How to Get Instagram Followers Organically in 2026

How to Get Instagram Followers Organically in 2026 – 22 Tips

Are you back for more social media tips? Get ready, because these are pretty packed. People ask me how I organically increased my Instagram followers. Unfortunately, there’s no straightforward answer to that. The app is constantly changing and the algorithm is changing more frequently.

Why Write This Blog About How to Get Instagram Followers Organically?

Why focus on organic Instagram growth?
Why doesn’t the Follow/Unfollow method work?
How to get Instagram followers without following or liking
22 tips on how to get Instagram followers organically in 2026
Organic Instagram growth in summary
My final thoughts on how to get Instagram followers organically in 2026
Why write this blog on the topic How to Get Instagram Followers Organically?
My Instagram account currently has over 100,000 followers. And I didn’t get there by buying bots or using follow/unfollow methods. Instead, over time I learned how to leverage organic Instagram growth through lots of trial and error to achieve consistent results, which is probably what you’re looking for.

Interestingly, I always thought that what I was doing to get more followers was universal. However, through research I found that no one talks about real organic growth – just shortcuts.

Instagram “experts” love to advise small creators to do something like “comment on every photo under a certain hashtag”, BARF. We’re talking about time consumption and the fact that that time will never come back, lmao.

I think it’s a shame to see small creators trying to grow their Instagram followers when the truth is that everything they need is at their fingertips! I hope I helped shed light on organic growth strategies that you can start implementing today, whether you’re a macro or micro influencer.

These are things I wish someone had told me before I went through a massive trial and error phase with my account. I hope this blog helps you get a head start on growth!

Why Focus on Organic Instagram Growth?

So in a nutshell, it used to be pretty easy to buy bots on Instagram. People basically did it left and right. When Instagram then shut that down, it became trendy for people to use the “follow/unfollow” method.

Then it became popular to like random people’s posts. Then it became popular to comment on random people’s posts.

To me, that’s all a waste of time! Trust me when I say that how to organically grow on Instagram has nothing to do with these shortcut methods and everything to do with strategy.

Don’t worry, we’ll get to those.

Regardless of the fact that people like to grow their Instagram account for various reasons. One of them is that it’s part of how to get paid sponsorships on Instagram. Hell, growing can help you determine influencer rates on Instagram too.

But whatever your reason, I understand why you want to grow in the app and help!

Now let’s quickly talk about the consequences of using strategies like follow/unfollow.

Why the Follow/Unfollow Method Doesn’t Work

The follow/unfollow method is honestly one of the worst things you can do for your Instagram growth. Not only does basically everyone know about it, which means people will see through this BS, BUT if you use this method too often, Instagram can kick you off.

If you don’t know what follow/unfollow is, good! But to be on the same page, follow/unfollow refers to a terrible growth strategy where you follow a bunch of accounts hoping they’ll see the follow notification, check out your account, and then follow you back.

Trust me, I have a community on IG with over 100 thousand people… this method DOESN’T WORK.

That’s exactly why I spent a TON of time learning how to gain followers on Instagram without following a ton of crappy accounts! It’s super exhausting, fake AND it DOESN’T WORK.

If someone told you to use this method, PLEASE, stop listening to them, lol.

How to gain followers on Instagram without following and liking

I should add “or commenting” to that, but I’ll digress. Want to know the real secret to organically increasing your Instagram followers? Here it is:

POST BETTER CONTENT AND POST IT CONSISTENTLY.

Yes. It doesn’t get any clearer than that. So even though I’ll provide you with 22 ways to gain organic Instagram followers, if you take just ONE thing from this blog, make it this.

Ultimately, the best way to organically grow your Instagram profiles is to consistently post great content. However, nobody ever wants to say or tell small creators this because it’s “hard”. But with practice, it really isn’t!

But it does take practice and it’s not an overnight thing.

Hell, if you really master posting Reels and train to make them great, one viral Reel can get you hundreds of thousands of followers. But again, it starts with getting used to creating great content.

Okay, I think we’re on the same page, so let’s talk about how to organically increase your Instagram followers 2026 edition!

22 tips on how to organically gain followers on Instagram in 2026

PS! Before you start reading this blog, I’d like to mention that I update my social media blogs fairly regularly! That’s why I recommend saving this blog somewhere safe so you can come back to it.

