How to Get Your First (or Next) 1000 Followers on Instagram

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How to Get Your First (or Next) 1000 Followers

on Instagram

A guide to growing your Instagram the ethical way.

MINDY MARZEC

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I N T R O D U C T I O N

As a social media coach, there is one platform that business owners want to talk about more than any other platform, by a wide margin: Instagram.

Why is Instagram so popular for business owners and bloggers? For one, it's visual. With a visual post you can get your message across very quickly. It's also fun! Who doesn't love scrolling through their feed to see what everyone is up to?

But with over 1 billion users, getting your account seen can seem like a daunting, even impossible task. I promise you, it's not. The key to Instagram is getting the right content in front of the right people.

And that is what I am going to teach you in this guide! Whether you are just starting out or you are looking to find your next 1000 perfect followers, the strategies in this guide are what's working now.

It doesn't happen overnight. The strategies in this guide take some thought, consideration, and precious time. But when you find your winning combo, the reward of a thriving Instagram community is so worth the investment!

Cheers to your Instagram success! Let's get going!

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Step 1: Lay a Good Foundation

Setting Goals

What is your goal with your Instagram account? Are you looking to find new clients? Are you trying to network with other businesses? Do you want to use Instagram as a mini-portfolio site to show off your best work? Are you using Instagram as a supplement to a blog or website?

Don't grow your account just to grow it.

Don't aim to have a million followers just because!

Without a clear goal in mind, you'll be spinning your wheels and won't go anywhere.

Before you implement an Instagram strategy, know your overall business goals and how Instagram will support those goals.

Ideal Client

Know who you are trying to reach. If you are not clear on your Ideal Client Avatar, stop right now and figure it out.

If you don't know who you are targeting with your social media posts it will be very difficult to find success on Instagram or any social channels.

Use the following page to identify your Ideal Client Avatar, and think about them often!

Once you are clear on your ideal client, ask yourself this question before you post anything: "Would my ideal client like or comment on this?"

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Who is Your Ideal Client?

Do you know who you're marketing to? Unless you have a clear idea of your ideal client, you cannot tailor your social media content to attract them. Here are a few details to help you discover your ideal client avatar:

Age:

Gender:

Profession:

Annual Income:

Lifestyle:

Favorite Color:

Favorite Hobby:

Favorite Retail Stores:

If you printed this e-book, use the space below to write a narrative about your Ideal Client Avatar. If you are reading this electronically, use a separate paper or writing app.

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Clean Up Your Profile

Your profile page should be a clear representation of your business and what an Instagram user can expect from your content.

Analyze your profile picture. Make sure your profile picture is understandable and clear. It should be a photo of you, or a logo, or something very obvious. Remember your profile picture is TEENY TINY when people are scrolling through your feed.

Update your bio. Be clear on who you are and what your account offers. Avoid using inside jokes or phrases the average person would not understand. Add some relevant emojis to give your bio some visual interest. Remember - people online tend to gaze over long blocks of text. Keep your bio straight-forward and understandable.

Delete photos that don't match your brand or current aesthetic. Don't spend too much time on this but delete old photos that don't align with your message or style.

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Step 2: Content Best Practices

Now that your profile is looking good, let's move on to content! Social Media is all about quality, interesting content, and following some important rules will keep

your audience coming back again and again.

Pick a Niche

Choose a topic for your Instagram page, preferably something you are very passionate about and know well. Become known for sharing information and tips about a specific topic. The more you can niche down, the better. Be sure to give value to your audience every time you post.

Once you pick your niche, stick with it!

Post Quality Images

With Instagram, images rule over everything else. Be sure to only post high quality photos. Avoid posting dark, blurry, confusing images. Many Instagram users edit their photos with apps. My favorite editing apps are A Color Story, Snapseed, and Afterlight.

People like familiarity, so try to maintain a consistent photo style. Also, pay attention to which types of photos get the best response! Your audience will tell you what kinds of photos they like to see.

A lot of people want to know what time of day to post. If you have a business account (which you should, if you're a business), you can check your insights to see when your followers are most active online. But in my opinion, if your content is really, really good, it doesn't matter when you post it. Users will find it and like it!

Content is king! Make sure good quality posts are your top priority.

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Step 2: Content Best Practices

Be Consistent

Many Instagram users feel pressured to post every day. This is not necessary! What is more important is consistency. Choose an Instagram schedule that works best for you. Some people may want to post every day, or three times a day. Some may only be able to post once a week. That's fine, just be consistent!

Remember, with Instagram, post quality over quantity.

