2018 Beginners Guide To Getting Real Instagram Followers.

OK, I know what you’re thinking, “it’s not that easy to gain real followers!” While it’s not exactly easy, it’s definitely possible — it just takes some hard work and dedication. Around 80 million photos are shared on Instagram every day. That’s a lot of content. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to get noticed. Let’s walk through some tactics to get real followers — fast.

Create and Optimize Your Profile
First things first: Customize your Instagram profile to make it look good, tell your potential followers who you are, and give them a reason to follow you.

How? Start by making sure your username is recognizable and easily searchable — like your business name. If your business name is already taken, try keeping your business name as the first part of your username so that people searching for your business are more likely to come across you. For example, the Australian activewear line Lorna Jane uses the username @lornajaneactive.

(Note: Make sure to add your full business name to the “Name” field by clicking “Edit Profile.” This will appear under your profile picture and under your username in search.

Next, make sure your profile is public. To make your profile public, open Instagram, click on the gear icon on your profile to open “Options,” and make sure “Private Account” is turned off.

Private Account

Next, choose a profile picture that's on-brand with your other social networks, like your company logo.

Then, fill your bio with delightful, actionable, and informative information about your brand. Information like this lets people know what you're about and gives them a reason to follow you. Include who you are and what you do, and be sure to add a hint of personality. Here are a few examples for inspiration:

@WeWork: “Make a life, not just a living.”
@Oreo: “See the world through our OREO Wonderfilled lens.”
@CalifiaFarms: “Crafting, concocting and cold-brewing up a delicious, plant-based future.”
@Staples: “We make it easy to #MakeMoreHappen”
Next, add a link to your bio to make it easy for people to go straight from Instagram to your website if they want to. The space allotted for URLs is precious real estate because it's the only place on Instagram where you can place a clickable link, so use it wisely. We recommend using a shortened, customized Bitly link to make it more clickable.

Finally, enable notifications so you can see when people share or comment on your photos. This'll let you engage with them more quickly — just like a lot of companies do on Twitter. To enable notifications, go to “Options” and then “Push Notification Settings.” Select “From Everyone” for every category.

A word to the wise: We don't recommend you link your Instagram account to Twitter and Facebook so your Instagram posts are automatically published on those other accounts. The post types are different.

Designate a Content Creator
Just like there should be one (maybe two) people managing your other social media accounts, there should only be one or two people managing your Instagram account. If possible, choose someone who has experience using a personal Instagram account, and therefore “gets” the platform — and be sure they know all the handy features Instagram has to offer.

If you work for a large organization, you might find that a lot of people want to have a say in your content. That's when an organized request or guidelines document comes in hand. This document should inform people how to request a post on your Instagram account, when, the value of the post, and why.

Edit Photos and Use Instagram Filters
On Instagram, post quality matters. A lot. Your Twitter followers might forgive a few bad tweets, but a bad photo on Instagram is a big no-no. By no means do you have to take a photography course to be a good Instagram poster — nor do you have to practice for weeks before you start. But you should get familiar with basic photography tips and photo editing apps.

Photography Skills

Since Instagram is a mobile app, chances are, you will take most of the photos you post on Instagram on your mobile device. That's not just okay; it's expected. While some brands use professional photography for their Instagram photos, most use smartphones — and that's the vibe that Instagram is meant for, anyway.