The Instagram algorithm changes regularly, which can impact growth. That’s why it’s essential to have up-to-date information on the best tips!

TIP #1: HAVE A CONSISTENT LOOK TO YOUR PHOTOS AND CHANNEL (TO SOME EXTENT).

A great way to continue gaining organic followers on Instagram is to share a consistent look to all your photos. You can achieve this by using filters and influencer presets to edit your photos. If you have a certain editing style you like, creating a preset for yourself can save you time on editing.

Now I mention to some extent, because having a super cohesive Instagram channel isn’t that important. We’ll get to why this technique can help you grow, but I want to point out that you don’t have to use just presets to have a consistent look.

Even if you’re shooting with an iPhone and not editing them, the point is to have a recognition factor to your feed. Maybe that means you’re always the subject of your shots or you have a certain sense of style that’s easily recognizable. Hell, maybe you take all your photos on film.

Whatever your method is, find a way to make your personal brand easily recognizable.

Consistency never hurts. In the realm of borrowed land that is Instagram, you want to stand out in any way you can! Having your own style means people will recognize your photos and engage with them. I like to edit my shots in warm tones.

Followers who browse through their channels will see my warm style and think to themselves: “Oh, that’s Dani! I tots want to see what she’s up to,” which will lead to engagement, which will lead to an increase in Instagram’s algorithm, which then leads to more followers. Woohoo!

So that’s one way to grow organically on Instagram; let’s talk about other ways!

TIP #2: HAVE A UNIFIED AESTHETIC ON YOUR PROFILE

Okay, you have a preset you use for your photos, but what about the rest of your profile? My suggestion: tell a brand story across your entire page! When someone lands on your profile, they should immediately know who you are, and your brand should stand out.

If you don’t stand out in the competitive world of Instagram, you can get lost in a sea of noise! So create some story highlight covers, use similar edits and color differentiation in your stories. Hell, use an Instagram font generator and start incorporating some cool fonts into your channel!

When you were looking for how to organically gain followers on Instagram, you probably didn’t think about aesthetics, right? Honestly, in the “borrowed space” of Instagram that I mentioned earlier, there’s just no time to be an ordinary Jane! Do you need to have some crazy obscure color scheme and a highly sophisticated brand to stand out? NO. Of course not.

However, you do want people to know who you are and what makes you unique! Just like in the real world, where you connect with a brand through brand recognition. There are lots of competing brands, but you’ll always go for the one you recognize, trust, and like.

Give potential followers a chance to get to know you and your brand as it is.

Make sure your brand and aesthetic match all aspects of your profile:

Most important Instagram story cover points
Your profile photo
The overall theme and consistency of your photos

TIP #3: PLAN YOUR POSTS AND PLAN YOUR FEED

Plan and schedule your posts in advance to gain organic Instagram followers in 2026. Planning will help you have a consistent look to your channel AND stop stressing about the question: “Oh no! What am I going to post today?”.

Let’s be honest; when that happens, sometimes we don’t post at all or we write a half-hearted caption that goes nowhere. I also like that I can schedule posts to go live and don’t have to worry about whether I’ll be online when I’m off on some adventure.

How does this help with organic growth in 2026?

Again CONSISTENCY. I’ve also found that when I sit down to plan my feed and write thoughtful captions, I’m much more confident in my work. Both new and old followers appreciate the quality of content that comes from me when I plan, and I feel good!

TIP #4: CARVE OUT YOUR NICHE

This tip on how to organically increase your Instagram followers is actually quite popular. Niching down can be hard for some people to understand because the feeling of being in a “tight box” can feel stinky, right!

The truth is, when you carve out a smaller niche, you actually have more creative control over your Instagram content. You can navigate better and develop unlimited ways to create recognizable content across your entire channel.

Niche exercise
Not sure where to start with a niche? I recommend using this simple exercise. If you want, you can use a sheet of paper to answer these questions:

How do you envision your personal dream brand? No limits! What would your personal brand be in a perfect world? What would your Instagram profile look like and how would it feel?

• Who are 3 Instagram influencers/accounts that you love?

• Why do you like their content so much?
• Who is your ideal follower? Why do they like your content? How do you serve them?

