8. Attract Attention to Your Website using Social Media
One of the quickest ways to achieve organic growth is to steal some people's audience — but in an ethical and collaborative manner. Connect with other creators or accounts who have a similar audience who are similar in size to you and offer them a partnership.
The Collab feature on Instagram allows you to work together with another account on a post or Reel, so that both accounts will be listed as the creator of the content and it will be visible in both feeds. This is a very powerful instrument for mutual development. Just shout out someone, do a Together Live or be a guest on another person's Story can generate a tide of new, relevant followers.
Don't be afraid to contact the community. Most of the creators on your level are trying to grow, and if you can pitch them in a way that is sincere and you're delivering value, a lot will be gained.
9. Create an Arrowsmith Communication Board
Your caption isn't just an opportunity to put hashtags in! It's your chance to engage with your audience, put your spin on things and leave it open for comments. Instagram prefers posts that get comments as it shows that there is high engagement.
- Use a question ending sentence for captions.
- Describe a personal story relating to your post.
- Come across an issue that your niche cares about and take a stance.
- Be specific and be real not generic and polished.
- Longer captions are more likely to engage readers, as they spend more time reading them, and the algorithm to associate them with a good post.
See your caption as a micro-blog post. Provide an opportunity for people to "stop, read, respond."
10. Use Instagram to Post to Any Website
Don't keep your Instagram account private. Share it on all platforms that you use. Include your IG username in your email signature. Share your posts on status of WhatsApp. Depending on your audience, cross promote on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter or LinkedIn. If you have a blog or web page, add a feed from your Instagram or an Instagram follow button.
All your current followers, regardless of how many they may be, are a pool of Instagram followers you have. The population with whom you are already familiar are most likely to follow you onto another platform.
10. Patience and measure the results
Among the most vital of the tips: be patient. Not everything grows in a straight line with organic growth. 50 people may follow you some weeks, and 5 others the next week. It doesn't matter if you're building an audience or real or engaging – what matters is that your audience actually cares about your content.
Track the reach, saves and profile visits of posts on Instagram's built-in analytics (Insights). Put more emphasis on what works best on the content format and topics. Let go of what doesn't work. You will get a good idea of what your target audience enjoys over time and you'll grow naturally.
Final Thoughts
It isn't impossible to grow on Instagram without the Instagram app, it's the only thing that will ensure long-term and meaningful growth. So, when you're optimizing your profile, producing truly quality content, engaging genuinely and being consistent, you're creating something that only you can create, a loyal, real community that cares about what you share.
Begin implementing one or two of these strategies today! Build the habit. Stay consistent. And steadily increase followers (and most important, real influence) over time.