How to Get More Instagram Followers in 2025 (25 Proven Tips)

Instagram followers are more than just a number — they’re members of your community.

That said, if your main goal is to grow on Instagram, you could see an increase in traffic, sales, and engagement.

In this guide, we’re sharing 25 tried-and-tested ways to get more Instagram followers. Plus, the best Instagram management platform for planning, scheduling, and analyzing your posts.

1. Don’t Buy Instagram Followers

When it comes to growth on Instagram — unless Taylor Swift has mentioned you in a song — it doesn’t happen overnight.

But shortcuts like buying followers or bots aren’t the answer.

Buying followers is against Instagram’s Terms of Use, and while you might see an initial surge in followers and engagement, it’ll do you a disservice in the long run. 

Why? Because Instagram frequently weeds out phony engagement and fake accounts, and you could find yourself shadowbanned.

It might take some time, but attracting quality followers who’ll actually engage with your content and stick around is worth the wait.

2. Have a Strong Personal Brand

Would you walk into a shop if you had no idea what it sold? Probably not.

Well, the same principle applies to your Instagram account. 

Having a clear brand (whether it’s styling tips, inspirational quotes, or cooking content) is essential for converting visitors into followers. 

This can be broad (like meal-prep hacks) or specific (like Trader Joe’s hacks and hauls).

What matters is that you can deliver on this personal brand.

However, this doesn’t mean all your content has to be exactly the same. 

For more branding tips, watch our free course: How to Get Your First 1K Instagram Followers.

3. Find Your Niche

Your personal brand is important – it tells people who you are and what they can expect from your account.

But to find your community — and grow your following — you’ll want to find a specific niche. For this, think back to why you started your account

Let’s say you’re a Trader Joe’s account, but what you really love is their snacks and dips.

What is going to be better content: snack and dip reviews or hauls of products you don’t care for?

Don’t be afraid of your niche. Creating content that feels like you will keep content creation sustainable and prevent burnout.

4. Create a Cohesive Instagram Feed

Nowadays, your Instagram page is pretty much a resume, portfolio, and website all wrapped up in one.

And while it doesn’t have to be picture-perfect, first impressions still matter.

With just seconds to introduce yourself and convey your brand personality, a strong Instagram aesthetic could be the difference between a visitor hitting follow or tapping away. 

To create a visual identity that supports your brand’s look and feel, use an Instagram feed planner like ‘s Visual Planner: 

5. Optimize Your Instagram Bio

Your Instagram bio is often the first touch point for new visitors, making it the perfect opportunity to communicate who you are and what you offer, straight from the jump.

And with only 150 characters to set the stage, it’s important to make sure your bio is short, informative, and includes relevant keywords to make your account more discoverable.

For example, rather than simply using “chef”, creator Lauren Toyota includes “vegan chef” in the name field:

6. Write Descriptive Captions With Keywords

A few years ago, you could only search in Instagram Explore via hashtags, location tags, usernames, and profile names. 

However, you can now search using keywords: 

8. Create a Consistent Instagram Posting Schedule

When it comes to growing on Instagram, consistency is the name of the game.

“The more consistent your posts, the more your audience will get to know you, which in turn builds trust. They’ll also know what to expect from you, giving them a reason to follow and engage with your content,” says Social Media Manager, Linsday Ashcraft.

However, creating quality content that drives real value for your audience should always trump quantity.

FYI: Millions of brands, marketers, and creators use ‘s Instagram scheduling tools to plan, manage, and analyze their posts. Start a 14-day trial with to optimize your strategy today — it’s free.

9. Find Your Best Time to Post

As mentioned above, creating consistent content on Instagram matters.

And to get more eyes on your content, posting at the right time can lead to a spike in traffic and new audiences. 

In a study, we found that users across the board tend to interact with content posted in the early hours of the day, more than any other time slot.

In other words: the early bird gets the worm.

However, it’s important to find your unique best time to post. With ‘s best time to post tool, you’ll get suggestions for your best time to post for optimal engagement. Start your free trial now.

10. Make Sure Your Instagram Content is Accessible

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 2.2B people have a vision impairment or experience blindness.

So, if you’re not prioritizing accessibility in your social media strategy, you could be keeping potential clients, customers, or connections from engaging in your content.

Creator Megan Jayne Crabbe keeps Instagram content accessible by including image descriptions in alt text and including descriptive captions.

Here are five ways to make your Instagram account more accessible and inclusive:

1. Add subtitles or text overlays to video content (including Instagram Stories and Reels)

2. Write descriptive alt text for your Instagram posts using ‘s alt text feature

3. Verbalize visual details during stories and videos

4. Capitalize each word in Instagram hashtags. This helps screen-readers read them aloud properly

5. Create content that’s screen-reader friendly by limiting the use of emojis in captions and text overlay 

After all, inclusive content means that more people can access and consume it, which can result in higher engagement, new followers, and an overall better experience for everyone on Instagram.

11. Work With Other Brands, Creators & Influencers

Partnering with like-minded influencers and brands is a major growth hack.