From here you can start thinking about your personal dream brand and begin to focus on your niche.

Thinking about niche-related content
Let’s say that after all that dreaming and completing your little niche exercise, you’ve concluded that you would love to be a fashion influencer. You can create content such as:

• Fashion hauls
• Outfit ideas for season XYZ
• Your favorite items that are harder to wear in season XYZ
• Outfit of the day
• Outfits inspired by person XYZ

What if you love more than just one field?
“But Dani, that’s so hard. I also LOVE food and I think I’ll never be able to gain organic followers on Instagram because I just can’t narrow down my niche!”

Well, wait. Okay, let’s say you also love going out to eat and sharing that with your followers. How would food be incorporated into your content mix as a fashion influencer?

Be creative! Maybe in addition to other content you share, you could do some fun food-inspired outfits or outfits that you’d wear to a certain type of restaurant!

But you see what I did with those two examples? I took the niche we were working with and came up with several creative content ideas by blending in additional interests.

By narrowing down your niche, you can gain creative direction, create more consistently, and develop content focused on a specific audience.

Instagram now allows users to select “interests” content, which means users can tell Instagram what specific content they want to see more of. By not narrowing down your interests, you unfortunately missed the opportunity to let Instagram push your content to the right people! As we continue with our How to Organically Grow Instagram Followers 2026 tips edition, you’ll notice that we want to calm the algorithm whenever possible!

Managing interests on Instagram
The “Manage Interests” feature on Instagram

TIP #5: USE NICHE-SPECIFIC HASHTAGS

I’ll admit that hashtags aren’t my favorite way to grow, but with the launch of Instagram search, hashtags are a great way to make your content searchable!

Think of them as keywords for your content. For example, if you’re posting about style tips, literally use the hashtag #styletips in them. That way your posts will appear to anyone searching for style tips on Instagram.

Again, it’s more about adding keywords to your posts and making them suitable for Instagram search.

I could definitely write a blog about Instagram search, but in the meantime I recommend you start thinking about what niche-specific hashtags you can start using! You might also find it useful to use them in Instagram microblog captions!

TIP #6: CREATE YOUR OWN HASHTAG

Creating a branded hashtag is an EXCELLENT way to get more Instagram followers. When you manage to create a catchy hashtag and challenge your audience to use it, and then share its use in your stories, your followers will go crazy and get involved!

When your followers get excited and start using your hashtag, your hashtag will grow and grow and start to become popular among the masses.

From there, potential followers and subscribers will start competing for a spot in your stories in hopes that you’ll notice them in the hashtag! When thinking about how to organically gain followers on Instagram, sharing is huge!

TIP #7: FIND YOUR PURPOSE AND BE AUTHENTIC

Even though you may have a great brand going, do you have clarity on your reason? Why should people care about following you, and why are you showing up on social media? Once you’re clear on your why, you’ll go all in and create content that will convert potential followers.

Be authentic in how you show up!

This is another way to increase engagement. I’m not telling you to share your vulnerable spots in a way that makes you uncomfortable. By being authentic, I mean stop trying to copy every piece of content or personality you see.

When you create content that lives and breathes your unique approach and successfully shows existing and new followers why they should trust you immediately more.

TIP #8: REFRESH YOUR BIO

Update your Instagram bio and name to include keywords that signal to Instagram what your content is about. When you do this, you’ll make it easier for Instagram’s search features to categorize your profile and push it to users who might be interested in it.

Instagram search is a great way to grow organically on Instagram because it gives you the opportunity to get in front of your ideal audience. So start thinking of Instagram as a search engine and optimize your account appropriately to make it easier to get in front of new Instagram users!

In the future, we may see methods related to search increasingly common as a way to grow organically on Instagram.

TIP #9: CREATE A SERIES OF STORIES

Don’t stop brand consistency at highlight covers and images; carry it into your Instagram Stories too! Plan your stories in advance. Be aware of where your story content is headed and what you want to share with your audience.

Create stories that match your highlights! Do you like talking about beauty products? Then create a series of stories called “Beauty Fridays” where you share amazing beauty products you love every Friday.

