Instagram Growth Tips

Last week, I finally hit 10,000 followers on Instagram!! It’s been a long time coming and I am still shocked that it even happened to me. Actually, I’m not that shocked because I have been working toward this goal for the last year. To get to this point, I have practiced several growth strategies here on Instagram and I am so excited to share them all with you!

Practice the 6/1/1 Rule

My biggest tip for growth is to abide by the 6/1/1 rule. Like someones six most recent pictures, leave a meaningful comment, and give a follow if you like! I think this rule is incredibly important because you are actually engaging with the person and potentially building a relationship with them. For my fashion influencers, I recommend doing this for people in both your niche and target market. I try to find both small creators who would likely follow me, as well as people in my physical location who would also potentially follow. This way, it’s mutually beneficial for both parties!

Build Community not Followers

I think the biggest shift in growth for me was actually viewing my page as a platform for community not just a place for a following. When you build community, you are forced to think about relationships and engaging back and forth with those you are communicating with. Recently I spoke to a brand manager who works with influencers. She said it’s more important to her that creators are responding to comments and engaging back and forth with followers as opposed to just liking a comment.

I always take time to respond to comments and engage with my community in any way I can. This means replying to DMs, posting engaging stories, and just having fun overall with my girls. By actually being social on social media, I’ve been able to make friends and create a core group of women who always engage with my work.

Create a Call to Action

One of my biggest growth strategies this year has been through calls to actions of my biggest reels. In my popular content, I make sure to add “follow for more” at the end to encourage actual growth. I saw a huge spike in followers last year when some of my reels went viral and I was conscious about retaining these new views. When you think long term about posts, you are more likely to also get a long term audience!

This also applies to just regular posts too. Ask questions in captions or just leave them with something to respond with. By encouraging engagement, you are more likely to get an actual audience that wants to come back time and again!

Be Yourself

I know this last one is cheesy, but there is so much value in staying true to yourself and remaining authentic to your brand. There are so many difficult times in the world of influencer marketing that keep you from continuing but as you continue to grow and make those connections, you’ll start to really love your work. While at the end of the day it’s not about numbers, there is a level of excitement once you hit 10k. I know I’ve loved growing this past year and I can’t wait to see where I am at the end of 2021. All I know is that I won’t change my personality for the internet and the most genuine connections will arise when you are yourself.

In the modern media too, people are looking for authenticity from influencers instead of the perfectly cultivated feeds. Now is the time for us to let loose on stories and be less curated. As I shared in my last post, there is so much value in being authentic to ourselves and actually sharing in vulnerability. It is with that humanity that people will buy into and invest into your brand.

Happy Connecting

I hope this provided some insight into my personal journey of growth here on social media! It also goes without saying that you should be consistent and always working to grow online. While again it is a lot, it’s SO worth it if you love this line of work. I don’t think I’d be where I am today without this career path. It’s only up from here!

Best,

Lauren

How to Hit 10,000 Followers on Instagram