In the competitive landscape of Instagram, it can be tricky to get started and attract followers. If your account is new or you are struggling to grow,  try these 5 tips for how to gain  followers  organically.

Tip 1: Engage

Instagram has over 1 billion active users, so getting noticed can be hard. You might not have thought of it this way, but you have to market yourself. To do so, one tip is to engage with others to get their attention. Instagram makes it really easy to discover other pages, both through hashtags and the explore page. Spend some time each day finding new accounts and interacting with them. Like a few of their recent posts and leave a personalized comment on their latest picture. It’s hard for someone to miss a comment, so they will likely notice your account and maybe even check it out. If they like what they see, they will give you a follow.

It is also important to continue to interact with people who follow you so they continue to follow you. Instagram is more than just a place to share pretty photos; it is a place to grow communities and make friends. People love to associate with other people that interact with them. Don’t wait for people to engage with you. The ball is in your court — don’t be afraid to make the first move.

Tip 2: Share content people want to see

Instagram has a lot of users and a lot of competition to get to the top. With so many people fighting for attention, it is important to be unique in what you share. If you offer a voice unlike what anyone else has, people are going to be more likely to follow you as they look for something new.

It is also really important to be relatable when you share content. Most people follow others because they feel some type of connection to what they share. Try to relate to people with captions to catch their attention. You can do that by sharing personal stories/experiences and by asking questions to get them to interact with you. Develop relationships through your content.

Tip 3: Post frequently

It has been proven that Instagram’s algorithm prefers accounts that post more frequently and regularly. Use Instagram insights to establish the best times and days to post. Average posting frequency seems to be around 3-7 posts a week and we do not recommend posting less frequently than that. If a new person visits your page and sees that you are not sharing new content often, they will likely move on without hitting that follow button.

Tip 4: Share stories

Take advantage of stories! Many creators like to maintain a “perfect” feed, which is great, but decreases how relatable you are. Stories give you a place to share some real-life, behind the scenes content that your followers are sure to love. Some fun story ideas include unboxing videos, Ask Me Anything question sessions, polls, and even live videos.

Also, be sure to create Story Highlights to save your best stories! Custom story highlights like the ones shown below can grab followers’ attention.

Tip 5: Be approachable

People want to follow accounts that make them feel like they’re more than just a number. If someone leaves a question on one of your posts, take the time to answer it. If someone replies to a story, even a quick response goes a long way. This is easy to forget as you grow, but the accounts that do make the effort to stay in touch with their followers tend to be the successful ones.

Growing an Instagram community takes time and effort.  Expect there will be times when you feel like giving up.  When you are stuck, look to others for inspiration.  Try something new or different.  You may not realize it at the time, but growing your follower base is a trial and error process that helps you get to know your community like no one else.  Each post that flops is a step closer to the post that is a hit.  No two accounts or communities are alike.  Before you know it, you will find the formulas for what works and what doesn’t with you.