How To Get Famous on Instagram in the Most Sustainable Ways

Profile photo of Karen Lin, author

Karen Lin

Instagram Tips | Oct 09, 2023

Want More Real Instagram Followers?

Today, it feels like everyone on Instagram wants to be famous online. People are constantly jumping on hot trends and posting aesthetic content in an attempt to go viral and gain fans. According to Forbes, over 50 million people worldwide consider themselves “influencers.” But with so many people competing for the attention of potential followers on Instagram, it’s difficult to make it big. So, let’s talk about how to get famous on Instagram.

Instagram fame doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a long time for you to beef up your online presence and attract millions of followers. And while there are some ways to get instant fame and increase your follower count in seconds, they’re not sustainable.

Are you looking for ways to get Instagram famous and gain real followers? Allow us to list down the best ways to achieve authentic, organic fame to grow your follower base over time.

Famous person on stage in front of his many fans.

How To Become Instagram Famous Overnight: Effective but Unsustainable Tactics

It’s incredibly rare to become famous overnight. For this to happen, something extreme needs to happen. People have gotten famous fast for inventing a trend and going viral, or perhaps documenting something outrageous and posting it. But most of the time, it doesn’t happen to just anyone.

As they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day. You have to work hard if you want to become Instagram famous. It takes a lot of thought, planning and meticulous execution to happen to you. You can’t create high-quality content and gain tons of genuine followers at the snap of a finger. It takes time.

But if you’re wondering how to become Instagram famous overnight, there are technically some ways to do it. Granted, they’re not exactly the best way to grow on social media platforms, but it is possible. We’ll share two ways you can achieve this.

Unsustainable Method #1: Buy Fake Followers on the Internet

The first is by buying Instagram followers online. Plenty of websites offer instant followers for an affordable price. This can be very tempting for creators who want to achieve overnight success on Instagram. However, it’s not always a bright idea.

If you buy followers on random websites on the internet, you can unknowingly waste money on fake followers. These accounts may be ghost followers who aren’t active users on the platform. They won’t interact with your posts because there are no real people behind them.

As a result, it may lower your engagement rates, negatively affecting your ranking in Instagram’s feed algorithm. It’s also possible to get shadowbanned on Instagram for buying fake followers, as it goes against the app’s community guidelines.

Engagement pod members liking one of their fellow member’s Instagram posts.

Unsustainable Method #2: Joining an Engagement Pod for Quick Likes

The second way to get famous overnight is by joining Instagram engagement pods. The idea behind “pods” is simple. You join a group of people who agree to like and comment on each other’s posts.

This tricks the algorithm into thinking your posts are relevant and engaging. So, it will boost your visibility on the feed, leading to more exposure and the potential to increase your followers.

Like buying fake followers online, engagement pods aren’t sustainable if you want long-term success and fame on Instagram. Your high yet artificial engagement rates are dependent only on the people in your pod, not genuine followers and fans. The second they leave the pod, you’ll be left with very few interactions on your content.

Man recording a trendy challenge for Instagram Reels.

How To Get Famous on Instagram With 7 Sustainable Methods

The best way to become Instagram famous is by doing it the old-fashioned way—slowly but surely. Don’t rely on unsustainable methods to get popular on social media fast. These won’t get you real followers who love and support you.

Instead, work hard on your social media marketing strategy and Instagram engagement methods to attract your target audience. By winning their authentic interest, you can get famous in a real, natural way. Taking a bit longer to get there will be well worth it.

Want to get started on your journey to becoming Instagram famous in a sustainable way? Here are seven methods to do it.

1. Always Produce Fresh, Trendy and Interesting Content

The secret to Instagram success will always lie in consistently putting out high-quality content for your followers. Instagram is an app designed for people to appreciate the beautiful visual content of others. By using the app how it’s meant, you can be well on your way to Instagram fame.

Try to create content that aligns with current trends and hot topics on Instagram. This includes funny, relatable Instagram Reels that are shareable and have the potential to go viral. Hop on challenges your target audience seems to love. If you’re going to post feed posts, make sure they have an eye-catching aesthetic that will leave people wanting more.

