Increasing Instagram engagement is a top marketing goal in 2025 for many brands, both big and small. But with so much competition, how can you stand out and get your target audience to hit that "Follow" button?
Simply posting about your products and services won't cut it anymore. No one wants to follow a brand that only talks about itself. Instead, Instagram users are looking for fun, meaningful content that educates and entertains.
To attract the right kind of followers, you need to understand your audience and their interests. After all, you don't just want numbers, you want a following that converts into customers and drives sales.
In this article, we’ll explore 15+ ways to get more followers on Instagram in 2025. We'll show you how to increase engagement and build an audience that's genuinely interested in what you offer.
First things first—Optimize your account.
Want to attract more followers with high-quality content? Make sure your profile clearly shows what your business is all about!
Start by setting up and optimizing your Instagram Business account.
#1 Complete your profile
Your profile is your first impression. Make it count!
- Choose the right profile pic: Use a high-quality image that represents your brand—your logo is a great choice.
- Craft a concise bio: Tell your audience who you are and what you offer. Keep it short, sweet, and to the point.
- Add key information: Include your location (if relevant) and links to your website, YouTube channel, or other important pages.
- Stay consistent: Use the same colors and branding across your profile to create a cohesive and recognizable look.
#2 Optimize your Instagram Story Highlights
Story Highlights are a fantastic way to showcase your best content and give new followers a quick overview of your brand.
- Group your Stories: Organize your past Stories into themed collections that highlight different aspects of your business.
- Feature them on your profile: These collections appear as clickable links below your bio, making it easy for visitors to explore your content.
- Customize with icons: Add visual appeal by using custom icons that represent each Highlight category.
#3 Embed keywords into your username and name
How do you gain followers who are genuinely interested in your brand? Use keywords that represent your products and services in your username, name, and bio.
For example, if you sell shoes, try to have the word “shoes” in all three places. That way, IG followers who are looking for shoe-related content on Instagram can quickly find you.
Create impactful content
Once your profile is set up, it's time to create compelling content that will attract new followers. Remember to focus on visuals and keep your text concise.
- Less text, more visuals: Instagram is a visual platform. Prioritize high-quality images and videos that capture attention.
- Get creative: Think outside the box! Use humor, interesting visuals, and unique angles to share tips and tricks.
- Don't over-promote: While it's okay to promote your products or services, aim for a balance of 80% educational and entertaining content and 20% promotional content. You can also try the 5:3:2 rule:
- 5 posts curated from other accounts
- 3 non-promotional posts you create
- 2 promotional posts
Pro Tip: Tools like Social Content AI can help you generate and schedule Instagram content, freeing up your time to focus on other aspects of your business.
So, how do you get more followers on Instagram from your content? Let’s explore some tips:
#4 Experiment with different types of Instagram posts
To keep your audience engaged, try mixing up your content with a variety of post types.
Here are a few ideas—we’ll explore them in more detail further on:
| Post type | Description | How it helps to get more followers on Instagram |
| Feed Posts | High-quality photos or carousel posts aligned with your aesthetic | Creates a strong first impression and establishes your brand identity |
| Stories | Real-time, ephemeral content like behind-the-scenes moments or interactive polls | Makes your account feel relatable and keeps followers engaged daily |
| Reels | Short, engaging videos that showcase creativity or trending topics | Favored by Instagram’s algorithm, increasing visibility and potential virality |
| Lives | Live sessions for Q&As, product launches, or collaborations | Real-time interaction encourages followers to tune in regularly |
| Collaborations | Co-branded posts with other creators or brands | Expands reach by tapping into another account’s audience |
| User-Generated Content (UGC) | Content shared by your audience featuring your brand or product | Builds trust and encourages others to engage and share your content |
| Memes and Trends | Humorous or trend-based content | Captures attention, makes your account shareable, and appeals to a broader audience |
#5 Create a content calendar and post consistently.
Want to boost your follower count? Consistency is key. Studies show that nano accounts post twice a week, while larger accounts post 3-5 times. To see real growth, you need to up your posting game. The best approach is to plan a content calendar and brainstorm themes and ideas in advance.
It's easy to let social media slide when things get busy. To avoid this, we recommend planning and scheduling your posts at least four weeks out. This gives you a buffer for those inevitable emergencies and ensures you stay active on the platform.
Remember, consistent posting is crucial for maintaining momentum and keeping your audience engaged!
Social Content AI can be a lifesaver when it comes to Instagram content creation. This tool automates the entire process, saving you valuable time and energy.
Just log in, enter your website or a description of your business, and let AI generate 100+ content ideas and trends for your niche. From there, you can easily plan your content calendar, turning your favorite ideas into posts complete with professional images, designs, and videos.