Hashtag Usage

Hashtags are a great way to get your photos discovered through the Explore screen. I recommend having some set hashtags you use consistently, and unique hashtags for every photo. Remember to use hashtags that are relevant to your photo or industry. You may want to even come up with your own unique hashtag for your brand! You can use up to 30 hashtags on each post, but I recommend using between 15-20 hashtags to avoid looking spammy. Stay away from hashtags that have millions of search results, since your post will likely get lost. Look for more niche hashtags that have less results but are still popular. You can create groupings of hashtags and save them on your phone so you can easily copy and paste them. However, do not use the same hashtag group on every photo! Be sure to customize the hashtags and keep them relevant to the image. I often get asked if hashtags should go in the caption or in a separate comment. It's best to put them with your caption, as Instagram views this as more authentic.

Keep your hashtags relevant and authentic.

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Step 3: Engagement & Growth Strategies

I know, I know, finally ... this is why you're here! Now that your Instagram profile and content are in tip-top shape, let's discuss how you can get it in front of the

users that matter - your ideal client!

Be a Good Insta-buddy

This the best Instagram engagement strategy, and luckily it's the easiest! Be sure you are liking and responding to every comment to grow those relationships and keep the conversation going.

Same with direct messages. Acknowledge every single one.

There is nothing more important on Instagram than building community and teaching followers to know, like, and trust you. And the best way to do that is to communicate and engage.

Being a good Insta-buddy also involves leaving comments on your friends/followers posts, sending messages, responding to Stories, etc. Get your name out there and start conversations!

Above all, be genuine, authentic, and friendly. People can tell when you're faking!

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Keep People on Instagram

Guess what? Instagram doesn't care about your business. Instagram cares about its own business. Instagram wants to grow its user base, improve its user experience, and keep more people using their platform for longer.

And we can help with that! Instagram has given us many tools to help keep our audience glued to the app. Try to work these formats into your content whenever possible:

Long, captivating captions. Like a mini blog post. Provide tons of value, information, or advice for your audience to keep them reading. Don't forget the Call to Action! Ask your audience a question to get them chatting ... and therefore keeping them on the app longer.

Video. If you can post videos naturally, do it. Videos don't have to be of you talking. You can show a recipe, DIY, scenery, etc. You can even use an app like InShot to turn still photos into videos with special effects. Videos can be up to 60 seconds in length, with the exception of ...

IGTV. With IGTV you can upload longer form videos and push a 60 second clip in your regular feed. IGTV is great for tutorials, unboxing product, or sharing advice.

Carousel images. You have the ability to add up to 10 images or videos in a single Instagram post. Even if you only add two images, the extra swipe keeps users engaged longer.

Give them a reason to Save. Saved posts means a user wants to reference your post again in the future, which signals to Instagram your content is top-notch.

Building a business on Instagram means not only keeping your followers happy, but keeping Instagram happy, too.

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Hashtag Networking

Hashtag Networking is my clever term for "search through hashtags relevant to your niche and interact with posts." But don't just comment on everything. Find content you genuinely love. Some of my best collaborations have come from Hashtag Networking.

Entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuck has a Hashtag Networking strategy called "$1.80." (If you're not familiar with Gary Vaynerchuck and you're okay with some NSFW language, buy his books. He's a genius at social media marketing.)

The $1.80 strategy is mind-blowingly simple. Gary recommends leaving your "0.02 cents" (aka a comment or DM) on the top 9 trending posts for 10 different hashtags relevant to your niche. If you do this, it adds up to $1.80 per day, thus the name.

This strategy is great because it's actually two-fold. First, you're interacting with 90 posts per day. You're getting your name out there, you're creating relationships, and you're adding value. Don't be spammy with your comments! Instead start genuine conversations, or answer questions, or tag a friend you think would enjoy the post. Authenticity is key here!

The second benefit is that you're seeing what type of content makes it into the top 9 posts. Look at enough of these posts that were blessed by the Instagram algorithm and you'll start to see patterns which you can apply to your own content.

Hashtag Networking takes considerable time every day, but it gets results.

You can create the best content in the world, but you have to make sure people know about it. Network, network, network!

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Appease the Algorithm

I managed to go the entire guide without saying the "A" word until that last section. Did you notice?

Everyone seems so panicked about the almighty algorithm and how to "beat" it.

But that's an endless battle, because as soon as you think you found a way to beat it, Instagram catches on and changes the way their algorithm works.

So rather than teaching you how to hack your way to the top, I want to teach you how to be algorithm proof.

How do you become algorithm proof? It's pretty simple:

Post good content.

Provide value.

