It’s no secret that Instagram continues to be one of the best platforms for business opportunities in 2023. Approximately 90% of the social network’s one billion active monthly users follow a business account, of which there are more than 200 million. But here’s the deal – gaining your first 1,000 organic Instagram followers can be an immense hurdle. Unless you’re famous or talented enough to go viral in one go, it’s challenging to amass a huge following without some hard work! Here are our top tips on how to get your first 1,000 organic Instagram followers.
What are organic Instagram followers?
Unlike fake followers or bots (social media accounts that aren’t run by humans), organic Instagram followers are real people who’ve found your Instagram account in the most natural possible way – through search engines, feeds and shares. In a nutshell, organic growth on Instagram is a genuine marketing strategy that happens when you begin interacting with accounts who have similar content, as well as with their followers. Think about it – if 20,000 people like one business’s content which is just like yours, they’ll probably like yours too!
Top tips to get your first 1,000 organic Instagram followers
- Make your username and bio count
First things first – tell your potential organic Instagram followers who you are and give them a reason to follow you. How? Make sure your username is easily searchable – recognisable, easy to spell and consistent across all social platforms. If your business name is already taken, keep your business name as the first part of your username, followed by a humble underscore, a relevant location or a keyword from your industry. For example, our restaurant client Trumps uses the username @trumpsgrillhouse. This will make people who are searching for your business more likely to come across you. Next up, fine-tune your bio so that if someone likes what they see, they’ll probably hit follow. You want to highlight snappy copy, a high-quality profile image and a call-to-action such as contact info, a link to follow or a hashtag to click.
- Connect with your network and find your audience
Instagram is very much a community. To gain your first 1,000 organic Instagram followers, it’s important to know who your network and audience is. Depending on what kind of account you’re running, it might be worth connecting with local or similar businesses. For example, for our client plastic surgeon Dr Eva Siolo, we encourage following the skincare brands she stocks and the medical aesthetic equipment manufacturers she uses at her practice, as well as tagging them, commenting on their posts and sharing their content. This encourages them to willingly do the same. Then, also look for accounts that gear themselves toward your ideal audience. Ask yourself what your ideal customer looks like, who they follow, what they comment on and what makes them tick. Ensure you find the accounts that post regularly and get high engagement.
- Eat, sleep and breathe the ‘5 likes, comment and follow’ rule
The ‘5 likes, comment and follow’ rule can increase your chances of generating your first 1,000 organic Instagram followers in about two months. It’s simple – find an Instagram account you’d be proud to count as a follower, like at least five of their posts, leave a thoughtful comment on your favourite post and then give them a follow. Our advice is to look at accounts with up to 5,000 followers. It helps putting time and effort into your likes and comments to show them that you’re an organic follower. You’re going to get out what you put into this, so don’t try to cut corners by leaving trash comments or automating your responses through a third-party system! Seriously – don’t be that guy who uses automated comments and says “So cool 🥰👌” on a personal post about weight loss or a deceased family member. Lastly, follow all of the people that they’re following – not their followers – and repeat these steps every day for 30 days.
Ultimately, when it comes to your first 1,000 organic Instagram followers, it’s important to focus on quality over quantity. Your organic Instagram audience will grow naturally if you put time and effort into doing your research and knowing the Instagram landscape for your industry.
