How to Increase Instagram Followers and Views

Gaining more Instagram followers and views comes down to two things: giving people a clear reason to follow you and making your content easy for them to find. This guide provides practical, no-fluff strategies to do exactly that. We’ll cover everything from optimizing your profile to creating content that the algorithm loves, helping you build a thriving community around your brand or passion.

Start with a Strong Foundation: Optimize Your Profile

Your Instagram profile is your digital storefront. If it's confusing or incomplete, potential followers will leave before they even see your content. Spend 15 minutes checking these four key areas - they make all the difference.

1. Your Name and Username

Your username (@username) is your unique handle, but your Name field is a separate, searchable asset. Don’t just put your name there, add a keyword that describes what you do. Instead of just "Jane Doe," use "Jane Doe | Fitness Coach." Now, when people search for "fitness coach," your profile has a higher chance of appearing.

2. Your Profile Picture

Your profile picture should be clear, high-quality, and recognizable even as a tiny circle. For personal brands, a professional headshot where you’re making eye contact works best. For company brands, use your logo. Avoid busy backgrounds that make it hard to see what’s going on.

3. Your Bio

Your bio has one job: to quickly convince visitors that you're worth following. Use a clear, concise structure that answers three questions:

• Who you are and what you do: "Helping online entrepreneurs build their brand."
• Who you help: "...through simple social media tips."
• What action they should take next (CTA): "👇 Grab your free content guide!"

Use emojis to add personality and break up text, but don’t overdo it. The goal is clarity, not clutter.

4. Your Link in Bio

You only get one clickable link on your profile, so make it count. Instead of constantly swapping it out, use a free link aggregator tool like Linktree or Carrd to create a simple landing page. This lets you direct followers to your blog, shop, services, and other social channels from one central location.

Create a Content Strategy That Gets You Noticed

Once your profile is set, it’s all about the content. Aim to create content so valuable that people can’t help but follow you for more. Here’s how to do it.

1. Define Your Niche and Audience

You can't be everything to everyone. Trying to please the masses leads to generic content that nobody connects with. Instead, decide on your niche and create content specifically for that audience.

Are you a travel blogger? Don't just post pretty pictures. Specialize in "budget travel for solo female backpackers" or "luxury van life guides." The more specific you are, the more your target audience will feel like you’re talking directly to them. This is how you build a loyal following, not just followers.

2. Go All-In on Instagram Reels

Instagram is heavily pushing Reels, making them the single best tool for reaching non-followers. To create Reels that perform well, focus on these elements:

• A Strong Hook: You have about three seconds to grab someone's attention. Start with an on-screen text hook like, "One mistake every home cook makes" or "3 Canva hacks you didn't know." A bold statement or a question works great.
• Trending Audio: While not a guarantee, using audio that's currently popular gives the algorithm another signal to show your content to more people. Scroll through the Reels tab to see what songs or sounds keep reappearing in high-view videos.
• Serve Your Audience: Don't just point at text bubbles. Use Reels to educate, inspire, or entertain. Share quick tips, a behind-the-scenes look at your process, or a relatable "before and after" story. Each Reel should solve a small problem or provide a quick burst of value.

3. Leverage Carousels for Saves and Shares

While Reels are great for discovery, carousels are fantastic for building community and establishing authority. The Instagram algorithm prioritizes content that gets a lot of "saves" and "shares," and checklists, tutorials, and mini-guides in carousel format are perfect for this.

Carousel Ideas That Work:

• A step-by-step tutorial on accomplishing a specific task.
• A listicle, like "5 tools I can't live without as a graphic designer."
• Busting common myths related to your niche.
• Sharing a case study or personal transformation.

Design a visually appealing cover slide with a bold headline that encourages people to swipe through, like "Swipe to Learn My Secret."

4. Write Captions That Start Conversations

Your visual media gets the attention, but your caption builds the connection. A great caption does more than just describe the photo or video. It adds context, tells a story, and prompts engagement.