You can also repurpose existing content with ease. Just add a link to your blog or webpage, and Social Content AI will transform it into engaging posts for all your social channels.
#6 Create more Instagram reels
While Instagram used to be all about photos, videos, and carousels, short-form videos called Reels now dominate the platform. These engaging videos (up to 3 minutes long) are easy to create and edit right within the Instagram app.
But Reels offer more than just a fun way to share content. They're also a powerful tool for reaching new audiences. Instagram's Explore tab is dedicated to Reels, and the algorithm actively promotes Reels from accounts users already follow. This means your Reels are more likely to be seen and shared, increasing your visibility and reach.
Pro tip: Organize your past Reels by grouping them under Story Highlights. This allows new followers to easily discover your older content.
To maximize the impact of your Reels:
- Use relevant hashtags and keywords in your captions to help people find your content.
- Keep your Reels concise to encourage repeat views.
- Incorporate trending music when appropriate.
- Add captions for viewers who are watching with the sound off.
- Create original, high-quality video content instead of reposting from TikTok or other sources.
Social Content AI includes a video editor to edit pre-generated Reels from images.
You can also upload and edit videos using Social Content AI.
#7 Find your best times to post on Instagram
After analyzing more than 5 million Instagram posts, Buffer found that weekday content posted between 7 am and 8 am gets the most engagement. They also noticed an engagement spike at 4 pm on Thursdays and Fridays.
The takeaway? Plan and schedule your content for when your audience will most likely be on the app. More views are likely to equal more engagement.
You can schedule Instagram content with a tool like Social Poster. Brands can schedule Stories, Carousels, Reels, and Posts, either created by themselves or generated by Social Content AI.
#8 Use relevant hashtags
Hashtags are essential for helping people discover your content on Instagram. But it's not just about using any hashtag—you need to find the right ones. Think of them as keywords that categorize your posts. For example, if you sell tea, you might use #tea and #biscuits in your captions. When someone searches for tea-related content, your posts will appear in the results.
While it's tempting to use the most popular hashtags, those are often very competitive. To increase your visibility, try incorporating less common but more specific hashtags relevant to your niche. For example, instead of just #tea, consider using #afternoontea or #tealover.
Need help finding the perfect hashtags? Social Content AI generates dozens of relevant suggestions to help you grow your audience organically.
#9 Write compelling captions
Like hashtags, your captions play a crucial role in capturing attention and encouraging engagement. Avoid overwhelming your audience with large blocks of text. Instead, keep your captions concise, witty, and to the point. Weave in relevant keywords and descriptions to further boost your visibility.
Tips for writing captivating Instagram captions:
- Start with a hook: Grab your readers with a compelling question, a bold statement, or an intriguing fact.
- Keep it concise: Instagram is a visual platform, so keep your captions short and sweet.
- Add personality with emojis: Use emojis sparingly to highlight key points and inject some personality.
- Include a call to action: Encourage your audience to like, comment, share, or visit your website.
- Find your brand voice: Write in a style that reflects your brand's personality.
- Stay relevant: Connect with your audience by referencing current events, popular memes, or trending topics.
#10 Research trends for creative inspiration
Coming up with fresh content ideas every month can be a challenge. Many brands find inspiration by keeping an eye on trending Reels and adapting them to their own audience. There are countless creative ways to promote your business without being overly promotional.
Need a shortcut? We curate monthly trends and learnings from our own social media channels to make your life easier. Just follow our trends page, and you'll get ten new ideas each month!
Collaborate to expand
Creating content in isolation is not enough. Collaborating with other Instagram businesses and users can double your organic reach and attract new audiences.
#11 Collaborate with Instagram creators or other small businesses
Teaming up with like-minded individuals or brands is a fantastic way to reach new audiences and offer fresh, engaging content to your existing followers. Here are a few collaboration ideas:
- Product giveaways with influencers: Partner with a micro-influencer in your niche to host a giveaway. For example, a skincare brand could collaborate with a beauty influencer to give away a skincare set. Giveaway rules might include following both accounts, liking the post, and tagging friends. This encourages the influencer's followers to discover and follow your account.
- Co-branded content with small businesses: Create and share content with complementary businesses. For instance, a local coffee shop could team up with a nearby bakery to showcase their coffee alongside the bakery's pastries. This cross-promotion helps both businesses reach new local customers.
- Joint Instagram Live sessions: Host a live session with another creator or small business owner to discuss a topic relevant to your audience. A fitness coach, for example, could collaborate with a nutritionist to share healthy lifestyle tips. The interactive nature of Live sessions attracts viewers from both accounts and encourages them to follow both.
#12 Cross-promote your Instagram handle on other channels
Don't limit your Instagram promotion to just the app itself! Spread the word across your other channels to reach a wider audience and strengthen your overall online presence.
