For a long time, I used to think Instagram was just taking a cute picture, slapping on some filter, and calling it a day as the likes rolled in. Boy, was I wrong. Through the years—and with a little bit of trial and error—I’ve come to learn that growth on Instagram requires so much more than just random posts. Below, I will go over the steps I took how to get more followers on Instagram that finally helped me nail my own strategy and the strategies I now teach clients and students. Hopefully, you can fast-forward through some of my embarrassing missteps and jump right into building a thriving Instagram account.
1. Defining (and Re-Defining) Your Target Audience
It’s funny how many times I realized too late that I was talking to the wrong crowd. For example, when I first started working with a local bakery, I had assumed that all our followers wanted was cute pastry pics. Turns out, a huge chunk of them were actually people looking for tips on gluten-free baking or vegan-friendly dessert ideas.
Steps to Identify Your Audience (Learned the Hard Way):
- Demographics: Write down potential age ranges, location, or language. I initially overlooked that half of the bakery followers lived out of state.
- Interests: Drill down into their hobbies—sometimes they’ll surprise you. I learned some of these bakery fans were huge coffee enthusiasts.
- Pain Points: Understand what they’re going through. Are they time-starved? Are they, like me, always on the hunt for low-sugar treats?
Once I pivoted the bakery’s Instagram to address these real desires and “pain points,” engagement soared. We even introduced a “quick recipe reel” series, which was a hit.
2. Planning Content Consistently (Despite My Procrastination)
There was a period where I thought I could wing it—just post whenever I felt like it. But every time I went “off-the-cuff,” I’d end up forgetting to post for days (maybe weeks).
Tips for Content Planning:
- Set a Realistic Frequency: I found posting 3-4 times a week was much more sustainable than forcing daily uploads.
- Timing Is Key: Use those Instagram Insights, no matter how boring analytics might seem. Once I realized most of my audience was online at 9 PM, I stopped posting in the morning when nobody was around.
- Mix It Up: I went all-in on Reels once and neglected carousels and Stories, only to find myself locked out of a chunk of engagement. Keep it fresh.
Finally, getting a calendar (I just started using a basic Google Sheets at first with color-coded squares for each type of content) was like having a personal assistant that reminded me about impending deadlines.
3. Creating Great Content in Your Niche (On a Shoestring Budget for Gear)
I used to think I needed some fancy DSLR camera. Guess what? My phone camera did the job just fine, mostly because natural light in my kitchen was surprisingly decent.
How to Make Your Content Stand Out:
- Phone Photography: Try shooting near a window; it can make even a bagel look like gourmet food.
- Branded Theme: Choose a consistent color palette. If your brand colors are pastels, don’t post a bright neon rave flyer on the same feed (like I did once—ouch).
- Trends vs. Timeless: Jump on trending audios or hashtags, but always ask, “Does it really fit my brand?” I hopped on a dance challenge once that had nothing to do with my niche, and the feedback was, shall we say, interesting.
4. Navigating Instagram’s Algorithm (And Not Freaking Out About It)
Every time the algorithm changed, I’d panic. I once deleted half my feed out of frustration (terrible idea).
How to “Get Along” with the Algorithm:
- Ask Questions: End your captions with questions so followers have a reason to comment. My post caption, “Who else has accidentally burned bread while scrolling Instagram?” got surprisingly high engagement (and a few hilarious stories in the comments).
- Encourage Saves: Provide tips or checklists people want to reference later. When I posted a short “3-step sourdough starter guide,” saves skyrocketed.
- Stay Consistent: Missing from the feed for a few weeks can lower your momentum. I learned that the hard way when I went on vacation and ghosted my followers for 17 days. My reach dropped, and it took a while to recover.
5. Mastering Hashtags and Location Tags (Instead of Slapping 30 Random Ones)
Early in my Instagram days, I would blanket a post with all manner of hashtags: #love, #food, #foodporn, #sunset. Spoiler alert: it attracted random bots, not real followers.
Smarter Hashtag Tips:
- Relevance: If you are baking cookies, try #homebaking or even #cookieinspiration—dump that #instagood.
- Location Matters: Tag a local city or region for footfalls, if you’re into that sort of thing.
- Fewer, But Better: Chucking 10-15 relevant hashtags often yields better results than playing the max-30-game.
Now, I go for a mix of broad and niche tags. For example, #GlutenFreeBaking is going to get a lot fewer posts than some really generic ones, but it’s laser-targeted to my ideal audience.
6. Sprucing Up Your Profile (After I Realized Mine Was… Ugly)
Your profile is literally your shop window. Mine used to be a random quote from a TV show, very fun, but unhelpful when someone wondered what I actually did.
Make Your Profile Shine:
- Profile Pic: A clear headshot or logo. I once uploaded a group photo with me in the corner, no one knew who I was.
- Bio Clarity: Explain who you are to your Instagram followers, what you do, and a quick CTA (e.g., “Sign up for my weekly baking tips!”).
- Highlights: Use them as organized mini-categories. My first highlight was just a big mess of random Stories. Now, I have “Recipes,” “Behind the Scenes,” and “Client Wins.”
7. Boosting Engagement (Without Being a Spammy Weirdo)
For a while, I was so obsessed with posting that I forgot to actually talk to people. Instagram is a two-way street.
Engagement in Action:
- Polls & Questions: I love popping a silly poll in Stories, like “Which cookie flavor do you prefer: chocolate chip or peanut butter?”
- Reply to Comments: Even a simple “Thanks for dropping by!” or an emoji can make someone feel valued.
- Proactive Outreach: Spend 10 minutes daily liking and commenting on posts by potential followers. Just be genuine—nobody likes a forced “Nice post, check out my page!” approach.
When I finally started commenting promptly enough, I saw the same people coming back time and again to comment on my new posts, it felt like a little community was forming. And if you are interested in to building a community, click here!
8. Tracking Performance & Adjusting (Or the Time I Ignored Analytics)
I used to trust gut feelings alone—until I realized I’d been ignoring clear data that could help me improve.
Key Metrics:
- Reach & Impressions: How many people view your content?
- Engagement Rate: Are people commenting, liking, saving?
- Follower Growth: Is it consistent, or do you see random spikes/drops?
By checking Insights (and occasionally third-party apps), I figured out which content resonated most. Turns out, a behind-the-scenes donut-making post outperformed my “perfectly staged” shots by a mile.
Conclusion
Instagram success isn’t about being perfect—trust me, I’ve made every mistake in the book. But if you can define your target audience properly, show up consistently, create genuine, high-quality content, and actually engage with people, you’ll watch your community grow over time.
It’s no overnight magic trick—more like kneading bread dough (forgive me, I love bakery metaphors): you put in the work consistently, let it rest, then watch it rise. And if you burn a few loaves along the way—by accident—or make a few bad posts, don’t sweat it. Just learn from that and keep going. After all, that will be what makes this journey fun, and very, very human.