Do I have to say it? CONSISTENCY. Some of my absolute FAVORITE Instagrammers have amazing story series like “Do Good Monday”. I’ve learned to look forward to them and engage with those stories! You can gain organic followers on Instagram consistently when you give people a reason to expect your content.

Heck, I’ve even noticed that some people tend to reshare their favorite story series on their channels because they love them so much that they want others to see them too!

TIP #10: SHOW MORE BTS IN YOUR STORIES

Your followers love to see more of you! Of course they love the beautiful photos or other curated content you create for them, but they also want to see BTS (behind-the-scenes). They want to get to know the real you and know that you’re really not that different from them!

I recommend using Instagram Stories for this. You can show people what a day in your life looks like or behind-the-scenes of a photo shoot. The key here is to create a deeper connection with your Instagram followers.

When you share more of “yourself” in stories, you give followers a reason to connect with you in a way that otherwise wouldn’t be possible. And that’s ultimately what will encourage more people to follow your profile and share it. Showing more “you” in your stories also gives your followers someone they can relate to, someone they can trust, and someone they can connect with.

When you do this, you’ll naturally start increasing your engagement, which then helps the Instagram algorithm push your content to more potential followers. And engagement will always be an important part of how to organically grow your Instagram followers.

Instagram also tends to share Stories in the main news feed, so if you get more views on Instagram Stories, you can start appearing across channels to new users! More views on your content = more followers.

TIP #11: CREATE A STORY TEMPLATE

By “story template” I mean a story frame that your followers can fill in and share in their Stories! Templates had a moment a few years ago when people were creating “this or that” templates, “bucket lists” etc. but they work! Templates are a great way to engage your audience.

The whole point of a story template is that it’s a challenge that your followers participate in, re-share it in their stories, and their followers then fill in the template.

When you create a template, put your username on it so people will definitely check out your account. This ensures that everyone who sees and uses the template will head to your Instagram page, so in 2026 you can get more Instagram followers!

TIP #12: CREATE A FILTER

This tip is a bit more complex than the others, but face filters can get crazy reach! If you create a face filter that people like, chances are they’ll use it in their stories, which means more people creating their own content will see you.

When using a face filter, the filter creator’s username appears in the top left corner of the story screen. This gets more eyes to your profile and potentially gets you more followers in 2026!

TIP #13: TAG CREATORS IN YOUR STORIES

Reach out to other content creators and collaborate with them. When you do, create a fun series together and then share each other’s content in your Stories. You can also collaborate by making a fun joint gift and sharing it in your Stories. Such an approach can help both of you grow, as you’ll help each other reach your audiences.

I do prefer to start with Stories though, because users can easily tap through all the tagged handles.

Mutually tagging each other in your Stories can also signal to Instagram that your accounts share some relationship. When Instagram sees that two or more accounts are related in some way, it will start offering those accounts to users through the Explore page and other ways.

TIP #14: USE THE CO-POST FEATURE

The co-post feature from you and another account essentially makes you co-authors of the content. This single piece of content will then appear in the feeds of BOTH of your followers. It’s free and a great way to get in front of new users!

TIP #15: SHARE CONTENT ON OTHER PLATFORMS

Want to post only on Pinterest? That works! Start by picking one additional social media app and build from there.

It’s all about reach, baby! Every time you expand your content more, it will help you get even more reach! And it will bring people back to your Instagram page. Also, using multiple social media platforms is key to a flawless social media strategy.

I’m in no way saying you have to create new content for every platform. Instead, make your life easier by recycling content across multiple platforms.

TIP #16: ENGAGE YOUR AUDIENCE

A B-I-G way to grow on Instagram is to engage your audience. I know… you’ve heard it a thousand times, but it’s true. Show your audience that you care about them by engaging. Respond to their messages and comments.

Check out their pages and show them that you like what they create. If you want to truly grow on Instagram nowadays, you need to be active on this platform and engage.

Engaging in communication with your audience on Instagram helps strengthen your bonds, which leads to better engagement on your Instagram posts. Remember: better engagement is the key to how to gain Instagram followers organically. But of course, you’ll then get more Instagram followers once the algorithm is on your side!

TIP #17: ASK QUESTIONS

“Ask questions” sounds like vague advice, I know, but what I’m really telling you here is to ask your audience. Ask them what they want to see from you, or for goodness sake, ask them how their week is going!

