How To Get Your First 1,000 Instagram Followers

I have to admit, I used to be a little jealous of some of my friends on Instagram. Their photos always seemed so cool, and they seemed to have tons of followers. How did they get so many?

I wondered. So, I started researching the best ways for getting more followers on Instagram (and more likes on my posts). After testing out some of these strategies and seeing real results, I was hooked! And now you can get hooked too!

5 Steps To Get Your First 1,000 Instagram Followers! (No Bots!)

Takeaways
1. Consistent Engagement: Regularly interact with your audience to foster connections and encourage follower growth.
2. Quality Content Matters: Post visually appealing and valuable content that resonates with your target audience.
3. Strategic Hashtags: Utilize relevant and trending hashtags to increase the visibility of your posts.
4. Collaborate with Others: Partner with influencers or other users to expand your reach and attract new followers.
5. Patience and Persistence: Building a follower base takes time, so remain patient and stay committed to your strategy.

Table of Contents

Learn From Your Mistakes

You’re going to make mistakes. That’s okay. Everyone makes mistakes, and so do your friends, family members and everyone you know or don’t know on Instagram. And that’s because they’re learning how to use Instagram just like you are!

The first thing you should do when you notice a mistake is to ask yourself: “What can I learn from this?”

Maybe it will be something as simple as “I gotta post more often if I want people to follow me” or maybe it’ll be something more complicated like “I need a new camera lens for my photos to look better.”

Either way, remember: learning from mistakes is part of the process of getting better at anything!

Building your initial Instagram following can be a challenging endeavor, but with the right strategies, you can make it happen. Explore our detailed guide on 14 Instagram Tips to Get Your First 1000 Followers to discover valuable insights that can help you kick-start your follower growth.

Have A Realistic Timeline

Don’t expect to see your follower count skyrocket overnight. It took months for me to reach 1,000 followers, even though I had been posting consistently for over a year.

Don’t expect to get followers by buying them or using bots or other tools that promise instant results. These tactics are against Instagram’s Terms of Service and will get you banned from the app fairly quickly not to mention make it look like you’re trying too hard (and who wants that?).

Don’t expect your first post ever on Instagram to immediately explode into popularity and land hundreds of new followers in a matter of minutes.

Asking “How do I get my first 1,000 Instagram followers?” is kind of like asking “How do I win the lottery?” The chances are slim enough as it is; don’t make it worse by setting unrealistic expectations!

Study The Big Names

It’s important to study the big names in your niche. When you do, you’ll learn a lot about what works and what doesn’t on Instagram. You can see what they post when they post it and how much engagement their posts get.

You can also see if there are any common mistakes that they make over time (for example, posting too much of one type of content).

To start learning from the big names in your niche:

Study their content by looking at the pictures they’ve posted and looked at how many likes each picture has gotten. Does one type of photo get more likes than another? Try posting similar types of photos if you want to get more likes for your account.

Pay attention to when each person likes to post as well it may be different from yours!

Starting your journey into Instagram marketing requires creativity and knowledge. Dive into our article that presents 15 Ideas to Get Started with Instagram Marketing, offering you practical concepts and techniques to effectively engage your audience on this platform.

Create A Consistent Theme For Your Account

Before you begin to grow your following, the first step is to create a consistent theme for your account. There are many ways of doing this and we’ll cover each in detail below so that you can choose the one that best suits your needs.

First, define what your brand stands for as well as its goals (e.g., “to provide an inspirational space for people who are interested in fashion”).

Then, create a set of rules and guidelines for how this will be done (e.g., “posts will always focus on high-quality images from around the world”).

Next, establish a set of policies (e.g., “only post original content”) where applicable; finally, set some standards so that everyone knows how things should look and feel across all platforms (e.g., “make sure every photo has at least 250 likes before posting again”).

Use Hashtags That Make Sense For Your Photos

Use Hashtags That Are Relevant To Your Post

This is the most important tip we have for you, so pay attention: if you aren’t using hashtags that make sense for your photos, you’ll be wasting your time.

You wouldn’t search for “homes” when looking up “home decor,” right? So don’t use #homes or #decorations in an image featuring a house being decorated get specific and include an exact phrase like “DIY home decor” or “#homemadewallhangings.”

Don’t Use Too Many Hashtags

The number one mistake people make when they’re trying to grow their followings is using too many hashtags in their posts. This creates clutter and makes it extremely difficult for people to see who’s posting content they want to see (you).

It also makes Instagram think you’re spamming them because no one wants to see thousands of posts about how awesome something is when only 5% of those posts talk about what matters: YOU!