Creating fresh and trendy content can attract potential followers to your page. If they’re interested in the posts you come out with, they may give you a follow. High-quality content can also lead to high engagement rates, boosting your visibility on Instagram’s feed.

But remember—the goal here isn’t to make one viral post and cross your fingers that you’ll be famous tomorrow. You need to persevere and make awesome content for the long term. Be consistent with the quality of your content to keep growing. In no time, you’ll be Instagram famous with tons of loyal, genuine followers.

Girl creating user-generated content for her favorite fashion brand.

2. Create User-Generated Content for Your Favorite Brands

User-generated content refers to posts people make for a brand without getting an incentive to do so. These include photos featuring a brand’s products, testimonials, unboxing videos, podcasts that mention the brand and more.

Brands love getting user-generated content (also called UGC) because they can be used as word-of-mouth marketing tools and social proof. They’ll often repost UGC on their social media platforms to amplify it further. That means if a brand posts your UGC on its page, plenty of new people will discover you.

Creating UGC for trendy brands is a great strategy for becoming more famous on Instagram. Not only do you put yourself in the line of vision of brands, but you can also get new followers. People who love and follow the brand might see you as an authority figure and be interested in following you.

Plus, if the brand loves your content, they may even recruit you as their official brand ambassador. This can lead to brand deals and sponsored posts in the future!

Having your UGC plastered on a big brand’s social media platform can also open the door for more collabs. If other brands and influencers discover you from reposted UGC, they may reach out and ask to collaborate.

3. Use Relevant Hashtags To Be More Discoverable to Potential Followers

By using popular hashtags in your post captions, you can boost your visibility on Instagram. See, each hashtag has a designated hashtag page where every post that uses that tag appears. When people visit that page, they’ll discover your content and possibly follow you.

But don’t just spam your captions with every hashtag you can think of. You need to be strategic in choosing them since you can only use up to 30 per post. Use the most relevant hashtags that are related to your content. Choose those that your target audience is likely to use and check out on the app. That way, you’ll attract the right people to your page.

Another plus of using relevant hashtags on your posts is that they can help boost engagement rates. You may notice more likes and comments on your posts with hashtags. That’s because more people can see those posts, thus bringing in more interactions.

An influencer responding to their followers’ comments on one of their posts.

4. Engage With Your Followers in the DMs or Comments

Once you already have it, one way to maintain Instagram fame is by building a strong relationship with your followers. To do that, you need to engage with them consistently. That means responding to DMs and comments to spark conversation with them.

And don’t be tempted to reply with inauthentic comments like random emojis or generic responses. To build a good relationship with your audience, maintain an interesting conversation with them.

By paying attention to your followers and what they have to say, you show that you value them. They’ll be more likely to stick around and keep up with your content. They might even talk about you to their friends and share your posts with them, leading to potential followers.

Influencer answering questions she received from fans on her Instagram Stories.

5. Interact With Fans Through Fun Instagram Stories

Another way to engage with your fans and even boost your Instagram fame more is through Instagram Stories. Posting daily updates on Stories is a terrific way to keep your followers up to date about your life. But with the help of interactive stickers on Stories, you can also engage them in fun, creative ways.

One sticker you can use to interact with your fans is the question sticker. Post it on your Story and ask your followers to send in questions they want to ask you. Then, post a series of consequent Stories answering each one.

This is a great way to talk directly to your followers without having to message them one at a time. It also allows you to charm potential new followers with your personality!

Other cool stickers that can boost your engagement rate on Stories include the quiz sticker, poll sticker and emoji slider. Use them to see how your audience feels about your content and what they’d like to see in the future.

Two female influencers working on a collaborative Instagram post.

6. Collaborate With Other Influencers on Instagram

You can also become more famous on Instagram when collaborating with other brands and influencers. You’ll essentially be promoting each other on your profiles, allowing each side to attract potential followers.