And if you can’t decide what content to create next, it’s an excellent way to get ideas from your followers.

When you ask and show that you care about them, your audience will be more likely to trust you, engage more with you, and recommend your account to their followers.

Wouldn’t it be better if we treated followers more like friends and less like a number?

TIP #18: USE ANALYTICS

How often do you check your analytics tools on Instagram? When I started posting and trying to grow my audience, my answer would have been: NEVER.

It turned out that it can be helpful to know a few things about your audience, like the exact time they’ll be online and will engage with you… Yup. Pretty handy, I know. Make sure you use the analytics data that Instagram already shares with you and use it to grow your account.

If you’ve read my blog about the Instagram algorithm in 2026, then you know that timing is a BIG factor in beating the Instagram algorithm and in knowing how to gain Instagram followers organically.

You can also use your analytics to find out what content performs best for you. When you know what content performs best, you can recreate it and continue to achieve results.

TIP #19: POST CAROUSELS

It’s said that when you post a carousel, you’re likely to achieve 14% more engagement than with a static Instagram post. Carousels can be a combination of multiple photos or photos + videos. They help tell your story better to your followers and potential followers!

In the previous tip with the same tune, check out my blog about the Instagram algorithm in 2026 where you’ll find more information about timing. If you want the Instagram algorithm to favor you and show your content to more people, you need to create content that people want to spend time viewing!

The more time people spend on your photos, the more Instagram will say: “Aha! This post must be important, we should show it to more people,” which means you’ll get more Instagram followers!

TIP #20: POST REELS

Reels are having a MOMENT rn! Look, when Instagram creates a new feature, it favors accounts that use it. Reels are Instagram’s competitor to TikTok and boy, in 2026 they’re not going anywhere. Reels are here to stay, and they’re getting people up to BILLIONS in reach.

Reels are a great way to add value to your audience’s lives!

Videos naturally tend to have a greater sharing factor, which means that when you create relevant or entertaining Reels, they can be shared across the platform. More shares = more views of your content = greater organic Instagram growth.

TIP #21: GO LIVE

Live videos on Instagram had a real moment in 2020. Why? Due to isolation, people craved connection. Going live is a great way to foster this connection and maintain your audience’s interest in what you’re doing.

After the pandemic, Instagram began leaning more into Lives and introduced bonuses and features like “badges”.

Lives don’t have to be anything crazy. You can jump on for 15 minutes, ask a question, provide updates on what’s happening in your life, start a conversation, etc.

I suspect “connection” will be a big thing in 2026. You heard it here first! When you show up live, you connect better with your audience. Plus, Instagram pays creators for Live, which suggests it wants more creators to use this feature more often.

TIP #22: USE IGTV AND VIDEO

Okay, I’m asking a lot from you now, BUT hear me out. I suspect that once Instagram merges IGTV and video, it will be even more critical. Instagram has never been able to compete with YouTube, but this is their chance.

Long-form video is excellent for deepening relationships with your followers. When you dive deep into a topic, your followers get to know you better.

At this point, I’m beating a dead horse, but when you focus on tactics that increase engagement, you’ll naturally strengthen using one of, if not the best way for organic Instagram profile growth.

How to Grow Organically on Instagram in Summary

Here is a quick list of how to grow organically on Instagram without having to follow or like tons of posts:

1. Have a consistent look to your photos and channel
2. Plan your posts and plan your feed
3. Niche down
4. Have a seamless profile aesthetic
5. Create a story series
6. Use niche-specific hashtags
7. Show more BTS stories
8. Share content on other platforms
9. Tag creators in your stories
10. Engage your audience
11. Create your own hashtag
12. Use your analytics tools
13. Carousel posts
14. Post Reels
15. Create a filter
16. Go live
17. Use IGTV and videos
18. Ask questions
19. Find your purpose and be authentic
20. Create a story template
21. Use the collaborators post feature
22. Refresh your bio

My final thoughts on how to gain followers on Instagram organically in 2026
No one ever said growing on Instagram was easy, but hopefully you can notice a few themes from this post:

• Create better content more often and more consistently
• Make sure your content is shareable
• Focus on building strong relationships with your followers
• Leverage new features
• Start thinking about Instagram search