Don’t feel like limiting yourself? Well then at least follow these rules so that when someone does search for something related.

But slightly different from what they typed into the bar above their feed page, maybe this time around someone will find yours first instead of all the others out there saying exactly what everyone else says!

Having a well-crafted social media strategy is essential for any modern business, and Instagram is no exception. Learn why it’s crucial for your business to have a solid presence on Instagram by reading Why Your Business Should Have a Social Media Strategy for Instagram.

Educate Yourself On Other Users’ Practices And Precautions

To get started, you need to find a few users who are doing what you want to do and are successful at it.

There are a few ways to go about this:

Use the search tool on Instagram and look for hashtags that relate to your niche. For example, if you’re an aspiring pet photographer, search #petphotography or #dogsofinstagram.

This will bring up some popular accounts that have already established themselves in the community and have thousands of followers.

A more targeted method is by looking through lists made by other people (like us!). Using our list of the best male photographers on Instagram as an example, we’ve organized them based on popularity and then broken them down into subcategories like “Cute Dogs.”

Or “People Who Look Like They Would Be Fun To Hang Out With.” You could also find someone who fits your demographic specifically by searching for their username (for example @username).

Don’t Forget To Tag Brands You Love

It can be a little complicated to figure out how to tag brands, people, and products in your photos. But once you get used to it, it’s not so bad!

First things first: don’t forget to tag brands you love in every photo. Many brands will follow back when they see that you’re wearing their clothes or using their products.

It’s also way easier than most people think just click on the three dots next to the “share” button at the bottom right of your screen. From there you’ll see an option called “add tags,” which will let you type whatever words come into your mind as long as they’re relevant (and appropriate).

You can also tag other users who might want to follow back by typing their username directly into the comment section below each photo post (also known as “caption”).

This technique is especially useful if someone else posts something with great content that aligns with yours—you should mention them! If they’re interested enough in interacting with other people like themselves, they’ll probably check out your profile too.

The same goes for locations: if there’s somewhere particularly cool where a photo was taken (like an interesting landmark), including its name so others will know where it came from too!

And don’t forget about hashtags: these are often overlooked but can help draw attention from outside sources because users looking for similar content may find yours through them instead of through word-of-mouth alone.”

Know When To Post (And When Not To Post)

The best time to post is when you feel the most confident and creative. When I’m in a great mood, I’ll usually take some time before posting to make sure that my post is interesting and unique.

This way, when someone sees it at 3 pm on a Friday, they’ll think: “I love this person’s feed! They’re always so positive!” rather than “Oh boy. It’s another drunk selfie.”

If you want your posts to be as high quality as possible, don’t post when you’re angry/sad/stressed, drunk/hungover (or even just tired), hungry or bored.

If these things are happening in your life often enough for them to play into how often or rarely you post content on Instagram (which they probably are), then it might be time for some change!

Gaining followers on Instagram from scratch can be daunting, but with persistence, your account can thrive. Discover the tips and tricks in our guide on How to Grow Your Instagram Account When You Have No Following to start building your online presence step by step.

Write Good Captions With Clear, Concise Content

While captions might not be the first thing you think about when you’re posting a photo, they can make or break your engagement levels.

If you want people to engage with your photos, make sure to use clear, concise captions that are both relevant and interesting. Then, use hashtags in the caption so other users can find your posts and click on them.

Don’t go overboard with hashtags! They should be relevant to the post in question don’t just throw random tags in there because they sound cool or trendy;

This will dilute their impact and make it harder for people looking at your content to find what they’re looking for.

It’s also important not to overdo it with hashtags; using more than 10 per post is likely going to annoy other users who see it come up as an annoying spambot (or worse).

Don’t Over-Edit Your Shots — It Shows

Don’t over-edit your photos. If you’re new to Instagram and looking for followers, don’t go overboard with filters or other editing tools. Over-edited pictures make it look like you’re trying too hard.

There’s nothing wrong with using filters they’re a great way to add some artistic flair to your photos but if you use too many of them at once, people will notice that something feels off about the photo and stop following you.

If your shot was taken on an iPhone or Android device, chances are good that it will have at least one of these features:

A slight blur effect, a vignette around the edges of the frame (a darkening at its corners), or some sort of edge detection (where the photo looks like it has been painted onto canvas).

These effects might look nice when used sparingly by professionals who know what they’re doing; but if they’re used in excess by amateurs (like me), then they can come across as phony and inauthentic and nobody wants that!

Consider Your Lighting And Backgrounds Before You Post

Before you post your first 1K on Instagram, there are some things to consider. Before taking a picture, check your lighting and foreground/background.

