
Pro-tip: Want more exposure for your branded hashtags? You can also use Instagram Feed Pro to display a hashtag feed on your website, just like what Fenty Beauty did below. To recreate this for your own brand, check out the full tutorial on how to add a hashtag feed to WordPress here.
5. Make The Most of Your Instagram Bio
Your Instagram bio is the most important real estate of your account. It’s from there that users get to know more about you and your brand, as well as discover your website, and the other places you hang out online.
Make your bio as interesting as you can to get more Instagram followers with some of these tricks:
- Add relevant hashtags to make it easier for people to find your profile
- Include your website URL so people can learn more
- Choose words carefully to describe your brand using as little space as possible
- Add emojis to convey emotion, character, and personality
6. Use Instagram Stories for Authenticity
Did you know that Instagram stories can help you develop a personal connection with people?
Because stories are more informal and have a shorter lifespan than typical Instagram posts, you can afford to be a little less polished. This can make you seem more approachable and authentic, which is something people love to see in brands on social media because it shows you’re human.
Even better, authenticity builds trust, which makes it more likely you’ll attract followers as a result.
7. Remember to Use Calls to Action
Next up is a trick lots of people forget about. And that’s adding calls to action (CTA) either in the captions of their posts or in the image.
CTAs tell people what action you want them to take next, so if you want them to follow your profile, it’s worth giving them a nudge in the right direction. If you don’t ask, you won’t find out, right?
In this example, the CTA is to help the author come up with a title for their new book, which shows how a clear CTA can spur people into action.
8. Display Your Instagram Feed on Your Website
Another great way to grow Instagram followers is to add your feed of Instagram posts to your website. That way, site visitors get an instant snapshot of your Instagram content as soon as they land, which improves engagement and followers.
Even better, automatically pushing Instagram posts straight to your site keeps it looking fresh and updated. And that bolsters engagement on Instagram even further.
So how about we take a look at how to add an Instagram feed to your WordPress site? Just follow the guide below.
Create Your Instagram Feed
First, get your copy of Instagram Feed Pro here. Then when you’ve downloaded the plugin, follow these instructions for installing WordPress plugins to your site.
Now from your WordPress dashboard, click Instagram Feed » All Feeds to start using the plugin.
To create an Instagram feed, click the Add New button, as shown below.
From there, you can choose the type of Instagram feed that you want to create. There’s 3 options here:
- User Timeline: Display the latests posts from your Instagram profile
- Public Hashtag: Embed photos and videos that have your selected hashtags
- Tagged Posts: Show Instagram posts that have tagged your account
Want to combine multiple feed types into one? You can just select more than one option here.
After selecting your Instagram feed type, click on the Next button.
For now, we’ll use a user timeline feed type.
You can now move on to the next step and connect your Instagram account to this feed.
Connect Your Instagram Account
To show Instagram posts on your new feed, you can connect it to your own Instagram account.
For that, first, click on the Add Source button.
You can now choose between 2 types of Instagram profiles: Personal and Business.
If you just want to show your own Instagram posts, you can connect a personal profile.
Or you can select a business profile and display hashtag feeds, shoppable feeds, IGTV videos, and more on your website.
To continue, select your Instagram account type and then click on Login with Instagram.
For this tutorial, we’ll go with a persona Instagram profile.
You can now give the plugin read-only access to your Instagram account. Instagram Feed Pro will use that access to view Instagram data but it can’t make any changes to your account.
So, it’s completely safe to use Instagram Feed Pro.
On the Instagram popup, click on Allow to give the read-only access.
Finally, click on the Next button to connect your Instagram account.
In the next step, you can use the live feed customizer to change the design of your Instagram feed.
Customizing Your Feed
With Instagram Feed Pro, you get a user-friendly live feed customizer.
On the left side of the customer, you can find the options to change your feed layout, color scheme, size, post style, button style, and more.
And when you customize your Instagram feed, you can see how it looks using the live preview on the right.
To start the customization, click on the Feed Layout option on the left panel.
From there, you can change how posts are shown on your website. There are 4 layout options that you can choose from.
First, you have the Grid option which shows Instagra posts in a uniform grid of square-cropped images. You can show lots of posts in a clean way with this layout.
You can also pick a Carousel layout and show posts in beautiful slideshow carousel. Plus, it gives visitors way to interact with your website.
To show Instagram iomages in their original aspect ratio, you can pick the Masonry option here. That way, you can show posts in different columns.
Highlight – The final option is the Highlight layout that puts the focus on your posts and removes the likes and comments. You can also make certain posts larger and more visible with this layout.
When you’ve chosen your feed layout, remember to click on Save.
