1. Share Images People are intersted in:

If you check out the most popular Instagram accounts, you’ll notice a common theme. All of their photos are something most people can relate to and connect with. They’re personal, unique, and original. By sharing these types of photos, you’re establishing a connection with your audience, which is the absolute best way to attract people to your account.

In short, make sure your Instagram account is authentic and original. Think about sharing behind the scenes photos of your office, the process that goes into making your product, or (appropriate) company party photos. That is how you’re going to connect to other users. Many people also Buy Instagram Followers too, to increase their followers quickly and easily.

2. Post at the Right Time
Before posting anything onto Instagram, consider what time zone the majority of your audience lives in and what time they check their Instagram account.

Because of its mobility, there isn’t really a favorite time for Instagram users – engagement is high on Wednesdays between 5 – 6 PM, while more people post on Thursdays. Regardless, a majority of Instagram users log in when they have the extra time, such first thing in the morning, on their way home from work or school, or on Sundays.

Typically, a photo only has four hours before it gets lost within the news feed. To prevent this, try to post when you know a majority of your followers have downtime and have access to their accounts. For example, if your demographic are high school students, then you should post your photos in the afternoon when students are either on their lunch break or home for the day.

If you have a strong following of professionals in Chicago, then you would want to post images during rush hour CST when people are on their way home from work and checking their account while on the “L”.

3. Use Popular & Relevant Hashtags
Search Google or Webstagram to find popular hashtags, which are used to organize photos. You can then use the relevant trending hashtags to you or your industry to gain more visibility for your photos, which should generate more interaction. For example, the top 10 hashtags are: #love, #instagood, #me; #like, #follow, #cute, #photooftheday, #tbt, #followme, and #tagsforlikes.

You can also use Instagram autocomplete to find relevant hashtags for your industry.

While hashtags are an important asset when attracting new followers, you don’t want to go overboard. Instead of posting an entire paragraph of hashtags, try to select one to three hashtags per photo. Any more than three will seem spammy.

4. Follow Others
If you want to follow others, then you’re going to have to follow them. This is a simple rule of reciprocation that is common on all social media formats. So, instead of just uploading photos and expecting people to come to you, you also have to put yourself out there.

In other words, you have to be active.

Search for users and brands that share your interests and comment, then like and share their photos. Follow Instagram stars and influencers and engage with them, or even ask for a shout-out. You could even look for tags containing tags like: #shoutout, #TagsForLikes, #ilovemyfollowers, and #follow.

It’s very simple. The more you engage, the more exposure you’ll receive.

5. Host Contests
One of the most effective ways to boost engagement and gain new followers is by hosting a contest. It’s a proven tactic on any social media network. However, since Instagram is so popular, it has become a favorite platform in particular to run contests.

Contests are easy to create and get up and running. Take an amazing picture and add captions that inform people there’s a contest underway. Also, make sure you also use #contest to make your contest easy to find. And, make sure to share your contest on other social media sites, like Facebook.