At the start of the year i made a goal half heartedly to reach 1000 followers on Instagram by the end of the year. Months went on and I hadn’t really made much effort with it. But I started to notice how accounts and fellow bloggers that I’ve been following for a long time have had massive growth. As well as their photogrophy and content improving massively. I wanted a slice of that cake!
I’d joined an Instagram focus group on Facebook and had a lot of advice and tips stored in my head for when I thought it was time. So, in October i pulled my finger out and just went for it. And in exactly two weeks I went from from 760 followers to 1000 and now at 1100(ish) as I write this.
A Big Goal
It wasn’t easy. I was constantly on Instagram for those two weeks because I was so focused on reaching that goal. Imagine where i’d be now if i was putting in all that effort from January?! So i’ve decided to set a BIG goal to reach 10k followers by December 2017. It will be a challenge indeed, but Ive seen so many others do it who are similar to me and I know by improving my content and being consistent I can 100% reach that goal. Of course, it’s not all about numbers! I want to have good engagement and a loyal active Instagram community, because that’s what social media is all about – attracting those who dig your vibe and supporting each other.
So wish me luck! And if you’re looking for new bloggers to follow I’m at: @cydneyhelsdown
My Advice & Tips
A few fellow bloggers have also asked me what I did to reach 1000 followers. Although my following is tiny compared to most, it’s still something i never thought i’d achieve and know there’d be similar people in my position who perhaps don’t know where to start. So here’s what I did:
- You’ve probably heard it 1000 times but get specific. What is your niche? What do you like posting about? What gets the most enegagememt and just roll with that. I’m still finding my way because as a lifestyle blogger I find it difficult to stick with just one ‘thing’ as I have so many different interests and am building myself as a brand rather than pigeonholing and limiting myself to a beauty blogger, or mum blogger. I know there’ll be crossovers of all my interests so just hoping to attract similar people.
- Posted three times a day. 8am, 6pm and again around 10pm are the times that work well for me. I’d post before heading off to work, just after I’d get back from work and I found 10pm was a good time to reach different time zones and found engagement was still high at this time. This seems like a crazy amount to those who barely manage to post once a day (trust me I was one of them). So I’d take a stock pile of photos during the weekend to make sure I had enough content throughout the week.
- Started using the app VSCO. I’m so late to jump on the bandwagon but I finally downloaded it and feel as though it’s saved my feed! You can bulk upload your photos and it displays them in a square grid format so you can see what your feed will look like. It also has its own filters (which I prefer). I’d recommend choosing one to use on all your photos so your feed looks consistent.
- Do your hashtag research! I try and switch mine up on every photo but there are generally about 20 of the same ones that I use. You’re allowed to use 30 hashtags and I’d recommend using them all for the best reach! Depending on your niche and target audience you’ll find more than enough hashtags to engage the right followers.
- Speaking of which. ENGAGE WITH YOUR FOLLOWERS AND IDEAL FOLLOWERS. For those two weeks, I tried to balance liking and commenting on the content that was in my discover feed but also people I already follow. Leave meaningful comments that are over 5 words (something to do with the algorithm) and be genuine. I also would go into notifications and followers to see what people I followers were liking, I found this really helps boost followers as it’s another wha you’re engaging with new content.
- Lastly! A comment pod occasionally is never a bad idea. There are plenty of Facebook groups out there for bloggers and lots of them will have threads you can join to help boost your enegagememt. I’m involved in a couple of comment pods in my niche and will join a thread once to three times a week.
*UPDATE* Ive just in the last 24 hours updated to a business account and would highly recommend as the insights are very helpful! It hasn’t made any other difference., if anything it’s improved my engagement and following.
Final Words
The key is to be consistent. Choose a combo of methods that work with you and stick with them. Set a goal and stay focused and but be realistic: if you can’t dedicate a couple of hours a day then do whatever is manageable for you and adjust your goals accordingly. I’m sure many of the larger accounts would agree with me on most of the above, but find out what works for you.
I do hope you found this helpful! And if your interested in a more detailed Instagram tip post then holla at me! I didn’t realise how much I did until I started writing this and Ive got lots more to share!
Never miss a post with Bloglovin‘
My Instagram is so slow and I definitely don’t think I’m putting enough effort in! Also I think there’s a lot of follow / unfollow going on which is really annoying! I’m definitely giving your tips a go! X
Thank you Cydney to share your findings with us. I seriously need to organise better the time to get more engaging followers on Insta.