A simple formula for better captions:

1. Open with a hook. Start with a question or a bold statement to stop the scroll.
2. Share the story. Add personal context, the 'why' behind the post, or valuable insight. Keep paragraphs short and use line breaks to make them easy to read.
3. End with a call to action (CTA). Tell your audience what to do next. "What's your favorite tip? Let me know in the comments!" or "Save this post for later!" This simple prompt dramatically increases engagement.

Stay Consistent and Post at the Right Time

Great content falls flat if you don’t post it consistently. The algorithm favors accounts that show up regularly. This doesn’t mean you need to post multiple times a day - it means creating a schedule you can realistically stick to.

Find Your Posting Sweet Spot

For most brands and creators, a good starting point is 3-5 times per week. This keeps your audience engaged without leading to burnout. Prioritize quality over quantity, four great posts are better than seven rushed, mediocre ones.

Post When Your Audience is Online

Stop posting at random times, publish content when your followers are most likely to see and engage with it. You can find this data for free right inside the app.

Here’s how to find it:

1. Go to your profile and tap "Professional Dashboard."
2. Tap "Total followers."
3. Scroll down to the "Most Active Times" section.

This shows you heat maps for the days and hours your audience is on Instagram. If your followers are most active on weekdays at 6 PM, schedule your best content to go live then.

Turn Your Viewers into Followers

Great content and consistency bring people to your profile. Genuine engagement and smart strategy are what get them to hit the "Follow" button.

1. Use Hashtags Strategically

Forget the old advice of copying and pasting 30 viral hashtags. Modern hashtag strategy is about relevance. Think of hashtags as keywords that help Instagram categorize your content and show it to the right people. Use a mix of tag types:

• Broad Hashtags (1M+ posts): Use 2-3 of these. Think of tags like #ContentCreation or #DigitalMarketing. They offer wide reach but have high competition.
• Community Hashtags (100k-1M posts): Use 3-5 of these. These are more specific to your niche, like #SocialMediaManagerTips or #SmallBusinessMarketing.
• Niche Hashtags (under 100k posts): Use 5-7 of these. These are hyper-specific tags where you have a real chance of ranking. For example, #ReelsForRealtors or #NYCFoodieFinds.

Put your hashtags in the first comment immediately after posting to keep your caption clean and focused.

2. Engage With Your Community (and Beyond)

Social media is a two-way conversation. When people take the time to comment on your posts, acknowledge them! Don't just "like" their comment, reply with a thoughtful response or ask a follow-up question to keep the conversation going. The first hour after posting is especially potent, as a burst of early engagement signals to the algorithm that your content is valuable.

Also, spend 15 minutes each day engaging with other accounts in your niche. Leave genuine comments (more than just "Great post!") on their content, reply to their stories, and participate in conversations. This puts you on the radar of other creators and their audiences.

3. Collaborate for Faster Growth

Collaborating with other creators is like a direct referral from a trusted source. The easiest way to do this is with Instagram’s Collabs feature. When you create a post or Reel, you can invite another account to be a collaborator. If they accept, the post will appear on both of your profiles simultaneously, instantly exposing you to a brand new, highly relevant audience.

Reach out to creators who are at a similar follower level and have a complementary audience. Pitch a specific idea for a Reel or carousel that would provide value to both of your communities.

Final Thoughts

Increasing your Instagram followers and views isn't about finding a single magic bullet or a secret hack. It's about combining a solid, optimized profile with a smart content strategy, consistent posting, and real human connection.

Growing a following today is all about showing up consistently, especially with short-form video. That's why we built Postbase from the ground up to solve the challenges of managing modern social media. With our visual calendar, you can plan and see your entire content strategy across every platform at once, making sure you never miss a beat. We built our scheduling to be rock-solid and prioritize videos like Reels and TikToks, so your content goes live without weird formatting issues or frustrating publishing failures. This way, you spend less time wrestling with tools and more time creating great content and engaging with your growing community.