By publishing a collaborative post with another creator, your content is pushed out to your followers and theirs. That means two sets of audiences will see it. You will expose yourself to a whole new set of people who might check out your page. If they find your content interesting, they might follow your page.

If someone sees you collaborating with their favorite creators and brands, you automatically become more credible in their eyes. It legitimizes you and tells them that you are trustworthy.

And don’t be afraid to work with micro-influencers and micro-brands that don’t have millions of followers yet. Most of the time, these accounts have a lot more sway and influence over their niche audience than celebrities. So, partnering with them and reaching their fans will be awesome for you, particularly if you have similar target audiences. 

7. Cross-Promote Your Content on Other Social Media Platforms

If you want more eyeballs on your content (and more potential followers on your page), work on promoting yourself more. Aside from creating high-quality posts, using hashtags and other content strategies, try cross-promoting on other social media platforms.

Not everyone is lurking on Instagram 24/7. Some people prefer other websites and platforms. Consider promoting yourself not just on Instagram but also on your Facebook page, TikTok or a personal blog. This introduces you to new audiences that might not know you on Instagram. Then, link them to your Instagram profile, where they can give you a proper follow.

Promoting yourself on multiple social media platforms may sound like a daunting task. We get it—building an Instagram presence is as challenging as it is! But cross-promotion doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming at all. You can simply repurpose content you’ve used on Instagram, tweak it a bit, and post it on other platforms. That way, you’re populating your other social media accounts while luring new audiences onto your Instagram profile.

A 3D graphic white hand holds blue verified check mark logos on a bright blue background.

Beating the System: How To Get Verified on Instagram Without Being Famous

For many influencers, you’re only truly famous if you get that verified check mark on Instagram. It’s a symbol of success for content creators everywhere—a sign that you’ve finally made it to the top.

To get verified on the social media platform, you need to meet several of Instagram’s requirements, which include the following:

  • You must be a real person or business that is notable and highly searched online.
  • Your account must be the only one representing yourself or your brand.
  • You need to have a public account complete with a bio and profile picture.
  • The account must currently be active.

Since the first criterion is being “notable” and “highly searched,” it’s difficult for non-famous people to get that check mark. But there is another way to get that coveted blue tick beside your Instagram handle.

Want to know how to get verified on Instagram without being famous? The answer is by simply subscribing to Meta Verified.

Meta Verified is a subscription you can pay for to start building your online presence as a brand. Yes, by paying money, you can get that verified mark. It costs $11.99 if you subscribe through the website and $14.99 if you do it on the app.

However, there are still some criteria you need to meet to be eligible to subscribe to Meta Verified. Here are their basic requirements:

  • You must be 18 years old and above.
  • Your profile needs to be associated with your full name. You’ll submit a government ID to prove your identity.
  • Your profile picture must show your face.
  • You need to have a prior posting history and be known to follow Instagram’s community guidelines.
  • Enable two-factor authentication on Instagram.

And that’s it! After Meta reviews your requirements, you’ll get that blue verified check mark every creator dreams of.

Get Famous on Instagram in a Slow, Steady, Sustainable Way

Getting famous overnight is every aspiring influencer’s dream. But unfortunately, easy-come-easy-go methods like buying fake followers and joining Instagram pods won’t cut it. Sure, they’ll give you an instant uptick in your follower count, but they aren’t sustainable for long-lasting growth and engagement.

Instead, we recommend working on your social media content to attract genuine followers who will actually enjoy your posts. Produce trendy Instagram Reels, user-generated content for top brands and collaborative posts with other influencers. Use relevant, popular hashtags in your captions for added exposure and potential growth.

But if you’ve done everything listed above and you still aren’t famous, enlist the help of Path Social. Our AI-powered targeting algorithm grabs the attention of your target audience so they can see your content. This can lead to higher engagement rates and tons of real followers. It can be your stepping stone to online popularity when you’re wondering how to get famous on Instagram. Start growing your community and get Instagram famous with us today!