8 Tips on How to Get Followers in 2026
8 tips on how to get followers in 2026. Anyone who has tried it on Instagram knows how challenging it is to gain even a few followers. It used to be much easier, but today it’s 2026 and with each passing year the bar on social media gets higher. That’s exactly why we decided to bring you an article where we’ll give you 8 tips on how to get followers on your Instagram account. Let’s get into it.
Before we dive in, you should know what enormous potential this social network has. More than one billion users use it every month worldwide. It is therefore an interesting space where you can present yourself, whether as an individual or as a business.
If you’re already active here, you certainly know how challenging it is to gain additional followers. This is due to the very intelligent algorithm that the social network uses, as well as the enormous competition found on Instagram. However, there are methods that are guaranteed to work, and you can read about them in this article.
#1: Get more followers on your Instagram account with a modern, interesting, and well-crafted profile.
If you have ambitions to gain as many followers as possible on your Instagram account in 2026, you should focus first and foremost on your profile.
It is the thing that will make a “first impression” on users. That’s exactly what can entice them as much as possible to decide to start following you. Think of it this way — an Instagram profile is essentially a modern-day page through which you present yourself. So take care to make it represent you as well as possible. Be original about it. Some people even create profiles for their pets. That, too, is a path that can attract attention.
In reality, it only takes a few seconds before a user decides whether to follow you or not. It then depends on several factors. First of all, they’ll quickly browse the content you have on your profile. Then they’ll move on to the bio description and subsequently click through your stories.
Nowadays, this means that having a consistent editing style and visually attractive content for every photo or video is no longer enough. You also need to pay attention to your profile photo, an interesting biography or profile description, actively add engaging stories and include the best ones in your “story highlights”. All of this will represent you as a whole.
Get inspired by the best…
If these lines scared you, there’s nothing to worry about. Creating a perfect and aesthetically attractive account isn’t really that difficult. Essentially, all you need is inspiration, and there’s plenty of it on Instagram. Through research you may find your niche and create something original.
For your profile to become successful, you don’t necessarily have to stick to all the rules of “perfection”. Sometimes you can afford to make a pleasant and interesting change. Users will definitely appreciate it and it will “refresh” your account.
On the other hand, your Instagram account must be perfectly aligned with you and with the target audience your profile is addressing. In other words, you can’t just do “whatever you want” here. Major changes therefore need to be handled carefully. They can do more harm than good.
It’s also important to note that for 2026, the trend is for users to choose a specific style or aesthetic they want to pursue on social media. They then adapt absolutely everything to it — from images and logos to stories and the profile description.
So whether you’re creating stories, adding photos, commenting on other profiles, publishing a video on IGTV, or anything else, don’t forget to use the same colors, shades, fonts, vocabulary, and elements (such as GIFs) and so on…
Plan and schedule your posts
Today, there are even tools that allow you to arrange and schedule your Instagram posts in the order you want them to be published. One such tool is “LATER”. This scheduler is completely free and will help you create the best possible look and impression for personal promotion or a company.
We are adding a few more tips to make your Instagram visually perfect:
First tip – Try Adobe Lightroom
If you are looking for a tool for your smartphone that can absolutely perfectly edit and enhance your photos, you have come to the right place. Adobe Lightroom is a completely free app and you can find it on iOS or on Android.
With it, you can perfectly customize everything at a professional level directly on your mobile device. For a successful Instagram profile, you don’t need special equipment or knowledge of programs like Adobe Photoshop and the like.
Adobe Lightroom also offers the option of presets. The way it works is that you create a unified setting (essentially a filter) which you can then apply to all your photos. If you can’t create your own preset, you can purchase one. If you want to come across as professional, the investment will be necessary.
Second tip – Use templates for Instagram Stories
If you are among the users who frequently post Instagram Stories (which, of course, you should be doing for success), you should also focus on special templates that are increasingly trendy. Thanks to them, your stories will be visually more cohesive and, most importantly, more interesting. People love to stop at beautiful graphics after watching many boring stories from other people.
You can get these templates in a simple way. Nowadays, there are plenty of them available as phone apps as well. Among the most well-known are Canva and Unfold. Thanks to them, you will have stories that no one else around you will have. That is a great competitive advantage!
