How to Get your First Instagram Followers

Step 1: how to get your first few followers

In this step, we will help you to set up your new Instagram account. An important lesson to learn is that when you want people to do something, you need to motivate them to do it.

Example

In the case to get followers, a discount for your products to the first 100 followers could work really well. And if you have an extensive enough email list, you even could split up the offer. Let’s say the first 100 followers get 30% off, the next 100 followers get 20% off, and the following 100 followers get 10% off. This way you get 300 followers in no time. But before you send the email, make sure you already have some engaging posts to give them an idea what your brand is about. The first few 100 followers are the hardest to gain, so you can also buy engaged Instagram followers to get a more relaxed start.

Of course, this only works if you already have something to sell and have an existing community to send your discount email. If you don’t, you can turn to your family, friends and even your colleagues. This is a stylish way to get the first few followers because you will grow on Instagram quite quickly even without posting any content. However, we suggest that you have at least one picture on your profile before you asking anyone to follow you. Don’t forget that if you already have a site or if you are active on any other platform that you put a link there to your Instagram account.

Keep growing

After completing this first step, it is time to choose a strategy to grow your followers base on Instagram to at least one hundred followers. To help you with this we have come up with two approaches you can choose from, or if you have a better strategy, use your own of course.

First strategy

The first strategy is the best if you have something coming up. Like an announcement, a product, a new website, a giveaway, etc.

You have to create an attractive profile picture and an engaging bio. Make sure your bio corresponds with your desired audience. Add every link you have in your bio, think about your homepage, email subscription page, or literally any other brand link that could potentially extend the relationship with your followers. A link to your website adds credibility to your brand, even if you haven’t correctly launched your site yet. This way you are showing your audience that you’re serious about your brand because you have gone the extra mile and bought a domain. If you are going with this strategy, you should have at least a ‘coming soon’ page set-up with lead capture.

Your bio

When you are writing your Instagram bio, make sure to be very clear on what your account is going to be about. If you are giving away free fitness advice, say it. If you are planning on launching an application, tell them. And they should know about it when you have a giveaway. Give people a reason to follow you, even if you don’t have anything uploaded at the moment.

Only having your Instagram account set up won’t help you get followers on Instagram. What you need to do is to search for accounts that are in your niche or in a similar niche and already have a considerable following. When you have identified these accounts, you need to start following at least ten of them and 50 of their followers. If you really want to do it right, you should check out the accounts of these 50 followers before you follow them to make sure they fit your desired audience.

Interact

What is really important when you want to increase your followers is that you interact with the accounts that you follow regularly. You can begin by writing them a direct message in which you introduce yourself. The next step is to like their latest posts, leave comments on them and respond to their Instagram Stories.

The combination of the personal approach and regular engagement is a great tactic to get followers on Instagram. Of course, you should be doing all this in the later phases as well, but it’s especially crucial when your account is still small.

Second strategy

The second strategy is the best if you want to develop a personal brand or if you don’t have anything significant coming up.

Naturally, everything we discussed in the first strategy is still useful. It is vital to put an effort in your bio description to explain who you are and what your account is about. It is also crucial to reach out to other accounts in your niche and engage with their followers.

Difference

The significant difference between these two strategies is that with the second strategy you need to build your feed up before you do the outreach. Remember that you will be driving them to your posts.

An important question in everyone’s mind is how many posts should you have published before you start your Instagram outreach? In our opinion, nine to twelve posts is a good starting point. This will make sure that when someone lands on your profile, there is sufficient content to portray your brand. Keep in mind that your posts should complement each other to create a cohesive whole and aesthetic look.

Visual

Instagram is of course all about the pictures, so it is essential that you have a beautiful layout for your images. Each individual photo works for driving engagement from your existing followers who see the posts in their feed. However, the most important thing is that the overall look of your account is excellent. Doing this helps you get followers because it shows that you take your brand seriously and lets them know that they can expect similar quality content consistently.

Conclusion

If you think it would make sense for your brand, you can also combine both strategies.