How to Get Likes on Instagram

Figuring out how to get more likes on your Instagram posts can often feel like guessing the secret password to a club everyone else is already in. A flood of 'likes' doesn't just feel good, it tells the algorithm that your content is valuable, pushing it out to more people. This guide cuts through the noise and gives you the exact, actionable strategies you need to increase your likes, engage your audience, and build a thriving presence on the platform.

Your Content Is the Foundation

Before you get into hashtags, posting times, or engagement tactics, let's start with the most important element: the quality of your content. No strategy can save a post that doesn't capture attention or provide value. People 'like' what makes them stop scrolling. That means your photos and videos need to be visually appealing and interesting.

Focus on Visual Quality

You don't need a high-end professional camera, but you do need to pay attention to the basics of good photography and videography. Modern smartphone cameras are incredibly powerful.

• Good Lighting is Everything: Natural light is almost always best. Try shooting near a window or outdoors during the "golden hours" shortly after sunrise or before sunset. Avoid harsh, direct sunlight or dark, grainy settings.
• Clean Backgrounds: A cluttered or distracting background can pull focus from your subject. Find a simple wall, a clean-cut corner, or use your camera's portrait mode to softly blur the background.
• Editing for Polish: A little bit of editing can elevate a good image to a great one. Don't go overboard with filters. Instead, make subtle adjustments to brightness, contrast, and sharpness using Instagram’s built-in tools or free apps like VSCO or Snapseed. The goal is to enhance the photo, not change it completely.

Establish a Consistent Aesthetic

A cohesive grid makes your profile look professional and instantly tells visitors what your brand is about. This doesn't mean every photo has to look the same, but they should feel like they belong together. You can achieve this by:

• Using a consistent color palette.
• Applying the same one or two filters or editing presets to all your photos.
• Maintaining a similar composition or subject style.

When someone lands on your profile and likes what they see, they’re much more likely to follow you and engage with your future posts.

Know Who You’re Making Content For

You can't create content that gets likes if you don't know what your audience wants to see. Likes are an expression of appreciation - your post either entertained, educated, or inspired someone. The better you know your audience, the more consistently you can deliver content they'll connect with.

Check Your Instagram Insights

Your business or creator account comes with a powerful analytics tool called Insights. Use it to understand who is already following and engaging with you.

1. Go to your profile and tap on your Professional Dashboard.
2. Navigate to Account Insights and look at your Total Followers.
3. Scroll down to find demographic information like their age range, top locations, and gender.

You can also see which of your posts have performed the best in terms of reach and engagement. Pay close attention to the content that already gets a lot of likes. What do those posts have in common? Is it a particular topic, format (Reel vs. Carousel), or style? Double down on what's working.

Write Captions That Invite Engagement

A stunning visual stops the scroll, but a thoughtful caption encourages people to pause, reflect, and engage. Your caption is your chance to add context, personality, and a reason for your followers to connect with you.

Ask Questions

One of the easiest ways to invite comments (and the likes that often come with them) is to ask your audience a question. Make it specific and easy to answer.

• Instead of "What are you doing today?" try "What's the one thing on your to-do list you're most excited about today?"
• If you post a photo of a coffee, ask "What’s your go-to coffee order?"

Tell a Story

People connect with stories. Share a brief anecdote, the backstory behind a photo, a personal struggle, or a recent win. Vulnerability and authenticity build trust, which fosters a community that is genuinely interested in your content.

Include a Call-to-Action (CTA)

A CTA explicitly tells your audience what you want them to do. While it's often used for sales ("shop our new collection"), it works just as well for engagement.

• "Double-tap if you agree!"
• "Tag a friend who needs to see this."
• "Save this post for later!" (Saves are a huge signal to the Instagram algorithm).

Use Hashtags The Smart Way

Hashtags are essential for discoverability. They categorize your content and help people who don't already follow you find your posts. Using them effectively can give your like count a significant boost.

Build a Niche Hashtag Mix

Don't just use the most popular hashtags like #love or #business. Your post will get lost in a sea of millions of others. Instead, use a mix of hashtags with varying levels of popularity:

• Broad Hashtags (1-2): These relate to your topic but are very popular (e.g., #socialmediamarketing).
• Niche Hashtags (5-10): These are more specific to your content and audience (e.g., #smallbusinessmarketingtips or #chicagofoodblogger). This is where your target audience is most likely to find you.
• Branded Hashtags (1): A unique hashtag for your business or community (e.g., #PostbaseTips).

Use around 5-15 highly relevant hashtags. Quality over quantity is the goal here. Place them at the end of your caption or in the first comment - both methods work equally well.

Timing Is Everything: Post When Your Followers Are Active

Posting when your audience is most likely to be online gives your content the best possible chance of getting immediate momentum. This initial burst of engagement signals to the algorithm that your post is worth showing to more people.

Find Your Personal Best Time to Post

Again, Instagram Insights is your best friend here.

1. Navigate to your Professional Dashboard > Account Insights.
2. Under Total Followers, scroll to the bottom.
3. You’ll see charts for Most Active Times, broken down by hours of the day and days of the week.

Look for the peaks in the chart. Those are your golden hours. Schedule your post to go live just before or during those peak times to maximize initial visibility and likes.

Vary Your Content Formats

Instagram is no longer just a photo-sharing app. The platform heavily favors accounts that use its various features. Mixing up your content formats keeps your feed interesting and helps you reach different segments of your audience.

Embrace Instagram Reels

Reels are Instagram’s golden child. They are designed for high reach and are a great way to get your content in front of people who don’t follow you. Create short, engaging, and valuable Reels using trending audio. Even simple tips, quick tutorials, or behind-the-scenes glimpses can perform extremely well and rack up likes.

Use Carousel Posts to Educate and Inform

Carousel posts, which allow up to 10 photos or videos in a single post, are fantastic for engagement. Because users have to swipe through, they spend more time on your post, boosting its standing with the algorithm. Use Carousels to:

• Share step-by-step guides or tutorials.
• Present a collection of tips.
• Showcase a product from multiple angles.
• Tell a story through a sequence of images.

Carousel posts also get a high number of "saves," which is one of the most powerful engagement signals you can get.

Engage to Get Engagement

Social media is a two-way conversation. If you just post content and log off, you're missing the "social" part of social media. The more you put into the community, the more you’ll get out of it.

Respond to Comments and DMs

When someone takes the time to comment on your post, always reply. This not only makes the commenter feel seen and appreciated but also boosts your post's overall comment count, which helps its performance. A thoughtful reply is much better than a generic "Thanks!"

Engage With Other Accounts

Spend 15-30 minutes each day engaging with other accounts in your niche. Follow relevant profiles, like their posts, and leave genuine, thoughtful comments. This accomplishes two things:

1. Builds Community: It helps you form real relationships with peers and potential followers.
2. Increases Visibility: It puts your name and profile in front of people who are already interested in your type of content.

Final Thoughts

Earning more likes on Instagram isn't about finding a single secret hack, it’s about building a consistent strategy that revolves around sharing valuable, high-quality content and engaging authentically with your community. By focusing on your visuals, understanding your audience, and using the platform's features strategically, you can create a sustainable engine for growth.

Managing all these moving parts - from planning a diverse content calendar to scheduling posts for peak times and tracking what performs best - can be a lot to juggle. That's why we built Postbase. We designed a simple, visual planner to map out your content, created reliable scheduling so your posts always go live on time, and included straightforward analytics to see what's actually getting you likes - all without the clutter of legacy tools.