Just like that, you can set up your color scheme, post style, header style, and more for your Instagram feed. With the live feed editor, all it takes is a few clicks.
Finally, click on Save to keep your changes and you can go to the final step.
Displaying Your Feed
To view Instagram feeds on your website, there are a few options. You can embed it in a WordPress page, or add it to a widget ready area of your site like your sidebar or footer.
First, we’ll tackle how to add your feed to a new WordPress page.
To begin, click on the Embed button on the top right corner.
You’ll now see a popup that asks you where to embed the Instagram feed. For now, you can click on Add to a Page.
Just select your page on the popup and click on Add.
Instagram Feed Pro will now send you to that WordPress page so you can embed your feed.
From there, click on the plus (+) icon to add a new block
Now type ‘Instagram‘ into the search box and select the Instagram Feed block.
Now go ahead and Publish your page to see your stunning feed on your website.
If you’d like to add your feed to a widget-ready area of your site, head to Instagram Feed » All Feeds and then select your Instagram feed.
Now click on the Embed button at the top to continue.
You can now click on Add to a Widget here and the plugin will send you to the Widgets page of your WordPress site.
Here, click on the Sidebar panel to start managing your sidebar widgets.
You can also click on the Footer panel if you want to embed your Instagram feed there. We’ll go with a footer for this tutorial.
To display your Instagram feed on your sidebar or footer, click on the plus (+) icon to add a new widget and then select Instagram Feed.
Perfect! Now click on Update and your Instagram feed widget will be live.
Site visitors can now engage with your feed on both a page and in your sidebar. Even better, they can follow you from there too!
9. Embed Your Instagram Feed on Your About Page
Another way to increase Instagram followers is to engage your target audience when they’re trying to learn more about you.
Your ‘About’ or ‘Start Here’ page is one of the first places new site visitors explore to get to know you and what your site is about. So, embedding your Instagram Feed in your about page gives curious visitors another way to connect with you.
It’s also the perfect way to show your personality less formally. And that can be the key to attracting more followers.
To add an Instagram feed to your about page, simply follow the steps we outlined earlier. But don’t forget to include engaging content to keep your readers interested. For help with that, here are some of the best about page examples on the internet.
10. Use Tailored Hashtag Feeds to Curate Relevant Content
You don’t have to use your own content to increase Instagram followers, either. Instead, you can curate content relevant to your industry and display it in tailored hashtag feeds on your website.
That way, site visitors get to see fresh, relevant content, and you develop the reputation of being an influencer on those topics. And as you may already know, Instagram influencers can have massive sway over their followers’ purchase decisions.
Adding a tailored hashtag feed to your website to boost your following is pretty straightforward.
To begin, go to Instagram Feed » All Feeds from your WordPress dashboard area. and click on Add New.
From there, select the Public Hashtag option and click on Next.
After that, click on Add Source to start connecting your Instagram business account.
Just connect your account like before and then click on the Next button to proceed.
On this page, you can pick which hashtags you want to show on your website. Just type in your hashtags and separate multiple options using a comma.
You can also pick if you want to show the top rated posts with that hastag first or the most recent posts.
Finally, click on Next to confirm your hashtags and start customizing your feed.
When you’re happy with your settings, configure the display settings, as we detailed earlier. Then when you publish your feed, there’ll be a fresh stream of your chosen hashtags on your website.
Pretty easy, right?
For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to embed an Instagram hashtag feed on WordPress.
11. Use Immersive Stories to Showcase Full-Screen Instagram Stories
Did you know that Instagram stories are an excellent way to connect with Instagram users on a more informal and personal level? It’s true!
Stories on Instagram are more forgiving than the traditional feed, so you can upload content that’s not as polished, making you appear more authentic and down-to-earth.
You can also add Instagram stories to your website. Our Immersive Stories feature showcases your Instagram stories in a full-screen display. And not only does it increase engagement, but it keeps users on your site longer too.
To make your stories accessible on your website’s Instagram feed, head to Instagram Feed » All Feeds and select your Instagram feed.
Now click on the option labeled Header to customize your header options.
After that, just scroll down and turn on the Include Stories option.
Finally, click on the Save button.
Now navigate to your website’s Instagram feed. When you click your profile picture, your Instagram stories appear in a stunning full-screen lightbox.
12. Highlight Product Review Posts with Visual Moderation
Another way to increase Instagram followers is to build trust with your target audience using the power of customer reviews and testimonials. If people trust you more, they’re more likely to engage with your content and follow your profile.
An excellent way to build that trust is to display product reviews on your website. Product reviews offer real-life testimony for your products. And that can be the difference between more sales and none at all.
Product reviews come in all shapes and sizes. And nowadays, many people choose to express their feelings about a product or service on social networking sites like Instagram.