You’ll be able to benefit from brand association and tap into a new pool of potential followers.

The best news? Partnerships don’t have to break the bank. Some of the most effective ones are simple and mutually beneficial. 

For example, Uniqlo Canada partnered with content creator Genevieve on a Reel to create hype around their AIRism collection:  

Similarly, you don’t have to work with supersized influencers to make an impact.

Nano and micro-influencers typically have higher engagement rates than Macro influencers and have lower rates for sponsored posts. 

Finding the right influencers for your brand doesn’t need to be difficult. ‘s Influencer Search Tool makes it easy to find brand-aligned creators. You can start a free trial and see it in action.

12. Join the Conversation with Social Listening

One great way to make your account more visible and grow your following is by using social listening tools.

Social listening allows you to keep your finger on the pulse of what matters to your audience.

Being in tune with the topics your target audience cares about allows you to:

• Comment and engage with others on trending posts.

• Quickly respond to your followers, creating a sense of community.

• Quickly create content about topics your audience is already talking about.

Did you know has a new, best-in-class social listening tool? Try it free for 14 days to see how it works and how it can help you get new followers.

13. Create More Instagram Reels

Instagram Reels are still one of the most effective ways to reach new audiences on the app.

Unlike other types of Instagram posts (e.g., carousels), Reels have a designated spot on the Explore page and their tab on the home feed navigation bar, making them super discoverable.

14. Jump on Trends

Engaging with trends and creating trending content is one of the best ways to drive engagement and get new followers on Instagram… if you move fast enough.

Used correctly, trends show your followers that you’re in tune and up-to-date with what matters on social.

Beware of waiting too long. Trends are best served fresh, and you don’t want your content to come across as stale (or worse, cringe).

Luckily, we’ve got an easy hack for staying up-to-date: Our Instagram Reels trends blog, updated weekly.

15. Optimize your Instagram Stories Highlights

Even though stories disappear after 24 hours, you can keep them alive by saving them to your Instagram Story Highlights.

16. Create Memes and Other Shareable Content

When it comes to organically reaching new audiences, creating shareworthy content is a great place to start.

Inspirational quotes and informative carousel posts are all tried-and-tested formats, and it only takes one post to reach thousands of people.

Memes are also huge for generating reach, especially when they tap into something that’s trending in popular culture.

17. Lean Into User-Generated Content

Encouraging your community to share user-generated content (UGC) is a great way to raise brand awareness and grow your Instagram following.

Take Knix, for example.

The brand collects UGC images and videos from their customers and saves them to an Instagram Story highlight called #YouInYourKnix: 

18. Run an Instagram Giveaway

If you want to grow your following fast, hosting an Instagram giveaway can be one of the most effective tactics.

With the right strategy, you can reach thousands of potential new followers, all while building a stronger sense of community on IG around your brand:

Make sure you set clear entry requirements that support your growth goals, such as tagging a friend in the comments, sharing to Instagram Stories, and following your account. 

Instagram giveaways can be especially beneficial when hosted in partnership with a creator or brand with a similar target audience.

20. Analyze High-Performing Content

When it comes to monitoring your brand’s performance on Instagram, reach is one of the most important metrics to take into account.

Reach shows how many unique accounts have seen your post, and therefore how much awareness and value you’re gaining.

If a post receives higher (or lower) reach than usual, you can use those results as insight for future posts.

What hashtags did you use? What type of content did you share? Was the CTA (call-to-action) in your caption optimized for engagement?

One of the easiest ways to keep track of your reach — and all other metrics — is with ’s Instagram Analytics:

21. Go Live on Instagram

ICYMI: Instagram Live recently got new updates.

The opportunity? Another avenue to boost your following.

With the new Instagram Live Producer, users can now add additional cameras, external microphones, and graphics to their setup — aka another way to stand out and reach your people.

NOTE: Instagram Live Producer is only available on desktop.

22. Experiment on Threads

While we don’t recommend going all-in on a Threads strategy just yet, experimenting with the text-based app from Instagram is a low-lift discovery hack.

Why? Your Threads and Instagram profiles are linked, giving potential followers more opportunities to discover your content.

And with saves, drafts, and trends now live on the platform, there’s never been a better time to test the waters.

Learn how to get started with threads: Everything You Need To Know About Instagram Threads.

Plus, you can plan and publish your Threads content with a Threads Scheduler. allows you to manage your socials all in one platform. Get started today and start saving time and NRG!

23. Try Instagram Ads

If you have some budget, it’s worth testing out Instagram Ads, especially if you’re a brand or a creator with something to sell.

If you want to guarantee that your brand and products get in front of different people, a targeted ad campaign can help.

Start by experimenting with a small campaign and see if that helps your follower base grow.

So there you have it! While getting more Instagram followers won’t automatically happen overnight, by following the above 25 tips and strategies, you’ll be well on your way.

Ready to grow your Instagram following? Try free for 14 days to plan, schedule, and analyze your Instagram posts.