Make sure the lighting is good. This can be difficult if you do not have professional equipment or a controlled environment, but it doesn’t have to be perfect!

If you’re shooting outside and there’s lots of direct sunlight, try to shoot under an overhang or find shade where there is less light hitting your subject (or yourself).

Choose a background that complements your image. It should be something subtle that isn’t distracting from the item you’re showing off. A busy patterned wall might look good in one photo but not another it depends on what else is taking up space in that photo!

Try using plain white paper or cardboard as a backdrop so that it can act as its background filler without being too busy itself; this will also help with adding filters later on when editing images together into collages or stories!

If possible, use natural lighting for outdoor shots instead of artificial lights because they don’t affect color temperature much as indoor ones do.

This means no added warmth/coolness across multiple shots taken at different times during one day which could change how viewers perceive each image differently depending upon when exactly it was taken during daylight hours versus nighttime hours.”

Don’t Be Afraid To Show Yourself (Or Family And Friends) In Your Photos And Videos

A lot of people are afraid of showing their faces on social media, but this can be a huge mistake.

By not allowing your audience to see who you are and what you look like, they won’t feel as connected to you or trust in the legitimacy of your content. They need to know that the person behind the account is real.

If showing your face isn’t an option for whatever reason (maybe it’s against company policy or too risky), don’t let that prevent you from posting photos and videos where other body parts are visible.

For example, if you have a great video where the camera, focuses on one hand, doing something interesting (playing piano or making origami cranes), use that instead!

Another idea is to blur out any parts of your image that might give away who it is without being obvious about it;

This could include blurring out random body parts (like hands) or even covering up someone’s entire face with an emoji just as long as it doesn’t look bad when viewed full-size by others!

Your Instagram profile picture serves as your virtual first impression, so it’s important to get it right. Delve into the significance of profile images and how to optimize yours in our post on Instagram: Your Profile Picture Is a Big Deal, and ensure your profile stands out from the crowd.

Be Authentic With Your Pictures

The most important thing is to be authentic. This means not trying to be someone else, but instead just being yourself. Don’t try to be perfect, and don’t try to be someone you’re not. You can still be the same person you are offline on Instagram – just be yourself!

Another good tip is not trying too hard to make your account seem like something it’s not by posting only certain types of photos.

Or following certain people because they have 1 million followers or whatever standard you’ve set in your mind for what makes an “impressive” account in the first place (i.e., don’t try so hard that it becomes obvious).

It’s better to post lesser-known content than it is high-quality stuff that no one cares about anyway because they see it everywhere already (and then again later when everyone else posts it too).

Creating An Instagram Account That People Love Can Take Time, But It’s Not Impossible

Let’s face it: getting your first 1,000 followers on Instagram isn’t easy. But it’s not impossible either. The key is to find a strategy that works for you and stick with it until you start seeing results.

If your goal is to grow your account at a healthy pace and make sure that the people who follow you are interested in what you have to say, then hashtags are an asset. Hashtags are words or phrases preceded by a pound sign (#).

They’re used as search terms on Instagram so users can discover other posts about topics they’re interested in and more importantly, get more likes on their photos and videos!

Hashtags can be used as part of your caption or username (if applicable), but another place where they shine is in comments below posts that feature similar content or even just seem relevant based on their tags alone.

Conclusion

Hopefully, these tips have helped you get closer to your goal of getting 1,000 followers. If you’re successful, consider yourself lucky! Like many other social media platforms, Instagram has become saturated with brands and influencers competing for attention.

That means it can be very difficult to rise above the noise and stand out from the crowd. But if you follow our advice, we’re confident that your success is just around the corner!

FAQs

How can I get my first 1000 followers on Instagram?

Gaining your first 1000 followers on Instagram requires consistent engagement, high-quality content, and strategic use of relevant hashtags.

What are some effective strategies for increasing my Instagram follower count?

Engaging with your target audience through interactive stories, collaborating with influencers, and posting consistently are all effective strategies for growing your Instagram followers.

Is it essential to have a consistent posting schedule to attract more followers?

Yes, maintaining a consistent posting schedule helps keep your audience engaged and informed, increasing the likelihood of attracting and retaining followers.

How can I leverage user-generated content to gain more Instagram followers?

Encourage your existing followers to create and share content related to your brand. User-generated content can foster a sense of community and attract new followers who resonate with your content.

Are there any tools or apps that can help me manage and optimize my Instagram growth?

Certainly, there are various tools and apps available that can help you schedule posts, analyze engagement metrics, and discover relevant hashtags to optimize your Instagram growth strategy.

Costantine Edward

Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.