Third tip – Use the “Highlights” feature
Try it out for yourself. Go to any Instagram profile and analyze how you navigate through it. You will certainly also look at the highlights section, which is located below the bio. Those can give you a better picture of what kind of person or company you are currently following.
If you plan to present yourself mainly through stories, keep in mind that they only last “24 hours” on your profile. You also need to think carefully about what sections you will create, what you will name them, and exactly which videos you will use. You don’t have to use all of them. You should only use the best ones. Ideally ones that will interest users and motivate them to click the follow button.
If you don’t know what specifically to add to your “highlights”, try going through your older stories. You will certainly find something that turned out well and can perfectly represent you. If not, don’t worry — you can create and add content here gradually over time.
In the highlights, there are various ways you can present yourself. As an individual, you can choose the most important attributes that characterize you. As a company, you can add individual products, collections, discounts, promotions, news, and so on. There is truly a lot you can do. You just need to be a little creative.
Note: Even with these “highlights”, don’t forget about the visual aspect of your profile that we have been discussing. Make sure that the cover images of your highlights are consistent, in the same colors, shades, and graphics.
#2: Use hashtags and location tagging in your Stories. You will gain more followers.
Instagram is constantly working to improve its Stories feature. That’s why we keep seeing new additions showing up fairly regularly. You can already add quite a lot to them. We’re talking about things like hashtags, your location, GIF images, stickers, polls, questions, music and more.
With such a wide range of great tools at your disposal, you can be very creative on Instagram. Especially when you’re looking to reach as many new followers as possible. There are a few key things you should know about Instagram Stories that may not have occurred to you before.
First and foremost, Stories can be discovered by users who don’t follow you. Stories are also shown on the Instagram Explore page. That’s an important insight. If someone is drawn in by your video or photo, there’s a good chance they’ll visit your profile and potentially click the “follow” button.
Hashtags and location can work wonders on Instagram!
If you want your Story to appear on the aforementioned Explore page, you need to follow a few key principles. One of them is using location tags, and another is using hashtags. Locations and hashtags themselves have their own Stories (you can verify this by clicking on them sometime).
Your Story will only appear there if you tag it in the way mentioned above. Someone who doesn’t follow you can then discover your profile through that Story. Nowadays, not that many users actually follow these practices. That’s exactly what can give you your “competitive advantage.”
When your Story is added to a particular hashtag or location, Instagram will notify you via a notification. You can then view that hashtag or location page by checking who has seen your Story.
There are even tricks if you don’t want anyone to see the hashtags or location you’ve added. It’s simple. After adding them, shrink them down as much as possible and change their color to match your background. You can also cover the hashtags or location with GIFs or stickers. No one will know they’re hidden there.
Another advantage of Stories is the ability to go live. If you’re somewhere you think your followers would find interesting, take advantage of it. People want to stay as up to date as possible these days. Instagram also pushes Live broadcasts to the forefront, so far more people will come across you in that moment than usual.
#3: Share Selfie photos and gain more followers on Instagram
People on Instagram follow all kinds of personalities. They love faces. We are social beings, which is perhaps why we enjoy looking at them on social media too. So you need more of this type of content. Start posting Selfies on Instagram.
If you want to be popular on your Instagram, you need to show yourself. It’s a simple principle. If you’re promoting yourself as a person, your face will serve as your brand. Don’t overlook this point. According to research, Selfies and photos featuring faces receive up to 38% more likes than regular photos. That can’t be a coincidence.
Don’t forget that Selfies don’t have to be just photos. They can also be videos, which can be edited before publishing. You can add filters, stickers, text, or even music. This helps your audience get to know you better, including what you’re into.
If you have a business, try showing the world who works there
If you want to promote your business through Stories, it’s a great idea to interview your employees on various topics (provided they agree, of course). Your profile will then come across as much more human and approachable.
You’ll have a better chance of finding your future customers there. In 2026, the trend is already clear — people don’t just want to get to know the brand itself, but also the people behind it. You can also introduce them to your products and your business premises.
