Struggling to get follows on your business Instagram account? Read Bright Sprout’s blog and learn how to gain your first 1000 followers
Instagram has a whopping 1 billion monthly active users, and with 90% of these following at least one business account, it’s no secret that the platform can be a great way to grow your business.
However, gaining quality followers on Instagram is a challenge. There are more than 200 million business accounts on the platform and getting yours seen by the right audience takes time.
But with the right strategy and consistent effort, you can and will achieve this milestone. Keep reading to find out you can grow your following and reach that all-important 1K!
How to get more followers on Instagram
Step 1. Optimise your profile:
Have an eye-catching profile picture (your company logo is ideal), write a compelling bio and add a link to your website or blog. Your bio should include who you are and what you do, not to mention include a hint of your brand personality.
A great example is this bio from @lucyandyak:

Step 2. Create high-quality content:
Post high-quality, engaging, and relevant photos and videos that will appeal to your target audience. Use various formats, such as static and carousel posts, Stories, Reels, and IGTV to keep your audience interested.
If you need inspiration for your content, research your competitors’ accounts to see what works well (and what doesn’t). You don’t want to replicate what they’re doing, but their posts can serve as a guide for themes and from there you can add your own unique flair!
Make sure that the post captions are as equally engaging and shareable as your graphic. You may want to include calls to action, relevant emojis, hashtags and clever or witty comments. It can be useful to look back at the posts that you have liked to establish what they have in common. Often, there is a message within the post that resonates with you, or there is some useful information that you want to hold onto. You can find your liked posts from your profile page. Click the menu icon in the top right of the screen, click “Your Activity”, “Interactions” and finally “Likes”.
Step 3. Use hashtags strategically:
Research and use relevant hashtags to increase the visibility of your posts. Avoid using overly generic hashtags and instead try to find niche hashtags that are popular within your target audience.
To conduct hashtag research, simply type a keyword into the Instagram search bar and then click the “Tags” tab to find a list of popular associated hashtags. It is also beneficial to look at the hashtags that your followers are using to see if there are any common themes.
Step 4. Post consistently:
Establish a regular posting schedule to keep your followers engaged and attract new ones. Consistency is key when it comes to building a loyal following. You don’t have to post everyday if you don’t have enough quality content (please don’t post for the sake of it!) but posting 3 times a week, for example, at times in which your target audience is likely to be online can be a good way to encourage engagement. Finding the best times to post will take some experimentation so play around with this before you set your schedule in stone.
We recommend building a backlog of content ahead of publishing so that your posts are well thought-out, good quality and relevant. Take a look at upcoming key awareness days and holidays for example to theme your content.
Step 5. Engage with your audience:
Engagement is very much a two-way street; you can’t expect followers to actively engage with your content unless you are reciprocating the interaction. The most natural way to draw attention to your own account is by following accounts that posts interest you and interacting with their content. There is a good chance these accounts will engage with your posts in return, and by supporting each other, you can begin to grow a community of active followers.
Be sure to reply to comments on your posts and interact with story shares, tags and more. This will help build relationships and make your account more visible.
Step 6. Collaborate with others:
Once you have built a rapport with other accounts who have similar audiences to your own, consider partnering with them. Collaborating with other users, influencers or brands in your niche can help you to grow and reach new audiences. This can be through shoutouts, sponsored posts, or collaborations on content.
For example, this sponsored post shared by Digitial Creator @iammonique_x who has around 14K followers, was then shared by @childsfarm. This allows both accounts to expand their reach and gain new followers:

Step 7. Promote your account:
Now you have a fantastic business Instagram account, it’s time to show it off! Share your account on other social media platforms, put social links on your website and in email newsletters and ask your existing followers to help spread the word. It can also be beneficial to use Instagram promotions and ads to get your content seen by a wider audience.
Step 8. Run giveaways or contests:
Who doesn’t like winning free stuff? A great way to expand your reach while increasing engagement is to run a contest or giveaway that requires users to follow your account, like a post, or tag friends to enter. This can help increase your visibility and attract new followers.
Check out this competition run by @pollylifeinsurance:

Step 9. Use Instagram ads:
As touched upon in Step 7, using promotions or ads can be a good way to increase your following. Invest in Instagram’s advertising platform to promote your account or specific posts to a targeted audience, this will help you to get the right followers more quickly.
Step 10. Track your progress:
Increasing your following is an ongoing process and you should monitor your growth using Instagram’s analytics tools. You can then adjust your strategy accordingly, testing different tactics to see what works best for your account. You can find your account overview by going to your profile, clicking the menu button in the top right of the screen and selecting “Insights”. You can also access this data through the Meta Business Suite. See our useful blog on using Meta Business Suite.
The main thing we want you to take away from our blog is that it’s more important to build a genuine community of engaged followers than simply chasing numbers. This will take time and patience, but the efforts will reward you.
And remember, Bright Sprout is here for all your social media needs.
If you’re ready to take your social presence to the next level, get in touch to find out more.
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Contact us for a friendly chat about how we can take your business to the next level!