Instagram is an excellent platform for growing your audience, connecting, and getting traffic to your site. But if you want traffic from Instagram, your approach needs to be slightly different than other platforms.
The way you upload can change the way people see your content, making sure you don’t look spammy and succeeding with your efforts. If you are looking for specific ways to grow your Instagram followings, increase engagement, and drive people to your site, here are some tips and tricks to use on your Instagram account.
Use the Explore Tab Strategically
One way to grow your Instagram is to use the explore tab strategically. Go to the explore tab and look at an account similar to yours. Scroll through that account’s followers and follow their followers.
The best part is that these people already follow accounts similar to yours, so they are more likely to follow you back and engage with your content. The goal here is not just to get likes and comments in return but also to get noticed by other users who follow these accounts. If they like what you have to say, they might check out your profile and even follow you!
If that sounds too aggressive for you, at least take advantage of the fact that people who click through from the Explore tab stay longer on average than people who visit other places within the app. The goal is, of course, to increase your followers, which you can start with Followers.io and build from there.
Network With the Strategic Use of Shoutouts
Many Instagram users offer “shoutouts” in exchange for money or products. By buying shoutouts from other Instagram accounts, you can get your followers exposed with a well-crafted message and branded photo featuring your product.
This is especially useful for influencers who may be more inclined to partner with you because they’re already familiar with your brand.
If you’re already on Instagram, you know it has a ton of potential for growing your business.
One of the best ways to gain new followers is to leverage other people’s audiences. So instead of using a generic shoutout like “Loving this new ice cream shop!”, try to be more specific. It makes your audience feel like they’re getting an intimate peek into your life.
For example: “So honored to have been invited by @theprettycommittee to their annual summer solstice party! Thank you so much for having me and making me feel welcome in your home. You ladies are the best!
Engage With Your Followers’ Posts
Unlike on Facebook, you cannot post and ask your followers to tag their friends, and you have to get creative to initiate that kind of engagement. The best way to do this is by engaging with your followers’ posts.
Comment on the posts you see in your feed and be sure to reply to comments left on your own posts. The more you engage with others, the more others will engage with you.
The easiest way to go about this is by liking photos and posts in your feed. However, if you’re looking for something more, you can also post comments on those same pictures.
Here’s how:
Browse your Instagram feed and find a photo or post that you’d like to engage with. Click the comment icon below it (it looks like a speech bubble). Write your comment in the box provided, then click Post Comment when you’re finished.
And that’s it! Your comment will now be posted on their photo. This is a great way to show people that you’re an active and engaged community member.
Hide Your Instagram Story Hashtags
Hashtags are a great way to reach new audiences on Instagram. You can also use them in your captions or comments as a quick way to group related posts if you are struggling to get your first followers to try Followers.io.
But when it comes to Instagram Stories, hashtags have a slightly different purpose. You can use a hashtag sticker in your story or add hashtags in the caption of your picture or video (both available once you post). By doing this, you’ll be able to follow that specific hashtag from the stories bar at the top of your home feed.
Even though they still serve as an easy way for people to find and view relevant content on Stories, they look a bit messy and unaesthetic if you don’t hide them well.
Here’s how:
Take a photo or video that includes the hashtag somewhere within the frame.
In Instagram Stories, tap the sticker button and select “hashtag.”
Type in the hashtag you’d like to use and select it from the list that appears.
Tap and hold on to the hashtag sticker that appears and move it around until it covers up the hashtag in your photo or video. Make sure it’s placed correctly so that it doesn’t look weird when it moves along with the action in your video.
Once everything looks good, tap “Done” at the top right of your screen and then “Done” again at the bottom of your screen.
Network With Other Influencers And Swap Shoutouts
Instagram can be a great place to network and form strategic partnerships.
“Shoutout for Shoutout,” or “S4S”, is a popular term on Instagram. An S4S is when one user reposts another user’s content in exchange for doing the same. It’s a great way to gain exposure and followers, but it isn’t as simple as it sounds.
Don’t S4S with people who have less than 5,000 followers, and this will do nothing for you because if they have 5,000 or fewer followers, they aren’t sharing your content with their entire audience — only a portion of it.
Don’t S4S with people who have tons of engagement (likes and comments). If someone has thousands of engagement on their posts, that means their followers are already loyal to them; they’re not looking for new accounts to follow.
Don’t S4S with people whose account/content isn’t relevant to yours. You’ll want to target accounts related to what you’re posting about so that the new audience you reach is interested in following your account long-term.
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