Are you getting really frustrated because it has become really hard to grow your Instagram account? Instagram remains one of the most popular social media in the world, however, due to the ever-changing algorithm, many have given up on it.
I can totally relate to that. It seems like we are putting so much effort and time into creating that super curated feed but we are getting nowhere with followers and our engagement has tanked.
Yes, it can be frustrating and that’s why I want to shed some light on how popular Instagram accounts keep growing their reach even in 2020.
Ps: Check out Tailwinds free E-Book “The Complete Roadmap to 10K Instagram Followers” here.
Also, don’t miss to download my FREE INSTAGRAM PDF GUIDE on “How to Find your Instagram WHY to become Successful on the Platform” here:
The reality is that the Instagram algorithm is getting smarter at analyzing what people are actually interested in. That’s why we have to take a hard look at our feed and profile to decide if the problem really lies with the algorithm or if we are simply not putting our readers and followers first.
The fact is, there is still a super fast-growing account right this moment the question is what are they doing right?
Here is an example of @thecollegenutritionist comparing two of her photos between Aug. 17 and Sep 18. Only one year apart she has grown massively from getting around 300 something likes to over 8000 likes per post and over 300K followers.
Today, I want to talk about 3 ways to rapidly grow your Instagram when you are just starting out or if you want to take a deep dive into what might be going wrong with your stagnant Instagram account.
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1. Define your Avatar
When I started my first Instagram account @whatskatieupto it was a personal account. I used it like everybody else when Instagram started to share my personal images of a cat or an avocado sandwich in really bad lighting.
Mistake 1:
Once Instagram blew up it becomes obvious that it could be beneficial to my blogging business so I decided to turn my personal account into a business account. Really not ideal. Now I am not saying it can’t happen and I myself will continue to grow my own account but if you are just starting out, I would recommend starting with a brand new account for your blog or business.
Mistake 2:
Furthermore, I first started out with a food blog, which turned a lifestyle blog, which now turned to blog about blogging. My audience was all over the place and a mix of personal friends, foodies, vloggers, and bloggers. It has taken me a really long time to reach the right people and I think following this path is just making things harder than they actually are.
Mistake 3:
So, define your Avatar before you create your Instagram account. If you really want to grow your Instagram account fast then you need to have your target audience set before you even start thinking about your feed or curating your images. I did not do so and I know my business and account would have grown way faster if I had my target audience in mind from the beginning.
Related Posts:
Also, don’t miss to download my FREE INSTAGRAM PDF GUIDE on “How to Find your Instagram WHY to become Successful on the Platform” here:
Here is how you can define your Avatar:
- Who are you writing to (eg. male, female, age, education level, family, singles etc)
- What is your Avatar interest in and narrow down your focus (eg. urban gardening, cat videos, sustainable fashion, vegan makeup tutorials, etc.)
- Which problem is your Avatar facing (lack of motivation/inspiration, no makeup experience, finding a role model in fashion, fashion ideas, short escape from a hard day)
Some great examples of accounts with clearly defined Avatars are:
@fulltimefillmaker -> Avatar (Men, Millenials, interest in YouTube, Video Content Creation)
@ellevalera -> Avatar (Women, Body Positivity, Plus Size Models, Self Care, Confidance)
@collegenutritionist (Women, College + Grad Students, Fast but Healthy Eating, Meal Prepping)
Once you are clear who you are writing to, you will start attracting the right people. If you serve those people well they will bring their friends! This is the most important tip I can give you to rapidly grow your Instagram account if you are just starting out.
Let me know in the comments what you think about this.
2. Focussing on Captions
As Instagram is a visual platform, we tend to focus only on our images and the look of our feed when in fact this should just be the handshake to introduce ourselves to a new follower.
In fact, it’s the captions that will turn your follower into a true fan which is what we hope to achieve in order to rapidly grow your Instagram account.
Captions are here to draw in your reader to provide context to the image and a story your followers can relate to. It’s the tool for building that relationship with your audience. Here are some ideas you could write about in your captions:
Provide:
- Inspiration
- Transformational Story
- Tutorial
- Sell Yourself
- Motivation
- Quote
- Connection
Here are some of my favorite captions I could find on Instagram. See how many comments they got. And not just a comment like “nice pic” but thoughtful, connecting and relationship-building comments.
It’s not a mere coincidence that the Instagram algorithm focuses on Engagement a lot. We often forget the “social” part of social media which is supposed to be.
Here is a great example by @msrachelhollis talking about her story from overcoming a lifetime of people-pleasing to being able to overcome mommy guilt.
3. Leverage Video Content (In Feed Videos, Stories + IGTV + Instagram Live)
If you are just looking at the past two years and what new features Instagram has brought out then it’s easy to identify what you should be focusing on if you want to rapidly grow your Instagram account.
You guessed right it’s VIDEO.
With the introduction of “In-Feed Videos”, “Stories”, “IGTV” and “Instagram Live” there are now four different ways to create video content on Instagram.
Snapchat or TickTock are just two examples of new social media focusing solely on video. YouTube is still growing and even Facebook is saying they prefer video content to regular content. Now it’s no surprise that also Instagram as a visual platform is heavily focussing on Videos.
This is good to know for you if you want to grow your Instagram account fast. It might be uncomfortable or you might have to learn a new skill like editing videos but if you are really dedicated to growing your Instagram account fast then a video could be the key.
Here is how popular YouTuber Zoella aka @zoesugg uses video on her Instagram account. You can see that she is actively using IGTVs and Videos in her Feed as well as on her profile:
Tailwind to schedule Instagram Video content
I love using Tailwind my preferred Instagram scheduler which now also allows you to schedule videos. This is super helpful because I can totally understand that video can be more effort to create.
You can now easily take one day to create all your video content and then schedule it out throughout the week or month. You can check out Tailwind here.
Ps: Check out Tailwinds free E-Book “The Complete Roadmap to 10K Instagram Followers” here.
Also, don’t miss to download my FREE INSTAGRAM PDF GUIDE on “How to Find your Instagram WHY to become Successful on the Platform” here:
Related Posts:
- The perfect Instagram Story Size + my 4 Best Tips for Engagement
- 15 Best Instagram Props to create a gorgeous Feed
So that’s it. These are my 3 best ways to rapidly grow your Instagram account. Let me know in the comments if you found this post useful and if you want to know more. Also, what surprised you the most? Share in the comments below….
Talk to you soon,
Xoxo Katie
Ps: Check out Tailwinds free E-Book “The Complete Roadmap to 10K Instagram Followers” here.
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