There are no better people to talk about a company than its own employees. They are in contact with the company every day and know it best. Moreover, if someone comes to you physically to make a purchase and meets a person they previously saw on social media, they will feel like they already know them a little. The purchase will therefore be much more pleasant for them, and there is a higher chance that they will come back to the store.
Think about how to get as many faces and interesting content as possible onto your social media. That is exactly what sells best these days and will continue to sell for a few more years.
#4: Create ads and campaigns on Instagram to help you with the question of how to gain followers on Instagram.
There is enormous competition on Instagram these days. No wonder, with a billion users visiting every month. That is exactly why it is difficult to get noticed for free. But that does not matter at all. There is an option to promote yourself through paid ads. If you target them well to the audience you want to reach, it is a great opportunity to build a successful profile.
A great advantage of advertising campaigns on Instagram is that setting them up is not difficult at all. In fact, absolutely anyone can handle it, and for a minimal amount, you can gain a fairly large number of followers. However, you should follow all the principles we mentioned above to make the ad as effective as possible.
There are several types of ads you can create. For example, you can promote individual photos or videos on your profile, as well as stories that will be shown to people while they are browsing the stories of other users they follow.
When it comes to targeting your post to your audience, it is really not very difficult on Instagram. The social network has its own tools to help you with that, so you will manage it in no time… You can choose your audience based on their age, interests, gender, location, and more.
So if you want to promote, for example, a company that sells sweets in the center of Bratislava, you will definitely select a younger age group, mark a specific location, and use beautiful photos that will make people’s mouths water. That is a guaranteed path to success.
Create more attractive campaigns than the competition
When creating a campaign, keep in mind that there is a lot of competition. They will likely be using similar strategies to yours. But try to be smarter. Find the most popular posts or stories on your profile and try to explore why people like them so much. Then adapt your ad accordingly. You will reach people much sooner than other “boring” companies or individuals.
A good tip to finish with: With every campaign, try to bring the audience directly to your profile. Of course, you can also send them to your website, where they can purchase products (if you sell any). The problem, however, is that in the long run, it may not pay off as much.
If someone comes to your profile and starts following it, it is very likely that they will stay. In other words, in the long term, you will have a greater chance of selling products than through a one-time transaction via an ad.
#5: Promote your profile content on other platforms to gain more followers on Instagram
Of course, your priority is to gain as many fans on Instagram as possible. However, you should look at it this way — you can also promote yourself on other platforms that these users follow. We are talking about social networks such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and more. You can also make use of websites, etc…
The ideal scenario here is when you are just starting out on Instagram but have already had profiles on other channels for a long time. Thanks to that, you have a certain group of fans who will be happy to open Instagram and decide to follow you on this social network as well.
You can also try directing people to your profile in a very targeted way. Create an attractive contest or simply hint that they can ask you any questions directly on Instagram. You can also try creating, for example, a viral hashtag. Nowadays, you need to be creative in order to reach a wide audience. It is a guaranteed way to gain followers on your Instagram account.
Don’t forget about your websites and blogs…
If you use websites, don’t forget that you can add an Instagram plugin to them. Thanks to it, users can get there very quickly and start following you. There are countless such plugins on WordPress (currently the most widely used web platform). Similarly, these plugins can be connected to Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and more.
If you have a YouTube channel where you have your own group of followers, address them directly in the video. It is a simple way to attract familiar users within another social network. People nowadays love videos. They watch them closely. If you do a little self-promotion there, no one will hold it against you. After all, you are promoting yourself.
If you have a business, don’t hesitate to use your Instagram in email communication as well. Every day, you and your employees send dozens or perhaps hundreds of emails. Many times it can also be email marketing where there are truly thousands of those emails. Imagine how many people read these emails. Every day you can gain new fans!
# 6: Gain more followers by creating your own filter in Stories.
If you use filters on Instagram, you are automatically also a user of augmented reality. This topic was once Sci-Fi. Today it is already a common reality of our time and you must adapt to it. You are surely familiar with the ears that turn your face into a puppy on Instagram. Similarly, there are various love-themed filters and so on. All of this is AR.