This is so helpful thank you. I gained the followers I have pretty quickly but then it kind of tailed off. I have stopped posting as often though and want to improve my photos so will take your tips on board x #SharingtheBlogLove
I love the goal setting…something I need to do! I think I need to spend the extra time to get to where I want to get =) I will def check out VSCO! I had heard about it a couple months ago, but hadn’t found the time to add that to my social planning to do list. (#bloggerstruggle)
#sharingthebloglove
Best of luck with hitting the 10K! I don’t think it’s an unachieveable target as I’ve seen lots of accounts build that quickly. For me, I’ve found hashtag research and engaging with other people to be the best way to build things. And just using IG in a genuine way – like the accounts you like, interact with them, and only follow people whose feed you love to make sure it’s a place you want to keep going back to and interacting with. I’ve found my follower numbers have slowed a bit lately, but I put it down to the fact that I’ve only been posting mostly once a day rather than the twice I used to. I need to get back to posting more regularly! Thanks for joining us at #SharingtheBlogLove
The hardest bit I’m finding is that as quickly as I gain followers, I lose them again. Mine always tend to be business accounts trying to get me to follow and I don’t, so they go. It’s hard to get my target audience to follow ratherthan those who don’t want to. I’m like you – although I’m a parenting blogger I prefer to mix up my photos so there’s more variety. It does make it harder to build up followers, but I’m a bit stubborn about restricting myself. #sharingthebloglove
I know that struggle! Yes I tend to ignore the business accounts too, I engage with my target audience and am gaining a lot more loyal followers that way. I’m stubborn too! I don’t want to restrict myself too much with a theme. Thanks for stopping by x
I have just followed you! I have been trying to engage more the last few weeks and have noticed the difference!! I need to work on my hashtags and get a bit more organised with taking more pictures. Good luck lovely #sharingthebloglove
Thank you! I’ve JUST posted a post all about hashtags, it might be helpful to you! X
Great post, I really focussed on my instagram last year to the point of obsession, it kept me sane, I loved it so much! But I’ve completely lost my mojo since my second baby was born and zapped a lot of my energy, I hope to be back soon!
I think this is a realistic target and good luck with it. I love Instagram, it’s my happy place. I made some effort recently to focus more on Instagram and I’m getting just over a 100 new followers each week. I really need to batch my photos and plan ahead. Thank you for joining us st #SharingtheBlogLove
Thank you. I’ve seen so many people go from 1k to over 50k in a year so for me i feel it’s a reachable goal. Going to focus on getting really quality content! It’s all possible if you put your mind to it! Thanks for stopping by ☺️ c
I’ve found Instagram definitely the hardest platform to build followers or get on with .I think it’s because I’m not really a photo type person, but I am beginning to make more of an effort and these tips are great! #sharingthebloglove
This has been really helpful, thank you so much. I’ll definitely take some of this on board and I’m downloading the app as I type this 🙂 #SharingTheBlogLove
Great tips. I’m trying to gain 5k by June. I’m growing steadily but I still need to up my game. I do a lot of these already but I often only post once a day. Will try to post 2/3 times a day from now on! Thanks for this post.
#SharingTheBlogLove
Great tips, I would love to get up to 1000 followers soon, I’ve been dwindling around 720 for a month or so now, lots of follow/unfollowers, and it’s doing my head in! I have dropped my Instagram game recently though, I was posting twice a day but now I’m only managing once and I am not very good at getting the timings right either! #SharingtheBlogLove
Thank you so much for this post. I have been around 975 followers for what feels like ages & it just goes up & down, but not over 1,000!! I really enjoy Instagram, it is such a fab community to be part of. I’m off now to find some new people to follow & engage with. Good luck in hitting your target. X
Sorry, I forgot to put #sharingthebloglove ☺️
Oh wow!! These are really good. I didn’t even know how many instagram followers I had until I checked just now (a paltry 227 for those who are interested) but I do like instagram as a platform and really must engage more with it. Thank you for the inspiration.
Sarah xx#sharingthebloglove
Thank you. My problem is I spread myself to thinly over all the social media platforms, and I’m a master at none. Maybe its time I specialised. I just struggle to determine who my audience are. Do you take your photos on your phone or proper camera. My photography is better using my dslr, but finding time to upload and edit really hampers me. #sharingthebloglove
I’ve just got a new iPhone and the quality is great so I use a bit of both, some on my phone some using my DSLR. you don’t need a proper camera to take good photos, just the right lighting ☺️ and yes I agree editing is so time consuming! just have to be organised. you can use the app Later to schedule posts. Good luck with it x
Great advice – thank you. Am going to download the picture app now. Good luck with the 10k! Xx #SharingtheBlogLove
Thank you for sharing your tips to the top. #SharingtheBlogLove
Holy moly batman! That’s a massive target to hit! We’re around the same amount of followers on Instagram but post once every blue moon, we need to start posting 3 times a day and bulk upload. Great suggestions- good luck in the 10k xx popping over from the showcase… #sharingthebloglove
I know, I was feeling optimistic when I wrote this ahah thanks for stopping by, fingers crossed for both of us! x
Really useful. IG is one I’m constantly trying with. I’m getting there but it’s a slow process!
Hi Cydney ~ Thank you for the helpful hints! I am fairly new to all of this and haven’t exactly figured out the whole Instagram thing. I’ll definitely start using hashtags! Love the photos you’ve posted! Please excuse this (probably very dumb) question, but what sort of photos do you think would be most compelling for a mom blogger to use? (I haven’t shown any of my children’s faces, so I’m at a bit of a loss!) Following you on all your social media, but I think I may have missed a subscribe button? Thanks again. 🙂
#SharingtheBlogLove
Thanks for the lovely comment. Take different styles of photo and see which works best, try and post one a day and soon enough your photos will start improving. Take a look at the parent hashtags and you’ll find lots of inspiration!! X