So what better way to improve trust than by displaying specific Instagram review posts on your website?
With Smash Balloon, you can highlight specific product review posts and photos with our smart Visual Moderation system, which is guaranteed to improve trust.
To do that, head to Instagram Feed » All Feeds from your dashboard and click on your Instagram feed.
On the live feed editor, click the Settings button at the top and select the Filters and Moderation option as shown below.
To allow visual moderation, click the Moderate your Feed option here. Click that button to open up visual moderation.
From there, you can click individual posts to hide them from your feed. That way, you can display only the product review posts you’d like to include.
You can even set up a whitelist of posts to automatically include in your feed. For full instructions on how to configure a whitelist, see our documentation here.
13. Use Shoppable Feeds on Instagram to Boost Sales
Buying products right from an Instagram feed has fast become the new way to shop online. More and more people use Instagram to find the ideal purchase, so creating shoppable Instagram feeds makes a lot of sense for businesses.
Shoppable feeds link directly to your product page, so users can simply browse, click, and buy without any fuss. And offering that direct shopping experience can boost sales and followers significantly.
You can use Smash Balloon’s signature Shoppable Feeds feature to send users directly to your product pages.
From your live feed editor, click on Settings and then select the Shoppable Feed option.
Here, click on the Enable option to turn on Instagram shopping. You can then select an Instagram post and then paste the link to the product page.
Now when anyone clicks that post in your feed, they’ll go right to the linked product page.
Want to set up shoppable Instagram feeds for your own business? Just follow the instructions on this post about how to set up Instagram shopping on your website and you’re good to go!
14. Show Social Proof on Cart Pages to Reduce Abandonment
Shopping cart abandonment is one of the leading causes of lost sales for online businesses. It’s where people leave your website at the shopping cart and checkout page before they’ve bought anything.
There are tons of ways to reduce shopping cart abandonment, but one of the best ideas is to show social proof on cart pages.
Social proof is where people follow the actions of others. And for your shopping cart, seeing that customers are talking about and buying your products can give shoppers the confidence they need to make a purchase.
You can display social proof on cart pages with custom Instagram Feeds.
Simply follow the instructions above to highlight review posts in your feed. Then, publish the feed on your cart pages to boost conversions and Instagram followers.
Interested in using the power of social proof to increase your sales? Check out more examples of social proof to help you grow your business in this article.
15. Display Tagged Feeds to Highlight Posts You’re Tagged In
Chances are you’ve got a bunch of posts you’re tagged in from other Instagram users. And they’re probably sitting there gathering dust and getting little interaction.
Here’s a way to transform those tagged posts into audience-building assets.
Use tagged feeds to display posts you’ve been tagged in by other users so you can increase your audience’s engagement with your Instagram account. And even grow your Instagram followers.
To set up a tagged Instagram feed on your website, head to Instagram Feed » All Feeds from your WordPress dashboard. Then click on Add New to create another Instagram feed.
After that, select the Tagged Posts option and click on Next.
Now your site’s Instagram feed will show only the photos you’re tagged in.
16. Enable Easy Sharing to Quickly Share Instagram Posts
Having content that’s easy to share on popular social networking sites is crucial for attracting more Instagram followers. If people don’t know you have an Instagram account, they simply can’t follow you there.
With that in mind, adding Instagram feeds to your site with easy sharing options will help you increase Instagram followers quickly.
Smash Balloon’s Instagram Feed includes easy sharing to allow users to share Instagram posts right from your site quickly.
To see it in action for yourself, click any post on your website’s Instagram feed and click the Share link.
A small lightbox appears with options to share the post on:
Then you can let visitors do their thing and share your posts to increase brand exposure and Instagram followers.
17. Run Viral Instagram Contests to Boost Engagement
Our final secret tip for increasing your Instagram followers is to run a viral contest from your website. Giveaways and contests attract tons of traffic to your site, as well as helping to skyrocket your social media follower growth.
RafflePress, the best contest plugin for WordPress, lets you create Instagram contests without the hassle.
The ready-made Instagram contest template automatically populates your contests with powerful entry methods. Then you can grow your Instagram followers with a few clicks.
And when it comes to publishing your giveaway, you can embed it in WordPress using the handy contest widget block. Or for a distraction-free experience, you can craft a giveaway landing page to encourage tons more entries.
And the result?
Loads more Instagram followers, engagement, brand awareness, and traffic to your website.
And that’s it!
Now you know the best ways to promote your brand on Instagram and increase your followers. You can then reach tons of people and get more customers in no time.
That way, you’ll have an easy time boosting your social media presence and growing your business.
Want to grow your Instagram following today? Get Instagram Feed Pro and you can get started!
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