How to increase Instagram followers?

Well, let me tell you, it is clearly a challenging task, though not a daunting one. For certain, I know that buying followers seldom helps. It may get you followers, yes; maybe quite a few of them could be genuine as well — but, what IS your objective? Just to increase the number of your followers, or to get genuine followers that matter to you, your niche, your personal brand or the product that you may be selling?

1. Make sure your account is public. Private accounts barely ever gain followers because only people you are friends with can find you. People will be unable to view your photos before becoming your follower, making your profile look dull and empty. To make an account public:Click on the Profile button in the bottom right corner of the Instagram App.Click “Edit My Profile.”Uncheck “Posts are Private.” If you see the green button, then your post is private.
2. Use the most popular hashtags. Hashtags allow you to search particular themes and view all the photos that have used a common hashtag. If you use the popular ones, other hashtag fans will end up seeing your photo linked to that hashtag and check out what you posted, especially if your photo is good. This will garner quick attention and help you gain followers quickly. Some of the most popular hashtags are: #PhotoOftheDay #ThrowbackThursday etc..
3. Space out your uploads. You might be tempted to think that rapidly filling your Instagram page with a bunch of photos will attract more followers, but quite the opposite is true. If you post too many photos at once, you will end up flooding the home pages of your followers. Non-followers will not want to follow you, and people who do currently follow you may change their mind and stop.On average, post no more than one to three photos each day.
4. Filter wisely. Instagram offers a variety of filters, and as a general rule, you should apply them as they fit. There are a few popular filters in particular that may draw new followers to your page quickly. Make sure that the filter actually improves the photo before using it, and use popular filters.
5. Post your photos during peak times. An Instagram photo has a lifespan of three to four hours before it disappears into the Instagram community. If you post while the largest number of people are on, you are more likely to get random viewers and potential followers than you would at other times of the day.The two most popular times of the day are in the morning and after work lets out.The most popular time of the week is Wednesday between 5 PM and 6 PM.[4]2:00pm-3:00pm, central time, is another active rush period on Instagram.Every Instagram account has a different audience. Work out what times get you the most amount of interactions and post regularly at those times.
6. Share only your best photos and videos. The key to Instagram success is both quality and quantity. The photos you post should only be of the best quality, and they should come often enough to be entertaining, but not too often, so you’re an annoying presence. If you post low-quality photos, people are less likely to be impressed and may not take you seriously.If someone stumbles upon your profile, he or she will likely make a first impression on the first photo that appears, which will be your most recently added one. If that most recent photo is impressive, it can entice your new viewer to stay and maybe even follow your Instagram account. If the most recent photo is shaky and blurry, and of a bootleg sandwich you ate, the rest of your profile will probably be ignored.
7. Find a niche to fit into. It is much harder to get followers if people don’t know what they are following. Celebrities can get away with posting stuff from their day-to-day life, most people don’t care what you are eating for breakfast. If you can tap into a specific market, from food to pets to outdoor photography, you can attract a tonne of followers who love the same thing.
8. Like and comment on others’ photos. Your chances of attracting attention from other Instagram users increase even further if you are actively and meaningfully engaged with their photos. Liking a photo is better than nothing, but comments generate the most return feedback.Sometimes you’ll snag a person after leaving a comment on that individual’s photo. Even if this does not happen, though, there is also a chance that someone else might see the comment you left on that photo and check out your Instagram as a http://result.It's estimated that every second, Instagram users create 575 new likes and only 81 new comments. A comment is viewed as more special or more precious, so it tends to be valued over a like.Start conversations with strangers in the comment stream of other people’s photos. If you engage someone by tagging them and complimenting them and then follow them, it’s likely they’ll follow you back.Keep your comments positive and take your time to write a longer comment. This will make them more interested in checking out your account.
9. Caption with a call to action. When you add a caption to a photo, provide a clear “call to action” to engage viewers and prompt them to comment. Once a viewer comments, the lines of communication have been opened, and you can nurture the new Instagram relationship until it produces a follower.
10. Connect to your other social media accounts. In particular, you should connect your Instagram account to your Facebook account. That way, you can quickly connect to Facebook friends who also have Instagram and rapidly gain followers that way.After you connect your Instagram to Facebook, you can “auto-follow” all your Facebook friends. This, in turn, encourages your Facebook friends to follow you back, ensuring a rapid rise in your followers on Instagram.You can also advertise your Instagram account on other social media platforms, like Twitter, Pinterest, or your personal blog. You cannot directly link the two, but the advertisement will help you reach out to people you are already connected to.