How To Grow Your Following

‘Instagram is my favourite platform,’ says Eva McMahon, ex-model, digital influencer who has clocked up over 70k followers. ‘This is because I am a very visual person but also because it is so easy to use and you find so much inspiration. I have been using Instagram for many years but it took me a while to figure out what people like and what they want to see. I did not pay too much attention to the quality of the pictures at first or whether I was telling an interesting story with my photos. And now when I finally understand it the competition is so big that it is much harder to grow the platform. I can spend days of randomly clicking through and discovering people that are very successful and have huge engagement. I have written several articles on my blog, Glamazon, about how to increase followers or how to take good pictures for Instagram.

My top tips to constantly grow would be:

1. DOWNLOAD A DESIGN PERFECTING APP

Some bloggers are the biggest perfectionists I have ever come across. They plan their feed in advance for more than a week. They take pictures on good quality cameras and transport them to iPhone. There is a great app for this called UNUM.

2. TELL A STORY

It is important to always tell a story with your photo and text. I need to get better with this as my caption as it’s always quite brief. Some Instagram accounts have huge engagement and say lots in their captions.

3. USE THE RIGHT HASHTAGS

The magic of hashtags still works. Research the most powerful hashtags and what works the best. Every industry is going to be different but from what I remember, it is words like love, happy and amazing. As you can notice, these are all very positive which is good to know.

3. TAG OTHER ACCOUNTS

Tagging increases the chance of more people seeing your photos and also the other accounts will notice and share the picture on their site. That is one of the most powerful ways to gain more followers.

4. ENGAGE & COMMENT

This is very time consuming but very helpful. However, the biggest advice I can give is to share the love. Comment on other accounts you like, network on Instagram and I promise the love will come back to you. I wish I had more time for this as it works wonders.

5. SHARE LOCATION

I know some people like to keep their privacy but sharing location increases the chance of getting noticed. I do it myself if I want to see pictures of a restaurant, hotel or a nice beach. I go on the location and scroll through the photos. I’ve discovered great accounts this way.

6. NETWORK WITH PEOPLE IN YOUR NICHE

You can start to do it virtually and if you get a chance, go out and meet people. You never know there may be some amazing projects coming out of this in the future. It is all about sharing things together and new ideas.

My favourite Instagram accounts change frequently as I get bored or discover somebody new. At the moment, these are my top feeds and are mostly bloggers. I am staying true to my niche.

@terezasrbovaofficial


I am not mentioning Tereza’s account just because she is my friend. She has a very artistic eye and is different to typical social media IT girls. She stays true to herself, always sharing beautiful content with different angles. She is one of the most beautiful and successful people I know.

@songofstyle


Aimee is one of the biggest bloggers out there and I love her Instagram feed, her style and sense of humour. She has a talent for sharing her outfit while including interesting places. I recommend her book ‘Capture your Style’ which has tips on how to take good Instagram photos.

@natashandlovu


My friend Natasha has a great eye, great taste and high standards when it comes to her photographs. She would not share just anything on her feed. What I love about her is that she keeps colour in her feed unlike most bloggers who are making very simple, white feeds.

@ohhcouture


This account takes you to Alice’s wonderland. Leonie presents high standard images that are out of this world. Her feed is great for daydreaming; this is definitely not reality and is what I love about Instagram.

@negin_mirsalehi


It is easy to be carried away when you look at Negin’s perfect makeup and great lifestyle. That is what I need, especially on those days when you are dealing with a crying baby at home!

March 2017