Here are a few ideas:
- Email newsletters: Include your Instagram handle in your email signature and newsletters. Add a call to action, like "Follow us on Instagram for behind-the-scenes updates and exclusive content!"
- Your website or blog: Embed your Instagram feed or add a "Follow Us" button to your website. A lifestyle blog, for example, could showcase a live feed of curated Instagram posts to encourage visitors to explore their profile.
- Other social media platforms: Share your Instagram content on your other social media accounts, like Facebook, Twitter (X), or LinkedIn. For instance, post a teaser Reel on Twitter with a caption like, "Catch the full video on Instagram @[YourHandle]!"
- Offline marketing materials: Add your Instagram handle to your business cards, brochures, and product packaging.
- Guest content: When writing a guest blog post or appearing on a podcast, mention your Instagram handle in your introduction or conclusion.
- Community and events: Promote your Instagram at events like trade shows and webinars. Display your handle on presentation slides or event banners.
Analyze and improve
To truly maximize your Instagram growth, you need to go beyond just posting content. It’s important to keep track of your key metrics to continually refine your strategy.
#13 Understand your Instagram Analytics to grow followers
Instagram provides built-in analytics with valuable insights into your performance. Here's a quick overview:
| Metric | What it tells you | How to use it |
| Profile Visits and Reach | How many people view your profile and the reach of your posts. | Refine your bio and add a strong call-to-action to convert profile visitors into followers. |
| Audience Insights | Demographics like age, gender, location, and active hours of your audience. | Post when your followers are most active to boost engagement and visibility. |
| Content Performance | Metrics such as likes, comments, shares, and saves for individual posts. | Identify and replicate the style, theme, or format of top-performing content. |
| Engagement Rate | The percentage of people interacting with your content compared to those who see it. | Use CTAs and interactive features like polls or quizzes to drive higher engagement. |
| Follower Growth Trends | Whether your follower count is increasing, decreasing, or stagnating over time. | Monitor trends to correlate spikes or dips with specific content or campaigns and adjust accordingly. |
| Website Clicks and Actions | How effectively your content drives traffic to your website or links. | Test different link-in-bio tools or CTAs to identify what drives the most traffic. |
| Stories and Reels Analytics | Insights like impressions, replies, and completion rates for ephemeral content. | Adjust story lengths and use stickers, polls, or questions to keep viewers engaged and returning. |
However, Instagram's built-in analytics has its limitations. It can be difficult to see how different metrics relate to each other. For a more comprehensive view, consider using a third-party tool like Semrush Social. This tool provides a clear overview of all your data and even allows you to create custom reports.
Semrush Social allows you to tag your content with custom labels before posting (these are for internal tracking and are different from hashtags). This unlocks a deeper layer of analytics reporting.
Using the "Content Tag" filter, you can easily view all posts associated with a specific tag, such as "memes" or "informational content." This allows you to analyze performance by content category and identify what's generating the most new followers. By examining likes, comments, and shares for each tagged category, you can pinpoint the types of content that resonate most with your audience.
#14 Analyze top-performing content from your competitors
Keeping a close eye on your competitors is essential for staying ahead of the curve. You don't want to be left behind while their posts are going viral and generating tons of engagement. Analyzing their top-performing content can provide valuable insights and inspire fresh ideas for your own strategy.
Social Content AI lets you view competitor metrics and analyze their top-performing content. You can then use the ideas to improve your own social media strategy.
Some more important tips
Here are a few more strategies to help you gain more Instagram followers:
#15 Don’t buy fake followers
Purchased followers are often bots or inactive accounts that won't engage with your content. Focus on organic growth to build a community of real followers who genuinely interact with your posts. This will improve your engagement rate and credibility.
#16 Experiment on Threads
Instagram Threads encourages more conversational and authentic interactions. Share exclusive updates, behind-the-scenes content, and polls to create a deeper connection with your audience. Encourage them to check out your main Instagram profile.
#17 Try Instagram ads
Instagram Ads allow you to target specific demographics and interests, making it easier to reach potential followers who are likely to be interested in your content. Promote your top-performing posts or special offers to attract your ideal audience.
#18 Stay authentic
Authenticity builds trust and loyalty, which are essential for long-term follower growth. Share your brand story, values, and even challenges to create genuine connections with your audience. People are more likely to follow accounts they find relatable and trustworthy.
Conclusion
Building a strong Instagram following takes time and dedication. There are no magic shortcuts, but tools like Social Content AI can hugely simplify the process—saving you valuable time and effort. Its powerful AI technology assists with everything from brainstorming content ideas to creating eye-catching visuals, scheduling posts, and tracking your performance.
And Social Content AI isn't just for Instagram. It helps you manage multiple social media channels from one central hub, making it easy to cross-post content and grow your brand presence across platforms.