How to Get Real Instagram Followers 2026

Instagram is today one of the most popular social media platforms with more than 1 billion monthly users. This of course represents a great opportunity for marketers and brands to leverage this user base.

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How to Get Real Instagram Followers 2026

Building a presence on Instagram and gaining followers overnight is not as easy though. It is a process that requires time, but with a little help you can see results faster. Here are 12 tips on how to get more followers on Instagram that are real and relevant to your brand.

1. Write a compelling bio
2. Creating and maintaining a unique brand personality Instagram
3. Use relevant hashtags
4. Creating and promoting your own branded hashtag
5. Optimize your captions
6. Engage in popular conversations
7. Monitor your tagged photos
8. Go local
9. Add CTAs everywhere
10. Use influencers
11. Run a contest
12. Invest in Instagram advertising

1. Write a compelling bio

The first thing anyone will see when they visit your profile is your bio, which is why it is a crucial part of making a first impression on your audience. You need to write a compelling Instagram bio to encourage people to follow you.

In addition to basic information such as adding contact details and a link to your website, you should also tell your brand’s story in an engaging way. Simply stating what kind of business you run won’t make you stand out. You need to give people a reason to connect with your brand and follow you.

Here is an example of a good Instagram bio from the Yeti brand, which manufactures adventure equipment.

2. Creating and maintaining a unique brand personality

Your Instagram channel is the next thing a person visiting your profile will see after your bio. And the impression a user gets when looking at your feed is important in determining whether they like your brand or not.

It is also important to maintain consistency in colors, types of posts, tone of voice, etc. because those are what determine your brand’s personality. And it should be such that anyone who sees your post will immediately associate it with your brand.

Here is an example of a non-alcoholic beverage brand that maintains a clear and distinct brand personality.

3. Use relevant hashtags.

Using hashtags is a proven way to reach more people and gain more followers on Instagram. You need to research which hashtags are trending in your industry and which are relevant to your brand and content. Then use a combination of these hashtags for all your Instagram content to reach people who follow these hashtags.

Also remember to mix it up a bit and use popular industry-level hashtags as well as niche ones where you can really stand out. Instagram allows you to add up to 30 hashtags for each post and you should use this feature to your advantage.

4. Creating and Promoting Your Own Branded Hashtag

In addition to using popular hashtags, you can also create and promote your own hashtag. It can be specific to your brand or even a particular campaign. Brand-specific hashtags are a great way to improve your Instagram presence and promote your campaigns.

By creating a hashtag specific to a given campaign, you can also encourage people to use it in their Instagram content. This way, you get free user-generated content and publicity, which can help you reach more people and gain more followers.

Here is an example of how Dove uses campaign-specific hashtags to create user content and promote its marketing initiatives.

5. Optimize Your Captions

The captions of your Instagram posts give you a chance to engage your current audience and even encourage them to recommend you to their friends. So why not take advantage of this opportunity for your benefit?

With Instagram captions, you can do a lot, such as tagging people, asking questions, starting conversations, and so on. The more you encourage your audience to comment, the more likely they are to invite their friends to join the discussion.

You can also provide discounts or offers and ask your followers to tag their friends and promote the offer. Also remember to tell the story behind the image or video you’re sharing, as this will increase engagement.

6. Participating in Popular Conversations

This is the other side of the story we mentioned in the previous point. You should not only start conversations, but also participate in them.

If someone in your field starts a discussion that people are interested in, it would be good for you to comment on it and get involved. Who knows? It might impress some people and they might decide to check out your profile and follow you.

7. Monitoring Tagged Photos

Maintaining a good reputation is very important if you want to gain and keep more followers. One way to do this is to monitor what posts are tagged with your brand. People can see all posts where you are tagged from your Instagram profile. So it’s important to monitor who tags you and what type of posts.

You can use the “edit tags” feature or change your settings to show only tagged posts that you approve.

8. Go Local

Just as local SEO works for websites, local hashtags and geotags work for Instagram. You cannot underestimate the value of focusing on a local audience for your business.

Here are two ways you can achieve this.

Geotag Your Posts

By adding geotags to your Instagram content, you can attract local Instagram users. Many people search for local content using the search feature on Instagram, and adding geotags can help you get positioned in these searches. It’s similar to local SEO, but for Instagram.

Add locations to your posts and get views when someone searches for Instagram content using location search. This way, you can attract local people to your profile and gain more Instagram followers.

Use Local Hashtags

Local hashtags serve a similar purpose, allowing you to reach local people who are interested in a specific niche. Many people on Instagram follow local hashtags, and by using them you can gain access to this audience.

9. Add CTAs Everywhere

Instagram offers several ways to add calls to action to your content, and you should use them all. Whether it’s a simple “swipe up to learn more” in your Stories, or “shop now”, CTAs will help you get your audience to take the desired action.

At the very least, you can add a CTA to your captions asking people to share your content, visit your profile, or take any other action you want them to take.

Look at this example of how Staples encourages people to share their content by adding a simple CTA to the headline.

10. Leveraging Influencers

Influencers are people with a substantial number of followers who are loyal and engaged, which is a quality that every brand desires in their audience. You can leverage influencers and gain access to their loyal followers and convert them into your own followers.

The only important thing to keep in mind is that influencers should be from your niche and relevant to your brand. If these criteria are met, you can get started, as influencer marketing is a reliable way to gain more Instagram followers.

There are many ways to leverage influencer marketing to gain more followers, and that would be beyond the scope of this article. So do your research and harness the power of influencer marketing to expand your reach.

11. Run a Contest

It may seem like a cheap trick, but it is a proven way to gain followers on Instagram. Many brands and marketers use this technique and see immediate results.

Simply run a contest and ask people to follow you and tag their friends to participate. And write the caption in a way that encourages people to tag only relevant individuals who would genuinely be interested in your brand.

Below is a perfect example of how these things work and how you can gain immediate followers using this tip.

12. Invest in Instagram Ads

No list of tips on how to gain more Instagram followers is complete without mentioning advertising. After all, it is the traditional way for businesses willing to invest in it to gain more potential customers (in this case, followers).

Unlike posts and Stories, which are only visible to your current audience, Instagram ads are displayed to a much wider and more relevant audience. By investing in advertising, you can reach a large number of people in a specific demographic or target segment.

Conclusion

These are some of the best ways to increase your presence on Instagram and gain more followers. Use these tips to see a visible increase in your Instagram followers and build a strong presence on this platform.