Write compelling captions.

Respond to comments.

Network with other accounts in your niche.

Be authentic.

That's it.

Instead of wasting time trying to figure out how to trick the algorithm, spend that time improving your content and your relationships.

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AVOID These Strategies

As a social media coach, I am often asked about different growth strategies often observed on Instagram. Having been on Instagram for years, I have tested nearly every strategy out there. Some strategies provide short term results, or vanity metrics, or an engagement boost. But, in my experience, none of the below strategies work with a long term goal of creating community and finding genuine followers.

Engagement Groups - Otherwise known as pods, this was a popular way to trick the algorithm for a few years. But, Instagram has gotten wise to this practice and now it hurts more than it helps. Essentially, a few people in the same niche would like and comment on each other's posts to help boost engagement. Not only does this provide inauthentic engagement, but it also confuses the algorithm. For example, if you are a blogger and a bunch of other bloggers comment on your posts, Instagram is going to assume your content is for bloggers. This may or may not be your goal, but it's certainly something to keep in mind.

Chore Threads - Often found in Facebook Groups, this is where a bunch of people drop links to their posts, and everyone likes or comments on each other's posts. Much like engagement groups, this creates fake engagement and confuses the algorithm.

Excessive Tags - You can tag up to 20 accounts in your posts, but that doesn't mean you should. Tag only when appropriate and relevant. Don't tag big accounts in an attempt to get discovered. It will more than likely get you reported for spam.

Loop Giveaways - I see many social media strategists recommend giveaways as a way to grow a following. It may be tempting to buy-in to a large giveaway with 50 other accounts, but giveaways rarely result in quality followers. You don't want to bribe people to follow you, do you?

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AVOID These Strategies (continued)

Begging for Likes and Comments - Every few months, I see accounts posting an image that reads, "Instagram has been limiting our posts! If you see this post, please LIKE it and leave a comment!" It's true that Instagram shows posts to users based on their past behaviors and engagement, but posting these text images and begging will actually work against you. First of all, Instagrams robots can see you're asking for likes, which is frowned upon. But also, if your most liked post is an image with text on it, you're telling Instagram your followers like images with text on them. So the next time you post a normal photo, it's going to flop.

Follow/Unfollow - This is perhaps the most controversial Instagram strategy. Everyone has probably been on the receiving end of a follow, followed by an unfollow a few days later. And it never feels good. So why do people still do it? Honestly, because it works if all you care about is growing a follower count. I did a follow/unfollow strategy for a long time. And now that it's in the rear view mirror, I can see that it did not gain me many quality followers, and I wish I had never done it. Because I know now that a small number of quality followers would be much better for my business than a large number of followers who don't really care about my products and services.

Buying Likes or Followers - It feels weird that I even have to include this. But don't buy likes or followers. It's very obvious when accounts buy likes, and it simply proves you know your content isn't strong enough to stand on its own. There's just no need for it. Do not buy likes or followers for any reason. Full stop.

With a good content strategy and authentic networking, there's no need for shady fake Instagram tactics. Focus on your audience and treat them well!

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BONUS: Where Do Stories Fit In?

Are you using Instagram Stories? Stories are like a social media platform within a platform, and are very different from regular Instagram posts!

Instagram Stories are similar to Snapchat - photos or short videos that disappear after 24 hours.

I love Stories because there's less pressure to post the "perfect" photo. And it's a way to instantly connect with my followers, especially through Instagram Live chats.

Stories can absolutely help you grow a following. Be sure to offer lots and lots of value in your Stories, whether it's educational, inspirational, or humorous. Show off your personality and be yourself!

Stories also has a ton of built in tools to help us connect with people, such as polls, the question box, and the voting slider. These types of interactions are vital for growing a community, which is our main goal with Instagram. Use these tools to get your followers involved with your Stories and get to know them better!

Here are a few Stories ideas:

Give insider tips about your niche.

Share your favorite products related to your niche.

Show a "day in the life" where you post a Story every hour.

Ask your followers a question about your niche.

Show the behind the scenes of your job or hobby.

Share a favorite recipe - no matter what your niche, people love food!

Show videos of your pets. I think my cats might be more Insta-famous than I am.

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QUESTIONS?

Hopefully this book has provided a lot of advice on how to grow your first 1000 followers on Instagram, and with

some effort you'll start seeing results!

But if you find yourself with any questions on how to apply the strategies in this book, or you are interested in more

detailed one-on-one coaching, be sure to reach out to me:

[email protected]

www.joysocial.net

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How to Get Your First (or Next) 1000 Followers on Instagram

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