Back in 2018, Facebook allowed various companies to create their own augmented reality filters. It launched the Spark AR Studio program. Various global brands naturally seized this opportunity. Today we therefore know filters from Adidas or Gucci, for example. Well-known personalities also have their own filters.
As soon as someone decides to use a filter from a certain brand, viewers will see it very quickly. Moreover, they will be prompted to use it as well. That is a fantastic opportunity for people to get to know you and start following your profile on this social network. Until recently, only selected companies could create such filters. Today, however, the possibilities are much more open. Thanks to the Spark program, virtually anyone can try creating their own filter.
If you create your own filter, you should not forget about:
Sharing. First and foremost, enable this feature. Thanks to this, practically anyone will be able to use your filters and you will always be promoting your profile. The name of the filter from a selected company always appears below the photo and the profile name in the Story. This is also a way to gain followers on your Instagram account.
Add your own logo, which you should have if you are truly serious about this social network. Your logo or icon, by which people recognize you, can be added directly into the filter. Whenever people are choosing it, they will find it by the logo and be reminded of your profile.
This way, they will get to know you better. It is not only good for gaining new followers. If you become famous and successful on Instagram over time, this way you can effectively build brand awareness.
Don’t forget about fun: If you want to create Instagram filters, you must not forget that they need to be fun. Users must have a reason to use them. If you only promote your brand through filters in a boring way, it won’t help anything. However, if you find something funny, the filter can very quickly become popular.
# 7: Collaborate with brands and other users to gain more followers on Instagram
Collaborations have a major impact in the marketing sphere. Just look at the fashion industry, for example. It works the same way on Instagram. You can arrange with another profile that is in a similar position to yours to join forces and run a marketing campaign together. You can also create a collaboration with companies, for example. If you have some creative skills, sell them in exchange for the collaboration being published on their Instagram (if their profile has thousands of fans).
If someone lands on your profile thanks to a collaboration with another profile or company, there is a high probability that they will click the “follow” button. The user doesn’t have to know your brand or even love it. What matters in this case is that they are loyal to the other profile/brand. When they see that it collaborates with you, they want to start following you too.
# 8: Build partnerships with influencers, a great way to gain followers for your Instagram account
If you want to promote your brand, product, or say a creative profile, one of the best ways to do it is by reaching out to an influencer. This is someone who builds long-term relationships with their followers, who in turn purchase products based on their recommendations.
For everything to work as it should, you need a person for long-term collaboration. In the case of a company, they can also act as your “ambassador”. If you have a regular profile and want to raise your visibility, look around you to see if any of your acquaintances are working as an influencer. If so, try reaching out to them to see if a collaboration could be arranged. Keep in mind that long-term collaborations are especially worthwhile. With a one-off post, you won’t gain all that much.
When choosing an influencer, make sure it is someone who could genuinely represent your interests. You don’t have to limit yourself to just one person. You can easily approach multiple influencers. However, keep in mind that such people often make their living through their work on Instagram. Collaborations can be quite financially costly.
Also, when making your selection, be careful to ensure that the influencer’s audience is genuine. Nowadays, anyone can pay for followers for just a few euros. The problem, however, is that these are not real people, and so they are just “dead” profiles. These will have absolutely no value for you.
We hope we helped you gain new followers
In this article, we tried to summarize a few tips that are generally not talked about all that much. If it inspired you in your future work, we’d be happy if you shared it with your friends… Write your observations and tips that work for you on Instagram in the comments!
More tools for your Instagram can be found here
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Michal Záruba je specialista na digitální marketing a konzultant v oblasti sociálních médií a SEO. Více než 8 let pomáhá značkám růst online prostřednictvím strategického obsahu, optimalizace pro vyhledávače a efektivní komunikace na platformách jako LinkedIn, Instagram a YouTube.
Na svém blogu sdílí praktické tipy o tom, jak propojit SEO, sociální sítě a brand building do jedné funkční strategie. Zaměřuje se na to, jak firmy mohou využít moderní nástroje a algoritmy k tomu, aby jejich značka nezískala jen dosah, ale i důvěru.
Když zrovna netvoří obsah, přednáší o digitálním marketingu, školí týmy a sleduje nové trendy v AI a vyhledávání.