There are a million different pieces of advice for growing on Instagram on the internet. Some of them are excellent -- and some of them are either unachievable for most busy people or are just flat out wrong.
Without further ado, here are my five tips to grow on Instagram:
#1 Know Your Why
You need to figure out exactly what you want to build on Instagram. And I don't mean "to build more followers," I mean who are you trying to reach. Who is your smallest viable market and what are you trying to teach/sell to them?
If you do not know your why, your messaging will not be consistent or effective which will make it challenging to build an audience of true fans.
#2 Optimize Your Bio
Your bio is an absolutely essential piece of your Instagram account. It may be the most important aspect of your profile in terms of audience creation.
Here's how you can optimize your bio:
Get a snappy profile picture. It should stand out, have a plain background, and be just your face or logo (depending on the brand). Remember that most people interact with your profile picture when it is very small.
Set follower expectations. Your audience should know exactly what it is you can do for them as soon as they get to your profile. Mystery and guesswork is not your friend here.
Claim a niche. Know which market segment you are speaking to so you can speak directly to them. This doesn't mean you cannot switch up later, but you will grow faster if you decide which group you want to speak to. This lets them know your content is for them.
Include a call to action directing your audience to do something. Maybe that's shopping from your store or reading your blog. Maybe it's signing up for your newsletter. What I can promise you is that if you do not clearly ask people to do something, they will do nothing.
#3 Create Content Pillars
Consistency is incredibly important for growing on Instagram. One way to make it easier to show up consistently on social media is to use content pillars.
Content pillars organize the your social media efforts based on what topics or themes you want to discuss. This will direct your content AND make it easier to show up with consistent messaging.
#4 Use New Content Formats
As new content formats are released by Instagram, jump on them and give it a try. When new features are launched, they are usually pushed in front of a larger organic audience. Don't wait until the format is saturated to start trying it out!
#5 Plan Ahead
Use a content calendar to plan your content ahead of time. Even if it is not super in depth or fancy. Planning your content ahead of time will save you time in the long run in addition to keeping messaging, appearance, and timing consistent on your page.
Learn more:
This blog is a culmination of a five-part series I did on Instagram. You can find the posts organized in this IG Guide.